St Croix Pietenpol Aircamper
{{Short description|American homebuilt aircraft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=St Croix Pietenpol Aircamper | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Homebuilt aircraft | national origin=United States | manufacturer=St Croix Aircraft | designer= | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=Production completed | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | developed from= Pietenpol Air Camper | variants with their own articles=St Croix Pietenpol Aerial }} |
The St Croix Pietenpol Aircamper is an American homebuilt aircraft, an adaptation of the classic 1920s Pietenpol Air Camper, re-designed by St Croix Aircraft of Corning, Iowa. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a partial kit and in the form of plans for amateur construction.Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 248. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}
Design and development
St Croix Aircraft principals Chad and Charles Wille had built several Pietenpol Air Campers starting in 1941. The St Croix version of the Pietenpol Aircamper is longer and heavier than the original design, with slightly more wingspan.
The St Croix Pietenpol Aircamper features a cantilever strut-braced parasol wing, two-seats in individual tandem open cockpits with windshields, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.
The aircraft is made with a wooden structure, with some steel parts and its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its {{convert|29.50|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} span wing is supported by cabane struts and lift struts and has a wing area of {{convert|148.0|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. The cabin width is {{convert|24|in|cm|abbr=on}}. The acceptable power range is {{convert|65|to|125|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} and the standard engine used is the {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Ford Model A automotive conversion powerplant.
The St Croix Pietenpol Aircamper has a typical empty weight of {{convert|650|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and a gross weight of {{convert|1100|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, giving a useful load of {{convert|450|lb|kg|abbr=on}}. With full fuel of {{convert|12|u.s.gal}} the payload for the pilot, passenger and baggage is {{convert|378|lb|kg|abbr=on}}. The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off and landing roll with a {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} engine is {{convert|750|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}. The designer estimated the construction time from the supplied partial kit and plans as 1000 hours.
The design was later further developed into a biplane, by adding lower wings to the parasol Aircamper, resulting in the St Croix Pietenpol Aerial.
Specifications (St Croix Pietenpol Aircamper)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=one passenger
|length m=
|length ft=19
|length in=6
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=29
|span in=6
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=148
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=650
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=1100
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|12|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Ford Model A
|eng1 type=four cylinder, liquid-cooled, four stroke automotive conversion engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=40
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=wooden fixed pitch
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=105
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=70
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=40
|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=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=500
|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=7.4
|wing loading note=
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|avionics=
}}