Hegy R.C.H.I. El Chuparosa

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Hegy R.C.H.I. “El Chuparosa”
Hegy R.C.H.I. El Chuparosa on display
Role Homebuilt aircraft
National origin United States of America
Designer Ray Hegy
First flight 1 May 1959

The Hegy "El Chuparosa" (English: Hummingbird) is a homebuilt, enclosed-cockpit biplane that was designed in the early 1950s.[1]

Design and development[edit]

The aircraft was designed to be a low-cost, high performance aircraft. The Ray Hegy design used full size wall drawings and wooden mock-ups. The aircraft was started in February 1950 and finished in May 1959 with the prototype displayed at the Rockford EAA Fly-In in 1960.[2]

"El Chuparosa" is a single place biplane featuring a short fuselage with a tail swept to a sharp tip. The fuselage cross section was based on the Heath Parasol design. The fuselage was constructed from welded steel tubing, with wooden wing spars from a J-3 Cub, the ailerons were made from 1929 Douglas O-38 rudders and the engine cheeks cowlings were made from Fairchild 24 wheelpants. The cockpit is enclosed.[3]

Operational history[edit]

The prototype "El Chuparosa" was donated to the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on August 14, 1977.

Specifications (Hegy R.C.H.I. “El Chuparosa”)[edit]

Data from Sport Aviation

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Length: 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m)
  • Wingspan: 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m)
  • Wing area: 72 sq ft (6.7 m2)
  • Empty weight: 478 lb (217 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 19 U.S. gallons (72 L; 16 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Continental A-65 , 65 hp (48 kW)

Performance

  • Cruise speed: 96 kn (110 mph, 180 km/h)
  • Stall speed: 52 kn (60 mph, 97 km/h)

See also[edit]

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hegy R.C.H.I "Elchuparoasa"". Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  2. ^ "EAA Fly-In". Flying Magazine: 37. November 1960.
  3. ^ Sport Aviation. February 1995. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links[edit]