GP-5 At Reno 2010: Wooden It Be Great...

(click pic to enlarge)  The GP-5 finally comes to Reno  (photo: SportClass.com)

 The GP-5 is an all-wood racer that was begun in the early 90's by George Pereira, well known for his Osprey and GP-4 homebuilt aircraft. Originally intended to compete against the Unlimited racers (following attempts like Tsunami and the Pond Racer) - but a long and challenging journey ultimately has kept this airplane from ever having a chance to race at Reno. Finally, in 2010, the stars have aligned for the GP-5 to attempt to show the world what it was designed to do... now as a Super Sport class entrant.

 I'll have more details to share once I get out to Reno on Friday. What I do know is that originally the GP-5 was being built around an approximate 500 hp Chevy V-8 engine. All of the primary structure was built of wood, and then the fuselage had foam glued on and shaped to get a nice compound curve. The the foam was then covered by a layer of fiberglass. With a wingspan of 22'-2", this sleek beauty was intended to have a gross weight around 1,800 pounds.

 Early design drawings on the Pereira GP-5 racer

 The drawing above shows the wood structure design as well as the basic concept for engine placement. Projects like this tend to evolve a lot as problems are solved and thinking is changed. The drawing below shows a variation of the engine installation with the V-8 raised slightly (with some cool bumps to make room for the valve covers) and radiators mounted under the engine. The idea at this point was to have an inlet right under the spinner for cooling air. The picture of the actual airplane at top, taken at Reno just a few days ago, shows a scoop more like a P-51 has mounted under the cockpit.

 The GP-5 actually went thru several owners before it was ever completed, so there's no doubt a really interesting story that explains how it looks today. I plan to try to get as much info as possible on it and share those details here soon. But for now, I'm just thrilled to know that the GP-5 is at Stead Field and finally getting its chance to give racing a try. Wooden it be great if the GP-5 was a championship racer!

An early concept for mounting cooling radiators under the engine of the GP-5 racer

Forecast Reno 2012: 'SharkBite' Wins Super Sport At 427 MPH!

SharkBite, my fantasy concept for a 'Super Sport' 427 mph Reno racer.

 It's pure fantasy, but I actually believe that the aerodynamics I've worked into this drawing represent a lot of where the future is headed. SharkBite is actually an evolution of a design I've been playing with on paper for the last year. The original design wasn't a hyper-powered beast, but I found that turning it into one was pretty easy. The general concept here picks up on several design elements that I've been thinking about a lot in the last year, and I'll mention a few of them now. Some of them, however, I'm not going to mention. I figure it's good to keep you guessing a little here.

 The big foundational idea in SharkBite is the 3 Lifting Surface Configuration (3LSC) for the wings. Similar to my retro airliner design (Empress 400), SharkBite taps into 3LSC, much like the Piaggio P180 Avanti. You might think I'm a little obsessed with 3LSC, but I figure when you see the Avanti offer a much roomier cabin cross-section, a 100 mph higher cruise speed, and does this on 80% of the horsepower of the King Air 350, it's something to pay attention to. The aerodynamic benefits of the Avanti configuration are stunning, and I'd say it's worthy of some obsession.

 So, SharkBite has a small main wing mounted well aft of the CG, with a very small fixed forward wing to hold the nose of the airplane up. Then, mounted between two canted vertical stabilizers, an aft mounted horizontal tail completes the array and handles the pitch control. The benefits expected here would be the same as the Avanti: no horizontal surfaces pushing down (and creating drag), smaller overall wing areas which reduce drag, and overall, less structure weight which has all kinds of benefits.

 The aft mounted fan taps into the ever growing technology of swept wing design in the blades, along with a variety of other cutting edge ideas in advanced prop design. That long stinger sticking out the back is actually intended to be the spinner for the prop. I also imagine SharkBite being powered by an air-cooled Lycoming Thunderbolt engine similar to what the Nemesis airplanes run. As always, effective cooling that also keeps drag to a minimum can be one of the biggest challenges, and the idea would be to incorporate several unique ideas into this airplane. The bad news is that crazy people like me always have wild ideas about how to make things work better, and usually find out they don't work so well in the real world. However, some creative thinking and hardcore testing might lead to some interesting solutions that do in fact yield performance increases. I have some in mind that not only deal with the need for ground cooling with the pusher prop, but are also intended to be used to help reduce drag while in flight.  

 Lastly I'll mention one feature that I think is just way-cool on SharkBite. You might notice you can see my blocky drawing of a pilot sitting inside with his eye on the next pylon. If this was the real airplane, you'd still be able to see him like that - all of him... the whole front of the fuselage is clear Lexan. Everything forward of that diagonal line is see-thru. My idea is to use chrome-moly steel tubing for the primary structure (not shown), so attaching thin, all-compound-curve Lexan panels on the front would be relatively easy. This would give the pilot a wildly awesome view from inside, especially at over 400 mph and 50 feet off the ground! That fuse is also a fully circular cross-section, and symmetrical when sliced vertically or horizontally. This means that building molds for the aft carbon fiber skin panels would also be relatively easy.

 In all, SharkBite is small, light and full of advanced aerodynamic ideas. Couple all that with about 600 or 700 horsepower and I think you just might have an airplane that can race the course at Reno at 427 mph. Hey, I gotta run... pardon me while I go do a little more Reno 2012 dreamin' : )

OK, Sometimes UGLY Can Be Fun To Fly... The Zenith CH 701 & CH 750

(4 videos - see all)

 Seriously, I've had a bit of an 'aha' moment today watching videos and reading spec sheets on the CH 701 and CH 750 from Zenith. The 'airplane design snob' in me has never taken a serious look at these 'most ugly' airplanes, but after checking out their dandy STOL performance and ease of construction, I'm really impressed. Whether you're looking at the smaller (Rotax powered) CH 701, or the larger and faster (O-200 or Jabiru powered) CH 750, these baby-bush-planes really look like a ton of fun.

 And the best part? From the inside, most of the ugly isn't visible! More of my thoughts on these interesting aircraft before long, but for now, check out these extra videos, and stop by ZenithAir.com for more details. (be advised: their website is almost as ugly as their airplanes, but I'm not holding that against them)

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1970's Dreamin' - Ford Powered Biplane Racer Concept

 With the 2010 Reno Air Races fast approaching (Sept 15-19), I thought now might be a good time to check out this little blast from the past. I remember seeing these pix when I was a kid, but I don't even know what this hot looking little biplane racer was called. And, it's just a model here, as far as I know, it never got built. It sure would be cool to know the whole story on it, but two things you can tell for sure from these pix - it's gorgeous, and it was meant for some Ford V power.

 Right around 1970 was a pretty exciting time in the world of biplane racing with airplanes like the Hot Canary and Sorceress coming on the scene. This airplane would have fit right in with them for sure. The extensive innovation that was going on actually led to some changes in the biplane class rules that ultimately may have brought all the really cool stuff to an end. In my opinion, the biplane class needs a little shot of this kind of thinking to stir up more excitement : )

 Lastly, I think it's worth mentioning how cool so many of the airplanes designed in the late 60's and early 70's were. Not just racers either, lots of experimental and prototype aircraft too. I know I'm old-school, and have 40+ years of aviation history crammed into my 49 years, but I really think we need more of the design 'spirit' from those days to weave itself into our fabulous new construction materials and engines. Sure, airplanes should perform well, but man, they should look cool too! 

Audio Comparo: Yuneec E430 Takes On The Radial Rocket (HeHe)

 I've been doing a lot of research on electric powered flight these last few days which has left me remarkably encouraged for where the state of the art will soon be. There are a lot of projects in the works and some leaping and bounding going on. I'll be posting more about that before long.

 One of the things that's hit me hard about electric flight tho is the sound of the airplanes... or the relative lack thereof. So, to make me feel a little better, I did a little audio comparo today, pitting the Yuneec E430 all-electric aircraft against the Radial Rocket powered by the 360hp Russian M-14 radial internal combustion engine. Is it a fair comparo? Of course not. That's not the point. But it does kinda point out how much the sound can drive the passion for flight. At least it does for me.

 So, take a listen to the Yuneec in the video above. It's only 23 seconds long, so you'll get the important sound bite quickly. It's actually pretty interesting how much that little electric motor and prop sound like a smooth and powerful turboprop as it flies by. I was somewhat surprised by how much I liked the way it sounded.

 Then, after you listen to the Yuneec, check out the Radial Rocket video below. If you're anything like me, by 30 seconds into it your heart rate will quicken and large amounts of saliva will begin to pool in your mouth. By a minute into the video you might be thinking something like: "If I sold the house and lived in my car, I could have one of those beasts!" Yeah, the sound of a radial engine, with a bazillion moving parts rubbing up against each other with a little oil between them, controlled explosions of hydrocarbon  fuel and air going on at an amazingly high rate, and an exhaust output that would curl ole Al's hair are really a large part of what makes a really great airplane. So, while I'm ok with electric airplanes moving in and changing the game, I just hope will have some gasoline (and the bucks it'll take to buy it) for as long as I live so we can be sure to have airplanes that sound like the Radial Rocket does!

(more details on the Radial Rocket coming soon... this is definitely one to talk about!)

Coming Down With A Bad Case Of Bugatti (100P) Fever - With Video

(click pic to enlarge)      The amazing Bugatti Model 100P       from: BugattiAircraft.com

 The truth is that I've been coming down with a bad case of Bugatti 100P fever ever since I first saw this wooden piece of aerodynamic design perfection several years back at the EAA Museum. I mean really, how do you see this stunning aircraft in person and not have it affect you? Even if you find the shapes to be a little too far over the edge for your taste, surely you'll still marvel at the fact that this thing was dreamed up and built way back in the late 1930's!

 The airplane was the work of Ettore Bugatti (the car guy) and engineer Louis de Monge, and they had visions of the 100P as an air racer. There's actually a little mystery as to what all the motivations were for the airplane's design, but the unfortunate truth is that World War II came along before the airplane was flown, and as a result, one of the most fantastic aircraft to ever be built, never even flew.

  (click pic to enlarge)                                                          from: BugattiAircraft.com

 You may already know that two guys from Tulsa, Oklahoma (Scotty Wilson and Gregg Carlson) are actually building an accurate replica of the airplane. Not only is it thrilling that these guys are building this replica, but if things go like we think, the replica will finally give us a detailed idea of how well (or if at all) this airplane flies. I found the video below today on youtube... it's from a few years back, but is shows a Bugatti 100 RC model that looks very accurate in proportions, and it flies great! I'm betting the replica is gonna fly very well too. The model even has conter-rotating propellers just like the original airplane. You can see in the cutaway above that two Bugatti built engines are installed in-line behind the cockpit. Each engine drove a shaft that ran along the sides of the cockpit up to a gearbox in the nose. Pretty amazing stuff! The replica is likely to wind up with two BMW engines that will somewhat accurately reflect the original ones.

 Here's a picture of the replica fuselage progress from earlier in 2010. I'm in the process of trying to get more details and info on the current status of the project, and hope to be able to bring lots more information in the next few months about both the original airplane and the replica. The last info on a anticipated first flight for the airplane that I saw said May, 2011. However, as with any mega-sized airplane project, don't be surprised if the guys aren't ready by then. However, they're making some very impressive progress... maybe they will make it! (UPDATE 8.13.10: after I put this post together, I learned that on August 6, 2010, Scotty Wilson did an EAA webinar covering the history of the airplane and shared many details on the replica project. You can view the Buagtti 100 webinar, however, it's almost 1 hour and 20 minutes long. I hope to take much of the most interesting info and condense it in a follow-up post soon) 

 You can get more info on the original Bugatti 100P by checking out the Bugatti Aircraft Association, the replica build project at CheckeredFlag.aero, and the original airplane on display at the EAA Museum. 

 Check out the awesome sound of the counter-rotating props and the overall great flying qualities of this Bugatti 100 RC model.

Can The Onex (1X) From Sonex Save General Aviation In America?

(click pic to enlarge)  
My rendering of a patriotic version of the yet-to-fly single seat Onex from Sonex

(6 pix + 1 video)

 I understand it might be a bit of a stretch for many people to consider that a small single seat VW powered homebuilt airplane might play any part at all in saving General Aviation in America, but at the moment, I can't think of anything more likely. I feel this way for several reasons, starting with the fact that this little sport-pilot compliant airplane, which hasn't even had its first flight yet, is the closest thing I've seen to what I call a 'Grand Slam' homebuilt. If you haven't seen my post from a while back on the Grand Slam homebuilt, here are the 4 parts that make it up:

 1) affordable

 2) great performance but not excessively demanding to fly

 3) relatively and realistically easy to build

 4) electrifying looks

 The one specific point I brought up previously when I mentioned the Onex as a contender for the four-run-homer was whether its looks could be classified as 'electrifying'.  Well, now that I've seen it in person, both at the Open House at their facility at Oshkosh on the day before OSH10 started, and at their booth during Oshkosh, I can say that the Onex definitely looks potentially low-voltage electrfying. True, I wouldn't call it full on electrifying like the 1970's BD-5, but the Onex appears to be so far down the road to fulfilling the other three elements of the grand slam that I gotta think this little cutie is gonna be the closest we've ever been to hitting it out of the park with the bases loaded.

Onex reveal at the Sonex open house on Sunday July 25, 2010

 The basic design philosophy of the Onex is to take all the great simplification ideas that John Monnett and crew have engineered into the Sonex family of airplanes, and apply them to a single seater intended to be as affordable as possible. The best news from my perspective is that the guys didn't make it as absolutely tiny as they could, and they aren't trying to get it to fly on the smallest engine available. You could insert some thoughts on the Moni here if you want to. However, by making the Onex a size that is both roomy and comfortable, and by putting an engine on the nose that they've proven can fly two people around quite nicely in a Sonex or Waiex, they are on the brink of offering an airplane that fits real people and will have some very sharp performance. It was obvious when looking in the cockpit that this little airplane has a lot of room inside.

 The more you study the lines on the airplane, the more you see how everything falls into just the right spot. If you want both simple-to-build and visually pleasing (a real rare combo in homebuilt airplanes), then I think you'll be pleased with the way this airplane looks. And, for those who've struggled a bit with the lines of the Sonex and Waiex airplanes, I think you'll find that the Onex is able to sidestep any weirdness and go straight to the head of the class. First, by being a much narrower fuselage, you don't get that sharp break in the slab sides as they work their way past the cockpit. And second, the cowling has a softer shape in the area where the Sonex cowl can be a little, shall we say, 'different'... plus having the heads of the cylinder banks push out thru the cowling sides not only narrows the cowling a bit, but it's one of the coolest nods to the classic cowl of the J-3 Cub ever!

 After you get past the simple fact that this is a great looking airplane that obviously wouldn't be complex to build, you can move on to some other really cool aspects of the Onex. The folding wings specifically. The idea was to create a folded size that would allow for easy trailering and easy storage in a normal sized garage. With the wings folded, it's just a tad over 8' wide, and it's just under 7' tall. all while still giving the airplane 78 sq ft of wing area total, which is enuf to keep the slow end of the speed range from being too hot. Even cooler than all that is the fact that it literally takes about 5 seconds to fold a wing panel. They've very cleverly designed the mechanism to not require any kind of disconnecting of the control linkages to be able to accomplish the fold. You unlock the wing. You fold the wing up!

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Alan Klapmeier, The Kestrel, And Epic Confusion

The 6 to 8 place 400mph turboprop Kestrel at Oshkosh 2010

 One of the hazards I face covering nearly every aspect of aviation is that there's a lot going on out there to keep up with! Plus, there's a relatively recent span of years where I wasn't keeping entirely up to speed on every project in development. So, when I saw Kestrel pictured here at Oshkosh, I was a bit confused. I read a little about it in the official daily newspaper of Oshkosh, so I knew it was destined for certification rather than the homebuilt market. I also read that former Cirrus Aircraft co-founder Alan Klapmeier was stepping in to head the project, but it obviously looked like an Epic LT, so I assumed that somehow the two were directly related.

 My confusion was complicated by the fact that at Oshkosh, the Kestrel Aircraft Company (KAC) display booth was right next door to the Epic Aircraft booth. In the picture above, the airplane in the background is an Epic LT, that's how close together they were. This actually made is easy to compare the two, and while I could see some small differences, it was clear that they were essentially the same airplane. And, even after talking a bit with booth people, I was still confused.

 Well, after some research, it appears that the two airplanes are kinda like cousins that used to live on the same street as kids, but these days they're living far apart and don't talk anymore. The Kestrel has been in development in the U.K. by Farnborough Aircraft as a certified airplane intended for air taxi work. The aerodynamic work they did for the Kestrel was also used to develop the Epic LT. For a period of time between 2003 and 2005, Farnborough and Epic were in some form of a joint venture. Both airplanes use the same basic wing, and while the fuselage is almost the exact same shape, the Kestrel's is a little longer and has increased interior volume. A comparison also reveals that the airstar door on the Kestrel is located quite a bit farther aft from the wing trailing edge.

 To complicate even further the path these airplanes have been on is the fact that Epic went thru bankruptcy issues in late 2009 and into 2010. They were also in the process of trying to get the LT certified with the FAA under the name Epic Dynasty, but that project never reached the goal. Epic has recently been re-formed by a combination of LT aircraft builders, and if the wikipedia entry is correct, a Chinese company that plans to market the Epic aircraft around the world. Apparently the U.S. marketing and support for Epic is to be provided by the LT Builders Group operating out of the original Bend, Oregon location.

The Kestrel crew on Sunday setting up the booth for Oshkosh 2010

 But back to the Kestrel. Farnborough Aircraft has somehow morphed into Kestrel Aircraft Company, with Alan Klapmeier as CEO, and is actually planning to built the aircraft here in the U.S. A recent deal has been struck to set up shop on what used to be the Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine. It also appears that some changes are coming to the design of the Kestrel as it moves further into the certification process, including a wing re-design that will remove the curved leading edge that can be seen in the picture above. One of the goals of KAC is to also downsize the engine from the 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6 currently installed to a slightly smaller version that will help reduce costs. With additional aerodynamic tweaks, they may be able to get essentially the same performance on a smaller engine.

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Video: Wrapping Your Head Around The PD-1 Roadable Aircraft

 While I have thoughts that cars don't belong in the air and airplanes don't belong on the road, I will say that the Plane Driven PD-1 is a very interesting concept. This video really helps you to understand how they intend for it to work.

Oshkosh 2010 Pic Stream #7 - The End Is Nearing (21 pix)

 By Friday, Oshkosh 2010 was getting closer to reaching the end, and I was really beginning to wear down from covering the grounds 12+ hours a day, but that doesn't mean there wasn't still a bazillion things to see! As usual, there were cool things to look at right up until I left the grounds on Sunday. These pix however are from Friday. This is the Plane Driven PD-1, a highly modified Glasair Sportsman configured to actually be able to drive down the road with the wings folded.

 This big black pod under the cabin is hiding an 80 hp engine that is used to drive the main-gear wheels for road driving. Tho none of the pictures here show it, the pod actually gets moved way aft along those rails creating a really long wheelbase when in the driving mode. It's moved forward, as shown, for the flight mode to keep the weight of the engine and associated components on the airplane's CG.

 It all makes a very unique solution to the decades long quest to make an airplane that also can roll down the road. But honestly, I still struggle with the idea of putting a lightweight airframe thru the potentially punishing experience of potholes and rough roads. And then there's all those crazy drivers on the road too! Overall tho, the PD-1 seems well executed, and only time will tell if this is an idea the world is really ready for.

 I thought it was pretty cool to see three Pitts Model 12 aircraft with a KC-135, a C-5, and the Erickson Air Crane all in the background. As usual, loads of aviation diversity at Oshkosh.

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