Autodidact
Well-Known Member
I just wanted to (hopefully) start a thread that would be a discussion of the elements that are needed for a "clean sheet" unlimited racer design, for if/when that type of plane becomes necessary or in vogue at Reno and hopefully other places. Safety, aerodynamics, and engines should about cover it. At some point, race planes might need to have some kind of safety cell for the pilot; I see top fuel racers crash at very high speeds and often emerge relatively unhurt, so I think it could be possible to design a safety cage or cell from steel tube like NASCAR and drag racing, or carbon fiber as in Grands Prix racing. Alternative engines are becoming less of an unknown than they used to be, but it's been and will probably continue to be a slow, evolutionary process.
I have an aerodynamic question: would some kind of "coke bottle" area rule narrowing of the fuselage at the wing/fuselage junction help at the speeds an unlimited or even a sport class racers may be going in the near future?
I have an aerodynamic question: would some kind of "coke bottle" area rule narrowing of the fuselage at the wing/fuselage junction help at the speeds an unlimited or even a sport class racers may be going in the near future?
