dave wolfe
Active Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2019
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There is one hanging in Newbo Market here in cedar rapids
Flaglor Scooter ?
- Thread starter don january
- Start date
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Looking over this thread again, I think the Flaglor Scooter layout would be a great application for a non-WWI project tube-and-gusset project. I could see it as a Part 103 ultralight with a paramotor two-stroke or a single-seat or even two-seat LSA/microlight with a basic or big-bore VW. Wings could be ultralight ladder frame tubes or wood, everything covered in Oratex fabric, probably folding, strut-braced wings without the wires and king post. Hmmm....
Dillpickle
Well-Known Member
Why has Errik not drawn an affordaplane or skinny fuse version of this yet, lol. Maybe even with one of Fritz's ply fuse designs. The VW would haul the big guy.
Speedboat100
Well-Known Member
Any picture how the nose cone has been constructed in the Flaglor Scooter ?
The Scooter is another perfect airframe for the O-100. An aluminum riveted tube and gusset version of this would be a neat little runabout. Very safe too, in a forward speed crash (landing into trees, run off the end of the runway, etc) the entire mass of engine, wings, and fuel would tavel forward above the pilot's head.
From photos it looks like a fabric over 4130 tubing wood all the way with an integral probably fiberglass fuel tank forming the top of the nose and then a fiberglass nose cap.
I agree with VB on the advantages of the layout and suitability for riveted aluminum tube/angle and gusset construction. V-strut bracing in line with the rear spar attach point would eliminate the wires and allow for simple wing folding for transport or storage. Personally I’d stick with a 1600-1835cc VW as the standard engine but an ultralight version with a two-stroke is also appealing.
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Speedboat100
Well-Known Member
That certainly looks like a glass fibre system. I bet it is the simplest way to do a light cone that has double curvature. Possibly a glassfibre on foam would do too ?
The basic fuselage structure is all wood. The only steel tube is the exposed forward strut and engine mount. The fuel tank on top of the forward fuselage is aluminum, and the nose cap is fiberglass.
Turd Ferguson
Well-Known Member
On the Ken Flaglor original it was shaped from wood and covered with fabric.
For others who might be interested, here is Ken Flaglor's original 1968 Sport Aviation article on the Scooter as well as a 1975 article by a Massachusetts builder/pilot and a 1960 Joe Kirk design study that inspired Flaglor.
And here is a nice cutaway from one of those articles.
A couple of things I noticed in the article from the Massachusetts builder: he has stall strips on the wings; that he refers to himself at 200 lbs. as "heavier built Americans." My, how times (and people) change!
With NACA 23012 wings the stall strips are not surprising. I’ll pass on the weight comment except to say anything I designed myself would allow for up to 250 lb in the cockpit.
Tiger Tim
Well-Known Member
There used to be a bar in my hometown with a Flaglor Scooter hanging from the ceiling for no apparent reason. It’s not like the place was remotely themed at all, let alone aviation themed. The building has a, umm, “Gentlemen’s Ballet” in it now and I would imagine the airplane is gone. I haven’t checked, my wife would never believe that’s why I went...
I think that would be an absolutely justified research trip. ;-)
Turd Ferguson
Well-Known Member
There was a forum member that was trying to get a Flaglor Sky Scooter flying a while back. Wonder how that turned out?
If folks haven't already seen it, please check out the 1960 Joe Kirk design study in my post above (#30). His original concept was strut-braced (though with bracing cables from the wing to to the tail) and had the main gear in a tricycle location but nose and tail skids (presumably to eliminate the need for brakes). It also had the fuel tank behind the engine on top of the center section rather than in the front fuselage decking.
Another idea that goes through my mind is what it would take to make a two-seater along these lines. The keys to making that work are span and area and my back-of-the-envelope studies end up looking like an Aeronca C-3 or Taylor E-2 with a high-mounted engine. It's hard to do as a side-by-side without the cabin area looking goofy, but it can be done.
Another idea that goes through my mind is what it would take to make a two-seater along these lines. The keys to making that work are span and area and my back-of-the-envelope studies end up looking like an Aeronca C-3 or Taylor E-2 with a high-mounted engine. It's hard to do as a side-by-side without the cabin area looking goofy, but it can be done.
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Tiger Tim
Well-Known Member
How does the fuel get from the tank to the engine in a Scooter?
I believe it's just the stock, mechanical VW fuel pump.
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