Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Rich & Sil back on the deck in San Diego . Will try and post a few Sedona pics shortly .

RB

It was a grand time. Small gathering. But two new Thorp owners!
I think most folks preferred the VRBO BBQ format.
I made it home with all parts in one piece despite the moderate turbulence for 40 nm on I40 in western AZ.
Thanks to RB and Sil for once again hosting a superb fly in.
Cubes

Sedona 2022 is in the books. Six Thorps on the flight line and two families driving in. Weather was perfect with little or no wind. Fly-out Saturday to Grand Canyon. Company was outstanding highlighted by attendance of Thorp Ambassadors Howard and Elaine Ginn.

Having technical difficulties posting photos. Will post when worked out.

RB

ohhh, I want a report on how the nose wheel T18 handles on the ground! Nice pics.

The nose gear thorp is an S18 built my Mike Archer. The aircraft has undergone some transformation since taking ownership in the fall of 2018. Most significant change was the new panel that has a single Dynon Skyview system with ADS-B in and out. The fuel system and oil system were redone with new lines. The electrical system was rebuilt as well. The nose strut was removed and inspected as well as the strut socket that was removed and welded to reinforce the the structural integrity strut socket. During the rebuild of the nose strut, the nose gear was not tight enough, and on its return flight developed a shimmy that destroyed the matching painted nose gear fairing. After tightening to a proper torque, the shimmy was gone and I installed a new nose gear fairing as well as a strut fairing significantly reducing my overall drag. Many other small improvements were made along the way too numerous to mention.

The aircraft handles much like any tricycle gear aircraft, in that turns are initiated with the brake, and as the turn develops, opposite brake straightens out the nose wheel and tracks in the new direction. Down the runway on takeoff roll, very little adjustment is required as it tracks straight during acceleration to liftoff.

The aircraft is powered with an IO360, and constant speed prop. It accelerates quickly after takeoff to 100 knots and climbs out with an impressive climb rate. At cruise, i see right around 160KTAS, while drinking 7.5 gph. Overall, the aircraft handles much like other Thorps I’ve ridden in and ground operations are probably less tasking than a tail wheel configured Thorp.

Hey All,

Texas and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone together in Sedona. Weather was great, off-property airbnb was very comfortable and convenient, the SEZ staff was very accommodating, and the group, although smaller than normal, was a blast to be around.

Rich, thanks for the great pics! Scooter.... who wrote your nose-dragging review . I'm glad 102PM is flying well. Oh, Texas appreciated you allowing me to use your hi-tech tooling to affect a proper fix on my fuel smell Code 2. Code 1 all the way home.

Besides me having to beat the crap out of a fuel pump at Clovis Regional to get it to work, our hops back to KLNC (Lancaster, TX) was uneventful.

Cubes... Texas likes the David Clark headsets better than the Bose ProFlight 2s.... you owe me $849.99 + the cost of me sending them back!!! ...kidding

To the rest of the group, thank you all for the great time we had. We love the location but are not averse to trying something different. You guys are the corporate knowledge and I trust your lead...

Heat & Texas

_________________
Paul "Heat" Baxter
N8JB