The Hegy "El Chuparosa" (English: Hummingbird) is a homebuilt, enclosed-cockpit biplane that was designed in the early 1950s.[1]
| Hegy R.C.H.I. “El Chuparosa” | |
|---|---|
| |
| Hegy R.C.H.I. El Chuparosa on display | |
| Role | Homebuilt aircraft |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Designer | Ray Hegy |
| First flight | 1 May 1959 |
Design and development
editThe aircraft was designed to be a low-cost, high performance aircraft. The Ray Hegy design used full size wall drawings and wooden mock-ups. The aircraft was started in February 1950 and finished in May 1959 with the prototype displayed at the Rockford EAA Fly-In in 1960.[2]
"El Chuparosa" is a single place biplane featuring a short fuselage with a tail swept to a sharp tip. The fuselage cross section was based on the Heath Parasol design. The fuselage was constructed from welded steel tubing, with wooden wing spars from a J-3 Cub, the ailerons were made from 1929 Douglas O-38 rudders and the engine cheeks cowlings were made from Fairchild 24 wheelpants. The cockpit is enclosed.[3]
Operational history
editThe prototype "El Chuparosa" was donated to the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on August 14, 1977.
Specifications (Hegy R.C.H.I. “El Chuparosa”)
editData from Sport Aviation
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m)
- Wingspan: 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m)
- Wing area: 72 sq ft (6.7 m2)
- Empty weight: 478 lb (217 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 19 U.S. gallons (72 L; 16 imp gal)
- Powerplant: 1 × Continental A-65 , 65 hp (48 kW)
Performance
- Cruise speed: 96 kn (110 mph, 180 km/h)
- Stall speed: 52 kn (60 mph, 97 km/h)
See also
editAircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
edit- ^ "Hegy R.C.H.I "Elchuparoasa"". Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ "EAA Fly-In". Flying Magazine: 37. November 1960.
- ^ Sport Aviation. February 1995.
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External links
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