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Collin
General
Gender: Male
Location: McMinnville. Oregon
Registered: Oct 2006
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Posts: 711
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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
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Collin
General
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Location: McMinnville. Oregon
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Posts: 711
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Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 02:30 PM
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Donald
Command Sergeant Major
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Location: Scotland
Registered: Jan 2007
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Posts: 489
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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?
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Bob Grimstead
Captain
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Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
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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
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Donald
Command Sergeant Major
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Location: Scotland
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Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 05:10 PM
The metal one was the RF8, I think.
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Collin
General
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Location: McMinnville. Oregon
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Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 06:15 PM
S5 in the back ground
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Bob Grimstead
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Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
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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
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Ron Smith
Private First Class
Gender: Male
Location: UK
Registered: Aug 2011
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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
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Ron Smith
Private First Class
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Location: UK
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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
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Bob Grimstead
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
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Posts: 2029
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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
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Ron Smith
Private First Class
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Location: UK
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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.
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Collin
General
Gender: Male
Location: McMinnville. Oregon
Registered: Oct 2006
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Posts: 711
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Posted Wednesday, August 31, 2011 @ 01:02 PM
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Bob Grimstead
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
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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
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