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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0147.PDF
FLIGHT, 3 February 1961 147 < -at-of-the-pants. The rudder proved very effective, high-geared"id light and a lot of it was needed when entering or reversing "urns or changing power, but it was not difficult to keep putting> where it had to be. At 2,350 r.p.m. (75 per cent power) the speedbuilt up steadily to just over 105 m.p.h. Maximum manoeuvring 'Deed is 104 m.p.h. and VNEis 138 m.p.h." The general feel of the Colt was quite different from (and I <> ould say much nicer than) that of the Tri-Pacer. At 95 m.p.h.I timed a roll from 60° left bank to passing 60° right bank in ,,.ec (i.e., 40°/sec) which could almost certainly be bettered withpractice. At 60 m.p.h. I achieved 30° /sec, which is adequate. Throttled right back and trimmed out at the recommendedaoproach speed of 70 m.p.h. (less than full aft trim) the Colt went downhill at 500ft/min, but this could be easily doubled by side-slipping at 70 m.p.h. i.a.s. The trim range was sufficient for a hands-off, power-off descent at 60 m.p.h. Nose-up surge afterapplying over-shoot power was much less marked than in the Tri-Pacer. Keeping the v.s.i. at zero, I throttled back and slowed down.The nose came well up and then dropped very slowly at about 45 m.p.h. i.a.s. without any sign of a ctall. With the control wheelstill against the back stop, the Colt continued steadily down at 500ft/min. With 1,900 r.p.m., the nose came well up quite quicklyand the aircraft then shuddered, with a minute right wing-drop, and dived steeply straight ahead. In the dive it immediatelyrecovered and started up again, this time much more steeply. Again it fell—I was holding the wheel hard back all the time—and then reared to an impossible angle before dropping into a precipitate dive. There was no fully developed stall and littleloss of height. The speed in this divergent oscillation varied between 42 and 38 m.p.h. i.a.s. Brochure stalling speed at fullload is 54 m.p.h. I next dived with power off to about 65 and zoomed into what I hoped would be a full stall; but again dieColt fell gracefully away without really stalling. Light and respon- sive aileron remained throughout these manoeuvres. Obviously the Colt has deliberately limited elevator effective-ness and I therefore tried the g margin to assess its ability to round-out for a landing. At 70 m.p.h., power-off, I tweaked thewheel back and rattled the fabric easily. At 60 m.p.h. there was PIPER COLT (Lycoming O-235-C1B giving 108 h.p.) Span, 29ft 3in; length, 20ft; wing orea, 147sq ft; wing loading, 11.2lb/sq ft; power loading, 15.3lb/h.p.; empty weight, 940lb (Super Custom, 968lb); useful load, 7101b (Super Custom, 6821b); baggage capacity, 1001b; gross weight, 1,6501b. Performance:—Maximum speed, 120 m.p.h.: cruising speed at sea-level with 75 per cent power, 108 m.p.h.; optimum cruising speed at 7,000ft, at 75 per cent power, 115 m.p.h.; stalling speed, 54 m.p.h.; rate of climb at 75 m.p.h., 610ft/min; service ceiling, 12,000ft; take-off run, 950ft; landing run, 500ft; extreme range with standard tankage (15gal) at sea-level, at 75 per cent power. 324 miles; extreme range with 30gal fuel, at 75 per cent power, at 7,000ft, 690 miles. good response, but at 50 m.p.h. the nose was unwilling to riseacceptably. The moral—do not try to round-out firmly without power at less than 60 m.p.h. Such behaviour is very good foreveryday flying, but instructors might like a firmer stall. I made several circuits at about 800ft in mist. The wing-rootconfiguration as well as the weadier interfered with visibility, but I was just able to lean forward and see the touchdown point whenturning off the downwind leg for a short approach. Rocking the wings gave some sideways and upwards view. Descent gradientand forward visibility were very comfortable on finals and diere was plenty of control to counteract the cross-wind during thefloat. The touchdown followed a longish float with the nose well up; and the nose wheel immediately went down on to the ground.Steering was high-geared and the ride noisy, but well damped. Two more take-offs and landings confirmed diese impressions.The Colt was completely straightforward on the ground and was easy to land and take off. Acceleration was very good and thebrakes did not quite hold full power. The main wheels located fairly far back and the elevator limitation made me want to pulloff the ground on take-off. I could not hold the nosewheel up at all after touchdown. Once I got the habit of putting the rudderwhere it should be, the Colt was very pleasant to fly. I made my last landing at 55 m.p.h. with some power and no difficulty at all. Do not confuse die Colt with the Tri-Pacer. They handle verydifferently and, personally, I like the Colt much better as a pilot's aeroplane. I also like its neat trim and good amenities and, aboveall, its remarkably low price. DOVE 8 "OPENS UP NEW HORIZONS" 'THOUGH the sales fuze of the Dove 8 had been some timeA a-burning, the fact did little to dull the effect when the first pur- chase was announced last mondi. The new Dove was unveiledin June 1960; the first aircraft was accepted on December 21 and the official banding-over took place at a well-supported ceremonyat Hatfield on Tuesday of last week. Christened Exporter, the first of the new Dove series has beenpurchased by hydraulic earth-moving equipment producers J. C. Bamford (Excavators) Ltd, of Rocester, Staffs. Diligentexporters themselves, this company send overseas 40 per cent of their total output; in two to three years—and by using businessaircraft as a management tool—they hope to increase the figure to 60 or 70 per cent. "This aircraft," said Mr J. C. Bamford, themanaging director, "opens up for us new horizons, new oppor- tunities, new sales and new responsibilities." He went on to saythat it was his opinion that within ten years no company employing 200 people or more could afford to be without a corporate aircraft.For his company, the Dove was the first of a series of business aircraft; and he added: "We shall be placing an order for a jetexecutive as soon as possible." De Havilland's managing director, Mr H. J. Sturgeon, made itclear that the jet executive which Mr Bamford had in mind was the D.H.125. This was the first official intimation that D.H. maybe re-entering the business aircraft field with a jet executive, understood to be powered by two new Bristol Siddeley Vipersdeveloped from the Viper 12 but of higher thrust. From Mr Bamford's remark that an order would be placed "as soon aspossible" it may be inferred that D.H. have yet to take the decision to go ahead. Bamford's Dove was chosen after an unusually thoroughevaluation for a corporate user of all competitive types, in the course of which Mr Bamford and his sales director Mr J. Skeldonvisited manufacturers in the United States and on the Continent. Closest rivals for the order were the Beech D18S and Queen Air;but the Dove was chosen after it had been found that "it matches the American aircraft in almost every possible way." Points infavour of the Dove were the overhaul life of the Gipsy Queen 70 Mk 3 engines and almost on-the-spot after-sales and sparesbacking. Significantly, Mr Skeldon remarked that Bamfords had evaluated and purchased the aircraft entirely by themselves; Chosen by J. C. Bamford lid atter a comprehen- sive study of competing equipment, the first Dove B to be delivered is t'nished all-white with ?ed fluorescent paint trim and polished cowl- •"•gs. There are six seats wirf a toilet in a luxuri- ous executive interior
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