VW Redrive Mounted on the Case's Generator Pad?

Philippe's moteur--- http://mdlaurent.free.fr/index.htm

reminds me of the Smith fellow from Kansas who came to Oshkosh in the
90's* with his own design low-wing homebuilt and flew it constantly in
the ultralight area. It was a 2-place. That little tube and rag
airplane would really perform. Everybody who saw it was fascinated.
The welding looked like it had been done by a farmer's stick-welder.
The VW engine had a kevlar belt redrive, with several belts turning on
a jerry-built contraption fastened to the generator mounting boss. It
was in the air more than all the other ultralights.

It seems like it had a nosewheel.

Not taking anything away from the builder/designer. He's got to be
sharp as a tack.

Anybody remember that guy and his airplane?


*Maybe he's still attending, with his funky little homebuilt. But I
figured that case would crack with all that load there at the generator
mount. Wondering if it ever did. And what ever happened to his
design and to him.

In the 80's and early 90's I used to fly a J-6 Karatoo (designed by
Jesse Anglin) with a Soob & kevlar belt redrive. It was very smooth
and fun, but not yet dialed in-- wasn't getting enough rpm's --- when
the owner sold it firewall forward and replaced it with an 1835 cc VW
engine with a Max Peters redrive (kevlar belt) and a 78" prop. (I had
been flying with the owner's trophy wife when the Soob engine did one
of those scary little hesitation burps, and the aircraft mushed, almost
into some pines. He was on the ground watching in horror.) Now
this latter combo of taildragger and hi-revving VW really had some
oomph and would outclimb and outrun my Taylorcraft. But it vibrated
something awful. Sooner or later something was going to come apart.
The owner didn't have it cowled and baffled right so it would seize up,
from overheating, sometimes in a climb. Owner finally gave up before
getting IT dialed in and sold it to a huge man who couldn't fly it
because he couldn't get in it. So it sat outside on a sod field where
the prop rotted off and it still sits there, looking like a plucked
chicken.

I still have a brand new Peters redrive for the VW, complete. It is
beefy. Wanna try it on something? I bet the vibes can be solved.
The J-6 only vibrated at high power settings, where the engine was
turning about 3300 rpm. If you backed it off about 100 rpm, the
vibration would stop.

I flew the Karatoo about 100 hours, all over the mountains of WNC, and
to air shows to show it for the owner, places like Hickory and Franklin
and Spartanburg. Never had to land it in a cow pasture, but do
remember eerie silence --- the engine seized over Lake James. Memory
of dreading the swim. As it turned out, we had just enough altitude to
bounce it off the beach onto the runway at Marion, NC's sod airfield.
That was the last time I flew it. I kinda miss the old gal, although
her wooden slab seat was a tailbone-buster.

One time I got her into a departure stall and she came right out of it,
and none too soon. Somebody had fiddled with her one mag and had
retarded the timing instead of advancing it. I kept pulling back on
the stick thinking, "Why the hell won't this thing climb?" Until she
let go and dropped a wing. That was the second time I got out of an
airplane and kissed the ground.

Happy Holidays.

Not taking anything away from the builder/designer. He's got to be
sharp as a tack.
Anybody remember that guy and his airplane?


This what you are remembering?

http://www.culverprops.com/

Yep, Leon, I believe that's either it or a derivative. Thanks for the
link.

wrote:
Philippe's moteur--- http://mdlaurent.free.fr/index.htm

reminds me of the Smith fellow from Kansas who came to Oshkosh in the
90's* with his own design low-wing homebuilt and flew it constantly in
the ultralight area. It was a 2-place. That little tube and rag
airplane would really perform. Everybody who saw it was fascinated.
The welding looked like it had been done by a farmer's stick-welder.
The VW engine had a kevlar belt redrive, with several belts turning on
a jerry-built contraption fastened to the generator mounting boss. It
was in the air more than all the other ultralights.

It seems like it had a nosewheel.

Not taking anything away from the builder/designer. He's got to be
sharp as a tack.

Anybody remember that guy and his airplane?

I think this is the aircraft you asked about. I saw it at Oshkosh in 2001.

http://ousterhout.net/gallery/valley...ering_2001.jpg
http://ousterhout.net/gallery/valley...2001_climb.jpg

I believe that Gene Smith of Valley Engineering built it. He uses it as
a demo for his VW engine conversions with the Valley Engineering Redrive.

About two years ago it was rebuilt as a Biplane. While not a beauty
IMO, the climb performance is AMAZING. Here it is at Gardner KS in 2005.

http://ousterhout.net/gallery/valley...ering_2005.jpg
http://ousterhout.net/gallery/valley...2005_climb.jpg

Here's a closeup of the redrive and the information about it.

http://www.culverprops.com/images/gallery/pic01.jpg
http://www.culverprops.com/galleryvalleycompany.htm

The aircraft I've seen fly using a VW engine with a redrive perform very
well - better than one might expect from the power. That big slow
turning prop is very efficient.

- John Ousterhout -

Thanks, John. Yes, that's it and it brings back some great memories.

Great photos too.

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 01:05:29 GMT, John Ousterhout
wrote:

I believe that Gene Smith of Valley Engineering built it. He uses it as
a demo for his VW engine conversions with the Valley Engineering Redrive.

That's what Dick Starks switched his Taube to, after the crash with the A-75.

http://www.culverprops.com/engines.htm

He also had an article in KITPLANES about it, a few years back.

Ron Wanttaja

"Ron Wanttaja" wrote

That's what Dick Starks switched his Taube to, after the crash with the
A-75.

What was the cause of the crash with the A-75? Engine failure, if so, what?

T(h)anks again!
--
Jim in NC

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 19:14:52 -0500, "Morgans" wrote:


"Ron Wanttaja" wrote

That's what Dick Starks switched his Taube to, after the crash with the
A-75.

What was the cause of the crash with the A-75? Engine failure, if so, what?

If I dismember correctly, the fundamental problem was that the A-75 just didn't
have enough oooompppph for the draggy Taube. Can't remember if the Continental
just overheated or if someone mushed it into the corn.

In either case, he swapped it for a VW with the Valley Engineering PSRU and is
now turning a 96 inch diameter prop with 60 inches of pitch. He claims it
provides 70% more thrust than the old engine. Hmmm, lengthen the gear legs on
the Fly Baby.... :-)

Ron Wanttaja

"Ron Wanttaja" wrote

If I dismember correctly, the fundamental problem was that the A-75 just
didn't
have enough oooompppph for the draggy Taube. Can't remember if the
Continental
just overheated or if someone mushed it into the corn.

In either case, he swapped it for a VW with the Valley Engineering PSRU
and is
now turning a 96 inch diameter prop with 60 inches of pitch. He claims it
provides 70% more thrust than the old engine. Hmmm, lengthen the gear
legs on
the Fly Baby.... :-)

Wow! It is hard for me to get my brain wrapped around the fact that a VW
could be stronger than an A-75, even with a redrive!

I always heard that a VW was only good for around 40 horsies for extended
periods of time. Can't a 75 in good condition beat that? It would make
more sense to add a redrive to the 75, than go down to the VW.

Has it ever become common practice to put redrives on pancake engines?
(other than the 470 geared from the factory, and it's ilk) I don't ever
recall seeing one with a redrive, or hearing about one.

What is the displacement of the A-75, anyway? If you don't know off the top
of your head, just say so, and I'll go a-googlin'! g
--
Jim in NC

"Richard Riley" wrote

171 cubes. Same as the A-50, A-65 and A-80. The difference was
compression ratio and rpm. The A-50 ran 5.4:1 at 1900RPM (!), they
upped it to 6.3:1 at 2300 RPM for the A-65. Then they increased it to
(a much more reasonable) 2600 RPM for 75 hp, and went to 7.65:1
compression at 2600 for the A-80.

I sure would like to have an aluminum version of GM's 4 cylinder, the "iron
duke." It was 2.5 L, or 151 cubes.

I had that thing in an '80 Chevy Citation, and that damn thing was bullet
proof. Now, some will say the old "auto engines were not designed to run
that hard" bit, but "I" ran that thing as hard as an airplane engine would
be run, or harder, for long periods of time.

I was running a construction business using the Citation, and a trailer.
Many trips between Ohio and North Carolina (over the mountains) were made
towing the trailer, tools, and sometimes a bunch of heavy stuff. The car
was only rated for towing 1,000 lbs, and the trailer was 1,200 lbs empty.
Add to that tools, wind resistance, and I had my foot flat down, at 4500 RPM
for time on end. I got rid of it at 138 K miles, (rust) and it still had
good compression, and used less than 1/2 quart between oil changes.

If it were light enough made of aluminum, and tough enough with the material
change, I think it would make a great airplane engine. Put PSRU on it, and
it would swing a big old prop.
--
Jim in NC