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Post by Supervee on Feb 14, 2012 19:31:35 GMT -6
Tom...the Acro guys used 'corvous' oil...Dont know about spelling.....Ed
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n3480h
Junior Member
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Post by n3480h on Feb 14, 2012 22:57:29 GMT -6
Thanks Ed, I'll see if I can find it. If I do, I'll post a link in case someone else would like the info.
Tom
Edit: Didn't take long to find it. Corvus oil is now called Canopus 13 and is made by Chevron Texaco. Should be available in 5 gallon jugs and 55 gallon drums from any bulk Texaco dealer.
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Post by renegade on Feb 17, 2012 20:53:45 GMT -6
Tom,
Just back from a trip to the Pacific, got a sunburn!
Vernon was a great friend and I had a the "gift" of having spent several years learning from him. I will get some photos this week to post.
Lex
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Post by Schmleff on Feb 17, 2012 21:57:33 GMT -6
Lex, what was the purpose of this system? Were you flying aerobatics?
Very cool, thanks for the info and picts.
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n3480h
Junior Member
Posts: 53
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Post by n3480h on Feb 17, 2012 23:02:58 GMT -6
Welcome back Lex. I got a sunburn this winter too - while hunting coyotes in the snow, lol.
Vern must have been quite the builder. I have heard his name at some point in the past, perhaps from an older friend who was my mentor.
Is the oil injected/sprayed directly into the lower exhaust, or into a close-fitting shroud around the exhaust tube? I'm wondering about atomization droplet size, and the possibility of flaming if its done wrong.
Tom
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Post by renegade on Feb 18, 2012 11:15:46 GMT -6
We were ALWAYS flying acro in the Renegade! I doubt it ever flew without being upside down at least once. You simply could not resist a roll! Vernon flew a routine at Oshkosh, in about 1979. He was doing shows around the St. Louis area for years with it. At the time of Vernon's death I had done a few shows.
I will get out the exhaust and post some photos of the fittings. We never had issues with flames. I seem to recall Vernon had simply drilled a hole in the short stacks and welded an 1/8 tube in it. No doubt some improvements could be made, such as wrapping the lines to preheat etc, but that may lead to flame issues. The bottom line is that it worked very well as it was, and the cost was just about zero.
I had done basic aerobatics in a Smith Mini (Vernon had built) that I owned for about 25hrs before I flew the Renegade. I found the Renegade to be much more fun, even with only 60hp. The smoke was a great learning tool. Even with someone on the ground giving a post flight critique, the smoke would allow the pilot to know he was at the correct altitude on his base (pretend ground) in real time. You could also know your rolling maneuvers were level (knife edge, inverted, hesitation, or series of rolls). The only expensive part of smoke, is the oil.
Lex
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n3480h
Junior Member
Posts: 53
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Post by n3480h on Feb 18, 2012 17:23:59 GMT -6
That's a great idea to use smoke as a "deck" indicator. And glad to hear there were no flaming issues. I still like the Smiths. I went from my first plane, a 46 C/D Ercoupe, to a Cinquanta Hornet, N13H. That was my tailwheel training. 500 pounds and dual ailerons, the roll rate was spectacular. All it lacked was smoke. Wish I had it back. Tom Attachments:
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Post by renegade on Feb 18, 2012 21:30:40 GMT -6
Tom, Never heard of a Hornet. That is a neat looking biplane. It is quite unique with the lowered thrust line. I never thought of smoke being helpful until I turned it on and did a loop. It was immediately apparent that it would be a training aid. Oh, and it was also noted that it would be a LOT of FUN too! Here are the two short stacks with the smoke oil injector tubes. My memory was incorrect, they are 1/4". Lex [/img]
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Post by renegade on Feb 18, 2012 21:46:42 GMT -6
OOpss. Attachments:
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Post by renegade on Feb 18, 2012 21:48:43 GMT -6
Another. Attachments:
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n3480h
Junior Member
Posts: 53
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Post by n3480h on Feb 18, 2012 22:19:33 GMT -6
Thanks Lex, that is exactly what I needed to see. Easy enough modification. Yes, N13H was real eye candy. The pic is fresh out of the paint booth. Wheel pants and trim added later that week, but I have lost the pics. Last I heard, Daryl Cinquanta was rebuilding it out in Colorado. He told me only 5 were ever built, and 3 survive. Tom
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Post by Supervee on Feb 19, 2012 6:44:50 GMT -6
Tom, Was the Hornet a highly modified Miniplane? I read that as a quote from Irv Talkasson (SP) who owned one of the Cinquanta Hornets.....Ed
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n3480h
Junior Member
Posts: 53
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Post by n3480h on Feb 19, 2012 7:53:49 GMT -6
It was, Ed. Joe Cinquanta (California) did the work. I do not know if he started with existing Smiths and modified them, or if he built the mods starting with plans. He was a skilled craftsman. N13H performed at small airshows and flight breakfasts, flown by a gentleman from Alexandria, MN. When I bought it, it was in pieces, but not damaged. Wingspan was 15 feet. Prop was a Flotorp mechanically in-flight variable pitch. This bipe drew a crowd wherever I parked it, and always got front row parking at flight breakfasts. I expect that will happen again with my 'Lil Bitts. ;D
It was my good fortune that the Hornet flew naturally and beautifully, and landed much like a Cub. I did about 40 hours of taxi practice before my first flight. Scared silly on the first flight and grinning the whole time. Most pilots were afraid to fly it because it looked like a handful, but it was not. I put about 500 hours on it, and eventually sold it to my mentor, Elmer "Hotdog" DenHartog. It was a good match for Hotdog and it spent a good deal of time in unusual attitudes.
Tom
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