Carlson Skycycle

The Carlson Skycycle is an American, single-seat, low-wing, single-engine, homebuilt aircraft that was originally designed by A. Hanford Eckman in 1945 and re-designed as a replica by Ernst W. Carlson and produced by Carlson Aircraft of East Palestine, Ohio in kit form. The prototype was completed in 1995.[1][2][3][4][5]

Carlson Skycycle
Role Homebuilt aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Carlson Aircraft
Designer A. Hanford Eckman and Ernst W. Carlson
Introduction 1995
Status Out of production
Number built 1
Developed from Piper PA-8 Skycycle

The Carlson Skycycle is a full-size replica of the Piper PA-8 Skycycle and the prototype was donated to the Piper Aviation Museum[1] when no orders for the aircraft were forthcoming.

Design and development

Carlson Skycycle was conceived by designer Ernst W. Carlson as a tribute to the original design of A. Hanford Eckman. The original PA-8 was intended to have been one of Piper Aircraft's post-World War II aircraft models, but only the prototype was built and it did not enter production. Nevertheless, the PA-8 offered very good performance, cruising at 100 mph (161 km/h) on just 55 hp (41 kW).[1]

Carlson set out to build his replica as closely as possible to the original, working from the only surviving documents, some sketches, a few photographs and one three-view drawing. The original materials were not duplicated and the Carlson model is built with a fiberglass fuselage over a welded steel frame, with a 2024-T3 aluminium tail cone, supported by internal bulkheads. The aircraft has a Plexiglas canopy. The original PA-8's engine was specified, a Lycoming O-145 of 55 hp (41 kW).[1][2][3][4]

Carlson's plan in recreating the Skycycle was to offer kits for sale, but the design requires factory assistance and special tooling to complete and no kits beyond the prototype were completed. Construction time from the kit was intended to be 800 hours.[1][2][3][4]

Specifications (Skycycle)

Data from Kitplanes[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Length: 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
  • Wingspan: 20 ft 0 in (6.10 m)
  • Height: 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
  • Wing area: 95 sq ft (8.8 m2)
  • Empty weight: 500 lb (227 kg)
  • Gross weight: 800 lb (363 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 10 US gallons (38 litres)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-145 , 55 hp (41 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed pitch

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 139 mph (224 km/h, 121 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)
  • Stall speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn)
  • Range: 250 mi (400 km, 220 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 13,000 ft (4,000 m)
  • Rate of climb: 875 ft/min (4.45 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 8.4 lb/sq ft (41 kg/m2)

See also

Aircraft with the same name:

Related development

References
  1. Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 162-164. BAI Communications. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  2. Downey, Julia: 1999 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 42. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  3. Downey, Julia: 2001 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 39. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851
  4. Downey, Julia: 2002 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, pages 30. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851
  5. Federal Aviation Administration (January 2011). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Retrieved 18 January 2011.
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