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Old August 11th 17, 07:58 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Ashevilliot
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Default Preserving polished aluminum

On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 5:19:31 PM UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 8/9/2017 2:28 PM, Ashevilliot wrote:
On Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 1:40:03 PM UTC-4, Doug Landau wrote:

Anybody can fly an aeroplane, alright?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i415QwSj0Og&t=43s


Excellent. That's a great airplane, a Beech 18, I think. If you're gonna crash, that's a great airplane to crash in because of its monocoque construction its stresses are in the skin.

Go to 4:33. Bikes and planes work better when you add lightness.

Here's another great "tricked" Cub which won the shortest landing roll, Valdez, AK at just a little over 10'. Empty weight on that delicate little thing is 800 lbs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo7-BuNiP6Y

Very impressive. I wonder what its normal airspeed is (or would be with
full covering of the fuselage). And what sort of weather it may be
limited to. Any idea?

--
- Frank Krygowski


The lack of cover on the fuselage will add drag, probably 3 or 4 knots, or 5 mph. Such an airframe is said to be "dirty." My estimate is that with the big prop and 180 hp engine the aircraft will cruise at 80 to 90 mph. But then he's not set up to cruise. He's set up to win the contest, which he did with fire and poetry. Alaskans like to fly with the crows and eagles and cruise up and down the rough terrain and then put down where they can, often on a gravel beach or a tiny strip of land.

With a very clean airframe a pilot has been known to do 213 mph with a 65 hp engine. I saw it done by the late Mike Arnold in his AR-5.

https://youtu.be/FMvzzhLZtNg?t=893

Nick Jones got even more airspeed out of his Lightning Bug w/ 64 hp, probably because of a retractable nosewheel and Nick was an engineer while Mike was self-taught.

https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.p...ightning%20Bug
(Yeah, he went to a higher hp engine, which was a real dog.)

https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.p...ightning%20Bug

The secrets were
1. laminar flow airfoils
2. Wind tunnel data
3. Fairings
4. NACA ducts
5. Slick, lightweight composite construction using Rutan fiberglas
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