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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 07 Aug 2017, 12:21 
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I suggest that before you invest $0.10 in the process, call an insurance agent to see if you can actually be insured in the thing. You may get 90% to buying it and find out the insurance is either unobtainable for you or so costly as to make it cheaper to buy a personal 747.

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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 07 Aug 2017, 14:53 
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Username Protected wrote:
I suggest that before you invest $0.10 in the process, call an insurance agent to see if you can actually be insured in the thing. You may get 90% to buying it and find out the insurance is either unobtainable for you or so costly as to make it cheaper to buy a personal 747.


What makes you think the insurance would be high?
Experimental?
PT6?

Not shopping for a plane, but man, that's a low entry price for burning jet fuel.
And the speed and performance must be spectacular compared to what I am used to....
Also the appeal of experimental avionics prices is high....

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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 07 Aug 2017, 16:13 
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^^^^^Me too.

I looked at a couple of Wheeler Expresses a few years back. Really liked them, but they both were "projects" and didn't really want to invest the time & effort. Now THIS one, WOW, may be another story!

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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 07 Aug 2017, 16:33 
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Joined: 11/23/12
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When I saw the title of this thread - I thought Sean is trying to start a thread that runs more pages than the Cirrus SF50 thread. That plane looks sleek. I can see you in it. I haven't studied up is it pressurized or do you have to hit the nose tubes?

Good luck my friend. I'm sure APR could get you a tuner, cold air intake, and exhaust system to max rate that PT6 - experimental after all.

Peace,
Don


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 07 Aug 2017, 20:50 
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Company: Revolutionary Realty
Location: Coeurdalene, ID (KCOE)
Aircraft: 1954 Bonanza E35
If I remember right, at the time insurance was going to cost me about $200 a year more than I paid on my K-59.

I know it wasn't insane, the insane part was me thinking "I can build it".....takes a LONG (OMG) time; a ton of hours; to get it right, and it's for others, I'm not cut out for it.

The Express is a VERY sleek & clean airframe. I did dirty mine up a little, though, I installed directional lights in the horizontal stabs looking up at the rudder....& a "Walsh" family crest all lit up like a Delta 747....I thought of that plane as my own personal airliner... :pilot:

AH, yes, and the wing on the RG 2000 is not the same as the original Express planes; it was an improvement in both regimes, slow & fast, and they had air tunnel docs to prove it.

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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2022, 20:14 
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Anthony C from Aeromania, a pilots pilot with a huge amount of experience got killed in one last May in an apparent fire after takeoff.

These things look like a death trap to me.


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2022, 21:24 
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Anthony C from Aeromania, a pilots pilot with a huge amount of experience got killed in one last May in an apparent fire after takeoff.

These things look like a death trap to me.


Wasn’t that a one-off or nearly one-off turbine variant?


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 18 Jun 2022, 22:37 
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I’m not sure what a conforming EDI express 2000 RG turbine looks like but this thing looks like it’s pretty much boiler plate express 2000. PT6A-20.
https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/13545 ... ess-2000rg


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 19 Jun 2022, 00:06 
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I’m not sure what a conforming EDI express 2000 RG turbine looks like but this thing looks like it’s pretty much boiler plate express 2000. PT6A-20.https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/13545...
Every search for a turbine Express RG always turns up only this one plane, now crashed with fewer than 100 hours TT.


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 21 Jun 2022, 19:27 
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Quote:
These things look like a death trap to me.

None of the Express Aircraft were "death traps" any more than a Vans or Lancair are.

The only turbine that flew was flown by Larry Olson, and he passed away in it when the engine (PT-6) failed over a fuel issue. The rest of the Express Fleet was well behaved with a good record, Express was ahead of it's time in many respects, none the least of which ws the excellent low speed handling capabilities, which is why I bought & built & Express RG 2000 (Deathtrap"?) instead of a Lancair.

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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 21 Jun 2022, 22:34 
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Wasn’t there a problem with the tail that was remedied on later models? I came close to offering on one for sale about a year ago that had been upgraded with a nice garmin panel but it sold while I was investigating (and busy with work). Not a death trap in the original form but definitely could present a nasty gotcha if I recall correctly.


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 21 Jun 2022, 23:46 
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Username Protected wrote:
The only turbine that flew was flown by Larry Olson
That is not correct, there were at least 2 turbine Express aircraft. Larry died in N512EA S/N 001 in 2003, and the one that crashed this year was N44508 S/N 0101RG. The only two known examples both fatally crashed, a 100% fatal crash rate, but "not a death trap". OK, fine, whatever.


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 22 Jun 2022, 12:45 
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I imagine Ken Wheeler would shudder to see his original design turned into a turbine. He never designed it for that much power and I believe he was a fairly conservative engineer. The original Express was elegant, big wing, big cabin, and very efficient.

It reminds me of the difference between a Lancair Evolution and the original IV with a turbine strapped to the front.

The original Wheeler Express had a cruciform tail. I liked the look of it. However, the factory demonstrator crashed on the way to Oshkosh in the early 90s. Killed the demo pilot (not Ken) and whomever else was onboard. I don't remember all of the specifics, but it was over WY (on the from Gig Harbor to OSH). I think they were doing acro at the time. The company never seemed to recover. Ken was a remarkably pleasant person.

I don't know if it was related, but shortly thereafter they switched to the lower horizontal stab.

Zeke


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 22 Jun 2022, 15:46 
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I remember this kit well. It was one of the first that organized the parts and instructions to make it easier for the builder to get going. I loved the look of the airplane and even put a deposit on one. I backed out due to personal reasons and received a full refund. A few weeks later they went bankrupt. Is Ken Wheeler still around?


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 Post subject: Re: Express 2000 RG
PostPosted: 22 Jun 2022, 16:05 
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I actually flew the turbine Express probably 5 years ago. I am trying to remember details, pretty sure it had a PT6-20 in it, and wasn't overly fast but burned ALOT of gas. The old PT6's didn't have the new efficient burner cans. If I remember correctly it was only about a 210kt airframe. At the time I owned a 2000, and was probably the only current CFI with Express time, so I got to fly a few different airframes. Every express I flew, was fairly benign, honest and easy to fly. It is a great airframe, just un-supported and probably un-insurable at this point.

This one flew nice, stalled straight, etc. Other than the inefficiencies I don't remember anything overly dangerous or "death trap" about it.


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