Scott (right) and a friend take their places in the cockpit.
Tom Scott has been-developing and tweaking the all-composite Glass Goose biplane design for 15 years. He started with a Seahawk kit that he purchased in 1984, built it over a year-and-a-half period, and first flew the airplane in April 1986. "Its performance and handling qualities were poor in the air and on water," Scott said. Then, through consultation with Dick Caven (now deceased), he commenced a series of modifications.

Sprucing Up the Goose
Scuppers (filets) were added at the intersection of the bottom of the pylon walls and the aft portion of the lower wing to make it more aerodynamic and eliminate a low pressure area. This, plus vortex generators, cured the problem. Scott also lengthened the pylon chordwise and installed augmentation slots in the pylon's trailing edge that are fed by high-velocity air from a reshaped cowling. The result eliminated turbulence behind the pylon that had caused propeller vibration.

The airplane was also employed as a testbed for his sponsons concept, which was to increase the surface area of the hull. "With them, the airplane took off faster and flew much faster," Scott said, "and the airplane is still flying with 100 hours logged on it."
PHOTOS: HOWARD LEVY
KITPLANES - JANUARY 2000
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