just landed

[davemac]

Hi all,

 

I fly a 1946 Funk B fitted with a Rotec2800 radial out of Serpentine WA. I am currently making a full engine cowl. I am a member of the Sport Aircraft Builders Club and our annual fly-in is on this Sunday, Sep26.

 

 

[slartibartfast]

Welcome Dave. How are you finding the Rotec?

 

I'll bet you get it all the time when you park in the wrong place - people come up to you and ask you to get the Funk outta here.

 

 

[davemac]

funk

 

Yeah, get that a bit and in a blue Funk, and funk off! :uhoh2:

 

 

[pudestcon]

G'day Dave and welcome,

 

Did a search on Funk B... I notice the original came with a 63hp Ford engine. How does the Rotec go and how many horses are you playing with?

 

Pity I'm out of town this weekend otherwise I'd make the trip to Serpentine. Does the new freeway extension make any difference to travel times (by car:laugh:) to Serpentine from the metro area?

 

Pud

 

 

[davemac]

Hi Pud,

 

the pre war Funks had inverted 4 cyl Ford car engines fitted with Al/alloy heads and variable ignition which gave them about 55hp at 2400 rpm. The planes were OK, albeit a little slow on T/O. Pioneer Airfield, at OSHKOSH, has one of these in perfect condition on display. WW2 came along and Funk brothers were involved in making parts for WACO gliders and other planes.The Funk brothers did make a few planes on the quiet, during these years but as it was wartime, no details are available. !946 saw the boom time for light aircraft and Funk brothers sold about 370 planes in '46 and '47. Most were fitted with war surplus Continental C85, Lycoming O145 and the rarer Franklin 4A4 90 hp engine. Funk sold only 22 airplanes in '48. You could buy a Funk in '48 for $1500 that would have cost $3995 a year before! Funks were for sale in car yards in 1948, "make me an offer!" My bird is #335, built in Sep 46.

 

I was born in Mar 46

 

The Funk brothers went into making implements for Ferguson and Ford tractors until they sold out to John Deere in the 70s. The factory building is still in Coffeyville Kansas; the last of the Funk brothers, Joe, died in Coffeyville in 2003

 

I made a rubber powered model Funk in 1958 when i was 12 years old, and have loved the bird ever since. Imagine my joy when I found one on barnstormers.com in Tennessese owned by an old enthusiast who had it for 20 years. I bought it online and travelled to TN and flew it down to Alabama to a private field, pulled the wings off and put it in a box and sent it to Fremantle.

 

I put it on the RAA register in 2008, flew it fo a few hours with the C85 and decided that it needed a Rotec radial. I flew the Funk with the R2800 2 weeks ago and it is a perfect fit. Just for interest, the Funk brothers tried a 45 hp Szcekely radial in their plane in 1936, but was underpowered so they went for the Ford B model engine.

 

Any queries most welcome;

 

Davemac

 

 

[davemac]

Hi Pud,

 

further to my last, the Rotec has 100hp at 3300 rpm, it is a geared engine so prop speed is 2/3 of that. It fairly leaps off the mark and cruises about 100 mph with no engine cowl, 10 mph up on the old C85. I expect a bit more when I fit the new cowl.

 

The new freeway cuts about 10 minutes off my journey from Mundaring to Serpentine to about an even hour. I looked seriously at moving to Northam, about 30 minutes from me, a couple of years back but when the new freeway was proposed I delayed until I tried it. 10 years ago it would take an hour and a half for the journey.

 

BR, davemac

 

 

[Yenn]

Welcome davemac

 

Ive never heard of a funk, except for the blue type.

 

Nice to see someone here with a Rotec. I think they look just wonderfull, but there has been a lot of bad publicity about them. Please keep us informed as to how your's goes.

 

 

[pudestcon]

Hi Pud,further to my last, the Rotec has 100hp at 3300 rpm, it is a geared engine so prop speed is 2/3 of that. It fairly leaps off the mark and cruises about 100 mph with no engine cowl, 10 mph up on the old C85. I expect a bit more when I fit the new cowl.

The new freeway cuts about 10 minutes off my journey from Mundaring to Serpentine to about an even hour. I looked seriously at moving to Northam, about 30 minutes from me, a couple of years back but when the new freeway was proposed I delayed until I tried it. 10 years ago it would take an hour and a half for the journey.

 

BR, davemac

Thanks for the info on the Funk Davemac,

 

Northam airfield is set to get a face lift via a government cash injection apparently tied to the 'Royalties for Regions' deal Brendon Grylls cut with the Liberal Party to allow them to form a government at the last election. The money is likely to be spent on training facilities but should have a spinoff in general facilities available to all who use the airfield - I hope so anyway.

 

Maybe catch up with you at an airfield one day - I'll be on the look out for the Funk!!

 

Cheers,

 

Pud