| This aircraft was flown on 26 flights from
May 1981 to July 1982 by Arthur M. Simpson and Harold B. Simpson
of Hoopeston, Illinois. It was hangared at the Crow Airport
in Milford, Illinois. The Simpsons report that the Eagle
was a pleasure to fly in low wind conditions and had superb
short take-off and landing capabilities. The aircraft could
hover or even fly backwards in the right wind conditions.
Although the service ceiling of the aircraft was 10,000 feet,
the Simpsons' highest flight was to just over 3,000 feet.
The typical take-off roll was 90 feet, but the shortest they
ever experienced was a mere 5 feet! The rate of climb was
450 feet per minute, the sink rate was 325 feet per minute,
and the glide ratio was 7 to 1. The landing roll-out was normally
70 feet.
The flight surfaces of the aircraft are made from 4 ounce
stabilized Dacron, while the cabling is stainless steel. All
tubing is 6061 T6 anodized, while the bolts throughout are
AN 5-8.
The two Talon engines were slaved to a single drive shaft
through two centrifugal clutches. The drive system could operate
on either engine, since the clutches disengaged in the event
of a power loss in either engine. Thrust was produced by a
54" propeller. Fuel capacity was just under 3 gallons. |