Mitzar, Flying Pinto?

12/18/99- Updated Information has arrived about the Flying Pinto, Thanks Mark!   Click here!

By Kal Lahue, Peterson's Complete Ford Book 3rd Edition 1973 Lib Of Congress #73-85953

Appearing in my thology of ancient Greece and other cultures with regularity, man's fascination with the concept of a winged horse notwithstanding, it took technology of the 20th century to bring it to life. Well, horses still can't fly, but Ford's popular Pinto has recently acquired a set of wings, a new name and a whole new horizon, courtesy of Advanced Vehicle Engineers (AVE) of Van Nuys, Calif. (Bet you'd laugh your boots off if we didn't have the pictures to prove it!)

But it's no joking matter for Pinto lovers, and by the time you read this, AVE will be well on its way to obtaining FAA certification for its Mitzar, and production lines will be just around the corner. AVE has been in business designing and perfecting the Mitzar since 1968 and sees it as a prototype of the flying car of the future. Now, as every body knows, flying cars come and go periodically, so what exactly is the future for a Flying Pinto? According to the research that has motivated AVE to this point, it's sufficient to warrant the investment of better than $1 million--and that, friends, is not hay.

By the close of the "Soaring Seventies," the number of general aviation craft in use is projected at 235,000-plus, or roughly double the number in use when the company began work five years ago. It's also anticipated that those who fly private aircraft will double in number from 300,000-to 600,000-plus. Single-engine, four-seat planes seem to be the most popular, and that's exactly the market segment to which the Mitzar is directed. As about 80% of all non-commercial flights are of 500 miles or less, the Mitzar's 1000-plus-mile range at crusing spped (with reserve) puts it right in the ball game.

Availability

The Mitzar, which takes its name from the next-to-the-last star in the Big Dipper and means, "horse," will be made available in three modles that differ primarily in engine size. An Avco Lycoming 540-series powerplant will be offered in the 235, 260, and 300-hp versions. Other specifications include a gross weight of 4700 lbs.; a fuel capacity of 93 gals. consumed at the rate of 13 gals. per hour at the 130-mph cruising speed; a maximum speed of 170-mph with a service ceiling of 16,000 ft.; a passenger/baggage load factor of 1400/360 lbs.; an overall length of 28 1/2 ft. with a 38-ft. wing span and a wing area of 202 sq. ft. The whole thing stands a mere 8 1/2 ft. high. AVE sees it as being ideal for the commuter business use and recreational market, which has grown by leaps and bounds during the past decade. Can't you just see the look on your neighbor's face when he compares his new RV with yours?

Planned as a dual-use vehicle to fly long-distance travel and then operate as a conventional automobile for local surface travel, here's how the Mitzar works. Equipped with its pusher-type aircraft engine, the Mitzar airframe will be kept on telescopic supports at a convenient airport. You drive the AVE-modified Pinto to the hanger and back the car under the airframe. A self-aligning track incorporated into both units makes attachment an easy job that requires less than two minutes to  complete. All flight controls and instrument hookups will be made with an umbilical connection, while structural connections will be locked in place with self-locking high-strength pins in the structurally linked track assembly and wing support connections. An on-going development program will slightly alter the connection system to be used since it's planned to do away with the wing support struts.

Ready For Takeoff

Once this is accomplished, you'll taxi to the end of the runway using the auto engine. After checking out the aircraft powerplant for pre-flight,  you're ready for takeoff using both the regular Pinto and the aircraft engines. While the latter has sufficient power by itself to lift the Mitzar off the ground, use of the automotive  engine at the same time will provide a shorter takeoff roll. Once you're airborne, the car's engine is shut off. Landings will be made on the rear wheels during touchdown, followed by four-wheel braking to a stop in 525 ft. or less.

After taxiing into position on the ground at your destination, the Mitzar airframe is easily disconnected from the Pinto. Its telescopic wing supports are let down and the unit is tied to conventional aircraft tie-downs for parking or storage until you're ready to hook up for the return flight. Now comes the drive into town to conduct your business or just to shake up  Pinto enthusiasts attracted by that unusual looking roof line, who then peek inside and see the aircraft instruments in the car's dash. Explaining that to curious on-lookers alone is worth the price of admission.    By now, you're probably wondering something. Not just everyone will be able to pilot his Pinto to-and-fro in this manner. You'll need a regular pilot's license just as if you were flying a Piper Cub or a Cessna.

AVE was founded as a privately held California corporation by Hank Smolinski, who's president and chairman of the board. Its goal is to find solutions to transportation problems. Smolinski is a graduate of Northrup Aeronautical Institute, and has been involved in nearly every phase of the aircraft industry in the past two decades. The Mizar is his personal contribution to aviation's future. It will be offered for sale through the auspices of Galpin Ford and the Bert Boeckmann Co. (BBC) of Sepulveda, California, which has a national distribution agreement with AVE. BBC was formed by H. D. Boeckmann (who owns and operates Galpin Ford, thus the Flying Pinto and not Vega), solely to distribute the Mizar, and it's rumored that distribution rights brought $1 million into the AVE coffers. Since acquiring the rights, BBC has been absorbed into Galpin Ford, which will establish dealerships through the United States. Once the program is in the air-so to speak-its designers intend to institute the necessary modifications to create Flying Vegas, Firebirds, and other similar hybrids. It is anticipated that development costs will be recouped from the sale of the first 475 Mizars, and AVE expects to sell that number within 30 months after the Pinto's first flight.

 

 

You'd never guess what's under these multicolored wraps, but it cost over $1 million to bring to this point, so it had better be good, right?
Right, and good it is. That's OK, rub your eyes & take a second look-- by golly, It IS a Flying Pinto!
And here's the pretty little lady test pilot, AVE Vice President Lois McDonald. Let's take a look inside.
Flight control instruments added to Mitzar dash include air speed and rate of climb indicators, altimeter, directional gyro, fuel pressure gauges, throttle, flap switch, trim tab and radio equipment.
Cabin reinforcement in form of hidden roll-type bar is major internal structural change. Covered bar extends 360' around the inside.
Prototype uses external linkages to operate airframe controls, but these will be incorporated internally in the production model.

Wing support struts will not be used on production model, eliminating some of the Mitzar's present awkward look.

 

 

Custom painting was done by Orv Dittmann, well known in Southern California for his work on vans.
Mitzar prototype is equipped with Teledyne Continental 210-hp engine, but this AVCO Lycoming 540 series will replace it for FAA certification tests.