Litespeed Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Congratulations Dave, 170 knots and more to come is a fantastic result. It sure is a slippery beast. Really happy for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunder Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 170kts at this stage is WOW!! For sure. Can you give away the rpm it made? How much more do you think it has? I like to sit on 5500rpm. Midway between max torque and max power. Engine loves it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Chad was cruising around at 160knots but I could not see in the videos at what power setting this was. I shall ask him when I next speak with him but I expect that it was somewhere between 5200-5500rpm. We are hoping that with more pitch we can pick up another 10 knots on that at least. With some cleaning up on the airframe, hopefully a little more. It would be nice to have a 170knot cruise, although 180 would be better because 3 miles a minute is easy to work with. I am really excited about the potential we have with this aircraft (particularly when I can get my 120hp engine into it!). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexrbetter Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Chad was cruising around at 160knots Why do I get images of someone named "Chad" who is "cruising around" stopping to pick up hotties in your plane? Yes, I know, a tight squeeze 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SrPilot Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 It's likely that the two Bugs that you saw would have been two of the above. . . . The high speed end was explored on this flight and we have run out of prop at 170 knots. . . . We are getting a climb rate of around 1200fpm at 120 knots. . . . We noted that with the small cowl flap closed that it gained 8 knots of speed. IIRC, the two Bugs I saw were new. One had been test flown once and the owner picked it up shortly thereafter as I mentioned. He lost engine power on the way to Oshkosh and had to put down. I don't know if the Bug was damaged. The other Bug either had only been test flown or not flown at all at the time. Okay, I get it. As I move from the CJ6A to an Aeroprakt A22LS ("Foxbat" in Australia) (on order), you are letting me know that you can out run and out climb my new plane. BUT, you leaked some crucial info. Cowl flap - I will check on that. By closing the cowl flap, I might just close the gap. Or, perhaps not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 He lost engine power on the way to Oshkosh and had to put down. I don't know if the Bug was damaged. The other Bug either had only been test flown or not flown at all at the time. Nick Jones put his Bug down on a road close to Oshkosh after having an engine problem. He ground looped it to stop running into something but the aircraft was fine. He fixed the engine overnight and then flew the Bug off the road and into Oshkosh. That is probably the incident that you are referring to. If the cowl flap on the Aeroprakt helps you pick up 60 knots and 500fpm, it would be an interesting race between the Bug and the Aeroprakt! What's say we meet in the skies over Oshkosh 2016 to put our aircraft to the test? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SrPilot Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 If the cowl flap on the Aeroprakt helps you pick up 60 knots and 500fpm, it would be an interesting race between the Bug and the Aeroprakt! What's say we meet in the skies over Oshkosh 2016 to put our aircraft to the test? You're on. I'll shout the beers although I'm not sure you can outperform me. I have 2 other tweaks for the 22LS that will close the performance gap! Did I mention the TF-33A turbofan engine off the B-52H? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 170kts at this stage is WOW!! For sure.Can you give away the rpm it made? How much more do you think it has? I like to sit on 5500rpm. Midway between max torque and max power. Engine loves it! I can now confirm that at 2500' on an ISA+15 day that 5500rpm gave 160 kias and 5800rpm gave 170kias. The engine easily and quickly accelerated to both 5500 and then 5800. It wasn't like from 5500rpm with the throttle pushed forward that the rpm slowly crept up to 5800. This indicates that the engine is easily handling the current prop and would likely accept more pitch. It bodes well in our quest for speed. WRT handling, the roll rate at both high and low speed is very high. We will desensitise the ailerons a fair bit. The Bug is about speed, not snap roll aeros. We need to make it suitable for the low time pilots that will fly it so control effectiveness/harmony/stick force per g etc. must be suitable for the novice pilot so as to minimise the risk of him hurting himself. We have plans how to do this and it's an easy mod to incorporate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speeddog7 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Dave, The numbers you mentioned above are accurate. I could cruise around at 5500 rpm at 160 kias. If I went to full throttle, the bug accelerated to about 165 kias in just a few seconds, but the rpm quickly exceeded 5800 (limited to 5-minutes). I don't recall what it went to, but I didn't wait to find out (I reduced power as soon as I realize it went above 5800 rpm because the engine was still accelerating quickly (ie: There was quite a bit more power left). I then kept the rpm at 5800. I had to keep reducing throttle as it accelerated to maintain the 5800, but within just a minute or so, it settled in at 170 kias (195 mph). During climb, I was showing 120 kias and just about 1,100 feet per minute. Currently, we're on the forward edge of the CG, so I anticipate better top end speed, lower stall, and even better handling qualities at full flap settings once we move the CG aft a bit. All in all, the Bug flies very nicely though. Nick Jones designed an incredible little airplane and I'm very optimistic that it will be a 200 Knot airplane with the Rotax once a few more improvements occur (tighter wheel fairings, tighter nose gear doors, body work to the cowling, install a new (not tired) engine, and find an optimum prop). I feel confident we can get to 200 kts with the Rotax 912 ULS, based on what I'm seeing at this early juncture. Chad 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speeddog7 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 There seems to be some confusion about the history of the Lightning Bug prototype aircraft and the bugs my dad assisted their owners in building. I'll try to clarify or at least post the information that I know. I'm fairly certain that it is accurate. The first, prototype Lighting Bug was built with conventional gear. My understanding was that it had the 3 cylinder, in-line AMW engine (not sure of horsepower, but it was likely either the 90 or 100 hp version). I was told that it was flown quite a bit, but ultimately suffered an engine failure, the aircraft was landed in a cow pasture and killed a cow. I believe that Dave might now own the remains of that particular aircraft. A second prototype was built and I believe was built as a tricycle gear (retractable nosegear) as is the configuration of our current Bug. I don't know who built the aircraft, but ultimately Nick Jones was flying the aircraft when the elevator pushrod essentially disconnected itself in flight due to TWO jam nuts that were left loose in the pitch mechanism. Fortunately, Nick was wearing a parachute and successfully bailed out of the plane. The wreckage was found weeks later and the engine was buried several feet under ground. Nick built a third aircraft with the assistance of my dad, Lanny. This airplane was N200NJ which apparently was the same N-Number used on his prior Lightning Bug that he'd bailed out of. At the same time that Nick's new N200NJ was being built, two more customer Bugs were being built in the same hangar (three total). All three Bugs ultimately flew within just a few months of one another and Nick Jones personally performed the test flights of each. All three were very nice little airplanes and I worked on all three of these airplanes as well. Nick's new airplane had the 100 hp AMW, the second aircraft to fly had the same engine, and the third to fly had the 90 hp AMW. My dad flew all three airplanes and said that the airplane with the 90 hp engine ran the best and flew the best. Right after Nick finished his new prototype, he flew it to Oshkosh. I think the year was 1994. Nick's engine (believe it or not) had some experimental, carbon fiber pistons in it. I never actually saw the pistons, but apparently the engine seized shortly before reaching Oshkosh and he successfully landed the plane on a road. The carbon fiber pistons were swapped for standard pistons by the AMW engine people and the plane was flown off the road and on to Oshkosh. After the show, the plane was flown back to Winnsboro, LA and then on to Nick's home in South Carolina. The second customer built airplane built at my dads facility was the airplane that eventually became N44XM (the one we are currently flying with the Rotax 912 ULS). It was some other N-number back then. It was owned by a very low time pilot and the aircraft sustained hard landing damage on it's first flight with its owner at the controls. The only real damage however was a broken prop, some nose gear damage and sprung main landing gear. The plane was quickly repaired and flown by my dad a few times but the owner ultimately decided to sell the airplane. Strangely, the owner of the third customer Bug (the one that my dad thought had the best running engine) suddenly decided to donate his brand new Lightning Bug to a museum in Monroe, LA. That particular owner never flew the airplane. We were all floored at the owner's decision to donate the aircraft to a museum. Such a great flying airplane. Such a waste. As far as I know, the airplane still sits on a pole out in front of the museum. Ultimately, the AMW engine just didn't pan out to be a good fit for the Lightning Bug. Nick's son, Howell took over the Lightning Bug business for several years afterward, but he was tragically killed in a sprint car race a few years later. Howell was a really great guy with a lot of talent. He was working closely with AMW to refine the design of the engine for the Lightning Bug, but upon his passing, the Bug design somewhat became stuck in perpetual limbo. That is,,, until Dave came into the picture. Dave's going to make the Lightning Bug reach it's full, intended potential. Stand by for really great things from the new Lightning Bug!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Thanks for the clarification Chad. Parts of the Lightning Bug history puzzle have now fallen into place. So Lanny now has 2 of the 3 Bugs that he built parked in his hangar. That's cool! All we need now is a new build, lightweight, fresh engined, EFIS equipped Bug in there as well... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 Did I mention that I bought another Lightning Bug during July? N2024J has been sitting idle for around 6 years in a hangar in Kansas. I have been trying to coax the owner into selling it to me for that time but he has been holding out on me. He finally relented and now it's mine. The intention will be to use this Bug to test a new engine installation (the one I have under development as an alternative to the Rotax). Here are a few pics of a very dusty N2024J. It'll scrub up nicely, I'm sure! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SrPilot Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Nick built a third aircraft with the assistance of my dad, Lanny. Hi SD7. I cannot remember if we've met, but Lanny sold my GlaStar for me a few years ago. I've known him for years. Great fellow and very helpful. Tell him I said hello next time you speak to him. He sends an email my way occasionally, but I haven't seen him since the sale of the GlaStar (N63GS). jc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deskpilot Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Dave, you're pushing up the airspeed and I wonder how close you are to the maximum the wings can take. What are their design limit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Hi Doug, The design Vmo is 225 knots and it has been dive tested to 250kias so we are ok for now. We have a new 300 knot wing ready to be built in anticipation of a more powerful engine for the Bug, and also to allow the use of the higher speed wing on the Jet Bug (my Komet), should we put that into production once I have got it flown, analysed and tested. Cheers, Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rialto Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Dave Haven't seen an update in over 4 months. What's the latest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 Hi Rialto, Two Bolly prop blades have just been delivered to Australian Lightwing to be fitted to their VIP2 IFA prop hub which will then be forwarded to Lanny for fitting to N44XM. We will then be able to test the aircraft with an IFA prop so we will anticipate seeing a much improved takeoff and climb, and hopefully a top end increase as well. The aircraft will be painted to tidy it up cosmetically. We would like to get it to Sunnfun but we need to make to make sure it is 100% ready for the cross country flight to get it there. If not Sunnfun, then definitely Oshkosh. As we get performance figures with the new prop, I'll post them here. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieB1rd Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 He finally relented and now it's mine. Dave what a fantastic read this has been thus far, you are so passionate about finding and doing things with this little craft it's riveting and a credit to you, I guess these type of aircraft appeal to only a certain small percentage of us and a large percentage are in the Low and Slow category, but still a passionate story and well worth the read. Keep up the great work and hope to follow your Komet/ Vbomb oops Jet Bug project, cant wait to see the little bug all painted and repaired photos and maybe so in air shots as you crack a sonic boom low over the Winnsboro strip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Thanks AB for your interest. We are still waiting for the IFA prop from Australian Lightwing. Unfortunately, due to Howard Hughes passing, the team there are still reorganizing. However, my partner in the Bug venture got a call from ALW recently to say that the prop for us was back on their radar so hopefully it won't be too long until we can get it delivered to Lanny. I will be attending Oshkosh this year and afterwards, will be visiting Winnsboro for the first time since we started this Bug venture quite a few years ago. I will finally get to see a completed Bug in the flesh for the first time and will plan to at least taxi the Bug. Unfortunately, my Oz license is not valid since my last flight in Australia was about 15 years ago, and I am in the process of leaving my current job overseas and my annual flight review for that license expires on 30th June. So when I am in the US, I won't have a valid license that will allow me to fly the Bug. Anyway, hopefully within the next few months we shall have some numbers from the Bug with the IFA prop fitted. It will be very interesting to see what we get. BTW, our Australian (Adelaide based) Bug project is progressing very well and at a steady rate. It wouldn't surprise me if it could be finished this year. That will be a Jab3300 powered one (tin hats on but that was the owners decision). With the extra 20hp over the Rotax 912ULS and being able to turn the small prop at 3000 rpm, rather than just 2400rpm from the Rotax, we are anticipating some encouraging performance numbers from it. My Jet Bug is on the back burner for a little while so I can focus on another project that I have on the boil which has a higher priority. If that project comes to fruition, the speed freaks will be very happy! Details will be released in due course but that won't be for a while yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieB1rd Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Unfortunately, due to Howard Hughes passing. Sad and unfortunate news recently, and will be missed greatly by family and friends and the broader aviation community. That will be a Jab3300 powered one I was under the impression but maybe wrong, the Australian bug was going to be powered by either a jet or this new engine you were/was/are designing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Me and my Bug partner have 2 Bugs in Adelaide; Milton is building a stock Lightning Bug but fitted with the Jab3300 and a fixed nose gear (possibly reverting to retract later) and then there is my Jet Bug which will be a 2 seater fitted with two 160lbf jet engines. Milton's aircraft will likely be the Aussie demonstrator for the Bug, and is certainly the test-bed for the Jabiru/Camit engine option. My Jet Bug is a one-off for now to fulfil my own craving for a jet, but if it actually works as advertised, then we would consider doing the requisite analysis/testing of the Jet Bug and offer it as a kit. This would be reasonably easy to do, given its commonality of parts with the Lightning Bug. My current engine project was started many years ago to fulfil the requirement for a low profile, powerful engine for the Bug. Although the Rotax and Jab installations still look really good in the Bug, the original cowling with no cheeks just looks plain fantastic and that's the look I want to have with my new engine. With the 80lbs lighter weight and 20hp more power that my engine is planned to have over the 912ULS, the Bug/new engine combo should produce a screamer (hence the need for a 300knot limit redesign for the Bug, the current 225 knot Vmo will not be enough. Here is the clean cowl look that I like. And here is the cowl-cheeked look which is still very good, but less desirable in my eyes. And I guess this is the ultimate look but I do have a penchant for jets... And here's Milton's Jab Bug from quite a while back (it's come a long way since this photo was taken). He's done a great job with the Jab installation which uses a firewall mount in place of the bed mounts to the centre keel for the Rotax. He's also done a very good job with the cowl which blends in very nicely from spinner to firewall and looks really good. He will have a blast flying this 120hp version of the Bug when it's finished and it should go like a scorched cat. Cheers, Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexrbetter Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Yup, not many look that good in all white, testament to it's shape. The big Jab should move it along nicely.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAXMRY Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Hello, I built N63974. It had the 90hp engine if my memory serves me correctly. I added about 3-4 inches of height between the main gear and the lower fuselage to improve visibility during taxiing. That's why it has small fairings where the main gear meets the lower fuselage. I did not add the wheel fairings but it my opinion they make the airplane look even sleeker and surely improve speed. I've searched the web for the N# and it says it's been de-registered. Anyone know where it is? Thanks, John Gibbs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyvulcan Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 Hi John, I spoke with you many years ago about your aircraft. I know where she is and I've got some photos of her current state which is a little worse for wear but certainly resurrectable with not too much trouble. I'll pm you with my contact details. Drop me your latest email address and I'll give you all the details. Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakej Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Hi Dave Not long until the 'real' Oshkosh, I'll have my regular mobile number with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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