Marquart MA-5 Charger

The Marquart MA-5 Charger is a biplane designed by Ed Marquart (d. 2007) in the late 1960s. It is a sport biplane in the finest sense of the word: easy to handle, gentle but responsive to fly, and easy to land.

Inspired by the Stampe SV.4 and Bücker Bü-131 Jungmann biplanes of the 1930s, the design of the Charger calls back to a time when flying was a stylish affair; when the pilot would leap into the cockpit with leather helmet, goggles, and white silk scarf casually draped around the neck. With swept wings, cantilever landing gear, and a long, tapered tail, the Charger strikes a distinctive stance on the ground or in the air.

The Charger is a two-place airplane constructed of 4130 steel tube, wood, aluminum, and fabric. The fuselage is primarily of 4130 steel tubing. The wings are primarily of spruce. The covering is mostly fabric, with aluminum skin typically running from the engine to the cockpit area.

Construction is straightforward, and will be familiar to builders already familiar with tube-and-fabric construction. The design lends itself well to homebuilding, with very few specialized parts, and no machining required. The builder will need to be familiar with woodworking and welding, but very few special tools are required for the build. A typical home shop will already have many of the tools required to build a Charger. Builders typically spend 3000-4000 hours building a Charger.

Plans are in the public domain since Ed's death in 2007. A full set of PDF plans is available under the Plans tab above. Print shops in your home town should be able to print a full set of plans for under US$100 (2018).