Kenneth Sheffield set out to design a low-cost, easy-to-build aircraft. He included folding wings, a simple structure and powered it with a
Volkswagen air-cooled engine. Design was started in 1966 and by April 1970 the Skeeter X-1, registered
N117 had flown. The Skeeter X-1 is a
parasol strut-braced monoplane with a welded steel fuselage. The fuselage is covered in wood and metal in the cockpit area but the aft-structure is uncovered and the pilot sits in an open cockpit. The two-
spar wings fold for transportation, and they have
ailerons, but no
trim tabs or
flaps. The wooden tail is strut and wire braced and
fabric covered, and the
landing gear is a fixed
tailwheel type with a steerable tailwheel. The Skeeter X-1 was designed to me powered by any converted Volkswagen engine from , the prototype had a Volkswagen converted motor-car engine driving a two-bladed fixed pitch tractor propeller designed by Sheffield. The Skeeter X-1 was registered by the
Federal Aviation Administration in the experimental homebuilt category and the company planned to sell plans and finished propellers to customers but only the prototype appears to have been built. ==Specifications==