Chip, Biff, and a Husky

[Tomcat]

I recently had the pleasure of taking a sight-seeing tour/flight around the greater Phoenix area with world-famous, aerobatic pilot (and multi-GT owner) Chip Beck! I have a little experience from the backseat of tactical jets but flying so "analog" is a completely different perspective.
The Husky is a great airplane...it is nimble and dances in the hands of an expert!
Thanks, Chip!
Ps-we only went inverted once

 

[digman1]

Proper Beck colors on the plane I see. How cool to fly with great pilot !

 

[fjpikul]

Did he stock up on aloha bags?

 

[Tomcat]

Did he stock up on aloha bags?

He had some (actually cool modern versions of what the Navy/Tomcat had) BUT I did NOT get to try one out.

 

[extrap]

I foresee a Husky + Ford GT x 3 photo shoot

 

[PeteK]

I was thinking, “Chip, Goose, and a Husky.” I’m sure it was a great time!

 

[Tomcat]

I was thinking, “Chip, Goose, and a Husky.” I’m sure it was a great time!

I was West Coast (Miramar/San Diego) Biff as opposed to east coast (preppy) Biff! And by the way, Anthony Edwards (movie Goose) was cool about trying to learn the ways/roles/actions of a RIO.

 

[RPM217]

Love that Chip's GT's and plane, all match!!!!

 

[ChipBeck]

Gentlemen,

A fine morning flying with Tomcat and nice to finally meet him face to face after all these years. The new Husky is 4 months old now and I’ve put 39 hours on it so far. It is painted Speed Yellow and Vivid Black to match the GT’s. It will take off & land in 300 feet and top speed is a leisurely 140 mph. It can be flown below 50 mph as well. It’s a great airplane for an old man with lots of tail wheel time and I really enjoy it. All the best.

Chip

 

[jaxgt]

What a gorgeous collection. So cool.

 

[extrap]

Speed Yellow goes perfectly with Arizona

 

[DakotaGT]

Very cool, indeed. So Chip, that Husky engine is air-cooled? (just going by your shirt). I know zilch about aircraft engines.

 

[ChipBeck]

So Chip, that Husky engine is air-cooled? (just going by your shirt). I know zilch about aircraft engines.

Dakota,

Yes, an air cooled, 360 c.i., fuel injected, 200 HP, flat opposed 4 cylinder Lycoming. The constant speed propeller is bolted directly to the front of the crankshaft so it spins at the same RPM as the engine. Engine speed is limited to 2700 RPM to keep the propeller tips from going supersonic (where noise skyrockets and efficiency plummets). The engine layout is like an old VW bug or Porsche 356. Pretty much all piston aircraft use this same layout with either 4 or 6 cylinders. Cheers.

Chip

 

[GT@50]

360 cid out of 4 cyl. I'm guessing torque is way up there?

 

[GT Tech]

Notice the tail numbers on the plane. The last 2 letters are CB. Gee wonder if that is just a coincidence? Beautiful

 

[PeteK]

GT@50: Yes, the 4/6 cylinder air cooled aircraft engines are tuned for low RPM torque. That's 200 HP at 2700 RPM, not at 5000-6000.

I'm looking forward to some better flying days up here in the PNW. Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Hood are in my backyard, as the crow or plane flies.

Since I just got back into the cockpit two years ago after a long hiatus, these days I'm renting spam cans from the local FBO. But, like every pilot, I've been thinking about buying one. Even more than with cars or trucks, airplanes are designed for a particular purpose, and optimized for that. They are all about trade-offs. Decisions, decisions...

Although I want a plane that can cover long distances quickly, the reality is that most of the time I'll be motoring around the patch between Portland and Seattle, west out to the coast and east to the Cascades, in which case, that Husky looks mighty sweet! I'll have to learn how to land a taildragger.

 

[Apollo]

I was fortunate to have a ride in a Husky with Chip and what an epic experience. To lumber over the terrain being able to pick up so much detail as you pass over things below, seeing cars, people, wildlife, from birdseye perspective, to experience perfect no drama rolls. Truly was able to say I get what the plane is all about and could see rationalizing why I need one after one flight... and it is so much easier to get into than a MKII.
Now if I could just even absorb 1/100th of the talent Chip has.

 

[fjpikul]

J left the room when you said "rollover."

 

[twobjshelbys]

I was reading about Boxer engines and theirs came up. Pretty cool.

Chip, is this your stunt plane? How do these engines handle oiling at all orientations???

 

[ChipBeck]

I was reading about Boxer engines and theirs came up. Pretty cool.

Chip, is this your stunt plane? How do these engines handle oiling at all orientations???

What came up Tony? There was no attachment. But my aerobatic planes were equipped with special inverted oil, fuel, and prop controller systems that would maintain oil pressure 95% of the time even when the plane was upside down for an extended period. Straight vertical up oil pressure would be lost after 2-3 seconds but nothing was harmed as long as oil pressure resumed after 5 seconds or so. Fuel pickup flop tubes in a special aerobatic tank would keep gas flowing in any attitude. The prop governor had a secondary oil pressure canister because a constant speed propeller needs oil pressure 100% of the time.

The Husky has none of those systems and it's not an aerobatic plane so during a roll I need to maintain a fraction of positive G (centrifigul force) to keep fuel and oil flowing at all times. My Glasair III was safe at +9/-6 G's, the Husky must stay below +3.8 G's (I've never had it above 3 G's).

Chip