Walter Smythe

Walter loves building aircraft and taking the time to think through every piece to make sure it’s a quality plane. He built cars all his life and decided to try building a different kind of hot rod.

I love building aircraft and taking the time to think through every piece, making sure it’s a quality plane. I have been building cars all my life, everything from hot rods to customs. I decided it was time to try my hand at a different kind of hot rod.

I found the TangoX and it to be very similar to a hot rod with 220+ MPH and a 2,100 mile range. The plane was a fast build. It’s not supposed to be a taildragger, just tail down to set the ’no drag’ angle on the wheel pants. The engine is the Titan™ IOX-370.

I enjoy hunting for the right parts of my aircraft and one of my favorite features is the prop. It’s a Prince P-Tip, uniquely made carbon fiber over a wood core. It acts like a constant speed but without the weight and expense.

I am happy with the finished Tango. I’ve put 660 hours on it since January 6 and expect to fly it home to Maine in the Fall.

After retiring from the insurance business, to be able to spend the time to build the Tango and fly it is a great accomplishment.