Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/81495
You Can't Keep a Good Plane Down "I bought very little 'new' stuff. Instead I was continually prowling around eBay and Barnstormers and cruising the Sun 'n Fun and AirVenture parts exchanges. I also worked with a salvage outfi t that gave me a really good deal on Silver Crown equipment. "I did a bunch of work on the interior that included building a set of Thorp aluminum tube seats to replace the heavy plywood seats that were in it. The seat upholstery was the only thing I farmed out. I did it in tan leather that had been salvaged out of a Pilatus that was being reupholstered. I installed a jump seat in the baggage compartment, as designed by one of the great Thorp trailblazers, the late John Shinn. There may have been a little nostalgia attached to that decision because my very fi rst ride in an airplane was in the jump seat of his T-18, as a child. Budd Davisson is an aeronautical engineer, has fl own more than 300 different aircraft types, and published four books and more than 4,000 articles. He is editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a fl ight instructor primarily in Pitts/ tailwheel aircraft. Visit him at www.Airbum.com. "The engine was unusual in that it's a 180-hp Lycoming O-360-A1G6, which has a rear-facing induction unit. That's really nice because that means no scoop in the bottom of the cowling. I liked that because the cowling was pretty special: It's one of the few that is all aluminum. It even has an aluminum nose bowl. "The engine and airframe logs both say the total time was around 400 hours. So I pulled a cylinder before starting it to check the cam for rust and generally inspect the inside of the engine. It looked good, so I was ready to go. The Hartzell constant-speed propeller looked good, but I had it overhauled anyway." So now that he has the airplane in For the latest news of the Thorp community, log on to Lee Walton's newsletter at www.ThorpAirCommand.com. For availability of limited components for the airplane, visit Eklund Engineering's website at www.ThorpT18.com. ยป Click here to view a gallery of Lee's restoration photos. 22 NO. 1 / SEPTEMBER 2012 the air, what are his plans for it? "Originally, I thought I'd sell it," he said, "but while fl ying it to Oshkosh 2011, I decided I'd keep it. I know it well, and it's just too good of an airplane to sell. I plan on rebuilding more Thorps, but this one I'll keep. Where else can I get an airplane for this price that will cruise an honest 190 mph true at 7,500 feet while burning less than 9 gallons an hour, climb 1,000 feet per minute while in a 150-mph cruise climb? I bring it over the fence at 90 and am on the ground at 70 mph. "This is a high-performance airplane at a low dollar. More people ought to be building it. Even if building from scratch, with no kits, you won't have much more time invested in it than an RV or something similar, and it'll be much less expensive. I think it's the biggest bang for the homebuilder's buck." And this brings us back to the question of whether the T-18 is an antique or a well-experienced contemporary homebuilt design. We think the latter applies.