Pietenpol-List: EAA magazine - Sky Scout (OCR-ed)
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:17 pm
Original Posted By: Dan Yocum
Hi,I've OCR-ed this text today, and it occurred to me that it would be nice to contributeit on this mailing list as my first message. Share and enjoy.Regards,Ivan Todorovic=== [begin]EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Sport Aviation magazine, issues: FEBRUARY- MARCH - APRIL 1958.FAMOUS HOMEBUILTS OF THE PASTThe Pietenpol "Sky Scout"By George Hardie, Jr. [image: Here's the "Ski Scout" taxiing out for a flight.]Part 1 of 3 Parts[image: Doug Rolfe's drawing gives an idea of the "Sky Scout's" proportions. Thephoto at left indicates that the radiator interfered with forward visibilityto some extent.]Everyone attending the 1957 EAA Fly-In had an opportunity to look over three fineexamples of the famous Pietenpol "Air Camper" design, and to observe the flyingcharacteristics of this rugged pioneer among homebuilts. One If the ships,owned and flown by Allen Rudolf of Juneau, Wis., was built in 1934 and is poweredby the original Model A Ford engine. It has given Allen many hours of trouble-free,economic performance. The other two ships were powered with more modernengines, one with a Lycoming and the other with a Franklin. Details on the"Air Camper." design were presented in the second of this "Famous Homebuilt"series which appeared in the May, 1956 issue of the EXPERIMENTER.Not generally known is the fact that the designer of the "Mr Camper", B. H. Pietenpolof Spring Valley. Minn., also designed a single-seater expressly to bepowered with a modified Model T Ford engine. This was the "Sky Scout", detailsof which appeared in the 1933 Flying Manual from which we reproduce some of thedrawings with the generous permission of Mechanix Illustrated magazine. Thosenot familiar with the famous Flying Manuals will understand their popularity,even today, by noting the clarity, simplicity, and completeness of these drawings.Certainly they set a standard which we should attempt to follow today.Our purpose in presenting this series on these old aircraft is to acquaint ourreaders with the construction details and the simple, practical approach madeby the pioneer designers. The basic problem of yesterday's homebuilder (and today'sas well) was to get Port 1 of 3 Ports into the air as cheaply as possibleand safely, Construction materials and techniques used in these aircraft havebeen greatly advanced. but there is much to he learned from a study of theirdesign and construction. At least we must give these pioneers much credit foraccomplishing what they did with what they had. We can and should be able todo better with today's materials and techniques.The "Sky Scout", like Wilbur Smith's "Termite" featured in the January issue ofSPORT AVIATION, was of all-wood construction, and was very similar in designto the earlier "Air Camper" as indicated in the silhouette comparison. n was designedaround the plentiful Model T Ford engine (converted for aircraft use)but with a few minor changes in the design, the Model A engine could also be used.Pietenpol claimed the "Sky Scout" to be the easiest ship to build and flyas was possible to make it. The accompanying outline drawings would seem to bearhim out.Construction was started with the fuselage. Quoting from Pietenpol's article inthe 1933 Flying Manual:"The construction of the fuselage is very plainly drawn up and I don't think youwill have any trouble with it. It is made from 7/8 in. x 7/8 in. spruce, forlongerons and struts, while the sides and front are covered with 3/32 in. mahoganyplywood. The floor is made of 1/4 in. five-ply Haskelite. All gusset platesof 1/8 in. material. Remember, all plywood must be regular aircraft gradeand waterproof.""Use a good glue. We use Rodgers semi-waterproof and give it two good coats ofvarnish. You may use regular casein glue, but be sure you know how to handle it.It won't keep long (12 hours).""You will need a large bench on which to draw out and build your fuselage jig.We use the same jig for both sides.""Each strut is held in place by blocks which are left nailed down until both sidesare finished. Also leave the longerons a little long. and wrap some wire fromthe top to the bottom longerons, twisting it tight with a nail until you havethe plywood nailed and glued on each side. When the glue is dry, you may sawoff the longerons in front.""First lay out one side in the jig, putting in all struts and braces. When youmake one strut. make another just like it to be used on the other side so thetwo will be exactly alike. Be sure to use a miter box for this work.""Next glue and nail on all the 1/8 in. gusset plates, wire the front longeronstogether so they will not spring apart and break the gusset plates.""Now remove the side from the jig, pat the longerons, struts and braces for theother side into the jig, and put in the gusset plates, starting from the tailand working up to where the 3/32 in. sides start.""Now take the side you have just finished from the jig. lay it on a piece of 3/32in. plywood, and mark out all longerons, struts and braces by running a pencilaround them, then cut the plywood the size of the fuselage. Make two of these- one for the right and one for the left side.""The side of the plywood bearing the pencil marks goes on the outside, and givesyou good marks to keep your nails between.""Now put a good layer of glue on the longerons, struts and braces as far back asthe plywood goes: lay on your plywood and get busy nailing it down with 3/4in. x 18 gauge cement coated nails. All other gusset plates are also put on withthis size nail.""When you have this done, wire he front of the longerons together and remove fromthe jig. Now remove all the blocks from the bench so that it is smooth. Turnthe side of the fuselage over and put the gusset plates on that side; then dothe same with the first side you started.""Now take the two sides and clamp them together. Saw off the ends of the longeronsexactly the same length. Take a tri-square and mark off all strut stations,the place for the instrument board, and a few marks that will come in handyto measure from.""Now make the seat back and the front bulkhead. (These must be perfect, as thewhole job depends on them). Nail and glue them in place. You may now put in the1/4 in. x five-plywood floor, nailing it in with 1 in. 17 gauge nails. Nextcomes the top of the fuselage.""Now pull the tail end of the longerons together, make this joint fit good, glueand nail it good. and put in all the rest of the struts and braces. using thecenter line method to get it straight. That is, make a line in the center ofeach strut and make a tight string or wire pass over this line when drawn fromthe center of front to center of the tail post.""The struts are next set on the gusset plates of the sides. Then put on the turtleback, instrument hoard, cowling, and support and the woodwork is finishedexcept for the seat, which you should have no trouble with."Drawings of the control system are self-explanatory. While primitive by today'sstandards, they served the purpose. Many construction techniques used would notbe acceptable today. However, the "Sky Scout" remains a practical design, basicallysimple and straight forward. Next month's Part 2 in the series will givedetails on the wings and tail surfaces.FAMOUS HOMEBUILTS OF THE PASTThe Pietenpol "Sky Scout"By George Hardie, Jr.Part 2 of 3 PartsPart 1 of this series on the Model T-powered Pietenpol "Sky Scout" dealt with theconstruction of the fuselage and presented detailed drawings on it and thecontrols system and cockpit. This month we will continue with details on the constructionof the wing and empennage.The wing used on the "Sky Scout" was practically the same as that of the "Air Camper"except that it was 11 in. shorter in span. Rib construction and airfoilwere exactly the same on both ships. An interesting account on how Pietenpolevolved his airfoil section after much experimentation was included in the articleon the "Air Camper" that appeared in the May, 1956 issue of the EXPERIMENTER.Similarity of other design features is evident upon a close comparison ofthe two ships.Quoting again from Pietenpol article in the 1933 Flying Manual. on the wing constructionof the "Sky Scout" (reprinted through the kind permission of MechanixIllustrated magazine):"The wing on the 'Sky Scout' is much too strong and could be lightened a little.It weighs about 90 lbs. complete, It was only built this heavy because all theregular parts to build the 'Air Camper' wing were used.""I wish to call your attention to the brace right back of the rear beam This waschanged from the plans of the 'Air Camper', and I advise all of you who havenot built up your wings to build them this way.""After your ribs are finished. make your beams and splice them in the center. Nowmark off all places where the ribs will come. having the two beams clampedtogether. A good way to do this is to mark off the places on half of the spars,then reverse one beam and mark the other half from the first marks. You willthen know that it is right.""Next glue in the piece of 3/32 in. or in plywood that is set beneath the gas tank,and be sure you have this in the center and perfectly square, as the wholewing is lined up from this center. Now put on all the ribs and glue and nailthem with two 1 in. by 17 gauge nails at each joint. On the top it will be foundnecessary to put in small spruce blocks to fill up the gap. These must beglued on both sides.""The fittings are so clear on the plans that it would be a waste of time to sayanything about them. They are all made of regular 1025 aircraft steel and aremore than strong enough.""Next put on all wing fittings and brace wires (we use 3/32 in. cable as it iseasier to handle, although No. 12 hard wire is OK), and line the wing up withthe wires. Do not make them too tight until you get in your compression strutsand wing tips.""Now put on the leading edge. trailing edge, aileron beams, flop beams. and wingtips in the order named. Line up the wing so that it is perfectly straight andput in all the braces. Put in the 1/4 in. x 1/4 in. braces on the aileronsand put all filler strips on the aileron hinges (which are only small strap hingeswith a new pin put in which has a cotter pin hole in its end).""Now place the control horns. and you are ready to cut the ailerons and centerflop from the wing. By leaving all the ribs full length and cutting the aileronsand flop free, when finished you are sure to get a better and straighter wing.After you have all the parts finished and sanded. you may give the whole thinga coat of varnish.""Put in the gas tank (5 1/2 gallon) and the wing is ready to cover You may useany light grade of aircraft cloth for this or you may use sheeting. Tack a piece60 in wide the full length of the wing all around the edge, bottom side first.Give the edge a coat of dope, turn the wing aver and do the same on top.""Now sew the cloth to the ribs in the regular manner, put on a coat of dope, thenall the tape and patches around the fittings and give the wing four extra coatsof dope (five in all). The last two coats may be colored. I advise a lightcoat of paint on the wing if you wish the cloth to last a long time, althoughthis makes the ship harder to patch.""Just a little warning, be sure and put the flop in the center. A lot of thosebuilding the 'Air Camper' did not do this but put a large opening instead andspoiled the climb of the ship. Remember that you cannot have all the featuresof a high powered plane in a small Ford-powered ship and expect it to fly well,and the flop is one of the things that makes these ships a success. The firstthing to remember in building a low-powered ship is to keep the weight downand the efficiency up."The sage advice expressed in that last sentence holds as true today as the dayit was written. While some of the techniques recommended in the above quotationwould be questioned by today's standards, still one must admire the practicalapproach made to the problem of designing a simply constructed, economical aircraft.Again I wish to emphasize that these drawings and details on these oldaircraft are presented for study and evaluation, rather than as a recommendedproject for the homebuilder. Materials used would be in some cases unacceptabletoday, but the fact that even with these handicaps these old aircraft provedsuccessful speaks well for the courage of these pioneer home-builders. Todaywe can draw upon their experiences as a valuable guide and with the vastly superioradvantage of being able to choose our materials from a wide selectionof proven types and grades. we should be able to produce superior designs.The tail surfaces of the "Sky Scout" follow the same general lines as those ofthe "Air Camper". Wood construction was used, with covering of fabric. The drawingsclearly show all details and are self-explanatory.Next month's concluding article will present details on the landing gear tail skid.motor mount. and struts and fittings.[image: Here's the "flop" mentioned by Pietenpol which increased the lift of thewing.]FAMOUS HOMEBUILTS OF THE PAST[image: The "Sky Scout" gets off the ground quickly, and has a landing run of only250 ft. Close-up below shows the Ford Model T engine installation on the Pietenpol"Sky Scout".]The Pietenpol "Sky Scout"By George Hardie, Jr.Part 3 of 3 PartsHomebuilders of 25 years ago were as anxious to get into the air as any today.B. H. Pietenpol of Spring Valley, Minn., provided one practical answer to thisdemand with his two-seater "Air Camper". designed to he powered with a convertedFord Model A engine, When he was flooded with requests for a design to takethe plentiful tat that time) Ford Model T engine, he came up with the "Sky Scout",a single-seater whose construction was practically the same as the "AirCamper".In two previous installments we have presented detailed drawings and data on the"Sky Scout". giving details and construction notes on the fuselage, wing andtail surfaces. In this final installment we present details on the landing gear,tail skid, motor mount. wing struts and fittings. This material is taken fromthe 1933 Flying Manual and is reprinted with the generous permission of MechanixIllustrated magazine.The landing gear on the "Sky Scout" followed the popular style of the day, usinga Vee hinged to the lower longeron of the fuselage and a shock strut runningup to a fitting on the upper longeron. Pietenpol had this to say about it inthe Flying Manual article:"This has proven to be a very strong outfit which will stand plenty of abuse. Whileit would be difficult to explain how this is built, the plans are very clearand you should have no trouble.""You will have to use a turning lathe and be a good welder to make the gear shownhere. You may also build the type of landing gear that is used on the 'AirCamper'. You will find that this is much easier to make and is quite strong enough.""While we are on the subject of the 'Air Camper' gear, we had better put on somesafety device to keep the ship from dropping to the ground if the shock cordbreaks, since it seems that everybody has trouble wrapping shock cord.""Here is the method we use! First cut a piece of leather to fit around the bottomof the landing gear vee and lace it on with lace leather. Now take 6 ft. of1/2 in. shock cord and have someone hold it about half way up on the outsideof the front landing gear strut. Take the other end and pass it under the landinggear vee. over the axle. under the vee on the inside of the first wrap, overthe axle on the outside of the first wrap and under the vee on the inside ofthe last wrap until you have three wraps pulled quite tight.""The cord should he just long enough to make a good square knot and to permit tapingof the ends. This method makes each wrap about the same 'length and youwill not have any trouble with your shock cord cutting. The landing gear shouldgive not over one inch with a full load in the ship, but neither should it beany tighter.""The tail skid comes next. This is of extremely simple construction. but it hasproved so efficient that we are now using it on all of the planes we build. Besure to put a small keel on the shoe or you will find your ship hard to steeron a windy day. This keel will also help to prevent the beginner from groundlooping."There aren't many airports left where tail skids are welcomed, so I suppose wemay regard this item as a mark of the past. But let's continue with the constructionnotes:"After you have your ship complete, that is, the motor in, tail group on, all controlsin. and are ready for the wing, make up your center struts like the drawings,all brace wires made, then get about four extra helpers, put the wingon the center struts and line up.""Next have someone hold up the ends of the wing so that it will have a little dihedral,and measure the length of the front flying struts, These should bothhe exactly the same length. When these are in place, do the same with the rearflying struts. Now make the flying or brace wires. Hook up the ailerons, safetyall turnbuckles and your ship should be ready to go."Simple enough for the ambitious mechanic. The completed airplane certainly wouldtake no beauty prize, but the designer's practical approach to the problem ofproviding an economical machine of simple construction was evident in everyline. Pietenpol had this to say about his "Sky Scout":"I believe this to be the safest light plane there is, and if this design is astart in that direction, it has all been well worth the time we have put intoit. But those of you who wish only to build so that they will have something tofly had better build it exactly as the plans, and you will be sure of havinga ship that is very easy to handle. It is cheap to run and will land and takeoff at a field where the average OX-5 job, or similar powered ship, would becompletely out of luck."[image: Here's the way Model T was mounted on the "Sky Scout".]The hey-day of the "Sky Scout" has long since passed, but once again small all-woodaircraft are being built and flown. Wilbur Smith's "Termite", described inthe January issue of SPORT AVIATION, is a fine example of what can be accomplishedtoday. The Druine Turbulent and Turbi, the Jodel "Bebe" and "Club" andmany others indicate what can be done with wood construction. Several others,notably a single-place folding wing craft that we will present soon, show thatdesigners are still seeking the simple. practical aircraft for just plain flying.There is no way of knowing how many "Sky Scouts" were built, but there is no denyingthe fact that the design work of F. H. Pietenpol, as exemplified by his"Air Camper" and "Sky Scout" homebuilts. has left his mark on today's design thinking,Certainly the simplicity of construction and the practical approach tothe design problems are goals that all homebuilts will always be seeking.SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PIETENPOL "SKY SCOUT"Top Speed..........62 mphCruising Speed.....55 mphLending Speed......35 mphTake-off Run.......150 ft.Landing Run........250 ft.Initial Climb.....200 fpmSpan..........27 ft. 3 in.Chord................5 ft.Length........16 ft. 3 in.=== [end]Read this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:26:50 -0500
Hi,I've OCR-ed this text today, and it occurred to me that it would be nice to contributeit on this mailing list as my first message. Share and enjoy.Regards,Ivan Todorovic=== [begin]EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Sport Aviation magazine, issues: FEBRUARY- MARCH - APRIL 1958.FAMOUS HOMEBUILTS OF THE PASTThe Pietenpol "Sky Scout"By George Hardie, Jr. [image: Here's the "Ski Scout" taxiing out for a flight.]Part 1 of 3 Parts[image: Doug Rolfe's drawing gives an idea of the "Sky Scout's" proportions. Thephoto at left indicates that the radiator interfered with forward visibilityto some extent.]Everyone attending the 1957 EAA Fly-In had an opportunity to look over three fineexamples of the famous Pietenpol "Air Camper" design, and to observe the flyingcharacteristics of this rugged pioneer among homebuilts. One If the ships,owned and flown by Allen Rudolf of Juneau, Wis., was built in 1934 and is poweredby the original Model A Ford engine. It has given Allen many hours of trouble-free,economic performance. The other two ships were powered with more modernengines, one with a Lycoming and the other with a Franklin. Details on the"Air Camper." design were presented in the second of this "Famous Homebuilt"series which appeared in the May, 1956 issue of the EXPERIMENTER.Not generally known is the fact that the designer of the "Mr Camper", B. H. Pietenpolof Spring Valley. Minn., also designed a single-seater expressly to bepowered with a modified Model T Ford engine. This was the "Sky Scout", detailsof which appeared in the 1933 Flying Manual from which we reproduce some of thedrawings with the generous permission of Mechanix Illustrated magazine. Thosenot familiar with the famous Flying Manuals will understand their popularity,even today, by noting the clarity, simplicity, and completeness of these drawings.Certainly they set a standard which we should attempt to follow today.Our purpose in presenting this series on these old aircraft is to acquaint ourreaders with the construction details and the simple, practical approach madeby the pioneer designers. The basic problem of yesterday's homebuilder (and today'sas well) was to get Port 1 of 3 Ports into the air as cheaply as possibleand safely, Construction materials and techniques used in these aircraft havebeen greatly advanced. but there is much to he learned from a study of theirdesign and construction. At least we must give these pioneers much credit foraccomplishing what they did with what they had. We can and should be able todo better with today's materials and techniques.The "Sky Scout", like Wilbur Smith's "Termite" featured in the January issue ofSPORT AVIATION, was of all-wood construction, and was very similar in designto the earlier "Air Camper" as indicated in the silhouette comparison. n was designedaround the plentiful Model T Ford engine (converted for aircraft use)but with a few minor changes in the design, the Model A engine could also be used.Pietenpol claimed the "Sky Scout" to be the easiest ship to build and flyas was possible to make it. The accompanying outline drawings would seem to bearhim out.Construction was started with the fuselage. Quoting from Pietenpol's article inthe 1933 Flying Manual:"The construction of the fuselage is very plainly drawn up and I don't think youwill have any trouble with it. It is made from 7/8 in. x 7/8 in. spruce, forlongerons and struts, while the sides and front are covered with 3/32 in. mahoganyplywood. The floor is made of 1/4 in. five-ply Haskelite. All gusset platesof 1/8 in. material. Remember, all plywood must be regular aircraft gradeand waterproof.""Use a good glue. We use Rodgers semi-waterproof and give it two good coats ofvarnish. You may use regular casein glue, but be sure you know how to handle it.It won't keep long (12 hours).""You will need a large bench on which to draw out and build your fuselage jig.We use the same jig for both sides.""Each strut is held in place by blocks which are left nailed down until both sidesare finished. Also leave the longerons a little long. and wrap some wire fromthe top to the bottom longerons, twisting it tight with a nail until you havethe plywood nailed and glued on each side. When the glue is dry, you may sawoff the longerons in front.""First lay out one side in the jig, putting in all struts and braces. When youmake one strut. make another just like it to be used on the other side so thetwo will be exactly alike. Be sure to use a miter box for this work.""Next glue and nail on all the 1/8 in. gusset plates, wire the front longeronstogether so they will not spring apart and break the gusset plates.""Now remove the side from the jig, pat the longerons, struts and braces for theother side into the jig, and put in the gusset plates, starting from the tailand working up to where the 3/32 in. sides start.""Now take the side you have just finished from the jig. lay it on a piece of 3/32in. plywood, and mark out all longerons, struts and braces by running a pencilaround them, then cut the plywood the size of the fuselage. Make two of these- one for the right and one for the left side.""The side of the plywood bearing the pencil marks goes on the outside, and givesyou good marks to keep your nails between.""Now put a good layer of glue on the longerons, struts and braces as far back asthe plywood goes: lay on your plywood and get busy nailing it down with 3/4in. x 18 gauge cement coated nails. All other gusset plates are also put on withthis size nail.""When you have this done, wire he front of the longerons together and remove fromthe jig. Now remove all the blocks from the bench so that it is smooth. Turnthe side of the fuselage over and put the gusset plates on that side; then dothe same with the first side you started.""Now take the two sides and clamp them together. Saw off the ends of the longeronsexactly the same length. Take a tri-square and mark off all strut stations,the place for the instrument board, and a few marks that will come in handyto measure from.""Now make the seat back and the front bulkhead. (These must be perfect, as thewhole job depends on them). Nail and glue them in place. You may now put in the1/4 in. x five-plywood floor, nailing it in with 1 in. 17 gauge nails. Nextcomes the top of the fuselage.""Now pull the tail end of the longerons together, make this joint fit good, glueand nail it good. and put in all the rest of the struts and braces. using thecenter line method to get it straight. That is, make a line in the center ofeach strut and make a tight string or wire pass over this line when drawn fromthe center of front to center of the tail post.""The struts are next set on the gusset plates of the sides. Then put on the turtleback, instrument hoard, cowling, and support and the woodwork is finishedexcept for the seat, which you should have no trouble with."Drawings of the control system are self-explanatory. While primitive by today'sstandards, they served the purpose. Many construction techniques used would notbe acceptable today. However, the "Sky Scout" remains a practical design, basicallysimple and straight forward. Next month's Part 2 in the series will givedetails on the wings and tail surfaces.FAMOUS HOMEBUILTS OF THE PASTThe Pietenpol "Sky Scout"By George Hardie, Jr.Part 2 of 3 PartsPart 1 of this series on the Model T-powered Pietenpol "Sky Scout" dealt with theconstruction of the fuselage and presented detailed drawings on it and thecontrols system and cockpit. This month we will continue with details on the constructionof the wing and empennage.The wing used on the "Sky Scout" was practically the same as that of the "Air Camper"except that it was 11 in. shorter in span. Rib construction and airfoilwere exactly the same on both ships. An interesting account on how Pietenpolevolved his airfoil section after much experimentation was included in the articleon the "Air Camper" that appeared in the May, 1956 issue of the EXPERIMENTER.Similarity of other design features is evident upon a close comparison ofthe two ships.Quoting again from Pietenpol article in the 1933 Flying Manual. on the wing constructionof the "Sky Scout" (reprinted through the kind permission of MechanixIllustrated magazine):"The wing on the 'Sky Scout' is much too strong and could be lightened a little.It weighs about 90 lbs. complete, It was only built this heavy because all theregular parts to build the 'Air Camper' wing were used.""I wish to call your attention to the brace right back of the rear beam This waschanged from the plans of the 'Air Camper', and I advise all of you who havenot built up your wings to build them this way.""After your ribs are finished. make your beams and splice them in the center. Nowmark off all places where the ribs will come. having the two beams clampedtogether. A good way to do this is to mark off the places on half of the spars,then reverse one beam and mark the other half from the first marks. You willthen know that it is right.""Next glue in the piece of 3/32 in. or in plywood that is set beneath the gas tank,and be sure you have this in the center and perfectly square, as the wholewing is lined up from this center. Now put on all the ribs and glue and nailthem with two 1 in. by 17 gauge nails at each joint. On the top it will be foundnecessary to put in small spruce blocks to fill up the gap. These must beglued on both sides.""The fittings are so clear on the plans that it would be a waste of time to sayanything about them. They are all made of regular 1025 aircraft steel and aremore than strong enough.""Next put on all wing fittings and brace wires (we use 3/32 in. cable as it iseasier to handle, although No. 12 hard wire is OK), and line the wing up withthe wires. Do not make them too tight until you get in your compression strutsand wing tips.""Now put on the leading edge. trailing edge, aileron beams, flop beams. and wingtips in the order named. Line up the wing so that it is perfectly straight andput in all the braces. Put in the 1/4 in. x 1/4 in. braces on the aileronsand put all filler strips on the aileron hinges (which are only small strap hingeswith a new pin put in which has a cotter pin hole in its end).""Now place the control horns. and you are ready to cut the ailerons and centerflop from the wing. By leaving all the ribs full length and cutting the aileronsand flop free, when finished you are sure to get a better and straighter wing.After you have all the parts finished and sanded. you may give the whole thinga coat of varnish.""Put in the gas tank (5 1/2 gallon) and the wing is ready to cover You may useany light grade of aircraft cloth for this or you may use sheeting. Tack a piece60 in wide the full length of the wing all around the edge, bottom side first.Give the edge a coat of dope, turn the wing aver and do the same on top.""Now sew the cloth to the ribs in the regular manner, put on a coat of dope, thenall the tape and patches around the fittings and give the wing four extra coatsof dope (five in all). The last two coats may be colored. I advise a lightcoat of paint on the wing if you wish the cloth to last a long time, althoughthis makes the ship harder to patch.""Just a little warning, be sure and put the flop in the center. A lot of thosebuilding the 'Air Camper' did not do this but put a large opening instead andspoiled the climb of the ship. Remember that you cannot have all the featuresof a high powered plane in a small Ford-powered ship and expect it to fly well,and the flop is one of the things that makes these ships a success. The firstthing to remember in building a low-powered ship is to keep the weight downand the efficiency up."The sage advice expressed in that last sentence holds as true today as the dayit was written. While some of the techniques recommended in the above quotationwould be questioned by today's standards, still one must admire the practicalapproach made to the problem of designing a simply constructed, economical aircraft.Again I wish to emphasize that these drawings and details on these oldaircraft are presented for study and evaluation, rather than as a recommendedproject for the homebuilder. Materials used would be in some cases unacceptabletoday, but the fact that even with these handicaps these old aircraft provedsuccessful speaks well for the courage of these pioneer home-builders. Todaywe can draw upon their experiences as a valuable guide and with the vastly superioradvantage of being able to choose our materials from a wide selectionof proven types and grades. we should be able to produce superior designs.The tail surfaces of the "Sky Scout" follow the same general lines as those ofthe "Air Camper". Wood construction was used, with covering of fabric. The drawingsclearly show all details and are self-explanatory.Next month's concluding article will present details on the landing gear tail skid.motor mount. and struts and fittings.[image: Here's the "flop" mentioned by Pietenpol which increased the lift of thewing.]FAMOUS HOMEBUILTS OF THE PAST[image: The "Sky Scout" gets off the ground quickly, and has a landing run of only250 ft. Close-up below shows the Ford Model T engine installation on the Pietenpol"Sky Scout".]The Pietenpol "Sky Scout"By George Hardie, Jr.Part 3 of 3 PartsHomebuilders of 25 years ago were as anxious to get into the air as any today.B. H. Pietenpol of Spring Valley, Minn., provided one practical answer to thisdemand with his two-seater "Air Camper". designed to he powered with a convertedFord Model A engine, When he was flooded with requests for a design to takethe plentiful tat that time) Ford Model T engine, he came up with the "Sky Scout",a single-seater whose construction was practically the same as the "AirCamper".In two previous installments we have presented detailed drawings and data on the"Sky Scout". giving details and construction notes on the fuselage, wing andtail surfaces. In this final installment we present details on the landing gear,tail skid, motor mount. wing struts and fittings. This material is taken fromthe 1933 Flying Manual and is reprinted with the generous permission of MechanixIllustrated magazine.The landing gear on the "Sky Scout" followed the popular style of the day, usinga Vee hinged to the lower longeron of the fuselage and a shock strut runningup to a fitting on the upper longeron. Pietenpol had this to say about it inthe Flying Manual article:"This has proven to be a very strong outfit which will stand plenty of abuse. Whileit would be difficult to explain how this is built, the plans are very clearand you should have no trouble.""You will have to use a turning lathe and be a good welder to make the gear shownhere. You may also build the type of landing gear that is used on the 'AirCamper'. You will find that this is much easier to make and is quite strong enough.""While we are on the subject of the 'Air Camper' gear, we had better put on somesafety device to keep the ship from dropping to the ground if the shock cordbreaks, since it seems that everybody has trouble wrapping shock cord.""Here is the method we use! First cut a piece of leather to fit around the bottomof the landing gear vee and lace it on with lace leather. Now take 6 ft. of1/2 in. shock cord and have someone hold it about half way up on the outsideof the front landing gear strut. Take the other end and pass it under the landinggear vee. over the axle. under the vee on the inside of the first wrap, overthe axle on the outside of the first wrap and under the vee on the inside ofthe last wrap until you have three wraps pulled quite tight.""The cord should he just long enough to make a good square knot and to permit tapingof the ends. This method makes each wrap about the same 'length and youwill not have any trouble with your shock cord cutting. The landing gear shouldgive not over one inch with a full load in the ship, but neither should it beany tighter.""The tail skid comes next. This is of extremely simple construction. but it hasproved so efficient that we are now using it on all of the planes we build. Besure to put a small keel on the shoe or you will find your ship hard to steeron a windy day. This keel will also help to prevent the beginner from groundlooping."There aren't many airports left where tail skids are welcomed, so I suppose wemay regard this item as a mark of the past. But let's continue with the constructionnotes:"After you have your ship complete, that is, the motor in, tail group on, all controlsin. and are ready for the wing, make up your center struts like the drawings,all brace wires made, then get about four extra helpers, put the wingon the center struts and line up.""Next have someone hold up the ends of the wing so that it will have a little dihedral,and measure the length of the front flying struts, These should bothhe exactly the same length. When these are in place, do the same with the rearflying struts. Now make the flying or brace wires. Hook up the ailerons, safetyall turnbuckles and your ship should be ready to go."Simple enough for the ambitious mechanic. The completed airplane certainly wouldtake no beauty prize, but the designer's practical approach to the problem ofproviding an economical machine of simple construction was evident in everyline. Pietenpol had this to say about his "Sky Scout":"I believe this to be the safest light plane there is, and if this design is astart in that direction, it has all been well worth the time we have put intoit. But those of you who wish only to build so that they will have something tofly had better build it exactly as the plans, and you will be sure of havinga ship that is very easy to handle. It is cheap to run and will land and takeoff at a field where the average OX-5 job, or similar powered ship, would becompletely out of luck."[image: Here's the way Model T was mounted on the "Sky Scout".]The hey-day of the "Sky Scout" has long since passed, but once again small all-woodaircraft are being built and flown. Wilbur Smith's "Termite", described inthe January issue of SPORT AVIATION, is a fine example of what can be accomplishedtoday. The Druine Turbulent and Turbi, the Jodel "Bebe" and "Club" andmany others indicate what can be done with wood construction. Several others,notably a single-place folding wing craft that we will present soon, show thatdesigners are still seeking the simple. practical aircraft for just plain flying.There is no way of knowing how many "Sky Scouts" were built, but there is no denyingthe fact that the design work of F. H. Pietenpol, as exemplified by his"Air Camper" and "Sky Scout" homebuilts. has left his mark on today's design thinking,Certainly the simplicity of construction and the practical approach tothe design problems are goals that all homebuilts will always be seeking.SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PIETENPOL "SKY SCOUT"Top Speed..........62 mphCruising Speed.....55 mphLending Speed......35 mphTake-off Run.......150 ft.Landing Run........250 ft.Initial Climb.....200 fpmSpan..........27 ft. 3 in.Chord................5 ft.Length........16 ft. 3 in.=== [end]Read this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ______Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:26:50 -0500