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"T-CLIPS" is the name given to a one-of-a-kind clipped wing Tay-
lorcraft air show airplane. The original builder is Steve Givens of
Pendleton, Indiana. The current owner and air show pilot is Erik
Edgren of Oskaloosa, Iowa.
According to the original log book "T-CLIPS" began its life in 1939
as a stock Taylorcraft Model BC-65, powered by Continental A-65
engine. When Steve Givens acquired the airplane all that re-
mained was the paperwork and a tired old fuselage frame and
landing gear. Eventually Steve acquired an assortment of other
parts from both pre-WW2 and post-war derelict Taylorcrafts. With
those parts and a lot of ingenuity Steve began building his "T-
CLIPS" in the mid-1990s.
In the world of full-scale aerobatics there are basically two recog-
nized styles of a clipped wing Taylorcraft:
1) The Duane Cole conversion is a legend among aerobatic en-
thusiasts. With a 28 ft-10 in wingspan, Cole’s T’craft was initially
powered with a Continental 85 hp engine. When he won the U.S.
National Aerobatic Championships in 1962 and 1964 he was
using a 100 hp engine. His winning routine included an outside
square loop in the T-craft! Duane was the all-time master of close-
in aerobatics. His air show performances in the T-craft never ex-
ceeded 120 mph and rarely over 800 feet high.
2) The Swick "Clip-T" conversion is named after Jim Swick, who
along with his son Mike, built the first one in 1972. The Swick con-
version has a 27 foot wingspan and has been built with engines
ranging from 100-180 hp!
When Steve Givens decided to build himself a clipped wing Tay-
lorcraft, he wanted an airplane in the style of Duane Cole - the
"old school" tradition. However in the end Steve's airplane would
be neither a Cole nor Swick conversion, but a combination of what
he felt were the best parts of each, with some new ideas thrown
in. For instance, the "T-CLIPS" has the longer wingspan of Duane
Cole's airplane, along with the more aerodynamically balanced
Swick ailerons. The controls are the Cole style cable system. The
landing gear is stock Taylorcraft, modified by Steve. A Continental
C-90 (90hp) engine was installed on a late model T-craft mount,
with a custom cowling fabricated around a factory nose bowl. As
you can see, the "T-CLIPS" is truly one-of-a-kind. Steve’s first
flight in the “T-CLIPS” was in the spring of 1998.
The current owner of the Givens "T-CLIPS" is Erik Edgren, who
first laid his eyes on the airplane at the 2000 Antique Airplane As-
sociation Fly-In near Blakesburg, Iowa. Erik was so smitten by
the "T-CLIPS" that he left a note on the seat of the airplane with
his phone number and the question;
"Is this airplane for sale?"
.
A year went by with no call from Steve. So at the next Antique Air
plane Association Fly-In in 2001, Erik tracked Steve down. Even
though he got a ride in “T-CLIPS”, Erik found out it wasn’t for sale.
And so it went for the next 7 years. At each annual AAA fly-in Erik
would remind Steve that he was ready to buy “T-CLIPS” whenever
Steve was ready to let it go. By the fall of 2008 Erik was ready to
give up on “T-CLIPS” and buy a different clipped-Taylorcraft that
he’d found. Making one last call to Steve, Erik was surprised to
hear that he was willing to sell the "T-CLIPS", to make room for a
WACO that he had acquired.
After closing the deal and getting the airplane home, Erik added
inverted fuel and oil systems, and smoke, to the "T-CLIPS". He
changed out the C-90 engine for his favorite Continental C-85,
which was an original Taylorcraft factory option. This may be the
only clipped wing T'craft currently flying air shows with an original
size engine. Erik refers to this as
"Twistin It Old School"
.
Erik Edgren is well-known in the aviation community. The family
farm he grew up on outside of Oskaloosa, Iowa (which he now
farms) includes a grass flying strip and hangar. Erik's Father John
was a lifelong pilot and in fact had a stock Taylorcraft, among other
airplanes. Aviation has always been a big part of Erik’s life.
Actually Erik can’t remember his first airplane ride…because he
wasn’t even born yet! Erik began "flight training" at the age of 6,
sitting on his father’s lap in the family Mooney, flying by instru-
ments because he couldn’t see over the instrument panel. After
conquering air sickness, Erik was ready to solo the family Taylor-
craft at the age of 8 with the use of seat and control extensions
his dad had made. At age 10 Erik learned spins, which sparked
a lifelong passion for aerobatics. Erik has worked as a Flight In-
structor, an Instructor/Pilot for an air combat school in the AT-6,
and as a corporate pilot flying Lear Jets, Kings Airs, etc. He has
flown over 150 different makes and models of aircraft.
A gifted stick and rudder pilot, Erik is thrilled to be living his dream
flying the "T-CLIPS" in air shows. He is equally comfortable flying
the “T-CLIPS” in a comedy routine or performing precision aero-
batics. Erik is the only performer who actually flies part of his
comedy routine INVERTED! His aerobatics-only performance
features full on, inside outside, energy management aerobatics in
the “old school” style of Duane Cole. It’s amazing what Erik can
do with a C-85 powered Taylorcraft!
Duane Cole’s legendary clipped wing T-Craft won two National Aero-
batic Champion titles and thrilled airshow audiences for many years.
“T-CLIPS” owner and air show pilot Erik Edgren.
(photo from October 2009 SPORT AEROBATICS magazine)