Pietenpol Air Camper
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The Pietenpol Air Camper is a simple homebuilt aircraft designed by Bernard H. Pietenpol. The first Air Camper was built and flown by Pietenpol in 1928.
The Air Camper was designed to be built of spruce and plywood. One of Pietenpol's goal was to create a plane that was affordable and easy to construct for home builders.
The original model was flown using a Model A Ford engine (which is still the engine favored amongst Pietenpol "purists"), however in the 1960's BH Pietenpol began to favor converted engines from the Chevy Corvair automobiles. The Corvair engine was smoother, stronger, and significantly lighter in weight compared to the Model A. As a result of the lighter weight of the Corvair engines the airframe was lengthened for weight and balance reasons. Over the years over 30 different engines have flown in the Pietenpol Air Camper.
Supplemental plans also exist to create a steel tube fuselage version of the Air Camper, however this version remains far less popular than the wooden version of the airframe.
BH Pietenpol also designed a single-seat version of the aircraft dubbed the Sky Scout, which was slightly smaller and was powered by the Ford Model T engine, which during the late 1920's and early 1930's was less expensive than the Model A used in the Air Camper.
[edit] Specifications (Typical Air Camper)
[edit] General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Capacity: one passenger
- Length: 17 ft 8 in (5.39 m)
- Wingspan: 29 ft 0 in (8.84 m)
- Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
- Wing area: 135 ft² (12.5 m²)
- Empty: 610 lb (277 kg)
- Loaded: 995 lb (452 kg)
- Maximum takeoff: lb ( kg)
- Powerplant: 1x Ford Model A engine (adapted for aero use)
[edit] Performance
- Maximum speed: 100 mph (160 km/h)
- Range: miles ( km)
- Service ceiling: ft ( m)
- Rate of climb: 500 ft/min (152 m/min)
- Wing loading: 7 lb/ft² (36 kg/m²)
- Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)
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