Fast glass biplanes

"John Oliveira" wrote in message
...
| The only one I know of is the Lionheart - Semi Replica of Beech Stagger
| Wing.
|
| Fast, caries high load, round engine.

Looking at Griffon's web site lately, they seem to talk about the Lionheart
in only a historical context and customer support. It does not appear that
they are producing kits any more.

"C J Campbell" wrote in message ...
"John Oliveira" wrote in message
...
| The only one I know of is the Lionheart - Semi Replica of Beech Stagger
| Wing.
|
| Fast, caries high load, round engine.

Looking at Griffon's web site lately, they seem to talk about the Lionheart
in only a historical context and customer support. It does not appear that
they are producing kits any more.

The Lionheart is (was) an exceptionally pretty airplane. It seemed
that the cabin load and volume were comparable to a Cherokee Six.

IIRC (and I don't always) Kitplane wrote a pilot report and had some
adverse comments regarding stability or handling but I sensed they
were hopeful those things could be resolved; some of the problem
perhaps being related to mis-rigging after the plane was painted.

There were built two aircraft built by folks other than the company
that were lost in accidents on the runway although (again relying on
memory) one occurred on takeoff and one on landing. Sadly, one was on
its maiden flight. I don't recall any common root or contributory
causes.

I tried to go by and see the prototype once when I was in Huntsville,
AL but I had no luck.

Take care . . .

John

"C J Campbell" wrote in message ...
"John Oliveira" wrote in message
...
| The only one I know of is the Lionheart - Semi Replica of Beech Stagger
| Wing.
|
| Fast, caries high load, round engine.

Looking at Griffon's web site lately, they seem to talk about the Lionheart
in only a historical context and customer support. It does not appear that
they are producing kits any more.

Follow-Up Message.

I looked at the NTSB site and gear design was mentioned in the
findings for both Lionheart accidents. I'm not an engineer, so I
leave it up to the rest of you to consider the information.

Sad though because I still think it was a drop-dead beautiful
airplane.

John

"John Pelchat" wrote in message
om...
|
| I looked at the NTSB site and gear design was mentioned in the
| findings for both Lionheart accidents. I'm not an engineer, so I
| leave it up to the rest of you to consider the information.
|

I actually saw the Lionheart crash at Bremerton. When he took off it was a
thing of beauty. The round engine coupled with the wind going through the
strutless wings made it sound like a giant dragonfly. He departed from
runway 19 at Bremerton and was gone, IIRC, about 45 minutes.

When he returned the wind had shifted almost 180 degrees. I guess he did not
check the AWOS or look at the wind sock. He made several low passes over the
runway, but he said later that he was having trouble getting lined up
properly. We went out to watch him land just as he was on short final.

He landed with a left quartering tailwind of about 9 knots. The Lionheart
started to weathervane. One main gear collapsed, then the other as he
groundlooped. The gear bolts were connected directly to the fuel tanks, so
when the gear collapsed the bottom of the fuel tank was ripped out. The
plane burst into a spectacular fire which was caught on film by several
cameras on the ground and a camera in the chase plane. It was pitiful
watching Bremerton's lone fire truck (a pickup truck with a water tank on
the back) try to put this thing out. The water would not even reach the
fire.

His wife was sure he was dead because we did not see him get out. As it
turned out he had only a cut on his thumb. The airplane was a total loss. He
did not have insurance and had spent much of his life savings on the plane.
He told me he had spent about $400,000 on building the plane. It had a
magnificent burlwood panel.

I believe his was the fifth Lionheart completed and the fourth to crash. The
pilot told me he did not plan to build another. I had first met the builder
a couple years before in a Belfair restaurant. A factory representative was
with him wearing a Lionheart t-shirt. I went over and introduced myself. The
rep was a professional builder who was going to spend about six months
working on the project with the owner.

"C J Campbell" wrote in message ...
... One main gear collapsed, then the other as he
groundlooped. The gear bolts were connected directly to the fuel tanks, so
when the gear collapsed the bottom of the fuel tank was ripped out.

I'm still early in the learning stages of aircraft design but offhand
that design choice sounds rather ill-considered. Am I missing something?

The
plane burst into a spectacular fire which was caught on film by several
cameras on the ground and a camera in the chase plane. It was pitiful
watching Bremerton's lone fire truck (a pickup truck with a water tank on
the back) try to put this thing out. The water would not even reach the
fire.

His wife was sure he was dead because we did not see him get out. As it
turned out he had only a cut on his thumb. ...

--

FF

On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 23:31:56 -0800, "C J Campbell"
wrote:


I believe his was the fifth Lionheart completed and the fourth to crash.

Wow. What's going on here? Too much airplane for too little
experience?

Corky Scott

"Corky Scott" wrote in message
...
| On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 23:31:56 -0800, "C J Campbell"
| wrote:
|
|
| I believe his was the fifth Lionheart completed and the fourth to crash.
|
| Wow. What's going on here? Too much airplane for too little
| experience?

Short coupled tailwheel airplane landing in a left quartering tailwind with
a serious design flaw in the landing gear. The pilot of the chase plane said
that the Lionheart's pilot was having enormous difficulty controlling the
airplane throughout the flight, with violent pitch excursions. He also had
not had much recent experience landing any tailwheel airplane and none at
all in the Lionheart. The pilot was an ATP currently flying for a major
airline.

It reminds me of a story Mike told me about a pilot at Tacoma Narrows who
finished his homebuilt aircraft after many years of loving work. He was
hesitant to fly it because he was not current and had not flown a tailwheel
airplane in a long time, but his family and friends wanted to see him fly
and so he and Mike worked out a careful plan to test fly it, beginning with
taxi tests, fast taxis, etc. Unfortunately, the man's entire family and many
friends turned out to watch the initial tests, expecting him to fly. Instead
of doing the fast taxi he took off, pitched up too high, and plopped back
down so hard that he jammed the landing gear up through the wings and
folding up the prop on the runway.

His buddies helped him move the plane back into the hangar, only now the
obsession was to get the thing flying again instead of creating a work of
art. Six months later the airplane was ready for another try. The same crowd
turned out and again the pilot was pressured into taking off before he was
ready. Mike said that the man was so fearful he was sweating, pale and
shaking before leaving -- he doesn't know how his family missed it.

He had an impossible time controlling the airplane. He could not land it and
finally the tower had Mike and others trying to talk him down. Mike said he
could hear from the pilot's voice that he was in terrible trouble. Finally,
with the airplane on fumes, the pilot managed a landing and the airplane
coasted to a stop at the end of the runway. But it never pulled off onto the
taxiway and the pilot did not get out. He was dead of a massive heart
attack.

No doubt at the funeral they said of him that he died doing what he loved to
do.

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 08:32:53 -0800, "C J Campbell"
wrote:


"Corky Scott" wrote in message
...
| On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 23:31:56 -0800, "C J Campbell"
| wrote:
|
|
| I believe his was the fifth Lionheart completed and the fourth to crash.
|
| Wow. What's going on here? Too much airplane for too little
| experience?

Short coupled tailwheel airplane landing in a left quartering tailwind with
a serious design flaw in the landing gear. The pilot of the chase plane said
that the Lionheart's pilot was having enormous difficulty controlling the
airplane throughout the flight, with violent pitch excursions.

I went to the Lionheart website to have a look. There was a section
that listed testimonials. Among those testimonials was one from none
other than Jim Campbell, he liked it...

Corky Scott

I went to the Lionheart website to have a look. There was a section
that listed testimonials. Among those testimonials was one from none
other than Jim Campbell, he liked it...

Corky Scott

Well, I'm sold then!

B.S.

On 19 Nov 2003 08:19 AM, Corky Scott posted the following:

I went to the Lionheart website to have a look. There was a section
that listed testimonials. Among those testimonials was one from none
other than Jim Campbell, he liked it...

No doubt he looped, rolled, and spun it.

----------------------------------------------------
Del Rawlins-
Remove _kills_spammers_ to reply via email.
Unofficial Bearhawk FAQ website:
http://www.rawlinsbrothers.org/bhfaq/