Radioflyer
Well Known Member
I recently had the pleasure of meeting a VAF member who goes by the handle "hgerhardt", name omitted to protect the innocent ;-). Since I was in the area, I had asked to check out his RV6. His plane has to be one of the more spectacular builds in the fleet and sightseeing over Catalina Island and the stacked-up shipping fleet in the bay was a treat. However, what surprised me the most was that we flew in air conditioned comfort...in the tiny RV6.
The AC was turned on for about an hour from first engine start, taxi, takeoff, low altitude cruise, landing, and shutdown back at the hangar. I forget what the OAT was, but under the bubble canopy it would normally have been at least in the mid 80's F. In the cockpit, it was about 65F. After we landed and got out of the plane I noticed a wet spot on the ground and for a moment I was a bit concerned thinking it was fuel dripping. I had to be reminded it was AC water condensate just like you find on the ground under a car with air conditioner running. Upon request, the plane's top cowl was effortlessly removed to show me the components of the AC system. The components were less cumbersome than I expected, mechanically beautiful, and looking like a well-versed factory installation.
There seems to be nothing kludgy about the setup or its development. The system has been tested on an "iron bird" for many hours and in his plane for quite some time now. I was shocked that it only added 24 pounds to his basic empty weight. I later learned that it is capable of about 16,000 BTU of heat extraction, draws only about 2 hp from the engine, and doesn't noticeably impact overall performance or fuel.
Live and learn! Until that flight, I had thought that an AC system would have been a stupid, expensive, unacceptable weight/performance drag in our little two seaters. The system is called called "PlaneKool". Apparently, there has been mention of this in much earlier postings, but this was my first knowledge of it. As a retired engineer, he's not sure he wants to get back in business, but I for one can applaud his contribution to experimental aviation.
The AC was turned on for about an hour from first engine start, taxi, takeoff, low altitude cruise, landing, and shutdown back at the hangar. I forget what the OAT was, but under the bubble canopy it would normally have been at least in the mid 80's F. In the cockpit, it was about 65F. After we landed and got out of the plane I noticed a wet spot on the ground and for a moment I was a bit concerned thinking it was fuel dripping. I had to be reminded it was AC water condensate just like you find on the ground under a car with air conditioner running. Upon request, the plane's top cowl was effortlessly removed to show me the components of the AC system. The components were less cumbersome than I expected, mechanically beautiful, and looking like a well-versed factory installation.
There seems to be nothing kludgy about the setup or its development. The system has been tested on an "iron bird" for many hours and in his plane for quite some time now. I was shocked that it only added 24 pounds to his basic empty weight. I later learned that it is capable of about 16,000 BTU of heat extraction, draws only about 2 hp from the engine, and doesn't noticeably impact overall performance or fuel.
Live and learn! Until that flight, I had thought that an AC system would have been a stupid, expensive, unacceptable weight/performance drag in our little two seaters. The system is called called "PlaneKool". Apparently, there has been mention of this in much earlier postings, but this was my first knowledge of it. As a retired engineer, he's not sure he wants to get back in business, but I for one can applaud his contribution to experimental aviation.