The Cherry BX-2 designer Max Braendli
(* 31.03.1924 - † 15.06.2009)
At the Cherry Meeting 2007 in EDRB (Bitburg)
Max Braendli was born in 1924 and started building Aircraft-models even before he went to school. During his apprenticeship as mechanic he build engines for model planes already and he started gliding on the school-glider “Zoegling”. For all BX-2 enthusiasts, wondering about the BX-1...
Drawing of the BX-1 from 1945.
Living at a Swiss lake, Max was totally absorbed by sailing for many years before he caught up on gliding in 1957. Max obtained the PPL for single engine airplanes in 1972 and was responsible for maintenance and repairs of the gliders and towing-planes in the gliding club Biel (SGB) for many years. This experience and his diploma in mechanical engineering proved to be very valuable for him during the design and building of the BX-2.
Max did design and build the Cherry BX-2 in only 3.5 years (app. 5500 hours). Many of his licensees did need way more time just building the Cherry. When he finished his world famous “Swiss precision” drawing set, he sold his first 7 licenses in January 1983. It needs about 5000 hours and app. 30 000 $ (depending on the equipment) until the Cherry flies, but then the builder will be fully rewarded for his work flying this self made and economical plane with outstanding flight characteristics and a perfect 360° view.
Max Braendli designed another plane the BX-3 (single seat) in the nineties. But he never published plans for this one.
Prototype of the BX-3 “Swing”
The “great success” of Max Braendli is the Cherry BX-2!
