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**Tibia** · 11-06-2016, 12:32 AM

Re: Cosmic Wind

Randy...

From an earlier thread... http://www.aafo.com/hangartalk/showt...smic-Wind-N22C

**Harley909** · 11-10-2016, 08:56 PM

Re: Cosmic Wind

Unfortunately the Cosmic Wind(s) weren't really all that fast back in the 40's. Minnow was eventually converted to a mid wing Cassutt looking machine with a new fuselage. Parts of this airplane went on to race at Reno with a barn door wing and now resides at Planes of Fame. I think it was Little Toni that competed in the early 70's without placing high.

Back in the 80's I raced 1/4 scale R/C and the Cosmic Wind was the standard...which started my obsession with them. I think it would make a great sport plane...and who knows, maybe built from composites and refined a bit, it could be competitive. They certainly were beautiful little airplanes. Dig in to the San Diego Air Museum Archives...you'll have to google it, I don't have my regular computer for the link...but there is a bunch of CW content if you dig in. I am looking for the elusive shot of Minnow in color...

Jim

**Cavalier** · 11-11-2016, 05:01 PM

Re: Cosmic Wind

Thanks Harley. This is what I was looking for.
I have the same question about the Knight Twister. Does anyone have an answer for that? I had built a 1/3 model of the KT years ago and it was a sleek model.

Randy

**Big_Jim** · 11-12-2016, 09:35 AM

Re: Cosmic Wind

Originally posted by Cavalier View Post

Thanks Harley. This is what I was looking for.
I have the same question about the Knight Twister. Does anyone have an answer for that? I had built a 1/3 model of the KT years ago and it was a sleek model.

Randy

The original Knight Twister was a cute little sports plane, but not very threatening. The only REAL racer made out of it was Don Fairbanks "White Knight", which was one of my favorite racers of the era because it LOOKED like a racer.

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**Cavalier** · 11-12-2016, 10:43 AM

Re: Cosmic Wind

Originally posted by Big_Jim View Post

The original Knight Twister was a cute little sports plane, but not very threatening. The only REAL racer made out of it was Don Fairbanks "White Knight", which was one of my favorite racers of the era because it LOOKED like a racer.

My model was of N5D. I never realized it was a modified sport plane. I agree that it looks like a racer. Love it's looks.
Randy

**stuntflyr** · 11-17-2016, 11:41 PM

Re: Cosmic Wind

The first Reno Sport Biplane race had the first three places finished by Knight Twisters, N67P Flown by Clyde Parsons won, followed by Tom Shannon in N13N, and third was Bill Nagle in N1B. They were all 55 sq ft wing area KT 85 Knight Twisters powered by 125 Lycs. 145 mph was fast then but it was the first race. It could've been developed into a very fast racer and was already the winning design.

Rules changes for whatever reason, mostly that EAA founder Paul Poberezny was on the board in some capacity and had a dislike of the KT and it's designer Mr. Payne, defined the wing area to be at least 75 sq ft, so these 55 sq ft Sport Biplane racers were eliminated from racing until 1971 when Vernon Payne drew the Imperial Knight Twister specifically for racing, it had an NACA 21 airfoil instead of the M6 of all other Knight Twisters, a longer fuselage by 9 inches and some laminar flow shaping of the fuselage. White Knight, Don Fairbanks' airplane was finished and flown for 18 years in the event and won many times, and held the class record at one time as well. Not all F1, Biplane, T-6 and Unlimited races were held at Reno, they were all over the country through the years so a list of Reno only won't give one the whole story of the White Knight. One another Imperial Knight Twister was built but not finished, it has been purchased and is currently being worked on to compete.

Knight Twisters have very thin, high aspect ratio cantilever wings and are designed for no flying or landing wires and a cantilever tail group. They're very low drag and the wings are not easy to build according to expert builders though many were built through the years by conscientious amateur builders from the 40's through the 80's when mine was built, a Sunday or Holiday Knight Twister, and then in 1999 Hale Wallace built the most recent one, a KT-85 with an O-290. These two airplane were built with no wires.