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News
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Glass Goose
retains superficial resemblance to the
SeaHawker
J. Douglas
Hinton
4/28/2000
LAKELAND, Florida — What’s a Glass Goose? Some
kind of Swarovski crystal table ornament?
Nope, just
one of the most unusual kit-built amphibian contenders to show
up at Sun ’n Fun this year.
It’s not exactly a newbie,
but it attracted considerable crowd attention. Hey, whoever
heard of a biplane amphibian in the third
millennium?
After buying and building a SeaHawker
amphibian some 15 years ago, a lean and not-so-mean Texan
named Tom Scott concluded that the design needed a
make-over.
Founding a company called Quikkit Corp.,
Scott proceeded apace, renaming his product the Glass Goose.
The bird retains a mere superficial resemblance to its
antecedent.
Replacing the wing floats with
fuselage-mounted sponsons effectively increased the hull area.
The modification drastically improved step turn and takeoff
performance, and it also eliminated water-spray patterns that
degraded propeller efficiency and the health of the propeller
itself.
Skeg size was substantially reduced, and drag
with it. Vortex generators were affixed to the fuselage
between the wings to smooth out the airflow and enhanced
propeller performance, and the wing area was increased by more
than 25 square feet for better cruise numbers.
Four
flaperons do double duty as flaps and ailerons, providing a
peppy roll rate with minimum effort.
Powered by a
Lycoming O-320-B2B (150 or 160 horsepower), the Glass Goose
will depart the water or a runway in about 800 feet, climb at
about 1,200 feet per minute, and average 135 or 140 mph at
cruise speed.
A 70-gallon fuel tank and a fuel
consumption of eight gallons per hour provide the Goose with
long legs. With a useful load of almost 900 pounds, this
beauty can carry two people better than 1,000 statute miles
per leg, or almost 2,000 statute miles with one person and 120
gallons of fuel plus reserves.
Though a number of
different propeller installations have been tried, Tom Scott
settled on the four-blade, tapered, composite Warp Drive
model. To keep the thrust line close to the aircraft’s center
of mass, the pusher engine was mounted as low as possible.
That meant shortened propeller blades for turtle-deck
clearance. To get enough blade area, four became necessary.
One advantage of this design is that trim changes with
different power applications are minimal.
And why a
biplane configuration? To keep the wingspan as short as
possible for water maneuvering around obstacles, docking and
safer step turns. A second wing became necessary to provide
adequate lift (the sponsons also contribute).
Cockpit
width is about the same as a Mooney, with lots of baggage
space (24.5 cubic feet) behind and under the two seats. Gear
and flaps are electro/hydraulic actuated.
The kit costs
$27,000, less engine, prop, avionics and instruments. More
than 250 have been sold. A free one-day builders ground school
at the plant in Dallas is offered. Build time averages 1,300
hours, including engine installation.
What you’ll have
when you’re done isn’t a toy; it’s a real airplane with
stellar performance that rivals anything
factory-built.
Add a spiffy paint job and you’re going
to be the subject of conversation and adulation wherever you
alight — on land or water.
For more information,
contact Quikkit Corp., 9002 Summer Glen, Dallas, TX 75243;
phone/fax: 214-349-0462; E-mail:
quikkit@glassgoose.com.
The firm also has a Web site at
GlassGoose.com.
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