N9159

Collegiate Soaring Association

Our HP-14, N9159, is called "HP-14X" in some of the builder’s documentation, after he’d extended the span to 18 m and the tails to match. This was the second HP built by Wilhelm H. Ruehle, in Texas, out of TSA, hence he gave it the serial number "WHR-2" in 1969. WHR-3 was an HP-18 he built next. He currently flies an ASW-24W and was featured with it on the 1997 SSA Calendar (he was President of TSA that year, too).

It still looks just like it did in the 1991 photo from Hemet. We (Mike Nelson and Frank Willis more than myself) have remade spar "knuckles" out of Chromolly steel, stripped the steel tubing in the cockpit area and zinc-chromated it, replaced the seat belts (eaten by mice!), repainted the gear and serviced the shock struts, replumbed and repainted the panel. Somehow, we managed to stretch that out over nearly a year and it first flew at Owl Canyon on March 29, 1997 (me at the controls). Mike and Frank each flew it twice on 3/30.

The span extensions are control-surface free (last .75 m with no aileron. No aileron counter-balance any more either). The V-tail extensions are as aerodynamic balances, about an extra 30cm, which helps in yaw authority. The flaps are actuated by a worm gear (replacing an original hydraulic system).

John H. Campbell