High Altitude Rumors

[flyguy]

If it was a nice day for flying in central California and some guy with an 85 horse BC12D (with a nice new mixture control) happened to take it up to 14,200 feet and still had 150 to 200 ft per minute left, would that be pretty good performance?
The rumor is that not a single airliner on approach to SFO went under him and the flight took almost 1.5 hours because it took forever to get down.
I also heard that he spun it a few times to get rid of some altitude, but had to give that up as it was wrecking his neck muscles.

Of course just because I have a BC12D-85 doesn't mean that I would ever consider going above 12.5 k. ft. myself even if the above incident may have happened indicating that my airplane MIGHT be capable of doing the same thing.

I personally spent MOST of the day helping a friend take the wings off his 800HP turbine-powered composite what-ever-it-is so he could transport it home for repairs.
Darryl

[VictorBravo]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

Flyguy, tell that person who might have been out flying at U-2 altitude that if he ever wants that extra 800 feet to make it a round number, sealing the gaps at the aileron hinges and possibly the aileron gaps themselves would probably give it to him Tell that person that you heard this from some old broke down glider driver who himself had never exceeded 17,999 feet in a glider

[marc]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

sound fun i wonder how high i can go in a bcs-d with a 65hp i have been in a tcraft bc-12 with a 0320 150hp we went to 14,000 and kiled the engine and sailed down it was fun.marc

[Ragwing nut]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

I have been to 10K in a taylorcraft and only quit because i was tired of climbing. Not to mention our airport in right under the pathway of Will Rogers OKC Airport from DFW Dallas Air Traffic

Mike

[murphy]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

F21A to 14,500 and still climbing and did't take all that long to get there. Climb at sea level is 900 fpm, what a great airplane!!!!
Mike

[flyguy]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

As I remember the record for a Taylorcraft is like over 26,000. I wonder how they got it up there. I always assumed that and the 32,000 cub record was done by riding wave lift, but I have never heard for sure. Is that mentioned in the book on Taylorcraft history?
I have mentioned before here that I want to play with a flat 74 inch prop as I had really good luck with a 7446 (I think) on a 65 with an 85 carb on it before.
Don't really want to buy one as I might not like it for all around performance, but it would be neat to just try one on to see what the extra 2-1/2 feet of thrust area would do. I have to stop talking about it and dig one up, but I have a bunch of other irons in the fire right now. Would be fun to do some stuff and shoot for 1000 ft/min as a nice round number.
I can get 850 ft/min pretty consistantly with my 71 inch even with all the heavy plumbing, battery, tanks and radio that we're carrying.

For now, since I got the annual done it is back to doping out how to get metalic paint go on smooth on my old Camaro I've been hot-rodding.
DC

[mulwyk]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

Grace Huntington in 1940...24,311 ft. on 65hp

Search "Altitude Record" for the story.

[fearofpavement]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

it is back to doping out how to get metalic paint go on smooth on my old Camaro I've been hot-rodding.
DC

use a conventional sprayer (not hvlp) and use a pretty high pressure at the gun. (and cover everything within a quarter mile)

[flyguy]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

Thank you, thank you, for that advice. I have been trying to use a new hvlp gun and I just cannot get it to do the job. What you say makes sense because the process improves some as I go up in pressure and trim down the paint flow. I'll try a regular gun. I may still have to switch to a non-metallic color as the Lacquer dries too fast for a good overlap, even with the slowest thinner I can buy. Then if I color sand and rub out I get patchy metallic. I have used non-metallic opaque color before and I can make it come out like glass. I think the metallic may be a looser in lacquer regardless of what I do.
Darryl

[3Dreaming]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

Thank you, thank you, for that advice. I have been trying to use a new hvlp gun and I just cannot get it to do the job. What you say makes sense because the process improves some as I go up in pressure and trim down the paint flow. I'll try a regular gun. I may still have to switch to a non-metallic color as the Lacquer dries too fast for a good overlap, even with the slowest thinner I can buy. Then if I color sand and rub out I get patchy metallic. I have used non-metallic opaque color before and I can make it come out like glass. I think the metallic may be a looser in lacquer regardless of what I do.
Darryl

Another trick for the metalic is to put a couple marbles in the cup to help keep the paint mixed up. Tom

[flyguy]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

Thanks for the tip on the marbles. Bob G. I looked up the story per your link. Pretty interesting. Sad at the end. Only 35.
Darryl

[taylorcraftbc65]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

Flyguy, tell that person who might have been out flying at U-2 altitude that if he ever wants that extra 800 feet to make it a round number, sealing the gaps at the aileron hinges and possibly the aileron gaps themselves would probably give it to him Tell that person that you heard this from some old broke down glider driver who himself had never exceeded 17,999 feet in a glider

I have a bunch of time in an ASK-21 and I NEVER got it above 17,999 WINK, WINK.
Next spring, I want to see how high I can get Manu Sina with the engine at high idle in the ridge lift off Guadeloupe Peak. I will HAVE to keep it below class "A" as the approach lanes for ELP run right by the mountain. Brie

[Chet Peek]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

Altitude record, page 132 of the TAYLORCRAFT STORY.

CHET

[flyguy]

Re: High Altitude Rumors

Thanks Chet,
I still have to get me a copy.
All: After too much coffee I sometimes dwell on finding some simple way to turbo-compound a Continental 85. LOL.
DC