Custom Reno Racer

[wuzak]

From another thread, on the premise that we have Howard Hughes levels of resources:

Wuzak did bring up the custom carbon-fibre fantasy racer-libre idea..

Maybe a trick Do 335 type push-pull fuselage with a brace of Falconer V12s, sporting A-4 Skyhawk flying surfaces?

Why A4 wings?

As a custom job you could make the wings what you want/need. And the A4 wings might be a bit big for a Reno racer.

I'd consider something built around a Merlin or V-1710. It would be single engine, engine mounted behind the pilot driving contra-props via an extension shaft.

The aircraft would be as small as it could.

I'm thinking along the lines of a Bugatti 100P, but single engined and a pusher.

 

[GregP]

Since WWII Allisons / Merlins / Griffons / radials / etc. are all getting scarce, why not go with a turboprop class and specify the engine? Everything else would be fair game. The engine would be a specific model and dash number, to even up the power they could generate but, if you leave the rest open ... you'd probably have a good mix of airframe designs and propellers.

Any winner would have the engine examined for compliance and you'd have the added safety feature of almost eliminating engine failures.

Alternately, you could do what they do in Sports Renault-type car racing and supply tuned and sealed engines for a class designed to showcase the pilots and planes, not the engines. Chose something like a race-modified IO-540 or even a racing auto conversion, such as a small-block Chevy or Ford, and the cost would be much less than warbirds with 70 year-old V-12 with a dwindling parts supply.

Of course, the FIRST thing you'd need to do would be to get away from RARA (Reno Air Race Association), so maybe a new venue would be best. RARA is hopeless, and only interested in the money. They care nothing about racing ... just the money. Not just my opinion. I have heard that from many fans and even a few participants. The main issue seems to be that the association is not run by people who love air racing. I realize it needs to be self-supporting, but you don't have to squeeze every dime out of the crowd you can get until you drive people away.

 

[gumbyk]

"Why A-4..."
Safety, with known robust components, & the fairly rare tailed delta offers proven flying performance,
- at both ends of the speed range, & I think some people may not realize - just how compact they are.

There's one in our Aero Club hangar at the moment.
An A4 wing, although not much bigger, is much heavier than anything WW2. Its designed for flying in the transonic region and is built really strong. It will need the flaps, slats, hardpoints, etc removed to lighten the wing, and then you are removing low-speed handling.