Is 50hp enough?

[jstall]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

I am hesitating going out west with 65 Hp and the realy old fellows flew with 40.
My experience with a tiered 65 must have been similar.
Like it was said 40 or 50 was they had and Mr Fornier was right as well.
I did a beutifull morning flight in no wind condition and had a very low sink rate with engine on 1000 rpm just enough gas to keep her warm.
Glide ratio 12 to 1 and my ship is heavy and so am I. Lots of gas onboard
so we where close to gross 1200 lbs. Is the Taylorcraft a motorglider?
Close to it. It could use 2 or 3 lbs more of aerodynamics.But we all love it as it is.
Len
PS If you have Sportcar you drive it as sportcar but a Ford Model T or A you can't drive like modern Hp monster. "Hmm" my dad had both and he said the model A was "fast sports car" relative to the T.

Len:

Well, can't speak for your bird, but my BC12-D with a A-65 in summer with just me on board full fuel, and I weigh 205 dressed, will goto 8 to 9 thousand with no problem, would be nice to have a carb that could be leaned, but anyway it will do it, but runs pretty rich, and will soot the exhaust and belly some, I wouldn't hesitate to go west as long as I went light on gear, probably solo, and picked the WX, don't go in the hot afternoons, as lift is going to be marginal and it will be rough as heck anyway, but anytime up till noon is good. Now I would admit a 50 hp. or
40 naw don't think so, like Chet said, he weighs 120 lbs, my dad had a 1938 50 h.p. S/N 13 in 1942 thru 1945, he weighed 145 lbs mom 105
different than today. He also had a J-2 with a 40 in it, and admited that on a hot day it wouldn't hardly fly, had to be very careful, and usually didn't take a passenger.

J Stallings
N95083
[email protected]
Alva, Ok

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

I have flown the E-2, J-2, J-3 , ALL Taylorcrafts, including the prototype Model A ser#25 and find the lower HP ships just need a wee bit of common sense, I am sure in the OLD days there was not a lot of dual being given between 11AM & 5PM on hot days.
Density Altitude is the issue to consider. The A flew off Lake Tahoe (sp) many times with two aboard on floats.
I flew the A to OSH from Alliance in 2000 and had a ball. Just me & baggage, me is like 1 1/2 people anyhow.
Anybody need a 50HP Cont. upstack give me a call or e-mail. 330 823-1168 [email protected]

[Ron Coleman]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

I fly a 28 hp. Carlson Sparrow. It's a great plane, flies like a bird. I havn't had it over 4000 feet or more than 45 miles from home. I don't loop it or spin it or have carried another person (they'd have to sit on the stick). The last owner just had to have more power and nearly destroyed it.
Power requirements have a lot to do with how well you know your plane. If you are not confident in your planes abilities then you need a lot more time getting to know it. When you know it then you will know when or if you will keed more power. The problem is pushing in testing the limits without doing damage and doing it often enough that you are sure of the planes capabilities and the hell with what every one says. You'll be the expert!

Airman - know thyself and be at one with your flying machine!

RonC

[Ron Coleman]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

I know that last bit may have been a bit obscure. Let me restate it. My buddy just bought a 100 Hp Cessna 150 and decided to drop in to my 1200' strip. He was going to bring his big son and enough gas to go a couple of hundred miles home.

I told him he could bring it in, but it would be tied down until we took to the corn off the field at the end of the strip, and the ground froze. Then I told him to get some time in that bird. He needs to know it better.

The Cessna 150 is a great airplane when it is light.

RonC

[jstall]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

Wow, Forrest, the up exhaust 50, gets my attention. I tried and tried to
run down my Dads 1938 BC-50 S/N 1011 N21221, almost had it, but trail went cold and never turned it up. Probably doesn't exist anymore, or maybe parts of it are in some other A/C anyway I sure would have liked to have found and rebuilt it. Had up exhaust and the open cowl, pants and all the other stuff, was yellow and blue in color.

JS

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

that was the 8th ship built as a B with the 50 hp Cont. no record of test pilot will do some checking... might have a photo , do you?

[Robert Lees]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

I flew in an Aeronca C3 ("Bathtub") with Chad Willie at Brodhead last year. I was surprised how well that little 45hp Aeronca 2-cylinder engine hauled us.

[jstall]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

that was the 8th ship built as a B with the 50 hp Cont. no record of test pilot will do some checking... might have a photo , do you?

Yes I do, I'll forward some .jpg or.jpeg's to you via email

JS

[n6346m]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

Everyone mentions horsepower. I think the prop also plays a major role. I changed my wood prop to metal and it seemed like I got an extra 5 horses out of my 65.
Bob

[astjp2]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

Well I took my 65 through the tops of the Wind River Ranges of Wyoming, I was in GROUND EFFECT as I was climbing up the plateau to get over the top @ 12K+, every time I crossed a canyon, I would lose about 1K before I got to the other side. I had to have a sergeon remove the cushion from my crack! My GF was asleep the whole time, but I was definately enjoying the view of the Glaciers. I landed at Kemmer WY and found that I had a cracked oil line. I was lucky I did not become a statistic....That is why I think that everyone should have 100 hp if they are mountain flying, it widens that margin if you screw up.

I also went through Galena pass in the Saw Tooth mountains of ID, Left Smiley Creek at 3:30 in the after noon, field elevation is 7500 the temp was almost 85f. The pass is about 3 miles south, I was 400' over the pass when I caught a down draft and wound up following the road so I didnt ball it up into the trees. The tops were flashing by my gear so i could not even bank the airplane.....Next time I will wait until its cooler(;f. My buddy's 182 went to 11k and had a good flight, he had the GF with him, and I was about 1/2 fuel. I just needed to realize that I did not have to make it home that day, there is always tomarrow.
Tim

[1938BF50]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

I am enjoying the hell out of this thread.....keep 'em coming!

[Ed O'Brien]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

Through West Central Wyoming and down to Denver. I've done this trip and flown over Kemmer too. In a 14 gallon, 85Hp, L2A... yes, I've done it hot and (me being big) heavy.
Pressure altitude and L2s make for funny times. Funny is a euphemism for scary, in this case. You spend so much time climbing and making so little headway on the ground that trip lengths are cut by a third. As such you're refolding your map, eye-balling time to climb against evaporating air-speed, and trying not to hit high ground, while you're refiguring your gas stop which isn't close enough to get you down on anything but prayers and fumes... on you go with not a care in the world, accept your own survival. Yeah, flying the high country cleans you out, good. It makes you not sweat the small stuff as you sweat plenty the weather, terrain, and gas... Good luck to every aviator who gives it a go. More airmail pilots lost their lives on the Cheyenne, WY to Salt Lake City, UT. route than any other. I can see how.
From Denver with Regards;
ED OBRIEN

[tawadc95]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

Don't know why this topic reminds me of this but I left for school every morning reading this on the back door....maintain thy airspeed lest the earth shall rise and smite thee.
My dad's boss gave him that in the form of a placard when he wrecked his first Stearman in 1965 putting out sulphur.

[Len Petterson]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

Ode to the mountines from a flat land pilot:

When the gas money I have,
to the Alberta foot hills I will fly.
and just be safe,
into the Rocky's a buss I take.
Too me.
what be a pice off cake.(;f

[high time cub]

Re: Is 50hp enough?

I am enjoying the hell out of this thread.....keep 'em coming!

OK Mike, since you asked......

http://enginehistory.org/iv-1430.htm

Be sure to watch the video!

Jim