November 24th 05, 02:46 PM
Philippe's moteur--->> http://mdlaurent.free.fr/index.htm
reminds me of the Smith fellow from Kansas who came to Oshkosh in the
90's* with his own design low-wing homebuilt and flew it constantly in
the ultralight area. It was a 2-place. That little tube and rag
airplane would really perform. Everybody who saw it was fascinated.
The welding looked like it had been done by a farmer's stick-welder.
The VW engine had a kevlar belt redrive, with several belts turning on
a jerry-built contraption fastened to the generator mounting boss. It
was in the air more than all the other ultralights.
It seems like it had a nosewheel.
Not taking anything away from the builder/designer. He's got to be
sharp as a tack.
Anybody remember that guy and his airplane?
*Maybe he's still attending, with his funky little homebuilt. But I
figured that case would crack with all that load there at the generator
mount. Wondering if it ever did. And what ever happened to his
design and to him.
In the 80's and early 90's I used to fly a J-6 Karatoo (designed by
Jesse Anglin) with a Soob & kevlar belt redrive. It was very smooth
and fun, but not yet dialed in-- wasn't getting enough rpm's --- when
the owner sold it firewall forward and replaced it with an 1835 cc VW
engine with a Max Peters redrive (kevlar belt) and a 78" prop. (I had
been flying with the owner's trophy wife when the Soob engine did one
of those scary little hesitation burps, and the aircraft mushed, almost
into some pines. He was on the ground watching in horror.) Now
this latter combo of taildragger and hi-revving VW really had some
oomph and would outclimb and outrun my Taylorcraft. But it vibrated
something awful. Sooner or later something was going to come apart.
The owner didn't have it cowled and baffled right so it would seize up,
from overheating, sometimes in a climb. Owner finally gave up before
getting IT dialed in and sold it to a huge man who couldn't fly it
because he couldn't get in it. So it sat outside on a sod field where
the prop rotted off and it still sits there, looking like a plucked
chicken.
I still have a brand new Peters redrive for the VW, complete. It is
beefy. Wanna try it on something? I bet the vibes can be solved.
The J-6 only vibrated at high power settings, where the engine was
turning about 3300 rpm. If you backed it off about 100 rpm, the
vibration would stop.
I flew the Karatoo about 100 hours, all over the mountains of WNC, and
to air shows to show it for the owner, places like Hickory and Franklin
and Spartanburg. Never had to land it in a cow pasture, but do
remember eerie silence --- the engine seized over Lake James. Memory
of dreading the swim. As it turned out, we had just enough altitude to
bounce it off the beach onto the runway at Marion, NC's sod airfield.
That was the last time I flew it. I kinda miss the old gal, although
her wooden slab seat was a tailbone-buster.
One time I got her into a departure stall and she came right out of it,
and none too soon. Somebody had fiddled with her one mag and had
retarded the timing instead of advancing it. I kept pulling back on
the stick thinking, "Why the hell won't this thing climb?" Until she
let go and dropped a wing. That was the second time I got out of an
airplane and kissed the ground.
Happy Holidays.
reminds me of the Smith fellow from Kansas who came to Oshkosh in the
90's* with his own design low-wing homebuilt and flew it constantly in
the ultralight area. It was a 2-place. That little tube and rag
airplane would really perform. Everybody who saw it was fascinated.
The welding looked like it had been done by a farmer's stick-welder.
The VW engine had a kevlar belt redrive, with several belts turning on
a jerry-built contraption fastened to the generator mounting boss. It
was in the air more than all the other ultralights.
It seems like it had a nosewheel.
Not taking anything away from the builder/designer. He's got to be
sharp as a tack.
Anybody remember that guy and his airplane?
*Maybe he's still attending, with his funky little homebuilt. But I
figured that case would crack with all that load there at the generator
mount. Wondering if it ever did. And what ever happened to his
design and to him.
In the 80's and early 90's I used to fly a J-6 Karatoo (designed by
Jesse Anglin) with a Soob & kevlar belt redrive. It was very smooth
and fun, but not yet dialed in-- wasn't getting enough rpm's --- when
the owner sold it firewall forward and replaced it with an 1835 cc VW
engine with a Max Peters redrive (kevlar belt) and a 78" prop. (I had
been flying with the owner's trophy wife when the Soob engine did one
of those scary little hesitation burps, and the aircraft mushed, almost
into some pines. He was on the ground watching in horror.) Now
this latter combo of taildragger and hi-revving VW really had some
oomph and would outclimb and outrun my Taylorcraft. But it vibrated
something awful. Sooner or later something was going to come apart.
The owner didn't have it cowled and baffled right so it would seize up,
from overheating, sometimes in a climb. Owner finally gave up before
getting IT dialed in and sold it to a huge man who couldn't fly it
because he couldn't get in it. So it sat outside on a sod field where
the prop rotted off and it still sits there, looking like a plucked
chicken.
I still have a brand new Peters redrive for the VW, complete. It is
beefy. Wanna try it on something? I bet the vibes can be solved.
The J-6 only vibrated at high power settings, where the engine was
turning about 3300 rpm. If you backed it off about 100 rpm, the
vibration would stop.
I flew the Karatoo about 100 hours, all over the mountains of WNC, and
to air shows to show it for the owner, places like Hickory and Franklin
and Spartanburg. Never had to land it in a cow pasture, but do
remember eerie silence --- the engine seized over Lake James. Memory
of dreading the swim. As it turned out, we had just enough altitude to
bounce it off the beach onto the runway at Marion, NC's sod airfield.
That was the last time I flew it. I kinda miss the old gal, although
her wooden slab seat was a tailbone-buster.
One time I got her into a departure stall and she came right out of it,
and none too soon. Somebody had fiddled with her one mag and had
retarded the timing instead of advancing it. I kept pulling back on
the stick thinking, "Why the hell won't this thing climb?" Until she
let go and dropped a wing. That was the second time I got out of an
airplane and kissed the ground.
Happy Holidays.