Super Baby Great Lakes performance

birdus · 04-23-2012, 04:48 PM

How does the Super Baby Great Lakes perform/handle compared to a Pitts?

Thanks,
Jay

**bjkirby2000** · 11-13-2012, 02:07 AM

What? Several months and no takers? Come on Mr. Rose. You gotta have something to say to this...

**bf92** · 11-13-2012, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by birdus

How does the Super Baby Great Lakes perform/handle compared to a Pitts?

Thanks,
Jay

I don't think I saw this post until now. I have about 15 hours in a Baby Lakes powered by an 80HP Limbach (VW). Performance from a field elevation of 4,232 was nominal until the air temp reached 65F. After that I didn't dare fly it anymore. Climb rate was 200fpm. It was very small, I stuck out the top in the wind. It would lose 300 feet in a snap roll, and you had to dive like crazy to get a loop out of it. I don't have experience in a BL with higher power. I have over 850 hours in Pitts, mostly S-1S, S-2A and S-2B. Nothing flies like a Pitts, and I mean nothing! A Baby Lakes is okay for gentle aerobatics if you are a small person and fit. If a BL was such a great aerobatic airplane I would think they would be flown in contests and airshows, but I've never heard of anyone flying one in either of those disciplines. Good Luck,

Danny

**cwilliamrose** · 11-13-2012, 12:19 PM

At 6'5" tall the BGL is not an airplane I'd know anything about. As Danny said, there's not much presence in the akro community to go by either.

Sarge · 11-13-2012, 04:11 PM

There's a new BGL in New Zealand that seems to be flying acro with none of the problems Danny experienced. Videos are one Youtube; let me see if I can find a link...

Sarge · 11-13-2012, 04:23 PM

YouTube

N95334 · 01-30-2013, 09:32 PM

There is a nice pilot report on: http://airbum.com/pireps/PirepBabyLakes.html

Sky Rider · 02-08-2013, 07:58 PM

Just as a matter of interest, if you go to YouTube you will see my old Baby Lakes.
(ThundaDownUnder)
It runs a Rotax 912 as far as bang for bucks this plane can't be beat, so easy to fly it's a joke, it's not up to a Pitt's but who cares! Champagne flying on a beer budget.