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Date:         Wed, 21 Jan 2004 17:37:29 -0600
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      Re: Boston Bob? or GoWesty?
Comments: To: Greg Stelz <gstelz2@YAHOO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <20040121230602.81581.qmail@web41509.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Yeh, well it's been going on for a long time.

They were very popular with the homebuilt airplane crowd in days past. These days there has been a proliferation of small engines designed specifically for the small homebuilts and the Ultralite aircraft. One aircraft, called the Mini-Imp, designed by Molt Taylor, was a really highspeed performer. I think it did about 140 mph on a little VW engine. It was a little machine with a cantilever wing (no wing struts. Internal structure was self supporting), retractable landing gear. The engine was in the front and the propeller was in the rear at the end of the fuselage. It pushed instead of pulled the plane through the air. A long shaft that connected the engine to the propeller passed between the two seats. Made life very interesting. One thing of particular interest to me. The shaft passed into a clutch of sorts just in front of the propeller. The clutch was filled with sttel balls, like ball bearings. At idle, the propeller was motionless, but when the power was applied to the engine, and engine speed increased, the load on the clutch locked the steel balls making the shaft to the propeller solid, and the propeller would turn. Wonder if we could apply that principle to some Van project somehow!?

Regards,

John Rodgers 88 GL Driver

Greg Stelz wrote:

>-----clip----- > >In fact, the aircooled VW >engines are used in homebuilt aircraft. > >-----clip----- > >Wow!! That takes some serious balls. LOL > >Greg > > > > > > >--------------------------------- >Do you Yahoo!? >Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes > > >


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