Nelson Aircraft

[2] The prototype Bumblebee had a fully retractable tricycle landing gear, operated manually by the pilot.

The rear wheels also had independent internally expanding brakes, designed by Bowlus, which facilitated taxiing on the ground.

A three-gallon gas tank fed the pusher type engine allowing it to fly for an hour and a half under full throttle, cruising at 75 mph.

Tests were made which determined the engine was under-powered, producing about 16 horsepower at 3500 rpm, not enough for adequate flight, although Bowlus claimed it would climb 300 feet per minute to an altitude suitable for soaring.

[1] The experimental Nelson Bumblebee was a strut-braced, high wing, Bowlus Baby Albatross glider design which was altered by widening the cockpit and adding a plexiglass bubble to improve visibility.