Acey Deucy anyone?

[red750]

I have a question re the Powell P-70 Acey Deucy. All description of it (Wiki, etc) describe it as a parasol wing monoplane but most photos in an image search are biplanes. I checked the registration of one of the biplane images on the FAA register and it is listed as an Acey Deucy. Can anyone enlighten me on this anomoly?

 

 

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[onetrack]

Peter, all the photos online of Acey Deucy P-70 aircraft show a single parasol wing design - except for two aircraft. The blue/yellow bottom aircraft above - tail number NX12CP, is listed as C/N 1 - indicating it was the first aircraft Powell built - and it was a biplane - with a sliding canopy that fully enclosed both seats.

It appears all subsequent Acey Deucy P-70 plans issued, and aircraft built, are a single parasol wing design, with tandem-seat open cockpits.

 

However, to add to the confusion, there's a photo of a red/white Acey Deucy with a biplane wing structure - but this aircraft carries the tail number N12CP.

What is totally confusing is that N12CP is also listed as C/N 1.  As NX12CP and N12CP share the same fully enclosed, sliding canopy design - I can only assume that NX12CP and N12CP are the one and same aircraft, with different paint jobs.

All other Acey Deucy P-70's in available photos have tandem-seat open cockpits. 

 

Here is a short list of Acey Deucy aircraft. It's far from complete, and far from accurate, as several of the tail numbers listed, are other types of aircraft. However, by searching for images using the tail numbers, a lot of other Acey Deucy's show up.

 

https://www.airport-data.com/search/search2.html?field=model&search=Search&code=Powell P-70 Acey Deucy

 

Photo of N12CP - Click on the tail number above the photo, and photos of the identical NX12CP appear - https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000971949.html

 

The second "different" Acey Deucy P-70 is a single parasol wing aircraft with a sliding-canopy, fully enclosed cabin.

This aircraft is C-GEMY, the original prototype Acey Deucy P-70, that was re-purchased by Powell, and who apparently reshaped the original fuselage from tandem cockpits, and altered it to the fully enclosed cabin style.

 

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/29321/C-GEMY

 

 

 

On page 11 of the article below, you'll find a story of a bloke who not only built an Acey Deucy P-70 - he had to rebuild it all over again, when a tornado destroyed it at the 2011 Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo.

 

https://www.eaa.org/~/media/Files/EAA/EducationResources/Experimenter/1407.pdf

 

In addition to the write-up about the Acey Deucy that was wrecked, there is also a short piece about Powell and the Acey Deucy P-70 story.

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by onetrack

[red750]

Thanks Onetratck. It's interesting that about 90% of the photos of the monoplane version are of the yellow one in the top photo.

[facthunter]

Parasol is not strictly speaking, a biplane. A conversion would not be that difficult but the ailerons are transferred to the bottom wing A la DH 82. Access to the front cockpit is generally difficult in such a layout, more so in the biplane. Sweep back is used in the DH 82 for ease of front cockpit access. The Gypsy Moth didn't have that feature.. The Pietenpol is a true Parasol.. Nev

[onetrack]

Nev, all the Acey Deucy's have a door on the RHS to allow entry to the front cockpit. I can't see much difference in accessibility to the front cockpit in either the biplane version or the parasol wing version, there's angled wing struts to climb over in both versions.

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by onetrack

[onetrack]

It's quite interesting that the Acey Deucy was designed as a pretty lightweight machine, in the Cub class, and designed for the 65 HP and 85 HP Continental A & C series engines.

The Acey Deucy specs state "65 to 90 HP" for power units. At least one has a VW engine. But N567CM, which was destroyed in a double fatal crash, was powered with a Lycoming O-290-G, rated at 125 HP.

 

What is highly relevant in the N567CM crash was that the Acey Deucy fuel tank holds only 14 US gallons (53L approx).

The fuel burn of the O-290 at normal cruise power is 10.5-11 US gallons/hr - thus giving N567CM a range of just over one hour flying time!

 

N567CM ran out of fuel, and the pilot mishandled the forced landing, entering an unrecoverable steep stall, and both pilot and passenger were killed, and the aircraft totally destroyed.

 

http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2014/06/roger-brining-and-daniel-bishop.html

 

The other factor in Acey Deucy searches is that it appears the aircraft builder is allowed by the FAA to add his name to the aircraft type name - an interesting concept.

So you will find names such as "Stadel Acey Deucy P-70", "Robert L. Schrieber P-70 Acey Deucy", "Wright Cecil/Duane Acey Deucy P-70", and so on - rather than just "Acey Deucy Powell P-70".

The only Acey Deucy on the FAA register listed as a Powell P-70 Acey Deucy, is obviously the one that Powell built - C/N 1.

 

There's a list of current and non-current Acey Deucy P-70's on the FAA register - and also an interesting "P-26 Acey Ducey", which listed as a "STEVENSON R M/HOUSEHOLDER E D Acey Ducey P-26".

 

https://registry.faa.gov/microfiche/armdfp80.pdf

[red750]

It appears to be reasonably common in the US for the builders name to be recorded in the type name. A search of airport-data.com aircraft by manufacturer will bring up a lot of manufacturers with only 1 or 2 registered aircraft to their name. Research the machine and you will find it is someone elses design with the homebuilders name stuck in front.  eg. Colby Walter F MIRAGE.