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Aviation History
1976
1976 - 0583.PDF
FLIGHT International, 10 April 1976 liams, Frances McCrae and John Harper). The advanced sequence was: loop, stall turn, half roll from erect to inverted, push round half nega tive loop to erect, 45° downward full flick, stall turn, full climbing roll on 45° line, outside four-roll rolling circle (turning one way, rol ling the other), three-quarter loop, two-point vertical downward half roll, full flick on 45° climbing line, downward half negative loop push ing from erect to end inverted, full ICICLE SURPRISE 1 Chris Jesson 4497i Tiger Club Stampe 2 Bob Thompson 3671 Rothmans Pitts S-2A 3 7 Tiger Club Stampe 879 4 Mansell Morgan 3292 negative flick, half roll from in verted to erect on 45° climbing line, push round to inverted, half roll to erect, four-point roll on 45° climb ing line. There was some consternation among the Pitts pilots on the business of losing sufficient speed, after push ing down into the half outside loop, to enter a flick. In the event it appeared not to be a problem to them even if there were some rather inclined "horizontal" lines in an attempt to bleed off speed. The two Stampe pilots fared less well, one making it round all right but losing direction afterwards and the other executing a passable half flick. The wind proved a handful even to some of the Pitts pilots, although the leaders managed their positioning so well that the wind appeared to be of no consequence. In assessing the amount of wind the advanced-level contestants had the benefit of watch ing the intermediate-level competitors, who flew first. The intermediate sequence was: full level flick, one-turn positive spin, loop, quarter vertical upward roll, stall turn, quarter downward vertical roll, full roll on 45° climb ing line, full flick on 45° descending line, half upward vertical roll, push over the top and back to erect, inside four-roll rolling circle (turn ing and rolling same way), half roll to inverted on 45° climbing line, pull through, three-point roll. Competitors were penalised less for breaking off and re-positioning than for flying over the forbidden areas, and several took advantage of this. As always, the Icicle again filled a need in British aerobatics by provid ing valuable competition experience early in the season. That is not to de tract from its importance as a keenly Private fFytunnr fought competition in its own right. Indeed, with inflation at its present rate, the bottles of Scotch offered as prizes become ever more coveted. Balloon registration The registration of the French balloon involved in the accident des cribed last week was actually F-BXBB. Missing radios Three King radios have been stolen from a Biggin Hill-based Cherokee. They are a KX170, serial number 2419; a KB85 ADF, number 4571; and a KX170BE, number K1201C. If anyone can trace these radios, would they please contact M. Kusnierz of 6 Ballaras Way, Croydon, Surrey. High-speed IFR—in miniature T HERE ARE many ultra-lights powered by conversions of the Volkswagen engine throughout the world, but few can match the claimed performance of the two designs produced by Rand Robinson Engineering of California. The single-seat KR-1 has a 1,200 c.c. VW engine of a mere 36 h.p., which, aided by a retractable under carriage, produces a claimed maximum cruising speed of 130kt. The structure is of wood and foam plastic covered in "Dynel" reinforced epoxy. The bubble canopy is integrated with the fuselage top decking and hinges to the right. Four cubic feet of baggage space are provided behind the seat. A Honda motorcycle alternator feeds a 12V battery, and the basic radio is a 200-channel nav/com. Larger VW engines can be installed, although some impressive figures are claimed from the basic 1,200 c.c. version, including a service ceiling of 12,000ft and an economical cruise of lOOkt. Some 6,000 sets of plans have I* I* '^lllfff" •Hi been sold, and over 100 aircraft are known to be flying. The KR-2 is a two-seat development with similar dimensions, except for a wing span of 20ft 8in, 3ft 6in greater than that of the KR-1. The prototype first flew in 1974, having taken some 800 man hours and $2,000 to con struct. Pilot and passenger sit side by side behind an 1,834 c.c. VW, which drives a Warnke variable-pitch pro peller. Some remarkable performance figures are claimed: maximum cruise of 156kt; economical cruise of 148kt; sea-level rate of climb of 800ft/min; and service ceiling of 16,000ft. Designer Ken Rand's present KR-2 has a turbocharger fitted to the VW and a neat layout of IFR instrumenta tion and avionics, which make this tiny aeroplane a lot more than just a fun aircraft. The King KX145 nav/ com is supported by a Narco AT-50A transponder. Rand Robinson Engineering is at 6171 Cornell Drive, Huntingdon Beach, California 92647, USA. ififsgim ftliliSS ** """""i"**.
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