Christen Eagle???

Nightflyer172

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Seth Jackson
Has anyone flown one of these? My mom and her boyfriend live on a aiport and a friend of theres has a christen eagle. has not been flown for years. he said he has to get the prop inspected. anyone have any info on this airplane????
 
i flew one once. it was a lot of fun. we just did a couple aileron rolls, nothing serious. i was glad that i didn't have to land it.
 
I've flown one a couple of times. Great plane in the air. You have to be able to drive a tricycle backwards at 90 MPH to be able to land it.

Great plane and don't cost much in relative terms today.
 
I helped some guys build the Holiday Inn team airplanes a looong time ago. My pay-back was getting to fly one for a while. I had been flying some other short-coupled draggers at the time, and it was a nice (but cold) day with north wind 5-10 straight down the runway, so he let me land it.

It worked out fine, probably much better than I deserved, but I didn't ask to do another one. Can't imagine what it would be like in less than perfect conditions.
 
I have a little time in one, but there was a fairly good crosswind and I didn't take it off or land it. Flew very responsively and spritely in the air.
 
Has anyone flown one of these? My mom and her boyfriend live on a aiport and a friend of theres has a christen eagle. has not been flown for years. he said he has to get the prop inspected. anyone have any info on this airplane????

I've flown it, and assuming an aircraft in top shape and under current inspection I would recommend it highly. It's a fine airplane.
This being said, if the aircraft was kit built you have to consider the builder and all the paperwork from day 1.
Bottom line is that I would check all papers VERY carefully on ANY aircraft not having been flown for the length of time you indicate.
My personal opinion would be that this aircraft needs to undergo a totally fresh annual with the associated engine and airframe checks.
Dudley Henriques
 
It's a fat, lower performing version of a Pitts which is to say that it's still a fine airplane that is flown competitively up through intermediate. Apparently Frank was a large fellow and designed an airplane that he fit more comfortably in but at the cost of performance.
 
Seems like a reasonable trade-off to me (burp).

It's a fat, lower performing version of a Pitts which is to say that it's still a fine airplane that is flown competitively up through intermediate. Apparently Frank was a large fellow and designed an airplane that he fit more comfortably in but at the cost of performance.
 
It's a fat, lower performing version of a Pitts which is to say that it's still a fine airplane that is flown competitively up through intermediate. Apparently Frank was a large fellow and designed an airplane that he fit more comfortably in but at the cost of performance.

Frank and his wife live here in Jackson Hole and I see him quite often.... he ain't that big at all.:frown2: Must be another reason for the comment. The problem with this thread is Seth will wait a few weeks and then come back and claim "he" designed and test flew the prototype.:yesnod::yesnod::nono:

YMMV.
 
We have a shop her in N.Vernon that buils Pitts and Christens. (and alot of them!) The aerobatic pilots around here prefer the Christens to the Pitts.
 
Anybody know on the cruise speed?

A quick Google of christen eagle specs would give you typical values.
But, the Christen Eagle is an amateur built aircraft. And, as such, you will find a variety of engines installed and variations in a lot of details (fairings, cowl, baffles, etc) that will change the performance significantly.
 
We have a shop her in N.Vernon that buils Pitts and Christens. (and alot of them!) The aerobatic pilots around here prefer the Christens to the Pitts.

One reason might be that it's a hotsy snotsy performing sexy looking bi-plane that can be had for less than many two-hole Pitts. As I said earlier, it's a fine airplane that you should be proud to own - but, it ain't no Pitts no matter who built it.
 
Frank and his wife live here in Jackson Hole and I see him quite often.... he ain't that big at all.:frown2: Must be another reason for the comment. The problem with this thread is Seth will wait a few weeks and then come back and claim "he" designed and test flew the prototype.:yesnod::yesnod::nono:

YMMV.


:rofl::rofl::rofl:

and has piles of ribs built for them?????
 
I also know that it has alot of horsepower. My moms boyfriend taxied one and he said it has alot of power
 
One reason might be that it's a hotsy snotsy performing sexy looking bi-plane that can be had for less than many two-hole Pitts. As I said earlier, it's a fine airplane that you should be proud to own - but, it ain't no Pitts no matter who built it.


Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just passing on info from the guys that fly/build them here locally.:dunno:
I personally like the Pitts better myself.

http://www.davidbishopaviation.com/
 

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Well, his name is Chuck Yeager.

:rolleyes:

Yeah, that's the ticket!

JoLo-Tommy%20Flanagan.jpg



Trapper John
 
What I also hear is that the Eagle is the best aerobatic airplane in the world.. I am not sure about that though... I wonder if people would rather have the christen eagle then the pitts?
 
What I also hear is that the Eagle is the best aerobatic airplane in the world.. I am not sure about that though... I wonder if people would rather have the christen eagle then the pitts?
The biplanes have been outclassed by aircraft like the Panzel and other carbon fiber monoplanes.
 
What I also hear is that the Eagle is the best aerobatic airplane in the world.. I am not sure about that though... I wonder if people would rather have the christen eagle then the pitts?

With the advent of gyroscopic maneuvering, the book on aerobatics has been re-written and is in fact an on going process as we speak. These maneuvers require tremendous thrust to weight ratios and huge roll rates along with oversize control surfaces.
The Eagle, although a fine airplane, is a compromise between good aerobatic performance and a capable cross country sport airplane. I can envision no aerobatic scenario where the Eagle could compete at the top level with any of the new composite mid wings.
The new aerobatic world belongs at present to Extra, Sukhoi, Cap, Edge, and others.
The Eagle should remain a fine aircraft in it's intended category.
Dudley Henriques
 
Christen eagle is a better version of the pitts, my boyfriend has a christen eagle and we fly it all the time, is a very fun plane, and flies better than the pitts, is very light weight and fast, precise aerobatics, has a lot horse power and it can be always add more it depends of who flies.
 
Christen eagle is a better version of the pitts, my boyfriend has a christen eagle and we fly it all the time, is a very fun plane, and flies better than the pitts, is very light weight and fast, precise aerobatics, has a lot horse power and it can be always add more it depends of who flies.

Better in the pilot ergonomic/comfort department maybe, but not necessarily better flying. They have a slightly different feel. For pure flying qualities, more than not seem to prefer the Pitts, though the Eagle is a great flying airplane and many prefer it for other reasons. Performance is essentially the same as the Pitts S-2A, which is the most similar model to the Eagle. The Eagle is basically a re-designed S-2A in a high quality kit form. Objectives were better visibility, increased comfort, and more friendly ground handling (spring gear). The Eagle is slightly cleaner, aerodynamically.
 
Christen eagle is a better version of the pitts, my boyfriend has a christen eagle and we fly it all the time, is a very fun plane, and flies better than the pitts, is very light weight and fast, precise aerobatics, has a lot horse power and it can be always add more it depends of who flies.

In the comfort/visibility aspects, yes. Otherwise, no. It's essentially a homebuilt S-2A with a much wider cockpit.
 
My friend built a Christen Eagle, and it took three years, 3000 hours, and was a labor of love. He now flies an Extra 300XS, and the Eagle sits in the corner of his hangar. He does not want to sell it for fear of liability issues as the builder.

According to him, it has better visibility than any of the two place Pitts, and you do sit higher relative to the edge of the canopy. It still does the short coupled, narrow track hippity hop on landing, but is a lot lighter than an S2B or C, with less vertical performance. It can also cost a lot less than a Pitts.

As discussed in previous threads, the monoplanes still have a significant competitive advantage at advanced and unlimited, and probably a lesser advantage at intermediate. Among the monoplanes, the Extra is also a comfortable cross country machine, with reclined leather seats, better visibility from the rear seat, and a lot easier to land since it's so heavy.

For a fun airplane, there's nothing like an aerobatic plane. There's no way to ever become complacent or bored when pulling or pushing G's and trying to perfect aerobatic figures, and you can still use the plane to go for the 100 dollar hamburgers.
 
Kinda an old thread.....but I have owned 3 Christen Eagle's and loved them all. Even when I was competing in my Extra 300S I still had my Eagle and it was perfect for light aerobatics with a friend aboard---the airplane is a good compromise between cross country and aerobatic capability. I have also owned several Pitts, all the Single place models, and an S-2B and S-2C.....still for the bang/buck $$$ I would go with a well built Eagle. When the economy soured I sold the Extra and Eagle.....probably buy another Eagle soon, might want to get one that needs to be recovered (they are getting to be 25-30 year old planes now) and redo it to my style, better ailerons, 3 blade MT, and maybe some other mods to lighten her up a bit.

I have over 600+ hours in Mr Christensen's design....never any bad habits to speak of, good spin training is a must-- with Bill Finnigan is a high recommend on my list.

I just saw that Matt Chapman bought an Eagle as a "fun" plane to fly when his Cap 231 is down for MX.....that is an endorsement!
 
As discussed in previous threads, the monoplanes still have a significant competitive advantage at advanced and unlimited...

Only if the pilot is skilled enough to do their part well. A good bipe pilot can consistently whip the monoplane drivers in Advanced. Some do.
 
Only if the pilot is skilled enough to do their part well. A good bipe pilot can consistently whip the monoplane drivers in Advanced. Some do.

Now paging a "Mr Sean Tucker"... please hop in the Oracle Special and kick their butts... :yes::D
 
Now paging a "Mr Sean Tucker"... please hop in the Oracle Special and kick their butts... :yes::D

None of the big name airshow guys are foolish enough to go BACK to the competition world. In competition, you pay to enter a contest and have judges tell you how bad you fly. In airshows, you GET paid for everyone to tell you how great you are. :D
 
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