Personalize your unlimited air-racer!

[Aircraft Mech Paul]

Hmmm,

well I would just HAVE to have a P-47N model, D-Day stripes on a high polished surface to slippery finish, have a mod done to eliminate ALL AN470 style rivets to go flush head fastners, and a factory fresh (or as close as possible R-2800. Also I'd have to take out the turbo charger from in the tail compartment to reduce the weight. But that would be a hoot to fly the pylons in.

Paul

[rwdfresno]

Hmmm,

well I would just HAVE to have a P-47N model, D-Day stripes on a high polished surface to slippery finish, have a mod done to eliminate ALL AN470 style rivets to go flush head fastners, and a factory fresh (or as close as possible R-2800. Also I'd have to take out the turbo charger from in the tail compartment to reduce the weight. But that would be a hoot to fly the pylons in. Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

Paul

A nice big spinner might cut down on the cooling drag.

[oscardeuce]

I'd do a Do 335 Red white and Blue starburst.

I wonder what a tricked out 335 top speed would actually be?

[rwdfresno]

Maybe we should have a "My Dream Reno Racer" modeling contest.

[hairy]

A griffon powered Bronco ,admittidly it would require some slight modification.

or..................

Get a pair of Thunder mustang kits and use two fuselages, one left wing, one right wing,..................... two 10/71 blowers or 4 big turbos or both, a little bit of nitros, and some drag racers in your crew to hot-rod the snot out of the engines(the Falconer V-12 is based on a Chev) and what ever ballast is required to get over the minimum.

[mustangdriver]

Wasn't there a website years ago, that would let you design the markings for your own P-51 print?

[Saabmeister]

I've often thought about what my Reno racer would be, and I've always thought the ideal would be a P-51H with clipped wings, a souped-up RR Griffon with contra-rotating props, a cut down canopy kind of like Rare Bear, absolutely everything else possible removed, and all polished up so it can be as slippery as possible.

[tom d. friedman]

wow a do-335 made of lego toys......... i've seen it all!!!! nice likeness to it with such crude model building materials!!!

[tom d. friedman]

my racing choice would be a beaufighter or a japanese dinah on steroids.

[JimH]

FW-190 with an R-3350 and a cutdown canopy and turtledeck ala Dago and Strega.

jim

[Scotty G]

But it would no longer be allowed at Reno

Just curious as to why ?

Are they new rules that prevents a scratch built design to enter ?

They have a 4,500-lb. weight minimum now that is intended to prevent new technology from out-competing the warbirds.

August

August,

Do I detect some attitude against the rules at Reno? I think it's a good idea to prevent lighter racers from competing with heavier unlimiteds. We now have the Sport class for that, and 4,500 is the dividing line between the two.

Not sure how much the Pond Racer weighed, but it must have been around 4500 pounds. You want to get caught in the wake turbulence of a Sea Fury in the Pond Racer. NO WAY for me.

I got into wake turbulence from another racer the same size as mine. That sucked that close to the ground!

The rule is not to prevent new technology from out performing warbirds. In fact, the class is open to a one-off design that would be easier to make go fast rather than a chopped up Mustang.

[k5083]

They have a 4,500-lb. weight minimum now that is intended to prevent new technology from out-competing the warbirds.

August,

Do I detect some attitude against the rules at Reno?

Yep.

I think it's a good idea to prevent lighter racers from competing with heavier unlimiteds. We now have the Sport class for that, and 4,500 is the dividing line between the two.

Nope. Sport class is for homologated (at least 5 produced) kit-built airplanes with a 650ci engine displacement limit. That is not a dividing line, that is a huge gulf. If you've got an engine between 650ci and 1,650ci or a one-off airplane, you've got no place to race it unless it weighs over 2 tons.

Not sure how much the Pond Racer weighed, but it must have been around 4500 pounds.

Max gross 4150 pounds. Reno rules require EMPTY weight greater than 4500 lbs.

You want to get caught in the wake turbulence of a Sea Fury in the Pond Racer. NO WAY for me.

Reno doesn't even pretend that's the reason for the rule.

The rule is not to prevent new technology from out performing warbirds. In fact, the class is open to a one-off design that would be easier to make go fast rather than a chopped up Mustang.

It is exactly for that. Tsunami would barely qualify under the new rule. Even if you had a P-39 you'd have to be careful not to strip it down too much. The Thunder Mustang at gross is 3,200 lbs empty is 2,200 -- less than half what it takes to get into unlimited class, and it's a big airplane for a racer, about the biggest that can squeeze into Sport class. If you want to take one or two race car engines and build the fastest plane you can around it/them, you're going to be around 3000 empty, maybe 3500. And if you did somehow bulk up a homebuilt to meet the weight floor and get into the class, Reno has sent clear signals that they would make up some other new rule to exclude you. They probably would still let in a Tsunami because it's so much like a warbird, but that's it.

People like to watch warbirds go around the pylons. Reno is about what people want to watch, even if that means turning their backs on innovation. That's fine, it's their race, even if "unlimited" is a joke. I would love to see what someone could do with 20 years more advanced technology than what Rutan had for the Pond racer, but something else besides Reno will have to provide the incentive.

August

[Scotty G]

August,

Just curious if you've known any of the people in the unlimited class. One that comes to mind is Art Vance. I ask because I've been in on conversations about the unlimiteds with him during PRS and the races.

The rule is to prevent airplanes that are too small from being safety hazards at the races.

I'll bet you a bowl of soup that if you show up with another Tsunami or a P-39 set up for racing, you'll get to race. They are "like" aircraft types with what is already there.

A 4,000 lb airplane is not.

On the same note, I think a argument was made that it should be wing loading, not weight, as a limiting factor. The call was made and we have what we have.

Parker wanted to run with the unlimiteds with his Thunder Mustang. Personally, to me and me alone, that seems like a bad idea. To him, that must have seemed ok. The unlimited board decided against it and made the weight rule.

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. I just have a different opinion. I'm curious if Reno has done something to pi$$ you off.

[J-F St-Pierre]

de Havilland Mosquito re-engined with RR Gryphon, with 5 blades props, clipped wings(wingspan not determinated yet) and redesigned canopy.

[hairy]

de Havilland Mosquito re-engined with RR Gryphon, with 5 blades props, clipped wings(wingspan not determinated yet) and redesigned canopy.

If you make the fuselage a bit more steamlined you basically end up with the Sea Hornet.