SoCal Wind,
A Wittman Tailwind with a Twist.
A Wittman Tailwind with a Twist.
SoCal Wind is the name of my plane. The name came from where I lived when I built the plane and that was in Southern California.
My plane is a Wittman Tailwind with a bit of a difference; it has aluminum wings made out of 2024 T3 aluminum. This aluminum is clad with a coat of pure aluminum which keeps it shiny and bright and that is the reason I keep them unpainted. It would also add a fair amount of weight to the wings if I painted them. How much? I would rather not speculate at this time but I will try to find out.
All the fuel is carried in the wings (18 US gal. each wing). These are wet wings, no separate tanks, much like airliners and fighters, on a smaller scale of course but still sealed with much the same stuff.
The wings are relatively light, easy to build and exceptionally strong. They were designed by my pal, Callbie Wood, and mine are the second set to be built after Callbie’s initial set.
The fuselage is welded steel tube with a Poly Fiber covering. The doors and boot cowl are aluminum and the engine cowl is fiberglass; so is the spinner.
My engine is a Lycoming 0-320, one of the early ones and has been updated to a 160 hp engine with the large valves and domed pistons.
Inside I have leather seats, a large baggage compartment and a full panel that is totally IFR.
Since I built the plane in the southwest, I wanted to keep the flavor, hence the paint and the interior fabric. It doesn’t suit everyone but it is what I like and that is what counts.
My plane weighs 968 lbs empty and grosses out at 1620 lbs; this gives a useful load of 652 lbs.
Tailwinds are easy to take off, easy to fly around but can be very demanding on landing until you get the right feeling for it and that could take a while but that is one of the things that make them fun.
SoCal Wind will climb at full gross, 1500 ft per minute if the temperature is under 80 degrees F.
I am still looking for the right propeller but speedwise in the summer of 2003 at 8500 ft, 75 degrees F, TAS was 201 mph. Most Tailwinds are capable of this speed and some are a lot faster so this is not out of the ordinary.
The W/B (weight & balance) of my Tailwind is quite desirable compared to other Tailwinds and many other planes in general. Having all the fuel in the wings plus the pilot and passenger positioned right over the C/G (center of gravity) there is no need for trim change as fuel burns off.
My plane is a Wittman Tailwind with a bit of a difference; it has aluminum wings made out of 2024 T3 aluminum. This aluminum is clad with a coat of pure aluminum which keeps it shiny and bright and that is the reason I keep them unpainted. It would also add a fair amount of weight to the wings if I painted them. How much? I would rather not speculate at this time but I will try to find out.
All the fuel is carried in the wings (18 US gal. each wing). These are wet wings, no separate tanks, much like airliners and fighters, on a smaller scale of course but still sealed with much the same stuff.
The wings are relatively light, easy to build and exceptionally strong. They were designed by my pal, Callbie Wood, and mine are the second set to be built after Callbie’s initial set.
The fuselage is welded steel tube with a Poly Fiber covering. The doors and boot cowl are aluminum and the engine cowl is fiberglass; so is the spinner.
My engine is a Lycoming 0-320, one of the early ones and has been updated to a 160 hp engine with the large valves and domed pistons.
Inside I have leather seats, a large baggage compartment and a full panel that is totally IFR.
Since I built the plane in the southwest, I wanted to keep the flavor, hence the paint and the interior fabric. It doesn’t suit everyone but it is what I like and that is what counts.
My plane weighs 968 lbs empty and grosses out at 1620 lbs; this gives a useful load of 652 lbs.
Tailwinds are easy to take off, easy to fly around but can be very demanding on landing until you get the right feeling for it and that could take a while but that is one of the things that make them fun.
SoCal Wind will climb at full gross, 1500 ft per minute if the temperature is under 80 degrees F.
I am still looking for the right propeller but speedwise in the summer of 2003 at 8500 ft, 75 degrees F, TAS was 201 mph. Most Tailwinds are capable of this speed and some are a lot faster so this is not out of the ordinary.
The W/B (weight & balance) of my Tailwind is quite desirable compared to other Tailwinds and many other planes in general. Having all the fuel in the wings plus the pilot and passenger positioned right over the C/G (center of gravity) there is no need for trim change as fuel burns off.
- Features in my web -
Home - SoCal Wind - Fuselage - Wing - Seat - The Building of my Tailwind
The Building of my Tailwind Continued - The Initial Flying - Journey Home
Metal Wing? - Wood Wing?
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