Bellanca
Decathlon:
The
airplane that I fly is a 1979 Bellanca Decathlon CS, 8KCAB.
It's got a 150hp Lycoming AEIO-320E1B aerobatic engine. A main
feature of the aerobatic engine is a system that supplies oil to the oil
pump when the engine is both upright and inverted. The
CS stands for "Constant Speed" propeller. A constant speed
propeller will maintain a constant RPM with changing airspeed.
The RPM is set by a knob in the cockpit. During the airshow,
the RPM knob is set full forward at about 2750 RPM.
Everything installed on the airplane is either from the
manufacturer or has an STC (Supplemental Type Certificate), so
its a completely certificated airplane that does not require an
Experimental category airworthiness certificate. The aileron spades installed at
the root of each aileron use air loads to lighten the stick
force required by the pilot during rolling maneuvers. Also installed are Hooker
Harnesses with a belt ratchet, which provide a very secure
seating position for negative g flight.
|