Ideas on Porterfield's CP-65

[Boundary Waters]

For some reason lots of guys offer to let me manipulate their sticks... Or yokes as the case may be. But I like sticks better... You know... Than yokes. (I mean, I have a Luscombe after all.)

Today I got a ride in a Porterfield... This one was quite nice and it flew like a light weight Taylorcraft D... Which it resembles except for the struts. Only it is a teensy bit faster due to it's "more-symmetrical-semi-symmetrical" wing.

Hmmm... A modest goal comes to mind. Collecting one example of each aircraft ATC, TC, or STC'd* with an A-65-8...

*Not sure there are any of these.

450 or so were built from 1938 or so to 1942. A quick pull from the FAA registration site shows 198 today (the usual ratio with that site is about one error or duplicate per actual registered aircraft) so maybe there are really 100 and who knows how many flying.

Definitely LSA material... 1200 lb. GW, this one was 681 lb. LW, with 519 lb. usable. If the ASI was accurate at 2150 rpm and 3000-4000 we cruised along at 85 mph behind a W72C44 prop burning almost exactly four gallons an hour.

Porterfield CP-65
1200 lb Gross Weight. C.G. (+10.5 to +19.9)

Empty Aircraft Weight: 681 lb (+15.7) 10691.7
Oil, 1 gal at 7.5 lb/gal: 7.5 lb (-31) -232.5
Pilot, 170 lb (+36) 6120 -- > [Pilot, 125 lb (+36) 4500]
No fuel, pilot in rear seat, 858.5 lb (+19.3) 16579.2 -- > [813.3 lb (+18.4) 14959.2] within CG limits
Fuel, 13.5 gal at 6 lb/gal: 81 lb (-16) -1296
Full fuel, pilot in rear seat, 939.5 lb (+16.3) 15283.2 within CG limits
Second person 170 lb (+8) 1360
Baggage, 40 lb at (+52) 2080
Full fuel, two people, bags, 1149.5 lb (+16.3) 18723.2 within CG limits
Burn to empty [Fuel, 13.5 gal at 6 lb/gal: 81 lb (-16) -1296]
Burn to empty [Oil, .27 qt/hr, 3 hr at 7.5 lb/gal: 1.5 lb (-31) -49.5]
No fuel, two people, bags, 1067 lb (+18.8) 20068.7 within CG limits

 

[Dana]

When I owned my Taylorcraft BC-12-65 I shared a hangar for awhile with a beautifully restored Porterfield. Not faster though, my T-Craft cruised at 95 mph (with the windows closed, 85 with them open).

 

[Boundary Waters]

When I owned my Taylorcraft BC-12-65 I shared a hangar for awhile with a beautifully restored Porterfield. Not faster though, my T-Craft cruised at 95 mph (with the windows closed, 85 with them open).

Side-by-side B's are a bit faster than the heavier tandem D's. The D's look more aerodynamic, but numbers guys say it's an illusion. Must be true, a J-4 cruises faster than a J-3 with the same engine. Prewar Aeronca side-by-sides are also faster than identically powered tandems.