Tom-D
Taxi to Parking
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
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Tom-D
Once in a while restorers need a good news story of an aircraft flying after complete restoration here is one from the other web page I visit.
This Aircraft is in England
Quote:
Since my last message actually got through (dontcha just love
ISP companies and the three hour wait on the phones . . . ) I
have decided to post a picture of the Rearwin taking off last
Wednesday.
I left the wheel pants off for the first flight in case we had any
brake adjustment to do. It has the old Goodyear multi plate
cable-operated brakes and I had had those rebuilt. They don't
work brilliantly but they are more than good enough on grass.
This Cloudster is the third one built and was the first model 8125
with the 120hp Ken Royce. On its first test flight (I have every
piece of paper!) this climbed at 660 ft per minute and had a
cruise speed of 110mph. With the 145 Scarab it climbs at 1000
ft per minute at 100mph indicated and cruised at 132mph with
1800 rpm. I am not sure this is 100% correct and so we will
check with the GPS but it is a fast ship for its size.
Second flight was on Wednesday this week and into a 20kt wind
he took off in about three airplane lengths. I nearly called him up
on the handheld to say that he was allowed to actually use the
wheels!
Off today to fix a few very minor things that have arisen and then
we should get the rest of the testing done very soon. The
aeroplane is dealt with here by the PFA rather than the CAA and
so they insist on a five-hour shakedown with a test flight at the
end. Most of the testing has actually been done, the stall is
almost non-existent, it is stable and in trim.
I did spare a thought for some absent friends, the hub came
from Gene Lehman with help from Mike Redpath and Gene's
wonderful wife, the wingtip lights were from John Aldrich who
was sadly killed a few days after I got them and, of course, I had
got to meet Ken Rearwin a few times before his death and I
would have loved for him to have seen the aeroplane he flew to
California in 1939.
There are others of you that helped and offered encouragement
and I thank you all. I have said on a number of occasions (and
shortly will be saying in print) that without the internet this rebuild
would have been fourteen years, not four and a significant part of
that help came from Fairchild Club members.
Thanks guys.
Melvyn Hiscock
This Aircraft is in England
Quote:
Since my last message actually got through (dontcha just love
ISP companies and the three hour wait on the phones . . . ) I
have decided to post a picture of the Rearwin taking off last
Wednesday.
I left the wheel pants off for the first flight in case we had any
brake adjustment to do. It has the old Goodyear multi plate
cable-operated brakes and I had had those rebuilt. They don't
work brilliantly but they are more than good enough on grass.
This Cloudster is the third one built and was the first model 8125
with the 120hp Ken Royce. On its first test flight (I have every
piece of paper!) this climbed at 660 ft per minute and had a
cruise speed of 110mph. With the 145 Scarab it climbs at 1000
ft per minute at 100mph indicated and cruised at 132mph with
1800 rpm. I am not sure this is 100% correct and so we will
check with the GPS but it is a fast ship for its size.
Second flight was on Wednesday this week and into a 20kt wind
he took off in about three airplane lengths. I nearly called him up
on the handheld to say that he was allowed to actually use the
wheels!
Off today to fix a few very minor things that have arisen and then
we should get the rest of the testing done very soon. The
aeroplane is dealt with here by the PFA rather than the CAA and
so they insist on a five-hour shakedown with a test flight at the
end. Most of the testing has actually been done, the stall is
almost non-existent, it is stable and in trim.
I did spare a thought for some absent friends, the hub came
from Gene Lehman with help from Mike Redpath and Gene's
wonderful wife, the wingtip lights were from John Aldrich who
was sadly killed a few days after I got them and, of course, I had
got to meet Ken Rearwin a few times before his death and I
would have loved for him to have seen the aeroplane he flew to
California in 1939.
There are others of you that helped and offered encouragement
and I thank you all. I have said on a number of occasions (and
shortly will be saying in print) that without the internet this rebuild
would have been fourteen years, not four and a significant part of
that help came from Fairchild Club members.
Thanks guys.
Melvyn Hiscock
