Stock cassutt: A fun plane? (and a few other questions)

[Evan Byrne]

Hey all, I'm new here. I saw this forum and figured it would be a decent place to post/get my questions answered. After sifting through a few threads about cassutts and f-1 racers on here it seems you guys would be close to the most knowledgeable on this subject.

My father had a Cassutt when he was younger, and when ever I bring cassutts up he raves about them. Things like "Man that was such a fun plane" or "I wish I'd never sold buster". So, after going over some articles about them, seeing pictures and reports of people building them, seeing the cassutt.lornet.com site, I thought building a cassutt would be a fun project for me and my father to build, and a perfect first plane for me (considering the fuel burn of an 0-200, its semi aerobatic side and its superb "tooling around" capability's).

I've been going through cassutt project ad's on barnstormers and other sites, and it would appear a project starting point wouldn't cost a fortune. The airport I fly out of has some pretty knowledgeable people around so getting hints/tips and help here and there wouldn't be hard to get during the building process.




Here follow my questions:

How would you rate the cassutt is for just sport use? (I don't plan to race)

For a "tooling around" plane, would you recommend the 15 or 17ft cassutt?

0-200 or c-85?

Is the cassutt build a difficult one compared to other planes of its category/type?

What are the physical changes between the Sport and Racer aside from wing length?

'Anybody on here built a cassutt?

Should I start with a wing or a fuselage?



Any input on cassutts would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,

Evan Byrne

[MX304]

They are fun for just flying around close to the field and boring holes in the sky. Don't plan on wanting so spend much time in one though, they are hot, loud and cramped. The racers mod just about every single part, so not much is comparable between them. The race wing is not only shorter, but has a different airfoil thatn the sport wing. Most of the guys running the hershey bar wing at Reno actually run a sport wing cut down to race length. The fatter airfoil is better at that altitude. I haven't personally buily one, but the builders I talked with say they are very straight forward, and not hard at all to build. They are also built lkie a tank and very rugged. I would try to find a project that has the fuse welded and finished, then buil dmy own wing and tail, but I a wood working type. I don't have the welding knowledge etc to make a fuse from a pile of tubing.

[Evan Byrne]

I have more metal working under my belt than wood. I can tig weld, though not well enough to trust myself on a fuselage.

I will never be pylon racing, though I would like as much speed as I can get.

I would like to mod it as little as possible, aside from creature comforts inside. (leather cushions, air vent, ipod)

Is the wing the only difference from the race and sport model? Is the fuse the same?

I'm a bit confused and un-educated when it comes to the whole amateur built and 51% rule. Is it possible to get an airplane registered if I don't build 51% of it? My main reason for wondering this is I think with proper scavenging I could toss together most of a cassutt from cheap, incomplete projects and having only needed to build a few parts myself.




On a side note, has anyone seen head or hair of this cassut:

[MX304]

The tube part of the fuse is generally the same between the racers, and sport birds. The racers just change the wood formers and stringers to shape the turtle deck etc. the wat they want them.

[Evan Byrne]

Well talking purely stock (no mods), from the current kits available is the wing the only difference? Can a race wing and sport wing be interchanged with a standard fuse without needing any kind of mods to the fuse?





-E

[MX304]

Well talking purely stock (no mods), from the current kits available is the wing the only difference? Can a race wing and sport wing be interchanged with a standard fuse without needing any kind of mods to the fuse?

Yes, they are identical where the spars mount to the fuse.

[Evan Byrne]

Has anyone on here built a cassutt fuselage before? I'd like to get a guesstimate as to the time it takes to make one from a fuse kit.

[retroaviation]

You might try AAFO.com. That page is full of Air Race junkies. You could also look at IF1airracing.com for some tips.

Gary

[pittsflyr]

Wow, that picture brings back memories. That was at the Cable Air Fair...a long time ago. (Mid 1980's or so) I watched your Dad fly an airshow in Buster.

Patrick McGarry

[JimH]

took us 1 1/2 years to build the fuse at 2-3 hours a day...the jigs took longer to make than the tubing ;P

Jim Harley

[Evan Byrne]

1,500 hours just for the fuse? Crazy.

[Evan Byrne]

Decided on a cassutt. Anyone on here got any parts they want to sell?

[JHall]

Check the IF1 "for sale" page - always a bunch of Cassutt stuff for sale.

http://www.if1airracing.com/IF1_ForSale.php

[Evan Byrne]

Sweet, thanks.



Are there any popular mods to a Cassutt for sport flying? How do people like the 15ft vs 17ft wing?


I have the Cassutt builders manual and plans in front of me, the manual states the cockpit can be modified to fit the pilot, but I don't see in the plans which dimensions could/should be changed. Anyone have any idea? I'm not tall but would like a roomy cockpit, or as close to the roomy end of the scale I can get. I know Cassutts aren't exactly walk around cabins.

I've read that the Cassutt ailerons can be modified with a slight deeper chord to make the roll rate just insane, anyone know anything about this?