Hopefully this will be able to run at Reno some day

[planefixer]

This could get interesting if its ever completed and allowed to fly in the unlimited class at Reno, but who knows, with the rule changes I doubt it will ever happen.

https://sandiegoairandspace.org/blog/article/this-week-in-speed-the-rose-rp-4-project

 

[evernoob]

Well it's got to happen eventually, do they use custom-built aircraft like this? Last i heard they were still using warplane platforms.

Gotta hand it to Aeronautical engineers, they think of everything.

That ballast water in the wings seems like it would be a huge advantage if you could pump it back and forth, or forward or backwards?

How about an air-charged flapper-balloon setup? Each wing-tank segment has one panel mounted on a collapsible balloon. High pressure air is held in reservoir at each panel, along with a solenoid controlled from a computer or the pilot.

When you want to move the water, you activate a set of solenoids and the water flows from one portion to wherever you want it. You can even have flapper-valves inside the tanks to customize the flow.

Then a high-power air compressor will always be running, to re-fill the distributed reservoirs. You can also use the exhaust from the flapper-bags and route it for either thrust or like a control rocket on a spacecraft, to roll on its axis or to enhance other trick maneuvers.

I think there are enough lightweight components now to make this work, especially if they are throwing 400lbs at a minimum weight. If they are using two water-jacketed auto-type V8s, there is plenty of room for less weight in the whole thing.

Has a controlled COG plane ever been tried before? This seems like the perfect place to try it.

 

[subybaja]

Well it's got to happen eventually, do they use custom-built aircraft like this? Last i heard they were still using warplane platforms.

Gotta hand it to Aeronautical engineers, they think of everything.

That ballast water in the wings seems like it would be a huge advantage if you could pump it back and forth, or forward or backwards?

How about an air-charged flapper-balloon setup? Each wing-tank segment has one panel mounted on a collapsible balloon. High pressure air is held in reservoir at each panel, along with a solenoid controlled from a computer or the pilot.

When you want to move the water, you activate a set of solenoids and the water flows from one portion to wherever you want it. You can even have flapper-valves inside the tanks to customize the flow.

Then a high-power air compressor will always be running, to re-fill the distributed reservoirs. You can also use the exhaust from the flapper-bags and route it for either thrust or like a control rocket on a spacecraft, to roll on its axis or to enhance other trick maneuvers.

I think there are enough lightweight components now to make this work, especially if they are throwing 400lbs at a minimum weight. If they are using two water-jacketed auto-type V8s, there is plenty of room for less weight in the whole thing.

Has a controlled COG plane ever been tried before? This seems like the perfect place to try it.

Neat idea. Like ballast tanks in a sub.

 

[Muckin_Slusher]

How does power from the rearward engine get to the front of the plane? Shitload of gears?

Are both engine's turning same direction and tied together and then one prop is on planetary gears to reverse it's rotation?

 

[evernoob]

Are both engine's turning same direction and tied together and then one prop is on planetary gears to reverse it's rotation?

That's how it's done on military aircraft like the Tu-95 Bear.

 

[Donk]

How does power from the rearward engine get to the front of the plane? Shitload of gears?

Are both engine's turning same direction and tied together and then one prop is on planetary gears to reverse it's rotation?

The article seems to suggest that they're independent, I'd like to see the drawings for it.

Remote engines are not unheard of, the P-39 Aircobra for example had the engine mounted behind the cockpit but still had the prop up front

Helicopters also use a wide variety of shaft/gearbox combinations to combine multiple engines.

 

[Slander]

Well it's got to happen eventually, do they use custom-built aircraft like this? Last i heard they were still using warplane platforms.

Gotta hand it to Aeronautical engineers, they think of everything.

That ballast water in the wings seems like it would be a huge advantage if you could pump it back and forth, or forward or backwards?

How about an air-charged flapper-balloon setup? Each wing-tank segment has one panel mounted on a collapsible balloon. High pressure air is held in reservoir at each panel, along with a solenoid controlled from a computer or the pilot.

When you want to move the water, you activate a set of solenoids and the water flows from one portion to wherever you want it. You can even have flapper-valves inside the tanks to customize the flow.

Then a high-power air compressor will always be running, to re-fill the distributed reservoirs. You can also use the exhaust from the flapper-bags and route it for either thrust or like a control rocket on a spacecraft, to roll on its axis or to enhance other trick maneuvers.

I think there are enough lightweight components now to make this work, especially if they are throwing 400lbs at a minimum weight. If they are using two water-jacketed auto-type V8s, there is plenty of room for less weight in the whole thing.

Has a controlled COG plane ever been tried before? This seems like the perfect place to try it.

There are aircraft that do that now by pumping fuel around to change the COG, mostly for cruise performance. The 747 did that with tanks in the tail for example.

 

[Filthy McChevy]

I knew a kid named David Rose in San Jose. I was hoping for a picture. I'm sure it's a common enough name though.

 

[2big bronco]

I'm a little confused because the first paragraph states that it is 100lbs over the current weight limit and towards the end they say the wings are filled with 400lbs of water to add weight for class rules.

 

[OHV Wildcat]

I'm a little confused because the first paragraph states that it is 100lbs over the current weight limit and towards the end they say the wings are filled with 400lbs of water to add weight for class rules.

100lbs over the minimum. The water helps achieve the minimum.

 

[CDA 455 II]

This could get interesting if its ever completed and allowed to fly in the unlimited class at Reno, but who knows, with the rule changes I doubt it will ever happen.

https://sandiegoairandspace.org/blog/article/this-week-in-speed-the-rose-rp-4-project

A change in rules killed the project.

 

[XtremeJ]

Have to wonder if the rule changes were introduced after the crash in the unlimited race in 2012. And wonder what the changes were that killed this project?

one of my early visits to Reno, 1992 maybe there was a project plane (rather than a modified war bird) that had a couple of Nissan turbo motors that were derived from the IMSA GTO race program. Super quick, made the final but struggled with reliability

looking forward to returning to the air races

 

[Landslide]

How does power from the rearward engine get to the front of the plane? Shitload of gears?

Are both engine's turning same direction and tied together and then one prop is on planetary gears to reverse it's rotation?

Probably like one of those aftermarket 4x transfer cases a lot of the rock bouncers and Bigfoot trucks use. They’re slim in design and bullet proof.

 

[planefixer]

one of my early visits to Reno, 1992 maybe there was a project plane (rather than a modified war bird) that had a couple of Nissan turbo motors that were derived from the IMSA GTO race program. Super quick, made the final but struggled with reliability

That was the Scaled Composites Pond Racer designed by Burt Rutan. During qualifying heats in 1993 it lost oil in one of the engines and when the pilot tried to belly land it he hit rough terrain - killed the pilot and destroyed the aircraft.

 

[Add]

I knew a kid named David Rose in San Jose. I was hoping for a picture. I'm sure it's a common enough name though.

You're thinking of Schitts Creek

 

[XtremeJ]

That was the Scaled Composites Pond Racer designed by Burt Rutan. During qualifying heats in 1993 it lost oil in one of the engines and when he tried to belly land it he hit rough terrain - killed the pilot and destroyed the aircraft.

That was the plane. That Burt Rutan was a smart cat.

At one point Scaled Composites had a facility in Montrose. But I know everything moved to Mojave when the Branson Space project started.

Compared to the mega cubic inch warbirds the Pond Racer has a totally different sound. My first visit to Reno was 1992.