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| Panel Option |
One day...a while back, I decided it was time to live the dream instead
of day dreaming. Have you ever heard the quote by Henry Ford, " Whether you think you can or whether you think
you can't, you're right." Well, I think I can...build an airplane, primarily at home, in my garage. So, welcome
to my Skunkworks Airplane Factory. The purpose of this website is to document the construction of a two seat bushplane
called, the BushCaddy. My plane is Model R-120 and my N Number is 2C.
It will be powered by a Lycoming O-235 L2C, 118 HP, aircraft engine. I've never built an airplane
before, so I get lots of direction and support from the good people who run BushCaddy, other BushCaddy Builders, the EAA and my local EAA Chapter - Colonial 279.
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| Wings On!!!! Last week of June, 2008. |
The BushCaddy is an all metal airplane with a strong and robust airframe
capable of landing and taking off in rough terrain. Depending on the builder/pilot's choice, it may be rigged out with
wheels, floats or skis and with a stall speed between 32 and 35 MPH, low and slow can be a way of life.
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| Progress As Of 6/22/2008 |
There are several models to choose from: E-LSA, two seat, cargo and several four
seat models. The kit may also be purchased in stages: fuselage, cabin and wings.
Here's some additional
information: The Video that goes with the article here: YouTube BushCaddy Builder, Glenn Bishell, flying his BushCaddy R-120 here: YouTube Check out Ron McNamara's completed L-162 Max taking off on this video and note how
quickly it is off the ground w/o even having to raise the tail: L-162 Max Video.
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| Marshfield Airport, Marshfield, MA. |
My name is Don Morrisey and I live in Marshfield, Massachusetts, which is
on the coast about 20 miles south of Boston. I also have a house in a small town named Judique, on Cape Breton Island in Nova
Scotia, Canada (I was born in Cape Breton). One of my goals, in building this airplane, is to be able to fly to Judique
and land and take off in my back yard, where I plan to construct a 700' grass airstrip after I finish the airplane.
I learned to fly in Marshfield (KGHG) but plan to keep my airplane at my
EAA Club's airstrip in Hanson, MA., Cranland (K28M).
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| Cranland Airport, K28M, Hanson, MA |
I chose the BushCaddy because it is all metal and has a very strong and robust air frame.
Compared to many experimental aircraft kits the structure of the BushCaddy is amazingly strong. The plane can
achieve a decent cruise speed (I'm hoping to achieve 105 MPH @ 2200 RPM), has great off field capabilities and has a proven
track record with over 100 airplanes flying.
Prior to purchasing the BushCaddy kit I visited the factory, which is
just outside Montreal and flew one of the models. The airplane has a relatively roomy cabin, is very comfortable to fly in,
is very responsive on the controls and as a result - handles beautifully. The owners of the company - Sean Gilmore and Marlene
Gill are wonderful people who are passionate about flying and the BushCaddy. The tech support, coordinated through BushCaddy's
Production Manager, Mike Boisvert, during construction of my airplane has been excellent. If you live in the USA,
BushCaddy is represented by SportsPlanes.com.
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| BushCaddy R80 On Floats |
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| Tri Gear BushCaddy |
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| Cape Breton Future Grass Landing Strip |
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| Cape Breton, Nova Scotia |
The gross weight of the R-120 is 1700 lbs and I expect my empty weight to
be around 875 lbs, so with 36 gallons of fuel there should be plenty of useful load for two passengers and some baggage.
I have gone back and forth on which engine to use. My original plan was
to power the airplane with a Lycoming O-235, but it was on the heavy side so I settled on and purchased
a Jabiru 3300, which is a 120 HP, aircooled, horizontally opposed aircraft engine made in Australia. The Jabiru is about
80 pounds lighter than an O-235. But....I guess this is like a multiple choice test where you should always go with
your first choice. After long, hard and drawn out thought, I ended up selling the Jabiru 3300, which was still
in its crate and bought my coveted Lycoming O-235 L2C. Nothing like 70 plus years of engineering history when flying a
single engine aircraft.
There is a BushCaddy discussion group on Yahoo. Go there and sign up, you'll get some good advice and find a friend or two.
Please feel free to contact
me with any questions. You can email me at: don@donsbushcaddy.com
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| Cabin & Fuselage Complete |
The narrative, information and documents on this website are not meant
to be taken as the definitive way to build your airplane. They are not endorsed in any form or fashion by BushCaddy/Canadian
Light Aircraft Sales & Service. They are simply what worked best for me. Your results may vary and/or you may find
a better and easier way. If so...let me know!! Thanks. Don.
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All Metal, Wheels, Floats Or Skis, Robust
Bushplane
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