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Meyers 200 owned by Jim and Mitzi O'Hara

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The Airplane Called Meyers

The Meyers airplanes were the inspiration of Allen H. Meyers, a farm boy born in 1908. After graduating from high school Al worked for Chance Vought, Glenn Martin and Stinson. When he was a sheet metal worker at Stinson, he taught himself aerodynamics at night and took flying lessons on the week ends. In his spare time he designed the Meyers OTW (Out To Win), and in 1933 he opened his own shop in Tecumseh, Michigan. The shop was an airplane design and manufacturing facility, an FBO and a boat building yard.

In 1936 the first OTW was produced; it was a biplane trainer similar to the Stearman. The OTW was used by the Civilian Pilot Training program during WWII; 103 OTW's were built.

After WWII Meyers designed a low-wing, two-place retractable gear airplane, the Meyers 145. Only six were built, and the design was modified into a four-place, tricycle gear airplane called the Meyers 200. The 200's fortes are strength and speed. The heart of the airplane's design and reputation is a welded steel frame that extends from the firewall back to behind the cockpit and out the wings to the main landing gear.

Meyers began building the 200A in 1959. The 200A, B and C models were built with the Continental IO470 engine and were rated at 195 mph. The 200D model with the Continental IO520 engine and flush-riveted wings was rated at 210 mph. The down side of the airplane is that it is heavy and won't (legally) carry much pay load. It has been said that the four-place Meyers is a legal two-place airplane.

Meyers built 11 200A's, (1959-60), 17 200B's (1961-63), 9 200C's (1964) and 8 200D's (1965-66), a total of 45 airplanes. He then sold the design to Aero Commander who produced 77 200 D's (1966-1968) as the Aero Commander 200 for a total of 122. At last account FAA has 99 registered in the United States; about a dozen are thought to be flying overseas.

The Meyers airplane has been described as a sophisticated home-built which probably explains Aero Commander's lack of success. It was reported that Aero Commander spent four million dollars to build three million dollars worth of airplanes.

The Meyers is fun to fly, and it makes you smile a lot.

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Last updated:September 30, 2000

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