Hello Everyone,
It seems Bush flying is a popular topic around here and I thought I would post a question here for those who are better placed to answer this than have myself second guess, and get it wrong.
I have been looking for a bush plane that can carry at least two people and a load of 1000Lbs. I dont want rag and tube as the rag gets eaten by all sorts of creatures including the big cats who have a taste for anything soft, including tyres and sometimes the odd bit of flesh in their diets
STOL is of course a given, along with 600 mile range under economical cruise. I would like to see a 130mph fast cruise when its needed and all alloy body. The other major point is it must support the weight of a Chevy V8 such as an LS2 and a PSRU. The reason behind that requirement is the availability of Avgas in the bush is zero, and in the small villages is zero. But car fuel such as unleaded petrol can be got in most areas.
Planes I looked at were the CH801, I dont mind it being a 4 place as the space is for cargo and not people. But its very draggy and I doubt would get us far when in a hurry and want 130mhp cruise. I know the Zenith people have a good reputation and also released a fairing for the wing supports. But there is no published data on how many knots it will provide. I also am reluctant to hang a V8 and PSRU off the front of it.
The other plane I looked at was the Bear Hawk. It takes a 250HP Lycoming and that might take the weight of the engine/PSRU combo. I would need some info on that. The bad point of the Bear Hawk is the rag and tube, the rag is a no no. I could offer up the obvious answer and say to cover all the rag surfaces with aluminum and be happy. But arent some of the control surfaces rag covered as well as the fuselage?
I dont want to alter any design because I want to stay within the safety envelope as penned by its designer. There is also some drag on that plane that bugs me. There may be cures that I am unaware of.
We are on a budget here and aircraft engines are not popular around here and A&P people are hundreds of miles away. It simply is not practical to go down that route, leaving the fuel problem aside.
There was the Mountain Goat and another called big foot I think, but both are serious $$$ and one has a 47ft wing span, no thanks!
Any input any of you can give on other planes to look at, or know of people who successfully fly modified planes I mentioned, please post.
Thanks,
David,
South Africa
It seems Bush flying is a popular topic around here and I thought I would post a question here for those who are better placed to answer this than have myself second guess, and get it wrong.
I have been looking for a bush plane that can carry at least two people and a load of 1000Lbs. I dont want rag and tube as the rag gets eaten by all sorts of creatures including the big cats who have a taste for anything soft, including tyres and sometimes the odd bit of flesh in their diets
STOL is of course a given, along with 600 mile range under economical cruise. I would like to see a 130mph fast cruise when its needed and all alloy body. The other major point is it must support the weight of a Chevy V8 such as an LS2 and a PSRU. The reason behind that requirement is the availability of Avgas in the bush is zero, and in the small villages is zero. But car fuel such as unleaded petrol can be got in most areas.
Planes I looked at were the CH801, I dont mind it being a 4 place as the space is for cargo and not people. But its very draggy and I doubt would get us far when in a hurry and want 130mhp cruise. I know the Zenith people have a good reputation and also released a fairing for the wing supports. But there is no published data on how many knots it will provide. I also am reluctant to hang a V8 and PSRU off the front of it.
The other plane I looked at was the Bear Hawk. It takes a 250HP Lycoming and that might take the weight of the engine/PSRU combo. I would need some info on that. The bad point of the Bear Hawk is the rag and tube, the rag is a no no. I could offer up the obvious answer and say to cover all the rag surfaces with aluminum and be happy. But arent some of the control surfaces rag covered as well as the fuselage?
I dont want to alter any design because I want to stay within the safety envelope as penned by its designer. There is also some drag on that plane that bugs me. There may be cures that I am unaware of.
We are on a budget here and aircraft engines are not popular around here and A&P people are hundreds of miles away. It simply is not practical to go down that route, leaving the fuel problem aside.
There was the Mountain Goat and another called big foot I think, but both are serious $$$ and one has a 47ft wing span, no thanks!
Any input any of you can give on other planes to look at, or know of people who successfully fly modified planes I mentioned, please post.
Thanks,
David,
South Africa
