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2020-Sept 20thReno Racers:

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rhbelter

Active Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2015
Messages
36
Location
Carmel CA
2020-Sept 20th


Ahoy, HomeBuiltAirplanes:



Dark-of-the-night thoughts ::::



Reno Racers: Very high level development, but innovation ????



It comes to my mind that the only significant innovative ‘thingies’ which I have seen there (years ago) are vapor phase cooling, and, the clean-sheet Pond Racer.



Back then at Reno, I was talking with an Aerothermodynamicist, (my thesis field) whose name I no longer recall, but his was on more than half of the landing gear doors present. My question was about vapor phase cooling endurance, and he noted that at low power, it was pretty good, with the P51 – so rigged -- having flown from Portland to Van Nuys.



The Pond Racer on the flight line sounded like an immense window fan. He remarked that they were going to need to automate a lot more things, because the pilot workload with cooling doors and spray nozzles and all else was overwhelming. Unfortunately, no longer needed.



Sports Racers:



The Reno Go-Fast Sports Racer Rules: … ‘Aircraft are to be powered by an internal combustion engine or engines totaling no more than 1000 cu in.’

How’s about a pair of 495 cu/in seriously hot engines installed in an appropriate --- say a tandem engine / tilt-wing / extension shaft airplane.

AND, the tilt-wing permits a reasonable length MLG for a VERY ‘sporty’ and usable sports-plane version, too.

BTW: The tilt-wing on the F8 Crusader worked fine. 1000 mph was a piece-of-cake, great fun, and further, it was the first airplane which I flew which was NOT ‘seriously-under powered’.

Of course, the piston engine extension shaft is no casual thing. A comprehensive dynamic analysis is in order, along with appropriately measured results. The development of such may well be made easier by using a clutch to de-couple the shaft during start, and up to some certain rpm.

BTW, a seriously dangerous soul is one with a shop full of high tech tools who can craft a PSRU, but is ‘unlettered’ in his ability to technically analyze the dynamics of his ‘creation’, nor is capable of measuring the result.

Tandem engines were figured out by Bugatti 80+ years ago and also, with the Folk Wulf ?? Dornier 335 Pfeil.

Too bad that the beautiful replica airplane did not have a proper dynamic shaft analysis / measurement.

What I read about the loss was ‘clutch failure’. I’ll bet that a lot of unplanned for torsional dynamics were very involved with that clutch failure.

The wetted surface of such an airplane could be about the same as a single engine critter, and with twice the HP, I suggest that a well-done airplane like that would absolutely rule the Sport Racers, and scare the crap out of the unlimited guys.

WHY is such an airplane not seen??? I cannot be the only guy to have had such ideas.

I believe that there is plenty of $$$ available in the hands of the (sponsored) Reno Racers to do such. ??????

Enjoy /s/ Bob
 
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