Take a Ride In a Thorp T-18

[@machrukus]

Thanks for doing this video. Best bang for the buck aircraft!

[@pdutube]

We want more videos of your Thorp! More! More! LOL, it's a beautiful airplane, congrats!

[@vagabondroller]

Thank you for this. Best flight review I've ever seen. Phil should have his own show.

[@jonathanstein1783]

A number of years ago, a group of blind guys built a beautiful T-18. And one of my high school buddies, from just on the other side of Bald Peak (Laurelwood) got his license at Twin Oaks back in the mid eighties.

[@watashiandroid8314]

I first saw this plane on a video @NorthwestAeronaut made and then Philip has some videos of his own but this is a very nice tour and demo of this Thorp. Thank you to everyone involved for putting this video together!

[@parqld]

Love the T-18. My dream aircraft 👍🇦🇺

[@doesntmatter3068]

I meet a new friend from the Thorp Community website. I was very interested in them and very possible wanted to purchase one... I wanted to seat in one, fly one, see how it was in the air. So Jeff, (I met thru the website) met me at a airport fly in breakfast, close to where I live. This aircraft did not disappoint me. His bird had the 0-360. I couldn't believe how fast we got air-born and climbed out. Jeff let have the bird for a while and the flights controls had lots of authority. Very impressive! Ive been looking for one to purchase, but just haven't found the right one yet.

[@titanhank1]

Great video. Love the t18. Best bang for the buck around.

[@JeffreyinChina]

wow it is very beautiful ! Great plane and nice video thanks for the ride!

[@deani2431]

The stall strip install as outlined in the newsletters makes a huge difference, and is well worth the little effort involved. Stalls are straight and benign.

[@worldclassish]

Nice airplane and the pick of the litter with the o 360. I had an apache as well. Stick with it man that one is hard to beat.

[@douglascloud4484]

beautiful airplane , cheers and safe flying

[@bubbajeph]

My dad made four Thorpe T-18s. His first was N49101. I bucked a lot of rivets. My dad worked NACA/NASA Langley.

[@FourthWayRanch]

how long did it take him to knock one out? Do you remember if he needed a brake for bending spars?

[@thomasmiller5502]

Did your dad know Lyle Trustie?

[@tinyskustoms]

Great video!

[@thesearcherman6652]

Hell of an airplane! Thanks

[@joshuadejesus4321]

I’m looking at buying a t18 in Florida now awesome!

[@Cokie907]

Wow! Great job. I'm in the market for an RV-8 to be honest up here at SkyRanch (TN98) in Knoxville but I really like that Thorp. Immaculate airplane with impressive performance!

[@johnfitzpatrick2469]

Great flying. 🌏🇦🇺

[@rickc661]

good stuff. 10 planes, !! at 73 I 've had 5 cars and 2 M'cyckes one went cross Country. Way way back when I was a kid ( Cessnas 150 lessons) this plane fascinate me. good thing it's not happening, I don't know maybe the Bede 4 would be my first choice, 4 seats.

[@matthewcooper5672]

Great video. You were obviously using a checklist. Is this of your own creation or other? Would you be willing to share it? Thanks.

[@oltimer5544]

Love the T-18. I don't like your canopy latch mechanism. Looks like a real cranial smasher. What type latches did your previous T-18s have?

[@sbenboy]

We are about to buy this model of plane! We have one question: What are the spin characteristics of this plane?

[@scottmonroe6522]

3 iPads? Triple redundancy? More suction cups in there than an octopus!

[@michaelgoldschmidt5831]

You said that stall dirty is around 50mph, but you were at 90mph (knots?) on final. Why so fast?

[@KitplanesMagazine]

From Phil comes this reply: "Indicated airspeed (IAS) in N118BC, full flaps, wings level, unaccelerated, at the stall break (Vso indicated) is around 50 mph. Typical Vref, often used for final approach speed, is 1.3 times Vso, or 65 mph. We need to keep in mind that IAS is not the same as calibrated airspeed (CAS). For certified aircraft, there is usually a chart or graph in the POH or AFM that tells the pilot how to correct the indicated airspeed. Experimentals usually do not have the benefit of an IAS-CAS correction table. Generally speaking, IAS and CAS tend to diverge at low airspeeds, possibly because the relative wind hits the pitot tube at an angle (equal to the angle of attack) and therefore "fools" the pitot system and airspeed indicator into thinking the airspeed is lower than it actually is. According to the Technical Information page at www.thorp18.com, Vso is 58 mph. That is more likely to be correct than my indicated airspeed, so let's recalculate Vref using a Vso of 58 mph: 1.3 x 58 = 75 mph On short final, I am usually slowed down to 80 mph over the numbers, darned close to the 75 mph calculated above. A little extra margin never hurts (unless truly a short field), especially in the Thorp's draggy full-flap configuration. If I fly it all the way to roundout/flare at 80 mph, I touch down easily in the first third of Twin Oaks Airpark's 2,465 foot long runway. I like the faster 90 mph prior to short final because best glide speed (Vg) is 110 mph. The closer I am to that airspeed prior to having the runway made, the better. Any other questions, fire away!"

[@watashiandroid8314]

@@KitplanesMagazine thanks for relaying the detailed response! I was wondering how tight that smaller airport felt with that hot plane but it seems like it's not tight at all once the pilot has some experience with the plane.

[@russellesimonetta3835]

Uhh,, the mustang ll is the t 18 's cousin. Both great legacy planes.

[@freddb34]

How much room behind the seats for bags? Any??

[@stay_at_home_astronaut]

One of the hottest aircraft I have ever flown.

[@flyin92]

What is the maximum height of the pilot to be comfortable? You look to be over 6' tall.

[@litemite100]

I got a ride in a T-18 w/ 180 hp engine. YES it is a rocket!

[@Cropduster1985]

so how tall are you?

[@SaintChesty]

Undercarriage is down, and welded..... lol

[@stay_at_home_astronaut]

I do that, every time.