Evans_VP-2 Knowpia

VP-2
	Evans VP-2 G-BTAZ preserved at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum in Norfolk, England
Role	Homebuilt aircraft
National origin	United States
Designer	William Samuel Evans
First flight	1971
Status	Plans available

The Evans VP-2 is a development of the Evans VP-1 Volksplane, both of which were designed in La Jolla, California by aeronautical engineer William Samuel "Bud" Evans.^[1] Evans had formerly worked at Convair, Ryan Aircraft and General Dynamics.^[2]

Design and development edit

Work on the design of the VP-1, was completed between 1966 and 1968, the intention being that the design would be simple to build for a novice working at home. The design was successful, and, following a first flight in September 1968, a large number of aircraft have been constructed by homebuilders. The aircraft are usually powered by converted Volkswagen air-cooled engines.^[3]

The VP-1 is a single-seat open-cockpit low-wing monoplane manufactured from spruce and plywood with fabric covered wings. Performance is typically a cruise speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) and a stall speed of 40 mph (64 km/h).^[2]

Following the success of the VP-1 a two-seat variant, the VP-2 was designed to meet normal category limits, which are 3.8 positive and 1.9 negative g. The first VP-2 (then known as VP II) flew in 1971.^[4]

The VP-2 is externally similar in appearance to the VP-1 but with a 1 ft (30 cm) wider fuselage and enlarged cockpit section to accommodate two side-by-side configuration seats. The aircraft is 1 ft (30 cm) longer and has a 3 ft (0.9 m) addition to wingspan. The VP-2 can use any Volkswagen air-cooled engine model from 1,834 to 2,100 cc. Other similar powerplants can be substituted.^[5]

Operational history edit

Although numerous examples of the VP-2 were constructed from plans provided by the Evans Aircraft Company, the VP-2 is no longer being offered with the company having stopped marketing the VP-2 and responding to technical inquiries. The main concern from the company was that the VP-2 may have liability issues associated with two-seat aircraft. VP-2 plans and modified VP-2 plans remain available on the Internet, although the Evans Aircraft Company neither authorizes nor approves of these plans.^[6]

Preserved examples edit

City of Norwich Aviation Museum, Norfolk, England^[7]

Specifications (60 hp engine) edit

Evans VP-2

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83^[5]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 19 ft 3 in (5.87 m)
Wingspan: 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m)
Wing area: 130 sq ft (12 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 4415
Empty weight: 640 lb (290 kg)
Gross weight: 1,040 lb (472 kg)
Fuel capacity: 14 US gallons (53 L)
Powerplant: 1 × Volkswagen air-cooled engine 1,834 cc flat-four, 60 hp (45 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)
Cruise speed: 75 mph (121 km/h, 65 kn)
Stall speed: 40 mph (64 km/h, 35 kn)
Never exceed speed: 120 mph (190 km/h, 100 kn)
Rate of climb: 700 ft/min (3.6 m/s) (pilot only)

References edit

Notes edit

^ Purdy 1998, p. 152.
^ ^a ^b "Plane and Pilot" 1977, p. 141.
^ Mooney, Walt. "Pilot report: Volksplane." Air Progress, March 1970, pp. 39, 42.
^ Davisson, Budd. "A plane for the common volks." Pilot Reports; Originally published in Air Progress, May 1974. Retrieved: September 4, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Taylor 1982, p. 542.
^ "Evans Aircraft Company frequently asked questions." Archived August 30, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Evans Aircraft Company, 2017. Retrieved: August 29, 2017.
^ City of Norwich Aviation Museum (September 2, 2018). "Aircraft". cnam.org.uk. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.

Bibliography edit

"Plane and Pilot." 1978 Aircraft Directory. Santa Monica California: Werner & Werner Corp.,.1977. ISBN 0-918312-00-0.
Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter – Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition. Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia: BAI Communications, 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1.
Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0748-2.