Hey Todd,

You will have a great time with that Yankee. I had a 72 AA1B for a few years, it was a lot of fun. Jim Bede is actually moving down to Fort Pierce to begin an experimental builder assist facility. The BD1 was what became the Grumman Yankee. They are working on the BD18, which is a derivative of the original design, right down to the tubular spar and honeycomb aluminum design. www.bedecorp.com

Mark

How do you work the rudders with those big floppy shoes ????????

Needs a red spinner

I'm in the minority - I like the blue. Way more.

Nice, I haven't flown the Yankee but have time in and I really like the AA5.

Todd, You are my Hero.
Clown 2 must be the Glasair III that you were lusting after! I am a few months behind you on a Clown 2 purchase. Let me know if you have any regrets. Can't decide if I can keep the A36TN when Clown 2 appears.

My Daughters Tiger AG5B is a great little airplane to learn to fly in. Its a slippery rascal and speed control is a must. In fact, I would think learning to fly in a Tiger would be better training for a Bo.

How many people fit in a clown plane?

Just like the circus, as many as you can jam into one.

Ok, here is the unbiased skinny on the Glasair III. First, it looks like a toy. It just doesn't look big enough to fly. The wing is crazy short. Next, getting into it is a little tough. It sits high off the ground. Easiest way in is to sit on the front of the wing and crawl in.

Surprisingly, the interior width is fine and the seating is naturally comfortable. Visibility is excellent except for forward. The windshield is very low. I need to build up the seat a bit to see out the front better. The baggage compartment is adequate for two people and bags for a week.

Now, for the flying. This plane has about the same takeoff characteristics as the Duke. It is very slow to climb until the gear is up and the airspeed is 120 knots. Once you have those the plane will climb 3k per minute. Until then it is a slug. The controls are very light and only pressure is needed to control the plane. The feel is very good. The longer wing tips I will be installing will help for take off and higher altitude operations.

Pointing the nose down even slightly builds speed quickly and loses altitude even faster. It is very easy to put this plane into a 4k per minute descent with little control input. The yellow arc does not begin until 240 knots and redline is 300 knots. You cannot break this airframe. You can walk on the wing all the way to the tip if you like.

You need to carry power on the landing. This plane comes down very quickly with the gear and flaps down.

Overall, it will be a great traveling machine. We averaged 215 knots at 8500 ft using wot/2500 and 14 GPH . With Gamis and the longer wings I think 215 knots on 13 GPH at 11k will be doable easily.

I made the deal, so now they have to build the tips and have it painted. Probably be July. Lots of fun.

You'd make a terrible criminal!!

Sounds like a fun plane.

Enjoy!!

Great report. You should PM that Info to Todd

My account is not working for some reason, so I am posting with Brads. He has the Vtail you see pictured.