The Designer:
   Mr. Marvin Barnard is the designer of the M-19 Flying Squirrel. Marvin had a goal to build a safe, reliable and above all affordable aircraft for a builder/pilot to enjoy without having to second mortgage the house or save for a couple of months to afford fuel and oil to go fly. Marvin’s practical thinking led him to design what he wanted to be “the equivalent to the John Deere G.P. model tractor for the aviation world”. He wanted a proven, simple design that in its own simplicity would lend itself to being rugged and safe for a builder/pilot to operate for many years. Mr. Barnard said when it came to testing the prototype “ I wouldn’t sell anything to anyone that I wouldn’t get in and fly for myself”. And fly it does! The little prototype is still around. Marvin did all of his testing with this original airframe, figuring eventually it would be retired or possibly destroyed due to the rigorous testing he put it through. Flight maneuvers, hard landings, intentional rough field landings and general abuse the little plane soldiers on! And it’s still straight as an arrow thanks to the proven composite construction. He didn’t believe in glossy finishes either. Your “squirrel” can be finished to a smooth boat like finish but it isn’t necessary. The original prototype is finish sanded and painted. If you ever see it around at a fly-in you’ll probably never notice until you’ve walked up on it. Marvin said “finishes look nice but why waste time sandin’ and finishin’ when you could be out flyin’”! This comment wasn’t to reflect a frivolous attitude but reflected his view that airplanes were intended to be flown and not to be sat next to as “hangar queens”. 

   Sadly, I must report that Mr. Marvin Barnard passed away from a terminal heart condition on February 14th of 2004. This however does not mean that the “Flying Squirrel project will “fade away”. It is our goal to continue with providing the public with plans and technical support for what we believe is the answer to the rising costs that have forced so many would be pilots to stay on the ground.