Important notice
Please remember that people from all over the world read and post on this forum, and that every country has its own rules, regulations and standards. This forum is based in the USA and so much of the information posted here is for the benefit of people who operate aircraft in the experimental/exhibition or experimental/racing categories. Advice given on this forum may be region specific. A person from Europe, for example, may make suggestions perfectly appropriate for a U.S reader, although not acceptable in his home country!

Please take this into account and carefully consult the authorities, standards and approved documentation where you fly.
Fournier Forums Upload picture | User Cp  |  Register  |  Members  |  Search  |  Help
    |- Fournier Aircraft > Fourniography Post New Topic   Post A Reply
Pictures from Ron Smith printer friendly version
next newest post | next oldest post
Author Messages
Collin
General

Gender: Male
Location: McMinnville. Oregon
Registered: Oct 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 711

Click here to see the profile for Collin Visit http://www.cfiamerica.com Send email to Collin Send private message to Collin Find more posts by Collin Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Monday, August 1, 2011 @ 04:52 PM  

Ron and his twin worked at Sportavia


RF7 (note the bottom exit intake manifold)


Super Quiet Sportavia S5 (The S5 was an experimental quiet aircraft version of the RF5 for the
German government. It had a 115hp (?) Lycoming driving a wide chord
three blade propeller. The exhaust was led in large boxes down the sides
of the cockpit, cooled and exhausted upward aft of the rear cockpit. It
was a fine looking aircraft and spookily quiet when flying. Was built
spring 1971 and flew in the summer )


Sportavia S5 Lycoming Engine


Sportavia_Putzer Elster

Collin
General

Gender: Male
Location: McMinnville. Oregon
Registered: Oct 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 711

Click here to see the profile for Collin Visit http://www.cfiamerica.com Send email to Collin Send private message to Collin Find more posts by Collin Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 02:30 PM  

Donald
Command Sergeant Major

Gender: Male
Location: Scotland
Registered: Jan 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 489

Click here to see the profile for Donald Send email to Donald Send private message to Donald Find more posts by Donald Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 02:46 PM  

That S5 is intriguing. I'd never heard of it before and google is unusually quiet on the matter. Anyone know anything about it? More photos?
Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

Click here to see the profile for Bob Grimstead Visit http://www.redhawksduo.co.uk Send email to Bob Grimstead Send private message to Bob Grimstead Find more posts by Bob Grimstead Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 04:25 PM  

Hi Guys,

I think it was properly known as the RF-5S.

I'm pretty sure there's a photo in Rene's book.

Wasn't it metal, or was that another RF5 development?

Rod Simpson says:

'RF-5S Experimental quiet reconnissance RF-5 built by Sportavia with Lyc O-235-E2A engine.
Prot D-EAFA (c/n V-1). First flew 1971.'

It is not mentioned in my Jane's AWA of 1970-71 or 1972-73, but the RF55 is (an RF5 fitted with the high-revving, two-cylinder, four-stroke 60hp Franklin 2A-120-A [as originally fitted to my Champ] -- most importantly, this had dual ignition).

Anybody know any more?

Yours, Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

Donald
Command Sergeant Major

Gender: Male
Location: Scotland
Registered: Jan 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 489

Click here to see the profile for Donald Send email to Donald Send private message to Donald Find more posts by Donald Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 05:10 PM  

The metal one was the RF8, I think.
Collin
General

Gender: Male
Location: McMinnville. Oregon
Registered: Oct 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 711

Click here to see the profile for Collin Visit http://www.cfiamerica.com Send email to Collin Send private message to Collin Find more posts by Collin Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 06:15 PM  

S5 in the back ground

Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

Click here to see the profile for Bob Grimstead Visit http://www.redhawksduo.co.uk Send email to Bob Grimstead Send private message to Bob Grimstead Find more posts by Bob Grimstead Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Wednesday, August 3, 2011 @ 06:22 AM  

And in the air...

Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

Ron Smith
Private First Class

Gender: Male
Location: UK
Registered: Aug 2011
Status: Offline
Posts: 11

Click here to see the profile for Ron Smith Send email to Ron Smith Send private message to Ron Smith Find more posts by Ron Smith Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Wednesday, August 3, 2011 @ 12:05 PM  

OK, now I can post: here is some additional information on the photos and the Franklin engine aircraft. My twin brother and I were studying aeronautical engineering and did various jobs in the Industry thaks to contacts from our Uncle Robert. This included two hugely enjoyable periods at Dahlemer Binz when the first RF5B and the S5 were under construction / test. The RF5B above is the prototype ballasted (under the tailplane leading edge) probably for spin trials.

The two cylinder Franklin was fitted (to an RF5B, if I remember correctly) whilst we were at Sportavia. I am not sure if it was flown much; it was quickly abandoned, because with only two cylinders, the peak-to-mean torque was very high and it caused significant airframe vibration. I do have a photo of the engine mounted on an airframe in my collection and will endeavour to send on in due course. I also have a photo of an American Aviation AA1 (Sportavia - Putzer were agents for a period) being used to test the RF5S (or S5) propeller.

(It is entirely possible that I created confusion by calling it the S5, rather than RF5S). I suspect that there are not too many people around now who saw it flying, but I'm pretty sure that the factory designation was S5, not RF5S - someone can prove me wrong, of course.

Of the aircraft photographed D-EHAP (first RF7 became G-EHAP). SFS-31 D-KIRL - of which I will forward a photo of in due course - became G-AYRL.

I had an 'interesting' flight to Germany from the UK in RF5 G-AYAI, which took in an unscheduled overnight stop in Calais, and a precautionary landing at an active Beligian F-104 base.

More later, perhaps. Just sent Colin another photo of G-AYAI, by the way.

Ron

Ron Smith
Private First Class

Gender: Male
Location: UK
Registered: Aug 2011
Status: Offline
Posts: 11

Click here to see the profile for Ron Smith Send email to Ron Smith Send private message to Ron Smith Find more posts by Ron Smith Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Friday, August 5, 2011 @ 05:59 AM  

Photo of the 65hp two cylinder Franklin installation on second RF-5B (D-KHEL) is now in the RF5 / 5B section - RF5s from around the world.

Th SFS-31 photo referred to (D-KIRL at Dahlemer Binz) is also on the site on the SFS-31 page

Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

Click here to see the profile for Bob Grimstead Visit http://www.redhawksduo.co.uk Send email to Bob Grimstead Send private message to Bob Grimstead Find more posts by Bob Grimstead Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Friday, August 5, 2011 @ 06:58 AM  

Hi Ron,

Thanks for all these great photos.

They really take me back to the 'good old' early Fournier/Sportair days.

I hope you will allow Matt's uncle to use some of them to illustrate his book.

Thanks again.

Yours, Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

Ron Smith
Private First Class

Gender: Male
Location: UK
Registered: Aug 2011
Status: Offline
Posts: 11

Click here to see the profile for Ron Smith Send email to Ron Smith Send private message to Ron Smith Find more posts by Ron Smith Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Friday, August 5, 2011 @ 09:09 AM  

(From Jim Smith) - nice to see the pictures I sent to Ron also up on the site. We had a great time working at Schmidtheim/Dahlemer Binz. The pictures bring back memories of translating the pilot manual from 'German English' into 'English English', and my time in the factory, mainly building wings and wing components for Scheibe Falkes. I will e-mail some more pictures in due course.
Collin
General

Gender: Male
Location: McMinnville. Oregon
Registered: Oct 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 711

Click here to see the profile for Collin Visit http://www.cfiamerica.com Send email to Collin Send private message to Collin Find more posts by Collin Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Wednesday, August 31, 2011 @ 01:02 PM  

Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

Click here to see the profile for Bob Grimstead Visit http://www.redhawksduo.co.uk Send email to Bob Grimstead Send private message to Bob Grimstead Find more posts by Bob Grimstead Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Sunday, March 24, 2013 @ 09:37 PM  

Hi again Ron,

Please may I incorporate some of these photo in our forthcoming English translation of René's book Mon Reve et mes Combats ?

Thank you in advance.

Yours, Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

Post New Topic   Post A Reply Jump to:
Contact Us | cfiamerica.com | Privacy Policy All times are GMT -4 Hours.
Welcome to The Fournier Forum, Guest!  
Login
Username :
Password :
In order to fully utilize the abilities of this board, you are required to register as a member. Registration is free, and allows you to do lots of things including turning on or off certain features of this board. Register now!
Forum Rules & Description
Who Can Read The Forum? Any registered user or guest
Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered user
Who Can Post Replies? Any registered user
Who Can Edit Posts? Any original author
Just Pictures
Currently Active Users: 38
There are currently 0 members and 38 guests on the boards. | Most users ever online was 822 on 08-01-2020 10:15 PM
Search This Forum
Search Keywords: Search From:
Powered by CuteCast v2.0 BETA 2
Copyright © 2001-2003 ArtsCore Studios