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As it had been 19 months since I'd flown
the 5151 RG, however, I paid close attention as
Loehle described the simple systems and recommended speeds.
Finally ready to start, I set the wheel
brakes and cranked the Rotax, which came to life quickly. The P-40 was radioless, so the taxi procedure was head-on-a-swivel, basic-airport
standard. From the ramp area where I started, taxi to the far west end of
Runway 11 at Winter Haven requires a back taxi on the runway.
Lots of
arriving traffic persuaded me to avoid tying up the runway with the back
taxi; nearly 3000 feet of Runway 11 was left for takeoff--plenty for
liftoff and climb within the airport boundary in the Loehle P-40.
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P 51 Mustang |
Despite little or no headwind to help,
propeller blast on the tail provided nearly immediate rudder effectiveness
on the takeoff role, and I eased the stick forward to raise the tail for a
better view and faster acceleration.
Rolling the wheels longer than really
necessary, I accelerated to a bit more than 60 mph before easing into a
gentle climb.
With the Rotax 582 sounding good and with
normal indication on the gauges, I raised the nose a bit during the full
power climb to achieve something close to best rate of climb
airspeed---around 55 mph. Choosing to leave the gear down probably cost
some climb rate, which was determined to be about 800 fpm by comparing the
altimeter to my watch.
Turning out of the pattern at 1500 feet,
I prepared to raise the gear: Release the top latch by moving a small
lever and start cranking. Originally, the 5151 retracting mechanism used a
ratchet handle to raise and lower the gear, but a crank on the left side
of the cockpit is now standard. Twenty-two easy turns raised the gear
against the stops, just as Loehle said it would. As with the 5151 RG, I
found there's little enough effort required that I could hold the stick
with my right hand and not bobble the airplane.
Also consistent with the 5151 RG is that
there is little trim change--and not much increase in speed with the gear
up. But the look and feel is fighterlike, which is the point.
The usual checks of roll rate, pitch
stability and various types of stalls determined that the P-40 flies
conventionally. Departure stalls with power set at 5800 rpm resulted in a
notable burble at 42 mph indicated. A straight-ahead approach stall (idle
power) first appeared as wing-wallowing at 46 mph and a slight break at 44
mph. Even at the stall, the rudder remained effective, and releasing the
considerable stick back pressure had us flying again in a second.
The elevator trim switch is mounted on
the floor under the left thigh, It's out of sight, and I found myself
feeling for the switch throughout the flight. If I were building my own
P-40, I might move the switch somewhere else such as onto or near the
throttle.
Because of the low cruise airspeed
(around 75 mph for most of my flight), controls are not sensitive, and
large wing and low speed also limits the responsiveness. For example,
rolling from 45 degrees on way to 45 degrees the other way took about 4
seconds: rather leisurely for a fighter. You'd not like to get into a real
dog-fight with the Loehle P-40. But if that news is upsetting, you're
missing the point of an airplane like this, which is to create the
illusion of flying a warbird--and to do it on low power and at relatively
small cost. And once again, the Loehle formula succeeds--at least for me.
Back to the Field
The time to return to Winter Haven came
all too quickly. Using my best no-tower/no-radio procedure, I entered the
traffic pattern level at pattern altitude and on a long 45 degree leg to
the downwind, which offers the best chance of seeing and being seen.
Another 22 turns of the gear crank and a down-and-locked indication came
as I turned onto a left downwind leg. By now the pattern was free of
traffic, permitting my favorite type of approach: in close and steep. A
little slip at 65 mph on final helped set us up for touchdown just beyond
the threshold.
The intent was to three-point the P-40 on
this first landing, but I underestimated the length of the gear legs; the
flare had just begun when Surprise! You've arrived. Second surprise:
almost no bounce (probably because there's little springiness in the
gear). So I let the plane touch down a second time in the tail-high,
wheels-landing attitude-and then added power for a second touch and go.
The second landing was actually planned
for a wheels-type touchdown and worked even better than the unintentional
variety. And the third and final arrival also worked well in the
three-point attitude, now that I knew where the wheels were in relation to
my seat. The mechanical brakes helped me make the intended turnoff for a
short taxi back to the ramp.
Putting the fun back in flying is what
homebuilding is about, and my guess is that the Loehle P-40 Flying Tiger
is going to do its part for a considerable number of craftsmen/pilots.
Kitplanes, September 1994
The following can be found at:
http://hometown.aol.com/market1029/baby/index2.htm
For more information contact
Loehle Aircraft Corp.,
380 UF Shipmans Creek Road
Wartrace TN 37183 -
931-857- 3419 |
