White Lightning

Hi Stan, I just stumbled across this forum and your post. I tracked down N25WL with Dave’s help after seeing N102WL in its hangar and wanting one like it. I had hoped Steven Bunch could get it back to airworthiness, but he was too busy. It is now in Ron Ecord’s shop in Del Norte waiting for him to find time to work on it. Do you know anyone else I might approach who is less busy? I’m sorry I don’t have a lead on a nose gear trunnion.
 
Hi Bill, it's nice to see you on the forum. Hopefully, as you go through the restoration and subsequent flying of N25WL, you will be able to post some information about your aircraft.

For those interested, I am making progress on introducing the White Lightning inspired modern kit. The design process is well underway with a full CFD (aerodynamic) analysis about to be conducted. As I alluded to in a previous post in this thread, the new aircraft will have a different structure, a different airfoil to ensure benign stall characteristics but with the same low drag characteristics, more headroom inside and a multitude of other improvements over the original White Lightning. And of course, as I mentioned previously, I intend to power it with a 200hp turboprop initially, then a 300hp turboprop when my company (www.turb.aero) has completed the development of that variant.

Rapture IV.PNG
 
We have owned N444WL for 15+ years and I have 35 hours in it, including cross-country to several states. It's a fun airplane to fly but challenging to fly well.
Other projects got in the way and it's been sitting in the hangar for nearly 10 years but I am in the process of putting it back into flying condition. I hope to have it flying this spring. I would like to hear from anyone else actively working on/flying White Lightnings.
 
I just came across this thread - so much beauty, excitement, fun!

Y’all keep the conversation moving, ok?
 
Little history on the White Lightning and its designer Nick Jones. Never met Nick but like I said earlier, talked to him several times flying his C210 on approach. His grass strip was just outside our class D. With no IAP, he’d occasionally shoot the PAR to the air station, then cancel and either go VFR or SVFR to the north. Not sure if he’s still alive or not but seemed like a nice guy.

http://www.studiomoonart.com/whitelightning.htm
 
There’s also the single-seat Lightning Bug aircraft. Turb Aero also has a not-yet-flying prototype called the Rapture Bug, based very heavily off the Jones Lightning Bug. While they plan to mount their 200 hp turbine on it, they have plans for it to be available with the Rotax 912 as a kit aircraft.

Assuming the Bug would be inexpensive and easy to build, I’d be interested. There are other low-budget, single-seat aircraft such as the Merlin PSA, but none of them cruise as fast as the Bug (they predict a 170 kt cruise with the Rotax, and 240 kt cruise with the TurbAero).
 
Always liked the white Lightnings

One of the few kit planes I’d like, but the OG one, or maybe the same design but in carbon

How are you increasing cabin height, making for a more trainer like stall and keeping the performance the same? “No free lunch”?
 
Hopefully your friend is giving some attention to the prop. For this being a racer I'm surprised it's got a paddlewheel propeller. Paul Lipps, designer of Phantom's prop, has influenced just about all the prop makers these days and seeing a prop like this on a fast plane gets my attention right away. Phantom's prop is a bit extreme for everyday use but the principles it embodies have been taken to heart by just about everyone in the prop world. Paul passed away in 2011 but his design philosophies are still available in Contact magazine and on the Vansairforce forums. His screen name is Elippse, a deliberate misspelling of Ellipse (I can't remember why he did that, but it was deliberate).

Blades these days should more resemble something like the image I just attached (I hope).

Any current pictures of this gorgeous airplane?
 

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I have never seen a WL in person, but was always impressed with the numbers I had seen of its performance.

Tim
 
Hi Flyvulcan, How is your project coming along?
 
Has anyone ever heard anything about n237AM?
I know it was in Canada for awhile. Now back in the US.
 
Karl Kemp said:
We have owned N444WL for 15+ years and I have 35 hours in it, including cross-country to several states. It's a fun airplane to fly but challenging to fly well.
Other projects got in the way and it's been sitting in the hangar for nearly 10 years but I am in the process of putting it back into flying condition. I hope to have it flying this spring. I would like to hear from anyone else actively working on/flying White Lightnings.
Click to expand...
Always been a fan of the WL. Have you got it back flying? I am interested in buying one flying or very near. Barneymac2@gmail.com
 
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