Thorp Air Command - T18.net

And that fancy tow car!!??

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

After owning that fancy tow car for 28 years I finally retired it. The Grand State of California gave me a check for $1,000 to turn it in.

RB

NOPE , Mr Archer took them off the market several years ago.
The plans are hard to come by, have not seen a set for sale in some time. The spars are also difficult to obtain. Richard Ecklund gas the upper spars with which a lower could be cut from an upper. Youir best bet is to find a project that has some of these plans/parts and buy it.

Once in a while you may see a set of S-18 plans on Barnstormer's for sale. I would also check Trade-a-Plane.

RB

FWIW you may be able to BUY an excellent S-18 (with the plans) for about the same or less than if you started from scratch and built it on your own...assuming you have the time to do it. It took me 27 years ! Worth a look at ?

RB
NX115RX

So, if I go here ( http://home.jps.net/~eeicorp/id18.htm ) and buy the plans and construction articles from Eklund Engineering, what version(s) of the T-18 can be built from the plans/articles? Not the T-18CW? If (as mentioned above) the T-18CW and the S-18 both have the 40" fuselage width, modified (LDS) airfoil, and the same folding wing, then I'd be fine with the T-18CW plans.

I suppose it's most straightforward for me to ask Eklund Egr. what is in the package.

Mark W.

If you buy from Eklund Eng. Plans/parts, you are going to get the standard T-18. No wide body, no folding wing. Just the original T-18 John Thorp designed. Some parts cross over from the T-18 to the S-18 (T18CW, T-18W/S-18 same A/C just different names over the years). Like the rudder, fin, hor stab, seats, FWF are the same for both A/C. Maybe a few other parts are the same for both A/C, but can't remember right now. If you buy from CSA (Classic sport Aircraft) you can not buy the plans/drawings for the S-18. They only come with the "kit." CSA does sell parts for the T-18 ...rudder, fin, hor. stab. etc.

I think you may be confused about the designation of the A/C ? There is the Standard T-18...John Thorp. Then there is the folding wing version (Lou Sunderland with the LDS airfoil) that has changed designations over the year, but is the same A/C. T-18W (Wide body with folding wing), T-18CW ( wide body with Convertable/folding W ing ) and finally the S-18 which is the wide body with folding wing and redesignated an "S-18" after Lou "S"underland.

You will need the T-18 drawings AND the additional drawings Lou Sunderland made and sold with the T-18 drawings to build a T-18W/T-18CW/S-18....same beast just different name.

Lee...did I get this right or close to it ?

RB

You can go to Richard's (Ecklund Eng.) web site. I believe he is listed on the "Vendors Page ?" It has a lot of info on what he offers for the T-18. Also go to the CSA web site (also on the Vendors Page) for info on the S-18 and what Mike has to offer. Maybe when I get too old to pee I'll sell my S-18 plans !

RB

Yeah you got it right RB ...

T-18 Original Design
T-18C Standard T-18 with folding/convertible wing
T-18W Wide Body T-18
T-18CW Wide Body T-18 with folding/convertible wing
S-18 = T-18CW built from rebranded drawings from Sunderland Aircraft.

I know it seems confusing but for all practical purposes they are very much the same aircraft. The way this worked originally was that someone bought the T-18 drawings from John Thorp and then purchased a set of supplements to make it a T-18CW from Lou Sunderand. When John Thorp grew ill and could no longer support the drawings Lou Sunderland stepped up, combined the two sets of drawings and called it an S-18. There are hundreds of unused drawings out there, if someone wanted to build a T-18CW we could find a set.

I've got some personal stuff going on right now so I may not be as involved as I usually am, please bear with me guys. When I can I'll see if I can set up a marketplace type page for people to sell their unused T-18 drawings on.

Lee

_________________
Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

Bob, I'm here in NM if you (or anyone else) want to see a T18 and folding wing. At least it looks like one, but still work in progress. Les.