A Quickie Twerp Brood
A Quickie Twerp Brood
A Quickie Twerp Brood refers to a unique and experimental amateur-built aircraft known as the Seguin Quickie. This aircraft was a single-seater composite plane designed and constructed for air racing by Elliot Seguin, a commercial pilot and professional test pilot, along with his colleague Justin Gillen.
Design and Construction
The Seguin Quickie was based on the Rutan Quickie Q1, a featherweight taildragger designed by Burt Rutan, the founder of Scaled Composites. The original Quickie Q1 was an innovative homebuilt aircraft that had been abandoned by its original owner before it ever flew. Seguin and Gillen saw potential in this design and decided to modify it for their purposes.
Modifications
The most significant modification involved the installation of two small PBS TJ-40 turbojet engines. The stock Quickie engine, which was mounted on the front of the fuselage and weighed approximately 80 pounds, was replaced by these jet engines, each weighing only 8 pounds. This modification aimed to create a flying test bed for the first manned application of these engines and to study their performance and reliability, particularly at altitude.
Testing and Challenges
The testing phase of the Seguin Quickie, affectionately known as Twerp, was rigorous and fraught with challenges. The aircraft underwent a series of low- and high-speed taxi tests at Mojave Air and Space Port. These tests revealed that the Quickie was tricky to handle even on land.
Engine Issues
One of the primary issues encountered during testing was the uncommanded shutdowns of the engines while idling on the ground. This problem was attributed to the engine's built-in starter generator, which was unable to generate enough electricity to support the engine at low power settings. To mitigate this, Seguin and Gillen found that running the engines at or above 20% power greatly increased their reliability.
The Crash
Despite the meticulous testing, the Seguin Quickie met with an unfortunate accident. During a test flight, a gust of wind banked the Quickie over 45 degrees, and the port motor quit. This upset may have contributed to the flameout by disrupting the airflow on the lee side of the fuselage. Seguin managed to keep the starboard motor producing thrust in an effort to get over the obstacle, but the aircraft ultimately crashed.
Documentation
The crash of the Seguin Quickie is well-documented. In addition to the NTSB report, there is also the Twerp Report, made available by Elliot Seguin. This report provides detailed insights into the events leading up to the crash and the technical challenges faced during the testing phase.
Media Coverage
The story of the Seguin Quickie and its crash has been covered extensively in various media outlets. Smithsonian’s Air & Space magazine published a feature titled "Elliot and Justin’s DIY Jet," which includes in-depth interviews with Seguin and Gillen. Additionally, the test flight was filmed for Red Bull TV, and footage of the crash has been published online, drawing significant attention to the incident.