Feature Story

Boeing retiree builds his 'bathtub airplane'

You might say when Ed Kusmirek retired from Boeing 20 years ago, he was finally able to get to work. Inside his modest hangar in Enumclaw, Washington, sits his passion project that was born over half a century ago. It’s a replica of a 1924 super-light aircraft known as the Dormoy Bathtub Airplane.

“Dormoy being the builder and bathtub because that's what the cockpit resembles,” explains Kusmirek.

Kusmirek first read about the plane back in the 1950’s, and soon after found an authentic engine in Oklahoma state. More than half a century later, he’s nearly completed the replica and credits his decades of experience at Boeing in providing the knowledge to take on this project.

He still needs to get FAA certification for the airplane and brush up on his piloting skills, but Kusmirek’s main objective is to get the plane airborne for a short flight.

Eventually, Kusmirek wants to donate his plane to a museum. “Hopefully it'll be displayed where the guy that built the original one will get some recognition. That is more important to me than the fact that I built it.”

Last Updated: December 18, 2012 | Comments (0)