Fast little plane

[MerlinV12]

Would this be something for the sport class@reno?
Turbine legend 1
turbine legend 2
The turbine legend whit a 1100 turboprop engine

[JET1]

there is no TURBINE class

Would this be something for the sport class@reno?
Turbine legend 1
turbine legend 2
The turbine legend whit a 1100 turboprop engine

but I would like to see one!

[RRMERLIN7]

Re: Fast little plane

This would be a cool class to watch

[Rigby]

Re: Fast little plane

Stick a Merlin up front....

[mustang5151]

Re: there is no TURBINE class

but I would like to see one!

But there is a sport class and when they first built the Legend, it had a Chevy smallblock in it(a 400 I think) and it moved along pretty good. I am surprised that we haven't seen one turn up at Reno yet. The stumbling block seems to be building a reliable reduction gear unit to use the power from an auto engine(usually at a very high RPM) Check out the scoop under the fuselage of the Legend. Remind you of another well-known warbird? That design feature wasn't by accident. I would love to see one of these turn up at Reno sometime. A turbine class would be pretty cool also, though.

[Lowell]

Re: Fast little plane

The prototype Legend did come to Reno in 1997 and was entered in the Unlimited Class and parked in the pits behind its would-be rival, the prototype Thunder Mustang which was also entered. The Legend went out to qualify but was unable to exceed 300 mph. Their qualifying speed appeared briefly on the grease board in the Biplane hangar, as I recall, and then was taken off. The Thunder Mustang, race #25, also qualified, at over 338, and was one almost scratched Sea Fury (with an 11th hour fix) away from racing in Sunday's Bronze.

[forbergler]

Re: Fast little plane

The Falconer V-12 that they put in the Thunder Mustangs is easily capable of 1100 hp(although I don't know how reliable they are at that output), and looks like it would fir nicely without altering that small frontal profile. I think one done right would give Sharp and Eldridge a run for their money, except for the weight. The vidoe showed "under 4000lbs", but the NXT tips the scales at only 1600lbs dry. ?????
How does a turbine compare to an all aluminum V-12?
http://www.falconerengines.com/spec_v12h.htm Hi-Po
http://www.falconerengines.com/spec_v12low.htm Lo-Po
522 lbs isn't bad for that motor. Up to 1600 hp with forced air induction!!!!

[forbergler]

Re: Fast little plane

Who's gonna write that check?!

[David E. Wells]

Re: Fast little plane

An XF-84H Thunderscreech was a turboprop, just a thought
A Falconer V-12 in a Tsunami like unlimited...boil-off...get your pen out, forbergler!...D.

[MerlinV12]

Re: Fast little plane

That would be a hoot to fly

[CJS]

Re: Fast little plane

QuoteThe prototype Legend did come to Reno in 1997 and was entered in the Unlimited Class and parked in the pits behind its would-be rival, the prototype Thunder Mustang which was also entered. The Legend went out to qualify but was unable to exceed 300 mph.)
When Jeff Ackland and I entered the Legend into the '97 unlimited race there was not a 300 mph qual speed required. There never was a problem with the reduction gearing. Jeff had just removed 80 cu in from the heads due to piston slap and temperamental engine performance which put us below 500 hp. The resulting speed left us 28th out of the field of 27 racers. My biggest concern was getting into the rolling turbulence of a passing Sea Fury on the race course so I test it by taking it to a higher altitude and flying right in behind a stock Sea Fury and see where I got spit out. I was pleased to learn that due the power of the Friseed Ailerons, I was able to completely stop rolling moment with full aileron, then knife edge out trouble. The next year the Legend had a turbine on and was not eligible for Unlimited racing. 'CJ'

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: Fast little plane

There are pictures of the XF84H Thunderstreak in a book by Lloyd S. Jones called US Fighters 1925 to 1980s. It states that the performance was never declassified but it is reported to have been the fatest propeller-driven plane in the world. The turboprop plane was powered by a 5,850 eshp Allison XT-40 for the navy. The propeller was a 12' diameter Aero Products make. The blades(3) were wafer thin & produced hypersonic sound waves which,though inaudible,created acute nusea in anyone within several hundred feet. The project was cancelled due to engine & prop problems

[mustang5151]

Re: Fast little plane

QuoteThe prototype Legend did come to Reno in 1997 and was entered in the Unlimited Class and parked in the pits behind its would-be rival, the prototype Thunder Mustang which was also entered. The Legend went out to qualify but was unable to exceed 300 mph.)
When Jeff Ackland and I entered the Legend into the '97 unlimited race there was not a 300 mph qual speed required. There never was a problem with the reduction gearing. Jeff had just removed 80 cu in from the heads due to piston slap and temperamental engine performance which put us below 500 hp. The resulting speed left us 28th out of the field of 27 racers. My biggest concern was getting into the rolling turbulence of a passing Sea Fury on the race course so I test it by taking it to a higher altitude and flying right in behind a stock Sea Fury and see where I got spit out. I was pleased to learn that due the power of the Friseed Ailerons, I was able to completely stop rolling moment with full aileron, then knife edge out trouble. The next year the Legend had a turbine on and was not eligible for Unlimited racing. 'CJ'

Just a few questions for curiosity sakes: Couldn't there be both types of Legend, turboprop and piston, and develop them both, side by side? Was the piston engine dropped because you couldn't get over 500hp reliably? Why was the turboprop installed if you knew it wasn't eligible for racing, or was that not a goal of this design? It looks like this plane has a lot of potential in the sport class, if the reduction gearing is not a problem, then why not run a 454 chev(or similar) engine that has a proven reliability of over 600 HP easy, or is this like comparing apples to oranges? I honestly don't know myself, I'm just a race fan that's curious, no malice intended in this questioning, thanks for sharing the info.
This looks like the makings of an awesome air race project - if someone had the coin and the inclination to research it, when I see that plane, it really fires up the imagination. Could there possibly be such a thing as a 500 mph homebuilt that fits the sport class rules, or is it impossible? I know that it's been tried in the Unlimited class with mixed results, to say the least.

[Lowell]

Re: Fast little plane

I had no intended malice either CJ, when I mentioned that the Legend hadn't reached 300mph in its qualifying run. I didn't word things very well I guess. I really liked the Legend design and was hoping for a great neck and neck battle with the Thunder Mustang, if not in 1997, then after the Sport Class was begun. Maybe someday still as are there not one or two Legend builders that opted to build with piston power?

I knew there was no 300 mph qualifying speed required then, or any other time for the Unlimiteds, but it seemed at the time that with the huge field and the sub-300mph posting that things were over before they started. There were three P-51s qualifying slower than the Thunder, Preston #32 @ 326; Seghetti #44 @322; and Hall #3 at about 311mph. Rick Raesz put a T-28B in as the 32nd fastest at 292.180. Sam Richardson's Yak 11 was out with a chewed up rudder. I think David Peeler in a Yak 9 had showed up Saturday late afternoon but didn't qualify. I think Riff Raff may have been there but didn't qualify as well. Maybe others. I don't recall if John Parker's entered Glasair III got a qualifying speed that year or not, but if so it was way off the needed mark.

If only the Thunder and the Legend could have been ready in 1996 when just 26 racers qualified (Parker's Glasair the slowest at 294.663). The back half of the Bronze contestants would have seen some fun and made some history.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Fast little plane

Why was the turboprop installed

Because the ability to back into your parking space is just too sexy to waste?

Sorry.... hadda say that... I remembrer seeing the Turbo Legend taxi up in front of John Parker's that first year at Pylon School... then they backed up into their parking spot.

TOO COOL!