- Joined
- Sep 18, 2012
- Messages
- 33
- Reaction score
- 4
Hello Folks,
Here are some photos of the AS1 that has come into my life. I would have posted them earlier, but I have been living without a computer for a while.
It is a well built airplane, by Gary Deem in Michigan. Gary built a Skybolt, Corby Starlet and something else before this one. He's flying a very pretty Smith Mini right now. When he's not making airplanes for himself, he works part-time for Greg Panzl in his unlimited monoplane shop.
This has a 150 HP O-320 with Christen oil and Airflow Performance FI. It is a lovely flying airplane.
The airplane rolls on tiny tires that fit inside sexy but very small Panzl wheel spats. I will need to be replacing the tires soon anyway (pavement landings eat them quickly), and am considering going to larger wheels or tires.
It is my first biplane experience, and is the culmination of a boyhood dream. I flew for an hour and a half (and 10 landings) yesterday and just about froze solid in our sub-freezing upstate NY weather. But it was just too pretty a day not to fly.
I initially found the pavement landings to be pretty exciting. I still approach every one with 100% focus and attention, but I have found the airplane will forgive me for greater errors than I originally believed. I do avoid significant crosswinds when I can. The sink rate power-off in the turn from downwind to final is eye-watering. It makes for a very tight, very high-performance pattern that is tremendously satisfying to fly well. In this cold weather I am doing complete patterns to 1300 AGL, all inside the airport boundary.
I am unhappy with the shoulder strap location. I am tall, and these will break my back if I ever needed them to keep my face out of the panel. I would like to replace them with Hookers, but I first want to figure out a way to get a much higher shoulder attach point. Does anybody have any retrofit thoughts?
Cheers,
WBK
Here are some photos of the AS1 that has come into my life. I would have posted them earlier, but I have been living without a computer for a while.
It is a well built airplane, by Gary Deem in Michigan. Gary built a Skybolt, Corby Starlet and something else before this one. He's flying a very pretty Smith Mini right now. When he's not making airplanes for himself, he works part-time for Greg Panzl in his unlimited monoplane shop.
This has a 150 HP O-320 with Christen oil and Airflow Performance FI. It is a lovely flying airplane.
The airplane rolls on tiny tires that fit inside sexy but very small Panzl wheel spats. I will need to be replacing the tires soon anyway (pavement landings eat them quickly), and am considering going to larger wheels or tires.
It is my first biplane experience, and is the culmination of a boyhood dream. I flew for an hour and a half (and 10 landings) yesterday and just about froze solid in our sub-freezing upstate NY weather. But it was just too pretty a day not to fly.
I initially found the pavement landings to be pretty exciting. I still approach every one with 100% focus and attention, but I have found the airplane will forgive me for greater errors than I originally believed. I do avoid significant crosswinds when I can. The sink rate power-off in the turn from downwind to final is eye-watering. It makes for a very tight, very high-performance pattern that is tremendously satisfying to fly well. In this cold weather I am doing complete patterns to 1300 AGL, all inside the airport boundary.
I am unhappy with the shoulder strap location. I am tall, and these will break my back if I ever needed them to keep my face out of the panel. I would like to replace them with Hookers, but I first want to figure out a way to get a much higher shoulder attach point. Does anybody have any retrofit thoughts?
Cheers,
WBK
