FLYINGTHE

EVANSVP-1By J. W. "Bill"Beatty

(EAA 55169)

3932 Kenosha AvenueSan Diego, California

FROM THE FLOW of corre-spondence arriving in San Diego

recently, it seems that considerableVolksplane flying is about to begin.Dozens of airplanes are being built andat least three new Volksplanes areknown to have already flown. ChrisJohnson from Akron, Ohio was thefirst in the air with a flight on June 4,1970. Paul Cochran flew his Volks-plane two weeks later from the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado, provingnot only that the airplane can be builtin nine months but that Volksplaningneed not be limited to sea-level air-ports. Shortly after the Oshkosh Fly-in, Dick Hodgkins, skipper of theVolksplane Squadron, flew his airplanefrom his headquarters in Austin,Texas.

Dick's group now has over 400members, and he reports in his news-letter that a good many airplanes arein work. Homebuilders from 23countries are constructing the littleairplane, and that is quite a responsefor an airplane first offered to buildersin April, 1969. Since so many projectsare now in the construction phase andapproaching completion, we thought itmight be timely to report on some ofthe flight experience we have had withthe prototype Volksplane, the EvansVP-1. We have been flying it for over

30 APRIL 1971

two years now, and it has provided uswith a tale or two worth telling.

Nine pilots have flown the airplanefor over 250 hours with most of theflying done by Bud Evans, CharlieAckerman (Volksplane engine expert),Walt Mooney (first Volksplane pilot),and myself. Walt flew the airplane forthe first time on September 6, 1968from the Ramona, California airport.After initial flight-testing by Walt, andsome minor modifications by Bud, the"production" version of the Volks-plane evolved, and a rather extensiveflight evaluation program was begun.In a nutshell, we found that theairplane can fly to over 10,000 ft.,cruise at air speeds up to 95 mph, landat 50 mph, climb at 500 fpm, flycross-country legs of 200 miles, andoperate from any reasonably flat fieldthat is 1000 - 1500 ft. long.

It is easy to fly, it has goodinherent stability, and it controls witha solid steady feel. The large fullyflying tail surfaces provide an abun-dance of pitch and yaw control, andthe ailerons provide ample roll control.During evaluation testing the airplanewas flown at gross weights up to 750lbs. with both the 1200-cc. and1500-cc. engines turning 54 x 24,54 x-30, 54 x 32, and 54 x 36 propel-lers. As might be expected with fouraero engineers keeping book on thelittle airplane, a lot of flight data wasacquired covering all facets of per-formance, flight characteristics, andmaneuverability. For anyone inter-ested in more detail on this subject,the flight data and the procedures

developed for operating the airplanehave been condensed into the form ofa pilot's handbook.

Along with the "work" of meas-uring the VP-1 as an airplane, there hasbeen the delightful need for showing itabout at various air shows. Here iswhere the Volksplane's true characterseems to emerge much more clearlythan in a lot of statistics. We nowknow, for instance, that the VP-1attracts a lot of attention wherever itlands, but until its debut at the 1969Rockford Fly-in it was simply theculmination of three years of hardwork guided by a conviction thathomebuilders would accept a smallairplane designed for the utmost inconstruction simplicity. The interestshown in the airplane at Rockford wastremendous, and this response was tobe a pretty good barometer of whatwas to come in the months ahead.

The Volksplane's next big eventcame a month later on Labor Day,1969 at Southern California's OrangeCounty Air Show. After our arrival atthe Orange County Raceway, a dragstrip serving as an airport for the day,the crowd soon started to gatheraround the airplane. Because of theinterest shown in the VP-1, we wereinvited to fly a hop to demonstrate itsprowess in the air. It was a little laterthat we learned our spot was betweenacts by Art Scholl and Mira Slovak.These men are two of the finestaerobatic pilots in the world, and theiracts were the highlight of the air show.Being asked to fill a spot between

Author Bill Beatty is seated comfortably in the VP-1 prototype. With prior timein Navy training and combat types, he finds the VP-1 tops them all for pure"fun" flying.

Scholl's hammerheads and Slovak'slomchevaks places a strain on a Sundaypilot that can only be described asshattering. However, this was a greatopportunity to show the Volksplaneand one not about to be refused.

As flight time approached, I canrecall looking down the narrow dragstrip and noticing how the crowdedgrandstands on either side seemed toshrink it in width. Then looking re-spectfully up to the flag of ourcountry, whipping gayly in the wind90 degrees to the runway, I would liketo think it was the sight of "OldGlory" that choked me up but I'mafraid it was the direction she waspointing. However, with the winda-blowing and thousands of peoplewatching, that big vertical tail of theVolksplane did the job as we wentzipping down the runway with a littlerudder kicking along the way to keepit from joining the crowd. What ourroutine lacked in the spectacular weseemed to gain in crowd associationbecause here was an airplane and aroutine that every pilot in the standscould see himself flying. A couple ofsteep wing-overs showed how well theVolksplane turns and maneuvers and alanding approach over a 75-ft. runwayobstruction showed how the airplanecan be landed short should the needarise. We seemed to make a lot offriends that day, and we hope to seesome of them soon flying their ownairplanes.

Not long after the Orange CountyAir Show we set a speed record forVolksplanes that as yet remains un-challenged — 195 mph! This is a ratherremarkable speed for an open-cockpitairplane powered with 53 hp and itcould only be accomplished with aconsiderable assist from the elements.The event started with take-off fromthe Volksplane's home base atRamona on a beautifully warm butwindy day. Our mission was to fly eastabout 40 miles across San Diego'scoastal mountains to investigate re-ports of high winds blowing throughthe inland desert. Several friends hadchosen this particular weekend to taketheir campers and trail bikes out ex-ploring, and it seemed an appropriatetime to pay them a friendly visit incase they were being buried in sand.The wind at take-off was 25 mph outof the east, a condition that is a bitunusual in Southern California. Ourprevailing wind is from the west. Whenour usually stationary Pacific Highwanders a bit, we get a circulationreversal that brings our wind from thedesert. This gives us what we call aSanta Ana or "devil wind," a condi-tion of dry, easterly winds of fairlyhigh velocity. During the fall andwinter months this condition candevelop rather suddenly and, with all

Loading up with "regular' in the middle of the Borrego Desert, this dry lakebed — Ocotillo Wells — is one of the gas stops regularly made with the VP-1.All the facility that is needed is 1,000 ft. of landing strip and a nearby auto-mobile gas station.

Bud Evans and his VP-1 just before sliding in and takinga ride. Behind the "Volksplane" is a TBM water bomber.

The Evans VP-1 over the Laguna Mountains at an altitude of 10,140 ft., aboutthe service ceiling for the airplane operating with a 1500-cc. engine at a grossweight of 725 Ibs.

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EVANS VP-1(Continued from preceding page)due respect for the U. S. WeatherService, sometimes unannounced.Such was the case on this weekend.

After departing the airport, Iclimbed on an easterly heading plan-ning to level off at 8000 ft., a com-fortable altitude for crossing the5000-ft. mountains. Holding at 65mph, our usual climb air speed, pro-gress over the ground seemed a littleslow but not unexpected in the pre-vailing wind conditions. Enjoying ascene that included the Pacific Oceanto the west, the Palomar Observatoryand San Jacinto Mountains to thenorth, the Laguna Mountains andMexico to the south, and a peek overthe Vallecito Mountains ahead to thedesert and the Salton Sea, I was lessthan diligent in monitoring the flight'sprogress and, after a time, was a bitsurprised to find 30 minutes hadelapsed and I had not yet covered the15 miles to the mountain crestline. Acheck showed the ground speed waspractically nil, and as I slowly ap-proached the crestline town of Julianit reduced to zero. With an indicatedair speed of 75 mph I had flown into a75-mph h e a d w i n d and I wasmaintaining a stationary position overthe ground. Because of the local to-pography, however, I was in a leewardflow spilling over the mountain crestthat produced a fairly steady down-draft. I soon found that with fullpower and holding 75 mph indicated Icould maintain my position but withan altitude loss of about 100 ft./min.Increasing the air speed provided someprogress over the ground, but thedescent rate increased and altitude wasrapidly becoming a precious com-modity. Although hovered flight wasfascinating, because of the steadilydecreasing altitude it became apparentI was soon to make the first VTOLlanding on Julian's main street unless Imade the traditional 180 and got the

Joseph L. Zaremba (EAA 54860) of 1391 W. Pulaski St., Riverhead, N.Y., hascompleted the rudder, fuselage, and engine conversion for his Volksplane, andhe has approval to cover. A fiberglas fairing extending to the rudder, and pos-sibly a canopy, will be installed.

This view of the Palomar Observatory illustrates the Volksplane'* good down-ward visibility for a low-wing airplane. The cockpit is well forward and pro-vides the pilot with a good look in front of the wing.

Flown for the first time in February was this Volksplane, N-10VP, built by G. Michael Even (EAA 52512) of 912 Shore-wood Court, Lake of the Woods Estates, Dunlap, III. The engine is a 40 hp conversion out of a 1964 Volkswagen. Thecraft is painted Daytona white and has a black German cross over a red fuselage band. While it appears to follow theplans in every respect, it does not have the turnover bar around the windshield.

32 APRIL 1971

blazes out of there. As I turned andstarted down the leeward slope withthe throttle open and holding redline(120 mph), the Volksplane moved outlike a screaming banshee. The 120mph indicated plus 75 mph of windageadded up to a ground speed of 195mph and, at 1500 ft. over the tree topsin an open cockpit, the ride was prettyspectacular. The 15.5 mile distanceback to Ramona and calmer winds wascovered in six minutes flat for anaverage ground speed of 155 mph.Although the original flight plan forthe day had been altered by naturefrom a routine visit to the desert, ithad become a good check-out of theVolksplane in heavy wind and, in someareas, strong turbulence. The airplanecontrolled well throughout the flightand showed no signs of wear from theexperience.

We had a chance to try the VP-1out on cross-country flying in Febru-ary, 1970 when Bud was invited toshow his airplane at the Tucson, Ari-zona Annual Winter Fly-in at MaranaAir Park. This was an extremely wellorganized and well conducted fly-in,and Tucson in February is highlyrecommended to all sport pilots withinrange. Weather conditions for thewhole trip were clear, warm, andsmooth. The route covered 350 mileseach way and the total flight time was9.5 hrs. Corrected for wind and flightdelays, these figures show we cruisedat 75 mph true air speed with a fuelconsumption of 2.7 gph. We usedautomobile regular and aviation grades80/87 and 100/130 for fuel with nonoticeable variation in consumption orengine performance. These fuels hadall been used before on local flighttests, but this was our first oppor-

tunity to evaluate them on full-duration cross-country flights.

The Volksplane proved to be adelightful cross-country airplane. Theunobstructed visibility from the cock-pit provides a clear view of the passinglandscape and the openness of thecockpit makes the ride very refreshing.There is no problem with drowsinesswhile flying the Volksplane that is socommon in flying closed-cabin air-planes.

The flight to Tucson and back was,in general, pretty routine. It was madewithout the use of a radio but with theassistance of Flight Service and VFRflight plans. Our longest leg was on thereturn flight when we flew from GilaBend, Arizona to Brawley, California,a distance of 160 miles, in two hours.Our longest time in the air occurred onthe outbound leg to Yuma, Arizonabecause of a slight problem develop-ing. Two hours after departingRamona with Flight Service's bestwishes for a happy trip, we arrived atYuma only to find our destination —Marsh Field — had been plowed underto make room for a freeway. Thiscame as quite a shock since there hadbeen no indication of the field's clos-ing in the flight-advisory literature andFlight Service had even quoted a sur-face wind for Marsh prior to departurefrom Ramona. Establishing that thefield was in the process of becoming afreeway without the benefit of radiotook a few minutes as did proceedingto an alternate, Somerton, an uncon-trolled field a few miles south ofYuma. With the assistance of twofriendly and curious cropdusterswhose airplanes were being loaded, weclosed out with Flight service and

obtained permission to land at theMarine-controlled Yuma International.By the time we arrived at our tie-downfor the night we logged 2.7 hours. Thiswas our longest flight on the 1500-cc.engine, and with a fuel capacity of 8.0gals, this is about as long as theairplane should be flown. In additionto a good endurance figure for theairplane, this flight also taught us thatAIM's and NOTAM's apparently covermaintenance and changes to an airportbut not the complete destruction ofone.

As one can see, we have kept theVP-1 pretty busy for the past twoyears and we have had a lot of fundoing it. Bud Evans began work in1966 to design a safe, economicalairplane that was easy to build and tofly. Flight experience with the VP-1has proven that he did a fine job.

This article would be incompletewithout acknowledging the excellentengineering job Bud did in designingan airplane that brings a new versionof simplicity into sport aviation andopens flying to many who previouslyfound it too complicated or costly.The Volksplane plans reflect his 30years of aircraft-design experience.

One aspect of the Volksplane thathas surely exceeded Bud's fondestwish for his airplane is the magnificentfun of flying it. Cruising about in theopen above your wings in a littleairplane you seem to be wearing is anexperience that has to be tried to beappreciated. Here is an airplane thatcan provide, for all who wish to try, atruly sport brand of flying.(NOTE: Flying the EVANS VP maybe purchased from J. W. Beatty of3932 Kenosha Avenue in San Diego,California 92117; price $3.50 pp.)

BOOK REVIEWBy L. Paul Soucy

CONQUEST OF LINES AND SYMMETRY

Duane Cole has again produced an excellent book onthe art of aerobatics. Appropriately titled "CONQUEST OFLINES AND SYMMETRY," it is a perfect sequel to"ROLL ROUND A POINT," the book from which my sonGene, National Aerobatic Champion, developed his interestand learned the basic maneuvers of aerobatic flight.

Written in two parts — basic and advanced — it is themost comprehensive book I have seen on the subject ofaerobatics. Indeed, it is the only book to date that unveilsthe mysteries of vertical and out side maneuvers.

With the idea in mind that every reader is a potentialaerobatic flight instructor, Duane breaks down each maneu-ver into the most minute detail. Yet, with the mostcomplex maneuvers, he does this in a descriptive mannerthat anyone can understand. The innovation of showing

various errors and the resultant improper execution will bean invaluable aid to the future aerobat in his attempt toanalyze poorly done maneuvers.

Like Duane's previous books, "CONQUEST OF LINESAND SYMMETRY" is highlighted by personal experiencesand, like his other publications, this one stresses safety. Bypointing out the inadequacies of modern flight training andexposing the dangers of unusual attitudes to the inade-quately trained pilot, he has made the book valuablereading to everyone who flies.

Published by Ken Cook Transnational, "CONQUESTOF LINES AND SYMMETRY" sells for $5.50 at aviationbook stores. Add $0.25 for handling when ordering directfrom Duane Cole at 201 Lester Street, Burleson,Texas 76028.

EDITOR'S NOTE: EAA Headquarters has received manyfine comments on the value of Duane Cole's book in thebetter understanding of precision flying.

SPORT AVIATION 33