Aeronca L-3 questions...

Some info and picture of an L-3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronca_L-3

They were built with Continenal and Lycoming engines around 65 hp or so.

Designed for 2 people with a payload design limit around 450 lbs.
In a desparate situation, maybe 3 somewhat smaller people could squeeze in there.

There are STC's available to convert small Cessnas to run on auto fuel so I suspect an L-3 would run on it also.
I flew a lesson once in a Cessna 172 years ago that ran on pink car gas (av gas is blue tinted).

.

 

The L-3 is a WW2 liaison plane designed from a civilian Aeronca light plane. It had a Cont.65hp engine, and could carry two, a pilot and observer who could sit facing aft. He had a map board aft of the rear seat that he could use while observing. Having rebuilt one and flown it for a while, I can tell you that there is absolutely no room for a third passenger. I ran it on auto fuel once with no problems...87 octane. It had the same wing area as a Champ, same 4412 airfoil, but it weighed 100 pounds more. Listed gross weight was 1200 when equipped with wind generator and radios but I wouldn't have wanted to fly it at that weight. It was built for very rough open field ops. and was designed at 4.5 G pos. and 3.5 G neg. so it was tough. A very nice flying airplane with nicely balanced controls and beautifully operating Frise ailerons for controllable slow flight.

 

I was wrong about the design loads of the L-3. I believe that John Houser, chief engineer at Aeronca , told us that it was 6.5 positive and 4.5 negative, " But looking at the age of your airplane, I suggest that you don't exceed 4.5 pos. and 3.5 neg." The spars where a full 1.00" thick and built up of 1 X 1 inch laminated spruce. The carry- through tube for the lift struts were 1.5 inch dia. with a 1/8th inch thickness. After it was destroyed in a mid-air I examined the wreckage and could see that not one fitting failed, some were stretched but none were broken. The lift strut attachment at the spars didn't fail but tore out a chunk of the whole spar. Built like a Boeing.

 

We have a 1946 Champ which is similar. The only mod to run on autogas was to replace the rubber-tipped needle valve in the carb with a solid metal one. However, you cannot use fuel with alcohol in it. The alcohol absorbs water and can corrode the aluminum fuel tank.

The Continental A65 was designed to run on 80 octane avgas which is no longer available, so in theory 87 octane auto gas is preferred over 100LL avgas. Autogas does have less lead than avgas, so some pilots use an additive although not required.

Dave

 

Toggie - did you ever get a video system for your Cessna? We talked about it last year when we met at the post Cars and Coffee meet in Lansdowne - with Bob Stanley.
Cheers

 

I bought a go pro camera for both the car and plane. Haven't made any plane videos yet other than a passenger holding a pocket camera in video mode.

.

 

jedi, What is the title of the book with the L-3 in it?
Bob