The award-winning H-2 Honey Bee biplane and H-3 Pegasus monoplane were designed in the 1980s by veteran pilot and warbird owner Bert Howland, an engineer and aluminum products manufacturer in south central New York. His  classic-style designs, reminiscent of aviation's "Golden Age" before World War II, became well-known in sport aviation circles after 1985. Using innovative construction methods to reduce weight, he produced a series of affordable, very light sportplanes, powered by two-cycle engines, that not only look like "real airplanes" but are a delight to fly as well.

The unique aspect of the Howland designs is a fuselage frame fabricated from square 6061-T6 aluminum tubing, using TIG-welding instead of traditional pop rivets and gussets. This technique results in a very lightweight, but strong fuselage. The airfoils are also original Howland creations, featuring aluminum-capped foam ribs on an aluminum D-cell leading edge spar and a C-section rear spar. Although aluminum skin is used on the wing leading edges and several fuselage panels, most of the airframe is covered by Dacron fabric, with an engine cowling molded from fiberglass.

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