Shirlen Big Cootie

The Shirlen Big Cootie is an American homebuilt biplane that was designed by Roy Shirlen.^[1]

Design and development

The Big Cootie is a modernized version of the Powell PH Racer biplane for homebuilt construction. The aircraft is a single seat biplane with conventional landing gear, designed for mild aerobatics. The fuselage is welded steel tube construction with aircraft fabric covering. The cowling is fiberglass. The ailerons are controlled with push-pull tubes. The wings use wooden spars with plywood leading edges.^[2]^[3]

The prototype survived an in-flight impact with powerlines during its initial testing. It was rebuilt at the Piedmont Aerospace Institute at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A Continental A-80 80 hp (60 kW) engine replaced the Lycoming O-145 65 hp (48 kW) engine installed in the prototype.^[2]

Data from Plane & Pilot

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m)
Wingspan: 15 ft (4.6 m)
Airfoil: RAF 15
Empty weight: 467 lb (212 kg)
Gross weight: 750 lb (340 kg)
Fuel capacity: 12 U.S. gallons (45 L; 10.0 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-145 horizontally opposed piston aircraft engine, 65 hp (48 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

Maximum speed: 120 kn (140 mph, 230 km/h)
Cruise speed: 100 kn (120 mph, 190 km/h)
Stall speed: 55 kn (63 mph, 101 km/h)
Range: 260 nmi (300 mi, 480 km)
g limits: -4g

^ Air Trails: 78. Winter 1971. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ ^a ^b "The "Shirlen Big Cootie"". Sport Aviation: 4. 1969.
^ "Big Cootie". Retrieved 6 September 2013.