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Frank Kopeckyâs Quickie
being moved to Mojave for first flight. Do you think that the trailer is large
enough? Seriously, anyone having good ideas on low cost, lighlweight, easy
to build trailers should contact QAC,. so that we can pass the information
along to our homebuilders.
Gary LeGare's Quickie
on the trailer. Airplane and trailer combined have traveled well over 8,000
miles.
No, this is not the
resuti of a quick stop! This is how Mark Raidy and his dad got their Quickie
to the airport for first flight. Mark is pictured in front looking justifiably
proud ot their ingenuity
CURRENT FLIGHT
TESTING AT QUICKIE
..... We
have written an article for Sport Aviation on our flight test results
on the variable pitch propeller mentioned in Newsletter 8. The Vari-prop,
which is
hydraulically controlled, was originally designed for the
BD by Morris Elliott. We have had one forr over a year, but only began to
test
it
about two weeks before the Chino Airshow. The improvement in all regimes â takeoff.
climb and cruise â was so dramatic that we inniediately decided to launch a
full-scale test program to document the improvements, with the idea of offering
it to our
builders a later date.
.....The
Sport Aviation article, which should appear in the September issue, has complete
details on the prop itself, as well as the flight test effort. In this
newsletter, we will summarize the results that we have determined to date:
| 1. |
The Van-prop installed
in a Quickie is equivalent to about a l5% horsepower increase.
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| 2. |
Performance with
the Vari-prop alone points toward a 5 m.p.h. increase in cruise speed,
a 60% increase
in climb rate at high density altitudes, and a 20%
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improvement in fuel consumption.
.....
We plan to continue testing the propeller to determine the reliability, and expect
to fly it to Oshkosh this year. If everything proves out, it would he asailable
to Quickie builders about December, 1980. The price would he in the $800 range.
.....Qualitatively,
the unit gives the Quickie the feel of a much higher performance aircraft. since
it more efficiently uses the horsepower available from the Onan engine. This
is particularly noticeable when operating at the higher density altitudes, such
as at Mojave in the summer time, when the density altitude reaches over 6,000
feet. A Quickie builder operating out of New Mexico or Colorado will see between
a 60% and l00 increase in the rate of climb. This is not to say that the Vari-prop
does not work closer to sea level, but simply that the increment in performance
is very noticeable at the higher altitudes.
.....We
will keep everyone informed through our newsletter of the results of our continuing
testing on the unit. By the way. to anticipate a question, yes, it is retrofittable
to any Quickie.
.....While
performing flight testing on the Vari-prop, we noticed that the engine oil temperature
and cylinder head temperatures had decreased markably, by over 30% . In addition,
the performance improvements were greater than analytically would appear possible.
These facts indicated that several factors may have been at work. We decided
to investigate the matter thoroughly. The complete description of the testing
is included in that Sport Aviation article, but the results are as follows:
| 1. |
The necessity
of moving the Vari-prop slightly forward had resulted in better
cooling airflow and perhaps a slight increase in prop efficiency |
| 2. |
A subtle modification
that Gene had made to a stock Onan carburetor had increased the
horsepower of the engine by over 7% |
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.....
Currently, we are preparing to dyno test the carburetor modification to determine the exact increment in horsepower.
.....We
have also been flying a version of the tuned exhaust system. We are still not
completely satisfied with the results, and plan further flight testing and
dyno work. The required installation in 77Q is complex, and the reduction
in noise level is minimal. We will have to satisfy our concerns about long
term
reliability prior to releasing it. In addition, the cost, which would be around
$100, is expensive for the 0.7 h.p. increment that it gives. Finally. the
tuned exhaust system is not compatible with the planned turbocharger package,
which
will be discussed later.
.....Our
current thinking is that we will substitute the carburetor modification, which
can he done on an exchange basis, for the tuned exhaust. This will result
in a 22.5 h.p. engine package.
.....Incidentally,
since we had unsuccessfully spent 18 months and several thousand dollars trying
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trying different carburetors looking for more horsepower without compromising starting and mid-range performance, it was a rude shock to discover that the solution was lurking within the standard carburetor.
.....Based on testing that goes hack over one year,
we are now prepared to talk some about our work with turbocharging a Quickie
engine. Thus far, we have had experience with three different installations for
test stand and dyno work. The fourth configuration. which we expect to be suitable
for flight testing in 77Q, will be available in early July. We expect to have
the engine at Oshkosh, but anticipate that there will he insufficient time for
testing to warrant actually flying the installation to Oshkosh. At our current
timetable, we would expect customer availability about the end of the year.
Our original goal, which was to develop an uprated engine rated for 25 h.p. from
sea level to 12,000 feet,. is well within reach. The performance improvement
available to the Quickie builder with this uprated engine will thrust the Quickie
into
the 180-200 h.p. class performance wise. Gee, itâs going to be fun jumping Grumman
Tigers!
.....Work continues on 80QA. which is the Quickie
we built to attempt several 250 kg and 500 kg World speed, distance, and altitude
records. It thus far has had a rather low priority around the shop because
of
activity
on the regular Quickie program. The aircraft was built also as a test bed for
new materials and ideas, and contains carbon fiber spars, along with the use
of
Kevlar and some additional ideas to improve efficiency and speed. Whether it
will be at Oshkosh depends on how quickly the turbo-Onan program
progresses
on 77Q. Our timetable for some of the record attempts would be early next year.
.....If it seems as though we are rather busy around
Quickie, you are correct! We are a small enough company to prevent getting bogged
down in the past, and yet large enough to tackle several different projects and
ideas at one time. We invest heavily in research and development because that
direction leads toward the future. Further, education and knowledge in one area
can often be applied to another with excellent results.
.....Incidentally, we have of late been doing some
consulting on outside projects, including one in Australia. This sort of activity
is worked into our schedule on an as time available basis, so as not to interfere
with our primary activities.
.....We have begun installing the high performance
engine modifications at the factory, in addition to our normal exchange basis.
If the customer takes advantage of the factory installed option, he will have
to carefully break in his engine for 15 hours prior to flight. If the customer
will be uprating his engine on a parts enchange basis, he should obtain a minimum
of 10 hours running prior to returning his cylinder heads and carburetor [editor's
note: the end of this sentenc was illegible on my copy of the newsletter.]
.....Price for the 22.5 h.p. engine option is $275.00
in addition to the basic 18 h.p. engine price of $900.00. If the option is installed
at the factory, the cost is $300.00.
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