Thorp T-18

__NOTOC__The Thorp T-18 Tiger is a two-place all-metal homebuilt aircraft designed in 1963 by John Thorp. A variety of engines can be fitted, one commonly used is the 125 horsepower (hp) Lycoming O-290G Ground Power Unit, affectionately known as a 'Mouse Motor'. These engines were once widely and inexpensively available as surplus generator motors and when converted for aircraft use are virtually identical to O-290D or O-290D2 aircraft engines. Other Lycoming engines up to the 200 hp Lycoming IO-360 are also used. The T-18 was designed to be easily constructed from sheets of aluminum, and use the modified O-290G powerplant. It was originally designed with an open cockpit and with the cylinder heads protruding through the engine cowling. However, even as originally designed, the cruising speed was quite high, and all T-18's now have an enclosed cockpit with a "bubble" canopy. The T-18 is both durable and capable of high performance, with some examples boasting a cruise speed in excess of 200 mph.

Later versions frequently have modifications designed by Lou Sunderland to provide a 2" (5 cm) wider fuselage (T-18W) a "convertible" wing that rotates back against the fuselage for trailering or storage (T-18C) or both (T-18CW or S-18). While the airfoil is also slightly modified, other changes are minor, and the performance is similar or identical. The Sunderland changes were made in collaboration with Mr Thorp.

The T-18 was the first homebuilt to make use of a stabilator or "flying tail", an invention of John Thorp used on most low-wing Piper aircraft, beginning with the Cherokee.

Notable aircraft of this type include N455DT, built by Donald Taylor of California and flown around the world from Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1976, the first successful circumnavigation of the world by a homebuilt aircraft. Clive Canning flew another T-18 from Australia to England earlier the same year.

T-18 plans are currently available to builders from [http://www.thorpt18.com Eklund Engineering] , which is also developing a laser-cut kit version. [http://www.classicsportaircraft.com Classic Sport Aircraft] supplies plans, parts, and kits for the S-18 and related variations, and is producing a tricycle gear version.

On June 22, 2008, a T-18 crashed in Windsor, Ont., after the engine died while over the Detroit River. The pilot, 66-year-old Robert Affleck, was seriously injured in the crash and died the next day in hospital. The passenger suffered severe burns, but was expected to live.

pecifications (T-18 with O-290)

General characteristics

* Crew: one pilot
* Capacity: 1 passenger
* Length: 18 ft 11 in (5.77 m)
* Wingspan: 20 ft 10 in (6.35 m)
* Height: 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
* Wing area: 86 ft² (8 m²)
* Empty: 900 lb (409 kg)
* Loaded: 1,500lb (682 kg)
* Maximum takeoff: lb ( kg)
* Powerplant: 1x Lycoming O-290, 125 hp (93 kW)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 210 mph (336 km/h)
* Range: miles ( km)
* Service ceiling: ft ( m)
* Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
* Wing loading: 18.6 lb/ft² (85 kg/m²)
* Power/Mass: 0.08 hp/lb (0.14 kW/kg)

Related content

Thorp T-18/S-18 resource: [http://www.t18.net/ T18.net]

Related development:
Thorp T-211

Comparable aircraft:
Vans RV-4 -
Glasair III -Mustang II

Designation sequence: