Corby Starlet

[Rudi Jacobs]

Good day hope some one can help me with more information. I am busy building a Corby Starlet plan no 940.

 

I have being building from 2014 and is busy with the wings. I am a pilot as well as a aircraft engineer with my own maintenance company.

 

I am flying just for the fun and have close to a thousand hrs. But I have never flown a tail dragger.

 

Can any one give me information on speeds, handling do's and don't on this aircraft.

 

What is the feel on how much tail dragger hours I must do to get in the Corby seat.

 

In general how does it handle and how does it glide.

 

Any information will helt

 

 

[alf jessup]

Yenn could help you out on that, also Keenaviator had one

 

 

[Yenn]

I built my Corby No 196 many years ago and have 400 hours on it. Powered by a Jab 2200 engine. That is plenty of power and full throttle will take you over Vne.

 

It is easy to fly as far as I am concerned, but I havn't flown a Pitts or other twitchy plane so have nothing to compare. I owned a thruster before the corby and I would say that if you can fly a Thruster you can fly a Corby. I also fly an RV4, which is so close in handling characteristics to the Corby that you would think they were the same.

 

The Corby of course does not have flaps, so you have to be able to slip it in or rely on power to control the glide. It does slip very well My plane stalls at 38kts according to my pilot notes, but I like to approach at 65 for landing, it is possible to fly straight and level at 60kts, but the attitude is nose high and a bit of power is required to hole height.

 

My plane is set up with me sitting fairly low and I am about 1.77 tall. That means that I can't see directly ahead in the landing attitude, not a problem, but maybe for a newcomer to taildraggers it will be off putting. General handling is terrific, it seems that all you do is think about what to do and it happens. Very little friction in the controls and they really work. Gliding is very good, plenty of forward visibility and the controls are as good as with power on. I have not fitted any trim controls and never feel the need for them.

 

When I built there were a few things I had to puzzle over. The biggest was the location of the diagonal bracing in the fuselage sides, below the fuel tank location. I would have to get the plans out to explain further. The elevator control cables fouled the bottom of the vertical stabiliser from memory, partly to do with the Tiger moth type of hinges used I think. The rudder hinge attachments are hidden by the fabric, a removable cover would be good in my opinion. I had to put a metal tube in the wing spar for the two bolts that hold the wing to the rest of the plane, the wood around the bolts just got elongated, I would suggest that you build tubes in as you make the wing. Have you fitted the ailerons and supporting structure yet. I built a temporary D shaped structure on its back and attached to the top of the ribs to enable me to fit the hinge and spar structure and keep everything in alignment.

 

You ask how much taildragger time you need to fly the Corby. I just couldn't hazard a guess. If you could get some time in an RV4, it would be a great start, or even any RV. Get checked out in a Thruster or a Lightwing should put you on the correct path. I once did  mental analysis of what my feet were doing when I landed, they were all over the place keeping straight, without me really being aware of it.

 

I don't know where you are, but if you can get to Rodds Bay, South of Gladstone Qld I could take you in an RV4, but I don't have passenger rudder or throttle control. Give me a ring on 0749750209

 

 

[cosmicray]

I owned a Corby for a couple of years and regret having sold it. Since then I owned and flew Pitts Specials for sport aerobatics which were great but I still miss my Corby. Mine had a Revmaster and it wasn't as fast as a Jabiru powered plane but the handling was excellent. Very easy to fly and landing was no problem. The only taildragger experience I had before the Corby was in Skyfox and Decathlon for a total of about 30 hours and I found the Corby was easier to land than either of these. My only criticism is that the Corby as designed is not for taller people.

 

 

[440032]

Rudi, there is a worldwide Corby Starlet group on yahoogroups you might like to join.

 

I think you have to sign up to yahoogroups (generally) before being able to join any group on yahoogroups.

 

Where are you located Rudi?

 

 

[Yenn]

Cosmicrays comment that he regrets selling his Corby, is what I have heard from many others. They  are a plane that pilots love.

 

 

[Rudi Jacobs]

Thanks this is good news to me. I am in Nelspruit South Africa. At the moment I am busy to attach the ailerons witch fit like a glove and looks like this plans is thought out so perfect that when  you start to build every thing fits perfect. My biggest concern at the moment is the way that the horizontal stabilizer is attach. Maybe  it is only me but I would like it to be attach with more bolts.

 

My Corby is also going to get the Jabiru engine with a composite sensenich prop. It is lying in the box ready to fit

 

I am 1.63 m tall and fit very covetable in the seat.

 

Thank you for all the inputs this is grate to get help from every one and Yenn I will contact you some time if I can to get more info

 

Thank you

 

 

[440032]

The as-per-the plans three bolt tailplane attachment has done the job for well over fifty years Rudi, and thousands of flight hours, and as it was all designed by a qualified aeronautical engineer, don't go messing with it. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

 

 

[Rudi Jacobs]

That is true, I am just not use to that manner to attach the tail plane

 

 

[alf jessup]

Cosmicrays comment that he regrets selling his Corby, is what I have heard from many others. They  are a plane that pilots love.

Damn if I could fit in one I would have brought one, 6 1/2” and always broad shouldered I would need tyre levers to get in and out of one.

Always have loved the look of them.

 

 

[Yenn]

Horiz stabiliser attach is no problem at all.

 

Tha only weak piont it the blak at rear of fuselage to support the tailwheel spring.

 

I made one with a laminated strip running athwartships at the bottom. The idea was to reduce the risk of splitting with side loads. It worked very well for many years until I had a brake sieze on while landing. the stbd brake was full on and I had full left rudder, but I was still headed for a barbed wire fence, so I gave it full Right rudder and ground looped it at about 10kts. If I had a fully freewheeling tailwheel, all would have been well, but I split the block. It is a known weak point and requires checking at every daily inspection.

 

Can't complain as I has cracked twice in 400 hours and the airstrip is rough for a tiny wheel. Repair is not too difficult.

 

Rudi my contact is [email protected]

 

 

[Rudi Jacobs]

Did any one do any extra modifications to the engine for the aerobatic maneuvering. my Jab 85 hp is stock standard.