The 'Ultimate Rebel' flies !
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 10:59 am
Hi guys !
Another one in the air !! I flew Pierre Mevissen's Rebel
on Saturday for it's first flight - after many years of work.
It's a beauty !! We call it "the ultimate Rebel", because
it should be the best performing Rebel on amphibs EVER ! He has
a custom Ameritech Eagle XP-360 injected IO-360 engine with a
lightweight carbon-fiber intake manifold, molded fg air plenum,
custom paper air filter, external oil filter, dual lightweight
alternators, feeding dual electronic ignition, driving a Prince
P-tip carbon fiber prop - putting out about 195 hp., and weighing
about the same as a regular O-320 with a Sensenich metal prop !!
All that in a custom metal 2 door (big doors !) cowling.
To 'improve' the performance "a bit", he added the McKenzie STOL
kit, Fife Hoerner wing tips, and NWA VG's !! The cockpit is pretty
fancy, with a Blue Mountain EFIS, and Advanced graphic engine monitor !
(A 'glass panel' Rebel !) And a very nice custom upholstery job, with
high, wide back seats, by a local guy who will COME TO YOU to work !! :-)
Landings are gentle, at very low speeds, cushioned by Wayne's die spring
gear mod - and, of course, the firewall has Wayne's reinforcing plates too.
The paint & finishing were done by John Goris & his boys at Purple Hill Air.
Some pictures posted to Files, Rebel, areas 217,220,207,208,
205, & 221.
Alright, already ..... YES ! It IS a skyrocket !!! On the
second flight, I saw 2,100 fpm climb !! It's quite happy at about
1,400 - 1600 fpm with me and full fuel (49 gal.). And it will climb
at ..... 45 mph !! Rock solid at 60 mph, and 1500 fpm....
The climb angles are breathtaking, to say the least. (I have a
9.4 MB video clip for anyone who wants it ...)
Clean stall is at 42 mph, but if you bring it back gently,
it will just mush below 40 mph, with NO nose drop, and full control !!
This is THE gentlest Rebel I've ever flown !! It won't spin more
than a quarter turn, no matter how you provoke it, so you'd really
have to work at it to hurt yourself !!
Still a lot of testing & flying to do - only 5.7 hr. so far.
It looks like Mr. Prince seriously underestimated this engine, though -
the 74 x 46 prop, although doing its 'constant speed' trick, is still
'way tooooooo fine for all this power - at 2550 rpm, the most we can
pull is about 18" of manifold pressure, level ! Cruise speed will
have to await a new prop.....
More news to come in a week or 2 - we hope to move The Ultimate
Rebel to Brampton soon ---- and there's a set of custom-painted Murphy
1800 amphibs waiting to go on it in the spring. Look out, Jack ! ;-)
.....bobp
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Another one in the air !! I flew Pierre Mevissen's Rebel
on Saturday for it's first flight - after many years of work.
It's a beauty !! We call it "the ultimate Rebel", because
it should be the best performing Rebel on amphibs EVER ! He has
a custom Ameritech Eagle XP-360 injected IO-360 engine with a
lightweight carbon-fiber intake manifold, molded fg air plenum,
custom paper air filter, external oil filter, dual lightweight
alternators, feeding dual electronic ignition, driving a Prince
P-tip carbon fiber prop - putting out about 195 hp., and weighing
about the same as a regular O-320 with a Sensenich metal prop !!
All that in a custom metal 2 door (big doors !) cowling.
To 'improve' the performance "a bit", he added the McKenzie STOL
kit, Fife Hoerner wing tips, and NWA VG's !! The cockpit is pretty
fancy, with a Blue Mountain EFIS, and Advanced graphic engine monitor !
(A 'glass panel' Rebel !) And a very nice custom upholstery job, with
high, wide back seats, by a local guy who will COME TO YOU to work !! :-)
Landings are gentle, at very low speeds, cushioned by Wayne's die spring
gear mod - and, of course, the firewall has Wayne's reinforcing plates too.
The paint & finishing were done by John Goris & his boys at Purple Hill Air.
Some pictures posted to Files, Rebel, areas 217,220,207,208,
205, & 221.
Alright, already ..... YES ! It IS a skyrocket !!! On the
second flight, I saw 2,100 fpm climb !! It's quite happy at about
1,400 - 1600 fpm with me and full fuel (49 gal.). And it will climb
at ..... 45 mph !! Rock solid at 60 mph, and 1500 fpm....
The climb angles are breathtaking, to say the least. (I have a
9.4 MB video clip for anyone who wants it ...)
Clean stall is at 42 mph, but if you bring it back gently,
it will just mush below 40 mph, with NO nose drop, and full control !!
This is THE gentlest Rebel I've ever flown !! It won't spin more
than a quarter turn, no matter how you provoke it, so you'd really
have to work at it to hurt yourself !!
Still a lot of testing & flying to do - only 5.7 hr. so far.
It looks like Mr. Prince seriously underestimated this engine, though -
the 74 x 46 prop, although doing its 'constant speed' trick, is still
'way tooooooo fine for all this power - at 2550 rpm, the most we can
pull is about 18" of manifold pressure, level ! Cruise speed will
have to await a new prop.....
More news to come in a week or 2 - we hope to move The Ultimate
Rebel to Brampton soon ---- and there's a set of custom-painted Murphy
1800 amphibs waiting to go on it in the spring. Look out, Jack ! ;-)
.....bobp
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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username "rebel" password "builder"
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