I got my tail wheel endorsement in an unmodified Chipmunk. I loved the airplane but it is very unconventional. I think I recall the engine is 145hp Gipsy Major inverted six cylinder. There is no electrical system and it had to be hand propped. The instrument arrangement is non-standard. The engine turns backward so you hold left instead of right rudder to counteract p-factor. The seat is fixed with no adjustments and there is a huge 4 point harness that keeps you in the seat pan. Of course there is a sliding canopy with great visibility. The throttle and mixture is on the left like a champ and below the throttle is the brake handle. The rudder is controlled by a rudder bar and the tail wheel free casters (I cant remember if there is a tail wheel lock). To taxi you have to move the rudder bar and operate the throttle with your left hand and reach across and pop the hand brake on and off to steer with your right. Take off is simple and the tail comes up with forward stick and directional control is very easy. Performance, climb, cruise ect is almost identical to a warrior. Controls are very smooth and perfectly balanced while in the air. There is no need to lead with the rudder in a turn. Roll rate is not very exciting but the smooth controls make rolls and loops very nice. The airplane has benign stall characteristics and it is stable in all phases of flight. Approach speed is 70 kts or there about. Wheel landings are super easy and you would have to work really hard to ground loop it. Once you stick the tail on the ground it takes very little to make it track straight ahead then as it slows you go back to the weird break and steering arrangement. The engine liked to stumble when going from idle to adding power. In my opinion it is one of the easiest tail wheel airplanes to fly.

I believe you only have two hours of cruise endurance and tbo on the engine is low. Otherwise it is a really nice and easy to fly airplane. I always wanted one.

I recall the wing has a large box spar and I would not have any issue doing positive g acro in it.

Looks awesome, I'll have to try and check it out before I bail from PA for good!

Built this when I was a young teen. Brings back memories I hadn't even thought of in over 45 years. Silk and dope, can you even buy that anymore?



https://www.guillow.com/dhchipmunk.aspx

Thanks to all for the input. I knew I came to the right place. I am going to try to get a flight next weekend. I’ll keep you posted.

Post some pix!

I wanna play with this:

Jim was a friend that I never saw without a smile. He bought a "refurbish" T-28 in Tucson that on his way back to Fargo, dead stick into a duster strip when the engine failed.

I believe his Super Chipmunk was previously owned by Jim Hall of Chaparral auto fame.

I appreciate that David is quoting from memory, but I have to gently disagree with some of his statements.
1. The engine is a four cylinder Gipsy Major 10/2 (for a UK-built Chipmiunk; by far the most common).
2. The very first batch (24) of Canadian-built DHC-1A's didn't have an electrical system - all the others did.
3. While you'll read lots about "needing three hands" to taxi a Chipmunk, in fact the system is really easy. If rigged correctly, full rudder application results in a small amount of brake application regardless of the brake handle position - easy!
4. Roll rate is better than "not very exciting" IMHO.
5. Approach speed in 55/60 knots, not 70. Three-point landings are very simple too.
6. The aircraft certainly lacks range. UK-built Chipmunks were cursed two 9 Imp gallon "bag" tanks (at 7 gph gives 2 hours endurance); many now have 12 Imp Gallon metal tanks (3 hours endurance).

The Chipmunk is a relatively easy tailwheel aircraft; it's also a delight (I would say that - I've owned one for over 20 years!)

Anyone have a tail number? Wondering if that is my old airplane. Mine was certified.

That airplane, exp/exhibition with a 210 continental is the perfect sportplane IMHO.

I wouldn’t mind having another one at some point, but the certified ones are a gamble. The Brits go through a fatigue hours calculation, and most airframes are high time. They also tend to come up with rather onerous inspection requirements, and every now and then a fed notices and decides the US certified models need to comply. Compound that with the fact that British aluminum and rivets are a slightly different spec, and maintenance can get a bit weird for certified versions.

I had my gipsy overhauled, and that has gotten a bit pricey. Gear legs are getting rare, as are fairey/reed props.

N88925

Yep, thats it! Gonna have to go fly it again!

A UK-built Chipmunk posing as an RCAF example?

Yes, I don't get it either. I looked at it quite a bit a few weeks ago. It seems to be in nice shape overall. I donated a couple of new tires and tubes I had left over from my chipmunk. Hopefully, they're convert my donation into some flying time. I've got quite a bit more chipmunk stuff that they might buy. I went through it all and made up an inventory. It made me think about how much fun the Chippies are. I may just go buy another one and keep my spares