Pietenpol Air Camper body was recreated on the basis of American blueprint and all the rest was made with technical creativity of Artem Yashanin, NSTU Laboratory of Rare Aircraft Restoration engineer.
"The plane can't be called an exact copy because I have changed the aerofoil and tail surfaces. It is an alteration of the aircraft. I've been working on the plane with my dad for several years, he is a former military pilot, also the head of the avia modeling club. We have been doing it after the work, in our spare time" - says Artem. According to the constructor, the main problem was to find a suitable engine. This plane has a converted Subaru EJ-20 engine (car engine modified for aviation) which had been repaired, equipped with a reduction gear and adapted for installation on the aircraft. The engine is serviced according to aviation standards and is given an engine logbook. EJ-20 is the most common engine model used in amateur aircraft. "I have chosen this exact model of aircraft, because my friend Evgeny Orlov, ultralight pilot from St. Petersburg, was constructing the same type of airplane. I estimated the possibility of creating the wooden construction and began to work on the plane. It is not the first aircraft I have built, you know. Unfortunately, Evgeny Orlov did not manage to bring his airplane to flying condition. As for my plane, it appeared in the film "Yolki 1914", said Artem Yashanin. The aircraft is registered and has recently obtained the certificate of airworthiness. It was flown by a test pilot from Siberian Aeronautical Research Institute.
The first prototype that became the Air Camper was built in 1928. One of Pietenpol's goals was to create a reasonably priced plane.