The Culp Special is an American aerobatic homebuilt aircraft designed and produced by Culp's Specialties of Shreveport, Louisiana. The aircraft is supplied as a kit or in the form of plans for amateur construction.[1]
| Special | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Homebuilt aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Culp's Specialties |
| Status | In production (2013) |
| Number built | at least six |
Design and development
editThe Culp Special is intended to resemble an aircraft of the 1930s. It features a wire and strut-braced biplane layout, a two-seats-in-tandem open cockpit with dual windshields, fixed conventional landing gear with wheel pants, and a single engine in tractor configuration.[1]
The aircraft is made from welded steel tubing and wood, all covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its 24.00 ft (7.3 m) span wing has a wing area of 161 sq ft (15.0 m2). The standard engine used is the Russian 360 hp (268 kW) Vedeneyev M14P nine cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke radial engine.[1][2]
The Culp Special has a typical empty weight of 1,480 lb (670 kg) and a gross weight of 2,100 lb (950 kg), giving a useful load of 620 lb (280 kg). With full fuel of 70 U.S. gallons (260 L; 58 imp gal) the payload for pilot, passengers, and baggage is 200 lb (91 kg).[1]
The manufacturer estimates the construction time from the supplied kit as 2500 hours.[1]
Operational history
editBy 1998 the company reported that one aircraft was flying.[1]
In December 2016, three examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration and one in Canada with Transport Canada.[3][4]
Specifications (Culp Special)
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Data from AeroCrafter and Culp's Specialties[1][2]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Capacity: one passenger
- Length: 21 ft 0 in (6.40 m)
- Wingspan: 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m)
- Wing area: 161 sq ft (15.0 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,480 lb (671 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,100 lb (953 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 70 U.S. gallons (260 L; 58 imp gal)
- Powerplant: 1 × Vedeneyev M14P nine cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke radial engine, 360 hp (270 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed constant speed propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 220 mph (350 km/h, 190 kn)
- Cruise speed: 150 mph (240 km/h, 130 kn)
- Stall speed: 70 mph (110 km/h, 61 kn)
- Range: 600 mi (970 km, 520 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,700 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,500 ft/min (18 m/s)
- Wing loading: 13.0 lb/sq ft (63 kg/m2)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 144. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
- ^ a b Culp's Specialties. "Aircraft Specifications". Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ Federal Aviation Administration (December 3, 2016). "Make / Model Inquiry Results - Culp Special". Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ Transport Canada (December 3, 2016). "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register". Retrieved December 3, 2016.
External links
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