Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

[grampi]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

Could still be some cool chit someday... I fear the era of guys with megabux trying to break records might be gone...

You're probably right, and that's probably due the ridiculous costs involved in making a record attempt...the sad part is there are probably planes that can beat the record, but we'll never know because of the ridiculous costs involved...

[ChrisMX105]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

You're probably right, and that's probably due the ridiculous costs involved in making a record attempt...the sad part is there are probably planes that can beat the record, but we'll never know because of the ridiculous costs involved...

Cheaper from the FAI side since they use GPS, used to require cameras, spotters etc.

I believe the Wasabi gang could enlighten us since they did a bunch at Mojave

[jarrodeu]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

This was the last of the scratch-built sheet-metal radial engine powered racers that Bruce Boland helped design, and very may well be the last serious attempt to get to the 600 MPH mark with a piston engine. It also had the best wing to be able to do it.

How would you say it compared to Shockwave?
Jarrod

[toldjaso]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

How would you say it compared to Shockwave?
Jarrod

Shockwave had a better engine (R-4360) in that it would make more horsepower without running it as hard as the R-3350 that American Spirit was to have. The R-3350 was probably more fuel efficient in high altitude speed runs?

American Spirit had the better wing airfoil, with main gear doors farther aft than on tailwheel airplanes, (like on Mustangs and Sea Furies), which have the main gear in the leading edges, to get the gear ahead of the CG when down and locked. These gear doors are hard to seal and are not as smooth as a solid leading edge is, and they cause disruption of airflow right where you don't want it. It messes up the laminar flow and all, and slows you down. Shockwave has a custom built center section with T-2 main gear and uses Sea Fury outer wing panels. F-86 tail feathers.

However, the nose gear on American Spirit was going to be an engineering challenge to get it all stuffed in where they wanted it, too.

Boland had more interest in making Shockwave be the best one, I was told, and I believe it was conceived before American Spirit was.

Shockwave was to have a side stick control, Cornell kidded Greenamyer that "that is like flying a forklift".

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

"that is like flying a forklift".

Yea.... soo... what's so strange about that????

[toldjaso]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

Yea.... soo... what's so strange about that????

[ATTACH=CONFIG]21609[/ATTACH]

Good one, Wayne! nice pic.

Just like the forklift in the pic, Shockwave would have hydraulic actuators for the flight controls.

American Spirit was to have --CLASSIFIED-- operated flight controls. teehee

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

"I got most of my time in that"....

[Matt58]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

I just checked out Ezell Aviation's Facebook page; the motor has been hung on the Bear...

It's getting to be about that time...

[mayday51]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

I just checked out Ezell Aviation's Facebook page; the motor has been hung on the Bear...
.

I must be older than I thought,
exactly where does that show-up ?
(link ?)

[mayday51]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

I must be older than I thought,
exactly where does that show-up ?
(link ?)

....disregard....Facebook again....(someone remind me to wipe my shoes please.)

[Matt58]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

....disregard....Facebook again....(someone remind me to wipe my shoes please.)

It's all good! I don't have a Facebook account; I just Googled "Ezell Aviation" and the second or third link was their Facebook page. I clicked it and there were the photos.

[knot4u]

Re: Been out of touch - would anyone please update me?

I'm confused, in another thread there is a picture of it apparently from today with no engine. Why would they have taken it back off the day after they hung it? Cutting it pretty close timewise, in my experience those years never seemed to work out very well. But I wish them luck.