1980->

Spezio DAL-1 Tuholer

TerryLeave a comment

The Spezio DAL-1 Tuholer stems from a design by Tony Spezio in the late 1950s and is said to have been based loosely on the Howard Ike racer of the 1930s. As the Tuholer name implies, it is a two-seat, open cockpit, strut-braced, low-wing taildragger. The original was built using parts collected from various surplus and wrecked sources, and with no hangar space the wings were designed to fold. The first flight of the type occurred on 2 May 1961.

Spezio Tuholer N9110R

Marketed plans for home-builders. Mechanix Illustrated Golden Hammer Award c.1961 for design.

N140P First plans built DAL-1, builder Ken Patsch, August 1987

The fuselage and tail structure are welded steel tubing. Its large center section, supporting the folding wing mechanism is fashioned from a trio of one-inch .049 tubing with end plates, fittings and large bolts that allow the wings to fold for storage. The wings are wood with fabric cover.

Gallery

Engine: Lycoming GO-290-G4, 125 hp
Wingspan: 24’9”
Length: 18’3”
Gross Wt: 1400 lb
Empty Wt: 810 lb
Fuel capacity: 23 USG
Useful load: 590 lb
Top speed 160 mph
Cruise 128 mph
Stall 45 mph
Climb rate 2000 ft
Takeoff run 160 ft
Landing roll 300 ft
Range 400 sm
Ceiling: 12,000 ft
Seats: 2

Spencer S-14 Air Car Junior

TerryLeave a comment

In 1980, the two seat S-14 Junior program began, as a reduced version of the previous S-12C / D / E with folding wings for road transport, with composite materials.

Registered N14NX and powered by a Lycoming O-320, Spencer went on a maiden flight on November 4, 1983, at the age of 86. Even with modifications, the design did not meet expectations and the program was terminated in 1984.

Percival H. Spencer and Dale Anderson with the S-14

Spencer and Anderson had invested nearly $85,000 in the project, but friend William Randolph Hearst Jr purchased the Junior for salvage price of $25,000 and donated it to EAA Museum in 1984.

Spencer Aircraft Inc

TerryLeave a comment

Percival Hopkins “Spence” Spencer was born in Windsor, Connecticut, USA, on April 30, 1897, as the third child of then 63 year old inventor genius Christopher Miner Spencer. Percival always hated his name and preferred to be called “Spence”.
On April 11, 1911, Spence makes his first solo flight from Prospect Hill, when flying a hang glider built by himself from plans published in Popular Mechanics Magazine.
Spence makes his first flight in a motor powered airplane, flying a Curtiss-type flying boat from Connecticut River in Hartford, was on 15 May 1914.
In 1937, the Spencer-Larsen Aircraft Corporation is organized. Spencer and ex Sikorsky engineer Vincent A. Larsen design the single engine SL-12C amphibian.
Spencer leaves Spencer-Larsen in September 1940 and starts the work on his own S-12 Air Car amphibian design.
On 1 March 1941, the first parts are cut for the Spencer Amphibian Air Car.
In 1942 Spence starts working with Republic Aviation Corporation as a test pilot on their P-47 Thunderbolt fighters. Flight testing 134 Thunderbolts.
At 9:17 a.m, 1 December 1945, the first prototype Model RC-3 Seabee, NX87451, makes her first flight, taken to the air by designer and test pilot Percival H. Spencer from Republic Airport, Farmingdale.
1984: Spencer Amphibian Air Car, 8725 Cland Ave., Sun Valley, Calif. 91352, USA.

Offers plans and kits to construct the Amphibian Air Car four-seat pusher-engined amphibian, originally patented in 1950 and thereafter marketed until 1988 by Spencer Amphibian Air Car Inc.

1995: PO Box 327, Kansas, IL 61933, USA.

Percival H. Spencer died in 1995, aged 90.

Spectrum RX-550 Beaver / ASAP Beaver RX 550

TerryLeave a comment
RX-550

A rugged, deluxe 2-place trainer and cross country Beaver RX550 has a 10.7 m wingspan, Rotax 503 47 hp engine and weighs 150 kgs. Both aircraft feature fibre¬glass pilot fairing and windscreen as standard equipment.
In 1993, ASAP began providing parts and service for the existing Beaver RX550, RX28 and RX35 all aircraft manufactured by a company no longer operating. The demand to continue offering the Beaver aircraft as a kit was high and so in 1996 ASAP introduced the new Beaver RX 550 Plus with new wings, new tail, stronger shock system, better performance but still keeping with its famous docile easy flight of the original Beaver.
The prototype of the Beaver Plus first flew in 1995.

ASAP Beaver RX 550

The kit price in 1998 was Can$9000.

Beaver
Engine: Rotax 277, 28 hp
Propeller diameter and pitch 50 x 28 inch, 1.27 x 0.71 m
Reduction ratio 2.0/1
Max static thrust 190 lb, 86 kg
Length overall 15. 0 ft, 4.57 m
Height overall 5.8ft, 1.75m
Wing span 33.0ft, 10.06m
Contant chord 5.3ft, 1.63m
Dihedral 2 deg
Sweepback 5 deg
Tailplane span 8.0ft, 2.44m
Fin height 4.8ft, 1.45m
Total wing area 158 sq.ft, 14.7 sq.m
Wing aspect ratio 6.9/1
Wheel track 4.7ft, 1.42m
Nosewheel dia¬meter overall 11 inch, 27cm
Main wheels diameter overall 11 inch, 27cm
Optional floats, dimensions: 10.0 ft, 3.05 m long
Power per unit area 0.18hp/sq.ft, 1.9hp/sq.m
Fuel capacity 2.8 US gal, 2.3 Imp gal, 10.4 litre
Empty weight 232 lb, 105 kg
Max level speed 55 mph, 88 kph
Never exceed speed 62 mph, 100 kph
Max cruising speed 55 mph, 88 kph
Economic cruising speed 30 mph, 48 kph
Stalling speed 24 mph, 39 kph
Max climb rate at sea level 600ft/min, 3.0m/s
Min sink rate 300 ft/min at 30 mph, 1.5 m/s at 48 kph
Best glide ratio with power off 11/1 at 35mph, 56kph
Take off distance 100ft, 30m
Land¬ing distance 125ft, 38m
Service ceiling 13,000ft, 3960m
Range at average cruising speed 40 mile, 64km

RX-550
Engine: Rotax 503
Empty wt: 375 lb
Max wt: 800 lb
Wing span: 35ft
Wing area: 170 sq.ft.
Wing loading: 4.3 lbs/sq.ft
Power loading: 17.4 lbs/hp
Max speed: 80 mph
Cruise: 58 mph
Stall: 30 mph
Vne: 80 mph
Seats: 2

Engine: Rotax 582, 65 hp
Speed max: 80 mph
Cruise: 65 mph
Range: 120 sm
Stall: 38 mph
ROC: 800 fpm
Take-off dist: 400 ft
Landing dist: 450 ft
Service ceiling: 13,000 ft
HP range: 64-75
Fuel cap: 7 USG
Weight empty: 450 lb
Gross: 1100 lbs
Height: 7 ft
Length: 21 ft
Wing span: 35 ft
Wing area: 164 sq.ft
Seats: 2
Landing gear: nose wheel

Beaver Plus
An upgraded version of the RX-550.
Engine: Rotax 582, 65 hp
Engine range: 50-65 hp
Empty wt: 430 lbs
MTOW: 1050 lb
Wingspan: 32 ft
Length: 20.8 ft
Wing area: 154.5 sq.ft
Fuel cap: 10 USG
Cruise: 73 mph
Stall: 37 mph
Range: 230 sm
ROC: 230 fpm
Seats: 2 tandem

ASAP Beaver RX-550 Plus
Engine: Rotax 582, 65 hp
Engine range: 64-75 hp
Empty wt: 450 lb
MTOW: 1050 lb
Wingspan: 35 ft
Length: 21 ft
Wing area: 164 sq.ft
Height: 7 ft
Fuel cap: 9 USG
Max speed: 95 mph
Cruise: 75 mph
Stall: 38 mph
Range: 120 sm
ROC: 800 fpm
TO dist: 400 ft
Ldg dist: 450 ft
Service ceiling: 13,000 ft
Seats: 2 tandem

Engine: Rotax 503, 50 hp
Propeller: 2 or 3 blade Wooden or Composite
Diameter: 68″
Vne: 105 mph
Length: 20 ft 8 in
Height: 6 ft 8 in
Wing Span: 32 ft
Wing Area: 154.5 sqft
Seats: Tandem
Empty Weight: 430 lb
Gross Weight: 1050 lb
Fuel Capacity: 10 USG
Design Load Factors: +4/-2G
Top Level Speed: 75 mph
Cruise Speed: 65 mph
Power Off Stall Speed: 37 mph
Rate of Climb: 900 fpm
Take of Distance: 250 ft.
Service Ceiling: 15,000 ft.

Engine: Rotax 582, 65 hp
Propeller: 2 or 3 blade Wooden or Composite
Diameter: 68″
Length: 20 ft 8 in
Height: 6 ft 8 in
Wing Span: 32 ft
Wing Area: 154.5 sqft
Seats: Tandem
Empty Weight: 430 lb
Gross Weight: 1050 lb
Fuel Capacity: 10 USG
Design Load Factors: +4/-2G
Vne: 105 mph
Top Level Speed: 85 mph
Cruise Speed: 73 mph
Power Off Stall Speed: 37 mph
Rate of Climb: 1050 fpm
Take of Distance: 200 ft.
Service Ceiling: 15, 000 ft.