Check out these photos by the owner of N28KT!

Bluedharma

Hey everybody!

I just wanted to share something I found.

One of the reasons I like aviation so much is that there is this RED & BLACK Super AcroDuster ( N28KT ) that flies over my house a couple of times a year.

I used to see it a few years back before I started taking most of my aviation photos.

You should see this aircraft at the airport. The performance is incredible!

Sometime I am going to find out the history behind this aircraft. The owner has modified it, and it can really climb!

Something like 3,000 + feet per min!

Anywayâ€¦ I finally got to meet the owner of â€œN28KTâ€. Great guy who helped to rebuild most of this aircraft.

He posted some images on flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/n28kt/ that are outstanding.

The photos were taken with this super cool sports camera. I hadnâ€™t seen anything like it beforeâ€¦ but it produces great images that are remarkably clear.

He has the camera mounted on different spots on his aircraft. In my opinion the images have turned out very well!

You can really see just how well this aircraft can perform!

Check out his video too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyOF9uaEhHU

I could see where these little cameras could come in as a handy little feature. I bet people in acrobatics would love them!

Any of you pilots out there use these type of cameras?

Cheers!

Bluedharma

Does anyone else mount cameras on their aircraft?

And if you do, do you clamp it on a temporary mount, or do you have to drill and install that way?

One more question.

I saw this the other day.

Is this a camera ship?

Best Regards,

DougRobertson

Paul, I believe you are looking at an engine exhaust modification with extended exhaust pipe in the photos. Powerflow and some others make such aircraft mods. Anything permanently added or temporarily affixed to a production aircraft that was done after build to the Approved Type Certificate must have an STC approval beforehand for that particular make/model. In some cases, an engine change can be done with 'Field Approval' by a DER. It is different with an Experimental classed aircraft, where builders are warned to follow plans but some deviate. They then become their own test pilots.

G forces must be taken into account, as well as weight and balance in either instance. Installing a camera should require a fixed, permanent mount; although the camera may be removable for servicing. Some camera installations in a production aircraft cause it to then be registered as Experimental class.

TimothyAanerud

There might be an STC for this exhaust modification as I too have seen a Cessna 172 with a similar looking modification.

Ztex

Whats the hole /dark circle behind the door for? Is it for a camera?

Bluedharma

Thanks Doug!

Zane and Timothy. Thanks for your comments. I saw the "dark circle" too.

I was thinking the exhaust modification was to keep the "circle" area clear of any fuel "film"..?????

I just saw this one on Mar 21. N52012

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N52012.html

Strange... I had never seen one before N63931.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N63931.html

Ztex

It may be to keep the heat waves from moving across the camera port....??

DougRobertson

I believe Zane is correct on this one and the "holes" on each fuselage side would be where any camera(s) apertures are. The Powerflow STC stops at an angle down from the engine. The shown pipe extensions put the exhaust heat waves behind the camera or other sensor just ahead of the tube's outlet. The aircraft could be used to sample something, rather than photograph something.

I have several photos here of aircraft with the Powerflow mod on both Piper PA-28s and Cessnas. Powerflow claims increased horsepower with greater scavenging-less back pressure, as I recall. I do not believe what Paul or Timothy have illustrated is a Powerflow mod, however, because the Powerflow exhaust pipe coming out of the engine bay is larger and tapers outward with brackets. Ugly, perhaps, but functional enough for an owner to pay for the STC mod.

Bluedharma

Thanks Doug and Zane! I have never seen this type of modification before. Had no clue what it was.

twotterdriver

Hey All

Not positive, but....

I think the long exhaust is so that the aircraft noise signature doesn't disturb the neighbourhood it is flying over, while it is taking pictures. I like the theory of 'no exhaust over the lens' though.....

I flew with a fellow that used to do this kind of work (In 172s) all over the U.S.A. I'll have to ask him if the airplanes he flew had this mod....

Ztex

Reviving an old thread...

I saw these two aircraft at a local airport and stopped in to ask about the exhaust and the port on the side.

There were two very nice young (early 20's) men in the terminal building that belonged to these airplanes. They confirmed that the aircraft are used for photo survey and mapping. The extended exhaust is to keep the camera port clear of exhaust film and possible heat distortion.

Question answered!

Cool!

Bluedharma

Great news!!!!

Thanks Ztex!!!

KregAXN

Since we're on the topic, I've seen a few Skyhawks with these modifications too. I could not for the life of me figure out what they were for. This thread really cleared it up! Thank guys!

DougRobertson

For photos of the Power Flow exhaust mod that I have referred to here, that is different from the illustrated camera aircraft exhaust pipe mods, and installed for different reasons-please see N9960W, a modified Piper Cherokee. Several photos show the Power Flow mod, which claims more horsepower from less back pressure, overcoming the added drag.

I have also photographed the Power Flow exhaust mod on high wing Cessnas.

Bluedharma

Lots of activity over the Denver Region these past few weeks. GoogleEarth or Bing...someone must interested in getting some photos of the area before all the trees "Leaf out".

I am seeing more and more of these camera ships flying over all the time.

DougRobertson

Paul, Getting back to your original photo of N28KT, the Stolp Acroduster biplane of the late Lou Stolp is indeed an early fully aerobatic home-built aircraft built either to plans design or from kits, first flying in 1973. It has four ailerons for a roll rate in excess of 240 degrees/second. The aileron design is different in that back stick raises all four ailerons slightly for aileron control in a normal stall, and forward stick droops all ailerons slightly, which helps maintain aileron control in inverted stalls. Anyone for an inverted stall? This aircraft can recover from them.

And yes, the rate of climb at sea level at aerobatic weight can exceed 3,000 feet per minute. The well-respected design is able to accept 125-200 horsepower engines. It is single seat, so learning to fly it is solo only. Lou Stolp had other popular designs, including a two-seat version-the Stolp Starduster Too and the parasol wing single-seat Stolp Starlet.