Our Aircraft’s History

Akron Aircraft “Funk Model B” 75-L (S/N 205; C/S NC24179) ~ Original design by the Funk brothers (Howard and Joe) was started in 1933 with an engine developed from the Ford “B” motor-car engine, hence the name. Our Model B was made in 1940. The last production model was the Model B-85-C, which halted production in 1948.

Production of the Funk Model B originated in Akron with the Akron Aircraft Company in 1939. When the Akron Aircraft Company moved to Kansas in 1941, the name was changed to the Funk Aircraft Company.

The US Army Air Corp impressed 1 of these into WWII service, designated UC-92 (S/N 42-79548).

The completed Funk Model B is currently displayed inside the main terminal of the Akron-Canton Regional airport (CAK), as of January 2020. 

Specifications/Performance (Model B-85-C)

  • Role: 2-seat cabin monoplane
  • Manufacturer: Akron Aircraft Company/Funk Aircraft Company
  • First Flight: 1933
  • Number built: 380 (all variants)
  • Length: 20 ft 1 in
  • Wingspan: 35 ft
  • Height: 6 ft 1 in
  • Empty weight: 890 lb
  • Gross weight: 1,350 lb
  • Engine: 1 x Continental C85-12 four-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed engine, 85 hp
  • Max speed: 115 mph at sea level
  • Cruise speed: 100 mph
  • Range: 350 mi (+30 min reserve)
  • Service Ceiling: 15,000 ft

The Dedication of the Funk Model B at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport is below:

Museum display note: painted in factory produced red with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) markings from the summer of 1943 in the Chicago area.  The tail number has a “NC”, instead of the standard FAA “N”, to reflect when it was made and how it was marked on aircraft prior to December 31, 1948. Also, the “C” meant, at the time, that the aircraft was a “commercial, airline or private” aircraft.