Hot Stuff! Radial Rocket RG (With 360hp Thump’n Russian Radial)
Monday, February 14, 2011 at 09:03PM 
The new Radial Rocket RG from New Century Aerosport
(10 pix)
There are four things in my opinion that make a perfect airplane. Round engine, pilot’s seat on the centerline, right hand on a stick and left hand on the throttle, and dragging your tail. If you’ve got those four things, you’ve got me hooked. And tho many pilots haven’t experienced all of these aircraft attributes, the only one that most modern pilots would likely disagree with is the tail draggin’ part. Enter the Radial Rocket RG.
With 360hp of thump’n Russian M14-P radial power swinging an 80” 4-blade MT constant speed prop, the Radial Rocket from New Century Aerosport in Olathe Kansas brings centerline seating and right-hand-stick-left-hand-throttle happiness, plus the straight forward simplicity of tricycle landing gear to the high-class composite kit aircraft scene. The sound alone from that M-14 is worth the price of admission as far as I’m concerned. And interestingly, that 360hp comes at a pretty affordable price compared to the flat 6’s you’ll find under the hood in a Lancair Legacy. In my mind, the Radial Rocket RG is an art deco alternative to the Legacy. With truly nostalgic lines and a sound right out of the golden age of aviation, the RR RG offers 240mph+ high-speed cruise and a pretty authentic fighter-like feel due to the seating configuration.
Tricycle, retractable landing gear Radial Rocket RG
The very friendly looking RR RG cockpit
Another common benefit to centerline seating aircraft, at least if they aren’t built as tiny as possible, is that you wind up with a really comfortable cockpit. The fuselage width at the front seat is 34 inches. Go fetch a tape measure and take a look at how wide that really is. Lots of room... and no elbow or shoulder from the other guy getting in your way either. And while most people learn to fly in side-by-side seating these days, there’s something very cool about being right on the centerline of the airplane during tight turns and rolls. That brings up another nice capability of the Rocket: aerobatics. You’re certainly not gonna go compete with this airplane, but for a roomy and fast cross-country two-seater, this would be a really nice toy for exploring the world beyond 60 degrees.
At 1,720 pounds empty with a 2,575 pound gross weight, you get a really nice 855 pounds useful load. With a forward and an aft baggage compartment, both accessible from external doors, and enough fuel capacity (65 gal) for up to a 1,200 mile range, the RG shows it’s more than just a beautiful beast. In all, it’s big enough to make a bold statement, yet not so big that costs get out of control or it becomes a major project just to move it in and out of a hangar.
Sliding canopy over the two-seat tandem seating in the Radial Rocket RG
M-14P Russian Radial with 80" 4-blade MT prop
The 360hp M-14 is a large part of why a Radial Rocket RG can be completed for somewhere between $125,000 and $175,000, which is obviously out of reach for many of us, but that’s significantly less than what you’d typically be putting into a Lancair Legacy. The Legacy is a great airplane, but round sounds and centerline seating would put me in the Rocket every time if I had a choice. And while the Legacy is swoopy and sexy looking, the Rocket pretty much asks the question: "who wants their butt kicked next?"... And I kinda like that : )
New Century Aerosport says the Radial Rocket kit is a typical 2,000 hour build, with the fastbuild option bring that to more like 1,500 hours. Build time is almost impossible to compare due to varying skills of builders and varying desire on kit sellers to tell the truth, but the Rocket seems to be right in line with what you’d expect given its size, materials, and performance.
Radial Rocket nose gear and exhaust details
Extended wingtips on the RG add 16" to overall span
The retractable gear system is electro-hydraulic, using an electric motor driving a hydraulic pump to actuate individual hydraulic cylinders at each gear leg location. In an emergency, gear extension is easily accomplished via a pressure release valve located in the cockpit that allows the gear to freefall into position. The freefall is assisted by springs exerting over-center pressure on the nose gear drag brace, and main gear side braces. The gear system uses a high volume, heavy duty hydraulic power-pack that produces very quick 4-5 second gear retraction and extension times. You might have seen that fast-acting gear displayed in the video in my previous Radial Rocket RG post from mid December 2010, just after the prototype made its first flight.
Regardless of what you think about how the airplanes looks on the ground sitting on tricycle gear, it’s pretty hard to argue with the beauty of this thing with the wheels up. Seriously, this is the best mix of the golden age of aviation with the modern era materials and aerodynamics that you’re gonna find anywhere. I think Howard Hughes would be very pleased with the Radial Rocket!
Radial Rocket RG: with the gear up, it doesn't get any better than this!
RR RG - the golden age meets the modern age!
The robust composite one-piece wing structure of the Radial Rocket
2011 looks like it should be a good year for the Radial Rocket. Nine airframes exist now with two taildraggers flying and another flying any day now... and a couple more getting very close. Plus the factory has the RG prototype seen in these pix and there’s another RG that should be flying in just a few months. I really think as this airplane gets more exposure, and when the RG gets a chance to show off at Oshkosh, it should become a lot more popular.
One of the reasons the RG version was built as a trike is to open this fabulous performing airplane up to pilots who might never consider taking on the challenge of a beasty taildragger. If you’ve got the money, there’s no reason not to put the Radial Rocket RG on your short list. The RR RG kit currently sells for $74,500, and the fast build option adds another $17,500. The TD or taildragger version kit is $68,500. The 360hp M-14P can also be replaced with a the 400hp M-14PF version on either airframe… you, in case you need just a little more kick! The factory also offers customized build-assist programs for the airplane.
For more details or to contact the factory, check out RadialRocket.com.
Reader Comments (5)
Mini Bearcat for me thanks!
Bonjour, je ne fais que penser à cet avion depuis que je l'ai découvert.
Je n'arrive pas à comprendre son échec commercial. Il faut l'ouvrir au monde. J'espère qu'il est toujours en production. Il peut faire du bonheur à beaucoup de gens comme moi.
J'espère vous lire car je me prépare pour en avoir un.
Gabriel
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