VPP (very pointy plane)

[danny_galaga]

I was looking for an old backup CD of some software, which I didn't find. But instead I found my backup CD of the photos I took in Kittyhawk, North Carolina in 2003. I'm sure to find other interesting pics, but this was really interesting. I had a really good chat to the owners back then. I asked them about how they got the cowl so slim, and one of the problems they were having is the exhaust pipes burning through it. So between the pipes and the cowl surface was actual heat shield tiling from the Space Shuttle! That insulation was able to be really thin. That's an 0360 under there!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polen_Special

[Thruster88]

Cowl looks very much like a twin comanche. 

 

[danny_galaga]

12 hours ago, Thruster88 said:

Cowl looks very much like a twin comanche. 

 

Well spotted! Yes it mentions that in Wikipedia 🙂

[Reynard]

Do Comanches have any history of engine overheats ? Particularly heat soak ?

That tight cowl must make airflow ‘interesting’.

[facthunter]

With cowl flaps and exhaust augmentation only poor operation will cause an engine over heat. Mine (VH-LLV) was turbo charged  from the factory when I got it.  It also had an oxygen system for flying over the Rockies in the USA. It flew to here as well, across the Pacific.   Some Navajo's got cooked but always by operator error.. It can be a high workload in a light Piston engined twin. Nev

[red750]

Another very pointy plane - the Chudzik CC-02

 

[Reynard]

I was talking to a mate whose wife had an Aztec- apparently it had a history of fuel vapour locks during high heat, but I guess that is not restricted to aztecs !

[Marty_d]

3 hours ago, red750 said:

Another very pointy plane - the Chudzik CC-02

 

Now that looks fun. Bet it's twitchy in pitch.

[facthunter]

So is a Saphire but it looks nothing like that. Nev