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LP-1 assembles much like a plastic kitset 1:48 scale model does; every
part interlocks and self- aligns with it's mating part. All juncture
joints are fully filleted and there are no fillet cover panels as
each part (i.e. horizontal stabilizer to vertical stabilizer) has
half of the fillet built in. All fuselage joints such as upper to
lower halves join with a knuckle type joint rather than a lap for
true alignment. The cockpit is a two- piece moulding including the
front and rear bulkheads. This with large radiused corners makes an
excellent pressurized cell. The nose of the craft forms a crushable
structure in the unlikely event of an impact and with the roll-over
protection, the cockpit remains intact. The elliptical planform wing
houses four lightweight fuel bladders rather than a wet type design
for improved fire prevention. The wing has no ribs and instead uses
nomex honeycomb in it's skins for structural support. The main and
secondary spars are an integral part of the skin and bond at the
horizontal joint in the middle, as are the horizontal and vertical
stabilizer spars. Thus the skin becomes a true sparcap utilizing
uni-directional carbon for ultimate strength and light weight. The
main and secondary spar carry- throughs in the cockpit are not
simple holes cut into the fuselage and glassed over but molded in so
the spars and wing fits up from underneath. This also ensures that
the cockpit is sealed and stops the fuse from trying to expand with
it's internal pressure. The cockpit door is also integrally laid up
with an internal flange for a blow out seal type to withstand the 10
psi differential pressure on it at FL290. The hydraulically damped
main landing gear fastens to the back of the secondary spar inside
the fuselage and pnuematically retracts into the aft of the cabin.
The hydraulically damped nose wheel retracts up into the front
bulkhead, and is mounted by billet aluminum trunnions attached to
the main engine frame. Engine is removable while still on
the landing gear. Access panels and wheel well covers are not just
cut-outs but laid up integrally yet still 90% detached separate
parts. 90% of service access is through the engine cowl and bellypan
removal. Control surfaces are all ball bearing hinged and fully servicable.
The aft fuselage and wings are removable in about 90 mins.
The dash is a modular design and slides out like a drawer for bench
test and service. I could ramble on for quite a while about details but a
couple of important points must be evident by now. First, this is a
well engineered design with all of the details built into a complete
package that becomes an enjoyable kit to construct. Second, it
really performs while still having great low speed manners and all
at a reasonable price for the immense technology that goes into
it!
Some major specifications:
| Wingspan |
27' |
| Length |
21' |
| Height |
7' |
| Tailspan |
10' |
| Wing area |
82.5 sq. ft. |
| Wing loading |
23 lbs/sq. ft. |
| Fuel capacity |
62 gal.(82 with underwing LR tanks) |
| Cockpit width |
42" Inside |
| Baggage cubic area |
7.25 Cu. Ft., 38" wide, 22" deep, 15" high |
| Empty Weight |
1080 lbs. |
Cruise speed |
385 MPH. |
| Payload |
822 lbs. |
Engine Type |
GM Corvette LS3/LS7(!) V8 |
Turbo System |
Normalised to sea level @ FL290 |
Cockpit Pressurisation |
Sea level @ FL290 |
Engine Cubic Capacity |
6.3 Litre (7 Litre for the LS7) |
Fuel Burn @ 65%-300 HP |
14.5 Gal/ Hour. |
Engine Weight, wet with turbo |
500 lbs. |
Gearbox reduction Ratio, standard |
1.385:1 (Can go up to 2.75:1) |
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