In lieu of posting my professional resume, I'll just link to how Penn State summed up those 35 years in my retirement notice.
So, while I'm working on this ... look for a more substantive product in the mid summer of 2009 ... here's a recent photo of me and the Moni Motorglider that I've been building. The motorglider is approximately 75% completed. I've had some thoughts on improving the control linkages, brakes and instrument panel, so I'll probably regress a bit, redo them, then proceed to completion.
This Moni is powered by a 30HP 2-cylinder KFM engine. There is an active group of owners, builders and enthusiasts exchanging information at: Yahoo groups.
The general specifications of the Moni are:
Wingspan 27 feet 6 inches
Length 14 feet 7.5 inches
Wing Area 75 sq. ft.
Empty Weight 260 lbs.
Gross Weight 600 lbs.
Useful Load 340 lbs.
Cockpit will accommodate 6 foot 4 inch, 235 lb. pilot
Engine, KFM 107, 2 cyl. 25 or 30 hp. electric start
Fuel Capacity 4 gal.
Endurance (full throttle) 2 hours
Top Cruise Speed (level flight sea level) 120 mph
Maneuvering Speed (75% Power) 110 mph
Never Exceed Speed 165 mph
Range at 80 mph. (economy cruise) 320 miles
Rate of Climb 500 ft./min.
Take Off Distance (turf) 400 feet
Stall 38 mph.
Design Limits +6, -4 g’s
Here's a snapshot of a Moni suspended from the ceiling at the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. It has glider-gear; I'm building one with tricycle gear.
Contact Ray Masters with any questions or comments.