|
The
CA-65 is a low wing monoplane with retractable landing gear and dual
controls. The high degree of efficiency of this airplane gives very
economic performance at all speeds. To achieve this, special attention
was given to obtain low drag over the entire airplane. The streamlined
canopy, completely enclosed engine, tapered wing, and fully retracted
landing gear are the main contributing factors. A simple, landing
flap, located under the fuselage makes landing runs shorter. The flap
is actuated by a lever located between the side by side seats. The
CA-65 is equipped with full electrical system including an electrical
starter, adding more comfort and safety. The main and auxiliary gas
tanks with a total capacity of 28 gallons allow flights with a range
in excess of 500 miles. The retractable landing gear was designed
especially for this airplane. A minimum of machining and considerable
use of standard parts makes manufacturing of the retractable landing
gear a very simple task. Standard bronze bushings were used for the
main landing gear cylinder and also for the retracting mechanism. To
ease the load of the landing gear ordinary garage door springs are
used to assist during the retracting cycle. The retracting lever is a
standard 3/8 ratchet which is located between the pilot seats. Wood
construction allows very efficient design, cutting requirements for
tooling and special jigs to a minimum. Most of the wing ribs, as well
as all the ribs in the stabilizer and vertical fin, are simply cut out
of 3/8 inch thick mahogany plywood. This kind of construction greatly
simplifies and shortens the time required to build this airplane. A
Lycoming engine 108-150 HP gives to this airplane enough power for
fast takeoff, good climb and speeds of over 190 MPH; stalling speed is
only 55 MPH. To simplify manufacturing and minimize the number of
metal parts, a one piece wing was designed with seats, main controls
and landing gear including retracting mechanism as an integral part of
the wing. |
|
Dual controls are provided for copilot. Hydraulic brakes are provided
only for the left side. Wide tread and a steerable tail wheel provide
stability at taxiing. A low drag canopy provides very good visibility
in all directions. The canopy opens forward to allow easy exit and
entrance to the cockpit. Locking is provided with two latches at the
sides of the canopy. The entire airplane is covered with plywood,
birch or mahogany 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Only the ailerons, elevator
and rudder are fabric covered. Optionally, a folding wing version has
been designed which enables the airplane to be easily towed or
installed on a trailer for long trips. It also requires much less
hangar space. The folding wing is manufactured in three pieces. Unique
aileron control design allows the wing to be folded or removed without
need of additional rigging. A further variation of the CA-65 is an all
metal version specially designed for the home builder. It has the same
configuration and aerodynamic properties as the all wood version.
However, the folding wing arrangement is not available for metal
version. CA-65 is designed for stresses encountering during basic
acrobatic flights. Ultimate design "G" loading is +9 and -6g's. The
CA-65 retractable landing gear has been successfully used on few other
light airplanes, such as Miniclub, Emeraude and the single seat CA-61.
It is of interest to note that the total weight of this retractable
landing gear was in some cases considerably lighter than the weight of
the fixed gear it replaced. Latest version of the CA-65 is CA-65B and
CA-65W. Both have a new fuselage (max. width 42.9 inches) and a new
canopy. CA-65B uses a ROTAX 9125 engine (100.00 HP) and CA-65W uses
the same engine as the original CA-65 (Lycoming 108-150 HP). |
