Ah - looking through names of US small aircraft I came across the "Merkle" - Wiki has it as the " The
Merkel Mark II is an
American homebuilt aerobatic biplane that was designed by Edwin Merkel and produced by the
Merkel Airplane Company of
Wichita, Kansas in the form of plans for amateur construction.[size=8333px] [/size]Designer Merkel died on 12 March 2012 and plans are apparently no longer available. The Mark II features a two-seats-in-
tandem open cockpit with an optional
bubble canopy, fixed
conventional landing gear and a single engine in
tractor configuration. The Mark II was intended as a two-seat
trainer version as a companion to a planned single-seat competition version.[size=8333px] [/size]The aircraft is made from welded steel tubing with the
airframe covered in sheet
aluminum. Its 25.5 ft (7.8 m) span wings employ a
NACA 23012 airfoil and each has a single torsional
spar. The standard engine recommended was a 220 hp (164 kW)
Franklin Engine Company powerplant.[size=8333px] [/size]The aircraft has an empty weight of 1,200 lb (540 kg) and a gross weight of 1,540 lb (700 kg), giving a useful load of 340 lb (150 kg). With full fuel of 18 U.S. gallons (68 L; 15 imp gal) the payload is 232 lb (105 kg)
Don't see no bubble canopy and you say it has a Walter/Avia but I suspect that this is it? I can't see any other of that era named after a European statesman or woman (tho the idea of the Texas "THATCHER" is an interesting flight of fancy.........