Recent content by Grandmother Sumac

Thank God for that. Always my first question when something like this happens.

I’ve had the “is ArkanSTOL too dangerous” conversation several times in the last couple weeks. All I can say with any authority is that the first one was the damndest show I’ve ever seen, and several times over that weekend I felt lucky to have been there because, I thought, “there’s no way...

Was she worried her ailerons were out of rig? Hopefully she gets it sorted out before launching across the North Pacific.

I spent an hour one afternoon trying to figure out what, or who, I’d backed into in a parking lot. My best theory was I’d hit a golf cart or electric car that immediately scooted away unseen. Totally mystified me for a year before I figured out that a Ram thinks it’s out of control if you’re...

A similar thing was done with the Beech 17: http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepLionheart.html I’d much rather have one of your Athenian Robber Barons, though.

I think the CG range would start a little forward of the leading edge. Three-surface airplanes are weird. Even weirder than canards.

The TP100 engines weigh about 140lb each. 1,700lb empty weight is ambitious, for sure, but I’d say possible. Three-surface planes can be awfully slippery if everything’s right. Interesting project.

Wind, Sand, and Stars; Night Flight, and Flight to Arras by St. Exupery are my favorites. They’re published together under the title “Airman’s Odyssey.” Fate is the Hunter by Ernest Gann is fantastic. Also, no airplane nerd’s bookshelf is complete without the EAA-published “Golden Age of Air Racing.”

No, it’s actually supposed to fly. Probably you feel like a kid reading this from a newspaper in 1890, but it’s 2021 and here we are! Go Langley! Down with the Wrights! Raptor NG! Shoot it off the top of a boat!!!

You know what? I have contemplated the aerodynamics of PM's Raptor NG for a full two days now, and because he's a local to me I would like to see him achieve his dream. That said, I cannot understand how this thing can possibly fly with that upper biplane wing hanging way out the back and only a...

Jaguar tinkered with a gas turbine-to-battery-to-motors thing a few years ago in the C-X75 concept car. The wikis say the whole car weighted 3,750lb, 400 of which was battery. That’s a little porky for a sports car, but not much. I’d expect some competent engineer to find a lot of weight savings...

A tour of the comments on Raptor Aircraft’s latest Youtube video reveals a pretty soft reception for the NG. We all may be safe after all.

Thank you, Tom! I get it now.

Help me out here. Would this thing’s center of lift not be way behind the CG? Seems like it’s laid out more like a tandem than a canard.

Thank God!