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Post by ifalldown on Mar 29, 2017 8:59:41 GMT -6
Me to tall. Hi I am named Doug and am a lurker on this site as well Sonerai and hombuild site.
My problem is 6.2 tall and 34 inseam 185 lbs (ready to fly) and would love to build/buy an aerobatic fast single seat.
Sonerai 1 would be my first choice but big beam in the way.
Love to do the v Witt but flying wires and 45% ply cost is a problem (flying wires substituted for round rod 1/4 4130 3000 lbs?)
Simple to me is key 1600 1700cc I can weld tig and proficient wood worker.
Thanks for the time👨
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Post by Supervee on Mar 29, 2017 9:54:40 GMT -6
Welcome......Consider a Cassutt airframe with sport wing and VW engine for Supervee. The Sonerai carry thru spar is a problem for tall pilots....
A Renegade formula Vee is close to shape of the Cassutt.. I know where there is a nice project. It does not have a wing, but it has almost everything else built. Includes 1600 engine, and is in Texas.....E-mail me for more info.....raceair77@gmail.com ED
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jdub
New Member
Working on my Cassutt
Posts: 23 
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Post by jdub on Mar 29, 2017 13:27:51 GMT -6
Hi Doug,
I second the Cassutt frame. Mine was welded for a 6'4" guy. See YouTube Cassutt 94 for some interior shots and flights. I'm 6' 185lbs.
Jerry
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Post by dmar836 on Mar 29, 2017 18:23:21 GMT -6
Wittman was a tall guy but skinny. No getting around the 45 degree ply without more wires and I'm no engineer. I certainly wouldn't want to substitute anything for those flying wires. If want more than 5 HD for a fast plane. Anyway the leverage increases loads to more than appears. Once building you don't mind paying more for certain materials. No used flying wires, etc.!
Welcome aboard!
Dave
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Post by ifalldown on Mar 29, 2017 20:06:18 GMT -6
Thanks for the responses! Mr Fisher I sent you an email. I have some older cassutt plans (no sport wing) very simple straight forward fuselage. Barnstormers cassutt for 1500 is very tempting but to far from MN.
To bad about the renegade plans not being available.
And yes I agree about the v Witt wires, wings falling off is bad
What mods were made if any to cassutt for the 6.5 tall pilot?
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Post by Supervee on Mar 30, 2017 7:06:02 GMT -6
ifalldown.....I replied this morning to your e-mail.
The Sport wing in essence is a 111M wing with one more rib bay each side, and a slightly different spar lamination schedule.....
For Supervee air Sports, to Modify a Cassutt for a taller pilot, a taller roll structure, and fin would help. For extra legroom, pushing firewall station forward about 3" would allow longer legs. and would do nicely in saving the C.G. because of the weight difference between a Continental and a VW engine....
The $1500.00 Barnstormers Cassutt is the 11M thin wing, but the seller won't respond to any contacts from myself and friends who have been trying to communicate.....
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Post by jvliet on Mar 30, 2017 16:56:14 GMT -6
Just FYI, I am 6 ft. 3 in. tall and 180+ lbs and I was able to sit in my #33 V-Witt with about 1" inside clearance with the canopy closed. On the other hand, I never sat in Blueberry because I couldn't get my legs under the wing spar box.
Jim
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Post by ifalldown on Mar 31, 2017 7:54:49 GMT -6
Yes height has some advantages but not in small aircraft world. Jvlet thanks for the first hand experience.
As for the fling wires I did some poking around with a calculator and spreadsheet the lower wire 8000 lbs per side tension at 8g with some safety factor like 1.5 and 6700 at 6g I believe. I can't figure out Steen aero lab is getting the hi numbers for 316ss unless he going for ultimate and not yield. Not an engineer just a hobbyist with too little knowledge. Test everything!
Thanks all: dreaming of fast economic fun flying
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Post by dmar836 on Mar 31, 2017 11:20:43 GMT -6
Before I ordered I read about the wires. They claim they are all tested in Scottland before delivery. They claim to rated tension. They claim 10000lb yield so I assume a 15000lb rating with the safety factor.
Didn't see any other options so got them. Tensioning them is a mystery as well.
Dave
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Post by jvliet on Mar 31, 2017 14:42:31 GMT -6
Okay....Wittman's advice on tensioning - he said make them tight so that in a 6 G pullup, you will see the top wire begin to flap up and down a little. On the other hand, I felt the tension in Steve's #1 V-Witt by pressing down on the top wire, and it was verry verry tight! (tighter than mine).
My V-Witt was set up so that the wings could be removed for trailering to & from the races. I locked the bottom (flying) wire clevis nuts and made no adjustments thereafter. To take the wings off, I would first disassemble the aileron and flap linkage bolts. Then I would back off the top (landing) wires one full turn using a padded adjustable crescent wrench on the flat portion of the wire close to the clevis, this would make enough slack to remove the top and bottom clevis pins at the fuselage. I could then lift off the wing. I would lock the top wire clevis nuts so the wire wouldn't turn in transit. Installation was the reverse of removal - install the clevis pins and cotter pins at the fuselage, then gently tighten up the upper wire one full turn, working a quarter-turn at each upper wire end, going back and forth from wing end to fuselage end until the wire was fully tight, then tightening the clevis nuts and assembling the aileron and flap linkage, with cotter pins in all bolts. I was eventually able to sense when the tension was correct by feel.
BTW, the last time I saw Steve's V-Witt in the Wittman Hangar at Pioneer field (15 years ago), someone had assembled it with several degrees of dihedral....that is incorrect, Steve had it rigged at zero dihedral.
Jim
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Post by dmar836 on Mar 31, 2017 17:57:23 GMT -6
Great info and much more than I had!
Thanks,
Dave
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Post by ifalldown on Mar 31, 2017 19:55:48 GMT -6
How long did it take to remove wings and was it a one person job? And are you using titanium landing gear? Love first hand info.
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Post by jvliet on Apr 1, 2017 15:40:33 GMT -6
It definitely takes two people to take the wings on and off. It took about a half hour to put the wings on and prep for flight (you wouldn't want to forget a cotter pin!). Removal was about 15 minutes.
My #33 had steel gear - very heavy. Reportedly Steve had his friend Tony LeVier (at Lockheed at the time) arrange for the titanium fabrication at that time (about 1970). I believe there are race car shops that now have the capability to cut and bend slabs of 1/2" titanium - but my guess it would be crazy expensive! I later had John Monnett make a one-piece aluminum gear for me, which I had planned to install in the 1990 rebuild, but never did....
Jim
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Post by Supervee on Apr 1, 2017 16:55:30 GMT -6
Jim, Do you still have the aluminum Monnett gear?, If so , I want to buy it!!!!...ED
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Post by dmar836 on Apr 1, 2017 18:57:25 GMT -6
ifalldown,
Just FYI, my VWitt gear are two piece aluminum so there are many ways to skin a cat. I have some steel gear for my Midget Mustang project that are thinner and shorter and probably lighter, or close to it, than the VWitt gear. Some have cut down C150 gear but those are likely the heaviest option.
Dave
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