Lamar Steen conceived the Skybolt in 1968 to fulfill a need for a high-performance two-place aerobatic biplane that could accommodate larger pilots comfortably (Lamar was a big guy). The prototype was built in just a year by the high-school shop class he taught at Denver's Manual High School, as a project to teach wood, tube and fabric construction skills.

 By the late '70s, the Skybolt became the most constructed two-place experimental aircraft of all time.

Obviously, every airplane is as unique as the builder, and no two experimental aircraft will ever be identical. But if you like aggressive, pop-the-eyes-out-of-your-head aerobatics, then the Skybolt is certainly up to the task!

In 1952, the Cessna 170B was introduced, featuring a new wing tapered outboard of the flaps, incorporating dihedral similar to the military version. The B model was equipped with very effective modified Fowler (slotted, rearward-traveling) wing flaps which deflect up to 40°, adapted from the C-305/Bird Dog, a wing design that lives on in the Cessna light singles of today (constant NACA 2412 section with a chord of 64 inches (1,600 mm) from centerline to 100 inches (2,500 mm) (the outboard end of the flaps), then tapering to 44-inch (1,100 mm) NACA 2412 section chord at 208 inches from centerline, with three-degree washout across the tapered section). The 170B model also included a new tailplane, a revised tailwheel bracket, and other refinements over the 170 and 170A. It was marketed in 1952 for $7245