Q-talk 1 - QUICKIE NEWS

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Category: Q-Talk Articles

Published: Saturday, 28 February 1987 06:11

Written by Jim Masal

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Dear Jim,

Thanks for the good work on the newsletter. It serves quite a vital function - even more so now that QAC went sneakers up.

Here is some more information that I promised you some time ago on my ROTAX 503 Quickie. I've been very busy working the bugs out and perfecting the power train/propeller combination. I believe I've finally got it right, but I still want a few more hours to verify all of the arm waving about performance figures.

The biggest change since the last time I had written was installing a factory stock muffler (read: "boat anchor"). I never believed that stuff about the criticality of two-cycle mufflers until I went to all of the time, trouble and expense to prove it to myself. My static engine RPM increased by 400! Say Hallelujah, brother. I'm now comfortably turning a propeller once thought unturnable.

The muffler is faired into the cowling (at least on the windward side) and a red spinner is installed on the propeller. Everybody knows red is faster than most other colors. The EGT's and CHT's are staying well within limits. The engine runs smoothly and so far hasn't so much as coughed. Vibration levels are below those of the Onan and cockpit noise is comparable. The engine accelerates smoothly but sounds something like a 52 hp vacuum cleaner spooling up.

So far I am very pleased with this engine conversion and the results have truly exceeded my expectations. After three different engines and five different propellers, I've finally found what I was looking for in the Quickie. Inquiries invited.

Brock McCaman, 21045 San Jose Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311

Dear Jim,

I thought I would update you on my Quickie #213, "Buttercup". Two years ago I installed a Kawasaki 440 A engine in it, and since then a larger belly gas tank which holds 9.5 gallons. Gross weight with me inside is 545 lbs. I was concerned about her performance with all that additional weight plus the extra drag, but I've found her able to handle it extremely well. Rate of climb is 300 fpm fully loaded and 500 fpm with a little less load. She cruises easily at 120 mph and she seems just as responsive as ever. I'm very pleased with her and I can only wish that more people could enjoy the Quickie design.

Advanced Engine Design, Inc. of Flint, MI went out of business shortly after my engine was installed. As a result, I go to the snowmobile people for advice. AED sold me a reduction gear called a "Spitfire", which has been great. Someday I will need spare parts and I would very much appreciate any information that anyone might have on either the products or the people that used to run it.

Dick Grosvenor, 126 Carroll Ave., Newport, RI 02840

ED. NOTE: Everybody wants to make a million dollars in aviation. The only trouble is you have to have two million to start with. We have a lot of brilliant airframe and engine men around, but they aren't brilliant enough to recognize that a business requires competent business help. It's the classic case of management and labor each thinking the other guy's a simpleton. Meanwhile, the customer sucks wind.

Jim,

You will remember my unsuccessful experience with the Kawasaki engine. The final version of my Quickie is the Onan. Looks like a million, can't climb worth a nickel. Right now we are having 90 degree plus weather, so at the departure end of a 5000' runway I am up to 150' at a 60 mph angle of climb. I installed the 20 hp heads, but that is a misnomer. These are heads from a 20 hp Onan and they will not change an 18 hp engine to 20 hp. I believe I still have an 18 hp engine that starts and runs better because the plugs are located over the piston.

I'm doing all my flying very early in the morning and never visit anywhere because that would involve a takeoff in heat at an unfamiliar airport. I wonder what Sheehan would say about all that?

We are hoping to make the Kawasaki work with a different carb. Uncowled it sings like a bird, (maybe I should fly it that way), cowled it is N.G. The lower portion of the engine compartment is hotter than the hinges of hell. It holds the exhaust pipe, muffler, resonator, transmission, and the engine below the jugs. We think perhaps the fuel in the carb bowl is boiling or vaporizing. We're working on it.

Art Kreutzer, Port St. Lucie, FL

ED. NOTE: Other guys have reported that their 20 hp heads perform slightly better than their 22 hp heads. I exchanged my 22's for 20's after 5 hours and everything feels just the same to me. I test flew in July. Texas temps above 90 degrees off a 4000' runway. Some days my ship would lift off and climb right out at 200 fpm and I felt "somewhat" comfortable. Some days it would hop up to 50-100' and stop climbing. I learned to orbit the non-pattern side of the field hunting a thermal to lift me up to a safe altitude before I started on down the road. I got used to this procedure, but was always, shall we say, WIDE AWAKE for the first 5 minutes as my exposure to a no-turnback calamity was about 3 minutes as opposed to half that in a C-150.

An excerpt from a letter to Jim Prell from Art Kreutzer (Prell has a Suzuki engine installed, "has crow hopped" it without a cowl, but not yet flown: "I can only estimate ROC with the Kawasaki and Prince prop combination, but my guess is about 700 fpm at about 6,000 rpm. I never got past circling over the airport, so a level cruise was never established. However, I just let it go a few times and speed was moving up to 150 when I pulled it back. At those speeds, the aircraft was very antsy. I would estimate with rpm back to 4000-5000 it would cruise 120-125 mph. I believe a 500 lb. gross aircraft will bounce like a cork on rippled water, and speed accentuates the unsteadiness. Ergo, slow down. Crank in one more factor, I think Florida is blessed with constant unstable air. The transmission ratio is 2.11 to 1. I believe the "Spitfire" planetary gear reduction system is a good one. It did its job with no problems. The Kawasaki engine turns the same direction as a certified engine, but the transmission reverses the prop direction."

GLOBAL ENGINE UPDATE: The ship has 65 hours on it now, 25 of which have been put on by builder Bob Giles since he got his private ticket last fall. If he gets bored, I plan to strap him into my Onan Quickie to instill a little fear and appreciation for what he's got. For the last 20 hours the plane's been flown and put up repeatedly with no maintenance required, and that's good news. We are currently flying an Ed Sterba 50x29 prop, which turns about 3350 rpm, climbs about 400 fpm and tops at 115-118 mph. Not yet the speed we expected. Incidentally, Ed Sterba has been very helpful in re-carving, re-pitching, shortening 3 different props, which we've flown in 6 or 7 configurations now. There should be at least 10 mph out there somewhere, but we haven't found it yet. We still have the torque roll to the right in cruise, but have taken it out with trim. Engine offset may be the final solution.

Tom Solan called Giles to say his Global Quickie would fly this spring. Great! We need some comparative data. Watch this turn out to be a good engine and then the Global Co. folds. In England, Paul Wright is close to flying his Global, but is ensnarled in government red tape. Meanwhile in Tucson, Steve Hickam has hit THE WALL. I am forwarding a sledgehammer to help him break through.

From Bob Giles, N85Q, Rt 1, Box 258, Anna, TX 75003

I look forward to getting my next newsletter so I can read the pages off it. I also want to write about my experiences so other would-be Quickie pilots know what I went through.

After getting my Quickie OK'd by the Feds, I went through a lot of hours fixing minor bugs. "Maverick" Masal, my test pilot, did all of the 40 hours test flying. But when I did get in to try my luck of flying the mighty little Quickie, I had problems controlling it. Quickie wanted to ground loop all the time.

Thanks to "Maverick" Masal, he guided me along through the slow taxiing, making sharp turns, figure 8's etc. for 3-4 hours. Then I increased my speed to the fast taxi stage for another 3-4 hours until I felt comfortable that I could handle it. Then on Dec. 29 '85, when the winds were good and my confidence was high, I went for it all. Climbout at about 70-80 mph up to 1,500' felt good. After flying it around a little, it was time to land. I brought it in at 70-80 mph approach speed, chopping the power on final, bleeding airspeed off and making sure the stick was ALL THE WAY BACK AT THE TIME OF TOUCHDOWN. The landing was good with no bouncing and no control problems.

Flying the little bird, especially at less than $5.00 per hour, makes it much more fun than flying a 150 Cessna. Thanks to Jim Masal for all his help teaching me the right way to fly the Quickie. My Global powered Quickie is doing very well and I'm finally getting to enjoy what it took me two and a half years to build.

Dear Jim,

Enclosed are photos which update the status of N43EC, my inboard geared, LS(1) canard Quickie which is now hangared at Oceanside, CA Airport. High-speed taxi tests are presently in progress and I must say that the relatively close coupling of the landing gear and tailwheel makes the ground handling a lot more demanding than that of a Citabria. I'll keep you advised of flight testing.

I am enclosing two reprints taken from the N82-11033 publication of the NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, showing the "Coordinates for LS(1)-0417 and LS(1)-0417 MOD Air Foils" for any QBAers who may want to redesign his Quickie canard.

Ed Chalmers, Oceanside, CA (619) 439-3074

From Henry Gardiner #570

I sent a letter to Gordon Laubsch in South Australia asking him about the tailwheel he had installed on his Quickie. He sent me a very complete reply on that subject plus other experiences. I will reproduce the part about the tailwheel.

"That tailwheel on my Quickie is without doubt the best thing I could have done for the ground handling. Together with the individual brakes the Quickie will go anywhere and can almost pivot on one wheel in any weather. The brakes have been rebuilt. There is a piece of grinding wheel on each steel pad. So no more shiny steel that won't grip the tires. The tailwheel is fully pneumatic 2.50" x 4". The aluminum rim has been modified from a commercial wheel. I have no idea what make it is, it was for a larger type originally and had a heavy roller bearing. After a short time on my old lathe I had pruned it down to size, made a pair of bearing flanges and fitted a small ball bearing on each side. The bearings have a 1/4" axle, which is very small. But remember there are only a few pounds of weight on that wheel. After fitting the tire I put the wheel back in the lathe and took off most of the tread on the tire so that it is real soft. There is no more than 3 or 4 pounds air pressure in the tire. The tail wheel fiberglass spring has been made shorter, a new wheel fork was made and the pivot pin is now vertical. This wheel set up has taken all its noise out of the fuselage while on the ground. The soft tire does not skip over the bumps and gravel and is on the ground continuously doing its work. Recently I went visiting in a hospital and on a walking aid I saw the perfect pneumatic wheel for a Quickie tailwheel. It was soft and the right size, so maybe you could find one over there. On one of my older planes I actually made the whole rim from a couple of AL plates, but that was more work. This tailwheel set up on my Quickie is 1 pound heavier than the original. No problems flying ..."

"... also increased the angle of incidence (of the canard) a number of degrees ..."

"... I can push a thumb almost to the rim, so even a stone won't bounce this wheel off the ground. ... I have landed this plane on many different fields; mostly grass, although one was very sandy. I have occasionally landed on a paved strip, which is very smooth indeed. I was able to taxi the rest of the strip at 40 knots with the tail wheel on the ground. The airplane drove like a car even with cross wind."

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