Culp Special
{{Short description|American homebuilt aircraft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Special | image=2003 Amateur Built Aircraft Culp Special at the SAAA Langley Park Fly-in October 2011.jpg | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Homebuilt aircraft | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Culp's Specialties | designer= | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=In production (2013) | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built=at least six | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Culp Special is an American aerobatic homebuilt aircraft designed and produced by Culp's Specialties of Shreveport, Louisiana. The aircraft is supplied as a kit or in the form of plans for amateur construction.Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 144. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}
Design and development
The Culp Special is intended to resemble an aircraft of the 1930s. It features a wire and strut-braced biplane layout, a two-seats-in-tandem open cockpit with dual windshields, fixed conventional landing gear with wheel pants, and a single engine in tractor configuration.
The aircraft is made from welded steel tubing and wood, all covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its {{convert|24.00|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} span wing has a wing area of {{convert|161|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. The standard engine used is the Russian {{convert|360|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Vedeneyev M14P nine cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke radial engine.{{cite web|url = http://culpsspecialties.com/site_files/suppages/specs.html|title = Aircraft Specifications|accessdate = 22 December 2013|last = Culp's Specialties|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200220072646/http://culpsspecialties.com/site_files/suppages/specs.html|archive-date= 20 February 2020|url-status=dead}}
The Culp Special has a typical empty weight of {{convert|1480|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and a gross weight of {{convert|2100|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, giving a useful load of {{convert|620|lb|kg|abbr=on}}. With full fuel of {{convert|70|u.s.gal}} the payload for pilot, passengers, and baggage is {{convert|200|lb|kg|abbr=on}}.
The manufacturer estimates the construction time from the supplied kit as 2500 hours.
Operational history
By 1998 the company reported that one aircraft was flying.
In December 2016, three examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration and one in Canada with Transport Canada.{{cite web|url = http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=CULP&PageNo=1|title = Make / Model Inquiry Results - Culp Special|accessdate = 3 December 2016|last = Federal Aviation Administration|date = 3 December 2016|archive-date = December 20, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220033356/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=CULP&PageNo=1|url-status = dead}}{{cite web|url=http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/CCARCS-RIACC/ADet.aspx?id=508221&rfr=RchSimp.aspx |title=Canadian Civil Aircraft Register |accessdate=3 December 2016 |last=Transport Canada |date=3 December 2016}}
Specifications (Culp Special)
File:2003 Amateur Built Aircraft Culp Special at the SAAA Langley Park Fly-in October 2011 (1).jpg
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=AeroCrafter and Culp's Specialties
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=one passenger
|length m=
|length ft=21
|length in=0
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=24
|span in=0
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=161
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=1480
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=2100
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|70|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Vedeneyev M14P
|eng1 type=nine cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke radial engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=360
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=constant speed propeller
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=220
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=150
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=70
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=600
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=12000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=3500
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|sink rate ms=
|sink rate ftmin=
|sink rate note=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=13.0
|wing loading note=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Culp Special}}
- {{Official website|http://culpsspecialties.com/site_files/suppages/specs.html}}
- [http://culpsspecialties.com/site_files/images2/special2/index.html Official gallery of Culp Special photos]
{{Aerobatics}}
Category:1990s United States sport aircraft