Big Wise Owl

[RareHair75]

VERY interesting........

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1053631/L/

[Tin Man]

Re: Big Wise Owl

Retract?

[speeddemon]

Re: Big Wise Owl

Is that the Unlimited that Ralph Wise was working on back in the '80's?

[RandyGoss75]

Re: Big Wise Owl

Yeah, Race5 came across that picture the other night (thanks Jason)

I have articles about it and drawings in the old air racing rags.....

but that is the first picture I have ever seen of it completed.

I might have to make a trip down to the museum and check it out.

Any of the AAFO gang been there before? All the best, RG (Rare Hair)

I bet Lowell has some info on it as well??

[Lowell]

Re: Big Wise Owl

I didn't know it had ever got this far.

Some of the old references were:
Air Racing magazine Winter 74 p. 38-45;
Sport Aviation April 86 p.8;
Reno Gazette-Journal Tues. Sep 9, 86 p.8A:

Originally was to get a 430 hp Lycoming IGSO-540. With the V-8 it would be interesting to see how it compared to the GP-5. Dave, have you looked this one over yet for any comparison?

Ralph has an airplane registered to him he called a GT400 (apparrently not at all to be confused with a Rotax-powered Quicksilver GT-400).

It is N122RW, serial GT001. The FAA site says Cont IO 520 series power. Certificate issued 6/17/2004.

I've always heard of the Custom Unlimited being the WM-1, but maybe they are the same or somehow related???

sidenote:
I don't think it will happen anytime soon, if ever, because of safety issues, but I sure wish we had an Unlimited Lights Class. The new designs that would come out of the woodwork would just be fascinating. Maybe the races could be held on some foreign soil (Mexico, Brazil or Italy maybe?) where regulations wouldn't bury its potential and big prize money could be laid down. The International flavor of a Schneider Cup type race (but not floatplanes) I find most intriguing. Imagine highly funded Italians playing with V-12 auto conversions and the like.

[Apteryx]

Re: Big Wise Owl

Not to disagree with Mr. Lednicer, but the April '86 Sport Aviation article, has the design as WR-1 (that was with the IO-540 at the time).
58 square feet of wing, Krikey!

Paul