tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58737375224521181192024-02-08T02:54:35.605-08:00The ClipwingAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873737522452118119.post-76615670351344754432012-05-17T12:26:00.002-07:002012-05-17T12:26:25.365-07:00Clipwing Monocoupe - Plans Available!Plans for the Clipwing are now available! Original factory plans (NOT Aviat!) are available on CD for $100...they're PDF, and print to full-size on any large-format printer,<br />
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Go to <a href="http://www.clipwing.com/">www.clipwing.com</a> for details, or email me at <a href="mailto:clipwingdude@gmail.com">clipwingdude@gmail.com</a>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873737522452118119.post-73839718545710967632011-08-05T21:15:00.000-07:002011-08-05T21:59:43.857-07:00Clipwing Monocoupe Kits - Here Now!Well...someone has to do it.<br /><br />The Clipwing Monocoupe is one of the iconic designs of the 1930s...and today dozens of pilots want one, but the few that are in existence rarely change hands.<br /><br />Time to change that...sort of. The folks who own the originals deserve their nearly-unique airplanes, and therefore we would like to introduce...<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Clipwing</span></span>.<br /><br />Based on the original 1930 and 1941 plans (there is no Aviat in The Clipwing), it'll look like a Clipwing Monocoupe in almost every way, but some detail changes will ensure that The Clipwing will be identified as a separate design. The changes are...<br /><ul><li>redesigned empennage - the original fin was welded to the stabilizer, which is pretty impractical during the construction process. The Clipwing will have revert to a more conventional (albeit slightly heavier) construction</li><li>strap rudder and elevator hinges, and changed rudder hinge line</li><li>bearings or good bushings wherever possible in the control system<br /></li><li>flat engine</li></ul>That's about it. Otherwise...same airfoil, same one-piece wing, same narrow fuselage (with lousy visibility), same vicious ground handling.<br /><br />You may ask...why not make more changes? Once it's no longer a Clipwing Monocoupe, why not a really modernized design? It's pretty simple...the original design got a lot of things right. The one-piece wing is lighter and far easier to build, for instance...and the narrow fuselage reduces wetted area and puts more of the prop disc area 'outside' the structure, improving performance.<br /><br />The Clipwing will fly just like a Clipwing Coupe. Controls should be a little bit smoother (not lighter).<br /><br />We will be offering kits and components that will allow anyone (well, not just <span style="font-style: italic;">anyone</span>) to build their very own Clipwing. You'll be able to buy anything from plans all they way up to a complete kit of major components.<br /><br />This will not be a full kit, in the sense of an RV or a Lancair. There will be a lot of detail work that will keep The Clipwing well shy of the 51% rule. If you buy everything you'll still have to outfit the cockpit to your taste, build fairings and formers to taste, and cover the thing.<br /><br />Yes, we'll offer a cowling. But you'll have to build baffling.<br /><br />The Clipwing is intended for the experienced builder, and we'll keep it that way. We're targeting people who've built a couple of RVs or glass-builts, and want a change.<br /><br />It'll also be limited-availability. Two or three kits per year.<br /><br />Prices will be posted on this blog as time goes on. Eventually we will have a dedicated website...www.clipwing.com.<br /><br />Okay, so maybe you like the idea, but a 38-in cabin and a one-piece wing really bother you. We';re listening. After the Clipwing is on-stream, we will introduce <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hayate</span></span>. <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hayate</span></span> will have a two-piece wing, an M14P, taller gear, and a 40-in wide cockpit (the extra 2-in really do make a difference). All hanging from the same 23-ft wingspan. It'll be wilder, louder, and blinder. It's also not available just yet, in any form.<br /><br />If you'd still like a bit more...then wait for <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shoki</span></span>. If you ever looked at a Clipwing Monocoupe and wondered why no one ever hung a 450 Pratt on one, well, this will be your chance to find out. <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shoki</span></span> will have an even wider cabin (44-in), taller and wider landing gear, a great big round engine...and, yes, that same (strengthened) 23-ft span.<br /><br />So, here it is, The Clipwing. Not a Clipwing Monocoupe, but, we hope, the next best thing.Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.com0