Wow!  So it literally does take some balls!  (sorry-couldn't help it. ;-)
TEMiller
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Rodgers" <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 6:37 PM
Subject: Re: Boston Bob? or GoWesty?

> Yeh, well it's been going on for a long time.
>
> They were very popular with the homebuilt airplane crowd in days past.
> These days there has been a proliferation of small engines designed
> specifically for the small homebuilts and the Ultralite aircraft. One
> aircraft, called the Mini-Imp, designed by Molt Taylor, was a really
> highspeed performer. I think it did about 140 mph on a little VW engine.
> It was a little machine with a cantilever wing (no wing struts. Internal
> structure was self supporting), retractable landing gear. The engine was
> in the front and the propeller was in the rear at the end of the
> fuselage. It pushed instead of pulled the plane through the air. A long
> shaft that connected the engine to the propeller passed between the two
> seats. Made life very interesting. One thing of particular interest to
> me. The shaft passed into a clutch of sorts just in front of the
> propeller. The clutch was filled with sttel balls, like ball bearings.
> At idle, the propeller was motionless, but when the power was applied to
> the engine, and engine speed increased, the load on the clutch locked
> the steel balls making the shaft to the propeller solid, and the
> propeller would turn. Wonder if we could apply that principle to some
> Van project somehow!?
>
> Regards,
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL Driver
>
>
>
> Greg Stelz wrote:
>
> >-----clip-----
> >
> >In fact, the aircooled VW
> >engines are used in homebuilt aircraft.
> >
> >-----clip-----
> >
> >Wow!!  That takes some serious balls. LOL
> >
> >Greg
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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