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 light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/101874
gear came up and we were climbing at 2,000 fpm. I had the controls; they were light as a feather. At altitude Geoff took over and demonstrated the plane's flying characteristics. I was still not well and urged him to be gentle with me. It's funny, but the most memorable thing about the flight was not how fast we went, how easily the plane turned, or how stable it was. The thing I remember most about that flight was how slow Geoff was able to fly. With full flaps, he was able to get the plane down to 45 mph indicated; this was the last number on the airspeed indicator, so it could have flown even slower! Not bad for a fighterlike plane that looks like it will eat you up. Geoff later told me he taught his son Richard to fly in the Barracuda. Back in the pattern we slowed to 115 mph and lowered the flaps to about 15 degrees. Slowing to 90, we extended the gear and made ready to land. Geoff let me do the honors. I had about 2,500 hours of logged flight time but only two hours of stick time in an Aeronca years ago. The Barracuda had a stick, so this was going to be interesting. After a bit of overcontrolling, I was able to put the plane down gently on its tricycle gear. We taxied back, took off, and tried it again. It just got easier. systems. Bob Archer antennas were glued into the fuselage, and Ray Allen supplied the new stick grips. All the hydraulic hoses were replaced, the oil cooler was repositioned to the right side of the cowl, and a NACA scoop was fabricated to direct air through it. The oil temp now runs 20 degrees cooler. Toe brakes were installed, replacing the original breaker bar, and two new NACA scoops bring cool air into the cockpit. The plane is now thoroughly modernized and ready for another 30 years of safe flight. People often ask me about performance. I start by saying that this is a large plane with a fat wing and a wing area of 128 square feet. That makes it a pussycat to fly, especially at slow speeds; however, it still gets up and goes. I generally run the engine at 21 inches and 2200 rpm. That gives me a ground speed of about 180 knots burning about 12 gallons per hour. If I want to go faster, all I After the flight we drove back to SeaTac, and I was soon back in Arizona, recovering from my cold and contemplating my next move. Geoff and I talked at length on the phone and came to an agreement. I was now the new owner of the plane I had craved for more than 30 years. Two weeks later I was back in Seattle. I was given a thorough checkout in the Barracuda, and early the next day I was ready to head back to Arizona. It was obviously a bittersweet moment; the Barracuda had been a large part of Geoff's life. We said our good-byes and shed some tears, and I was off to Prescott, Arizona (PRC). Jef added fuel injection to the Lycoming 540 powering the Barracuda. It puts out 300 hp. The plane easily climbed to 14,000 feet, giving me a majestic view of the Cascades. After two fuel stops and about six hours of flight time, I was back at PRC. After about 20 hours of flying I decided to overhaul the engine. The Lycoming 540 is now fuel injected and puts out 300 hp. I replaced the prop with a three-bladed MT. The original paint was showing its age, so I decided to repaint it and replace the windows as well. I flew the plane for about 20 hours more and had a minor landing gear mishap. While fixing the gear I decided to replace the steam gauges with a Dynon SkyView system. I fabricated a new panel and settled on two 7-inch screens, one for engine monitoring and one for the flight instruments. I also installed the Dynon GPS and autopilot Seating for two and a generous baggage area make the Barracuda a suitable traveling machine. EAA Experimenter 23