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First Flight 666TA! Big Fun! 1100 lb 250 hp!

Vlad

Well Known Member
Let's congratulate Tom Albano he made first flight today in this beauty!















Best regards from jealous another Triple Six :D


 
Monster 8, and beautiful too. Congratulations!

Vlad, I loved your contrast photo! Made me pass my coffee through my nose!
 
Congratulations!!

Congrats on the fledge---------now more about the engine please:confused:
 
Very Very Nice!

I know you are very proud of her....
I can't wait to hear more about your power plant and performance....
 
A real work of art

Beauty from a distance is one thing but you should see her up close. I've seen a lot of RVs but this has to be one of the BEST!
Congratations Tom. It's a winner...
 
Congrats Tom... Pardon my not knowing your history... just learned of you now. We don't want to be pushing you too hard! Where are you on the RV-8 piloting? Are you stepping up to the performance of your new bird? Or do you have a lot of time in similar performance aircraft?
 
I love the scheme. Very nice.

One question though... why are the Hartzell stickers not in the center of the prop chord? There must be a reason.
 
Unbelievable! That is the most beautiful airplane I've ever seen!

What's not posted in this thread but is on his Photobucket site is a pic of the panel. Nicest, most beautiful panel I've ever seen!
 
666TA

Wow ! Made the front page .
Triple Six is a slow built kit with a modified Sam James cowl ,Plenum and wheel pants , Todds tinted canopy with my own skirts . I painted (myself ) with DuPont Croma Base/Clear , Ford Fusion grey , silver,white and Dodge Charger Performace red , cleared ,sanded , cleared again sanded thru 5000 grit and buffed . It has the same design on the bottom of the wings and tail along with a canopy and wing walk painted on the bottom ( as seen on a A-10 )
Engine is from Ly-con , Angle Valve Io-360 , forward facing Bendix FI , Bendix Mags , 10:1 ceramic coated Pistons, flowed heads .etc....... AWI 4 into 1 exhaust and a custom ducted 17 row oil cooler , Half Raven inverted system . Prop is a 74" F7666 blade Hartzell ( Mid Fla Propellor applied the decals ????)
It has a 4 gallon smoke tank in the rear battery location . The 3.2 lb battery is mounted behind the instrument panel ( Battery Tender Brand ) along with the starter solenoid and amp shunt .
 
666

It weighs just under 1100. Cg is at the forward end , for flight testing I have 3-1/2 gallons of smoke oil to get me in the envelope .
Performace is unbelievable , our class D is 1500 feet , I was out of the airspace tonight at mid field !
Temps are great , front cylinders a little cold . Tonight in economy cruise I saw 160 knots ,300 degree CHT ,1300 EGT , 7.1 gpm at 23/23 @ 3000 (DA 2400 )
Too bumpy to try some speed .
The plane came out and performed better than I ever anticipated. It took about 2800 hours ( airframe took less than 1000 ) . Most of my airtime is in open cockpit Bi Planes , this is the first 8 I've flown , got some stick time in a 9 TW ( thanks Tony ) and a 7 ( thanks Charlie ) and I've bounced a Thorp many times ( Doug !)

I Look Forward flying this weekend , great forecast and $3.38 fuel !
 
Tom, one of the finest examples of an RV I have ever seen. I look forward to riding along some time soon.
 
Unbelievable! That is the most beautiful airplane I've ever seen!

What's not posted in this thread but is on his Photobucket site is a pic of the panel. Nicest, most beautiful panel I've ever seen!

I'm so curious now, could you post that pic?

Obviously, if Tom agrees.
 
666TA

I must come see it... where are you located Tom?

I'm at the Flagler County Airport , close to the self serve pumps. Good restaurant ( High Jackers ) ( no breakfast ) on the field . Identifier has changed from KXFL to FIN . Between Daytona and St. Augustine on the coast .

I should be at Sun & Fun .
 
250 HP Lycon IO360

Is it turbocharged? How did you arrive at the 250 HP rating? Nice plane just curious about the engine
Tyler
 
I'm so curious now, could you post that pic?

Obviously, if Tom agrees.

Just click on one of his RV8 pics in the first post and it takes you to his Photobucket page. Then just click through the 4 or 5 pics and you'll see the panel. It's very simple and elegant.
 
Just saw the photobucket pictures. Tom, please tell us more about your choice and thinking on the panel and avionics.
 
Is it turbocharged? How did you arrive at the 250 HP rating? Nice plane just curious about the engine
Tyler

Dittos to what Tyer asked. Not sure that I have heard of 250 HP in an IO-360 before. Did LyCon dyno it with docs?

No offense, just wondering.
 
I would love to see more pictures of this airplane. Tom do you have a website, builder's blog? Anything like that? It is always inspirational and educational to see how talented builders plumbed their engine, arranged their controls in the cockpit etc etc.

Congratulations. It is a gorgeous airplane.
 
Here are some more photos.

Engine1_zps1178af75.jpg


Engine2_zps6db99070.jpg


image_1.jpeg


:cool:
 
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666TA

Thanks for posting pics for me . Go figure I can build a plane but can't post photos ! ( iPad guy )

Oil cooler is a 17 row Aero-Classic 8000216 mounted on a chrome moly mount fed by a 6"x5" duct . There is a prop seal, sealing the opening behind the spinner . Oil temps and cylinder temps are great , will start "Shrinking The Exit " as my first project .
 
I can see how you got to <1100 #'s with that firewall and panel. Well done! We must race... Come on up for some Vladventures. :) You've got me on weight, 20 more ponies, and I'm running a three blade MT. Still should be fun.

Fun isn't it? I was out of the top of our Class D today by the end of the runway.

Know Flagler well, used to instruct at ERAU back in the 90's and before that I was towing banners out of there back when it was X47.
 
Dittos to what Tyer asked. Not sure that I have heard of 250 HP in an IO-360 before. Did LyCon dyno it with docs?
No offense, just wondering.

Fair guess....

High compression angle valve, no air filter, 30 degrees advance = about 215.

Now rev it up.

HP = (RPM x Torque)/5252

215 HP @2700 = 250 @3150, assuming flat torque curve.

....which is fine, if you want to run it that way.

Beautiful airplane.
 
Yes, beautiful airplane?congrats?very nice!

I'd also like to hear more about the motor. Kenny at Lycon is doing some neat stuff, and getting a lot of HP. Lots of clean-up and flow balancing, roller tappets, gapless rings. Pat's (Sig 600's) came out of Lycon with a 230 HP dyno, so it would be interesting to hear what was done to get to 250. 11:1 or higher? It looks like it has forward facing/cold air induction, but it looks to have an RSA-5 (smaller diameter than a AFP servo). Looks like a Sam James inlet, which should have a filter in it, but the dyno may have used a straight pipe during measurements. As for timing?Dan, have you seen tests done 30 deg advance? Wondering what temps would do with that.

Interesting discussion?and not taking away from the plane at all?inquiring minds just wanna know how?more to be jealous of in a gorgeous plane! :D

Cheers,
Bob
 
How did you do the nice roundover on the glareshield? Also the recessed panel is very nice too. Are these all glass moldings? I think this machine might take home some hardware at SnF
 
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