X-Mozilla-Keys:                                                                                 
In the course of the Copper State weekend I got 
the skinny on what happend at Reno. The factory Lancair 
won of course. You can get the complete results here.

http://americanairracing.com/

Dave Anders claims he won the experimental class
by coming in second as opposed to the money-no-object-class 
won by the factory Lancair.  

Dave Anders told me that Dave Morss, pilot
of the Lancair, told him the special dual turbo Continetal 
I0-550 was built up by Continetal themselves and was sucking 
down 70 gal per hour! That, boys and girls, at a BSFC 
0.55 is about 760 HP! No telling the TBO but I will
bet it is short.

The Hartzel prop guy told me they built a special
transonic prop for the Lancair with very thin aluminum
blades with a life of 25 hours (and then it is junk).
Morss could run the engine at 3100 RPM but the Lancair was
just as fast running it at 3000. If you would like a
copy of the prop it will set you back about $100,000.
This sounds a bit inflated to me but custom out
of the big factory always costs a lot of money. 

Lancair used the Tracy Crook method of constant dribble on
the inter coolers to prevent detonation at 40 to 50 PSI boost.
It may have been alcohol rather than water because I think
that does a better job of cooling.

The Thunder Mustang qualified at 310 MPH but blew up.
I am not surprised as you can't make a V12 out of 
a 90 degree V8 with the same diameter mains and rod journals
and not expect to have torsional structural problems.
As I said over and over again an automotive piston
engine is not going to make it in the aircraft world.
You would think people would get a clue from
the ill faited Pond Racer. I guess hope springs eternal.

It took Rolls Royce and Allison years to perfect the
V12 crankshafts and the rest of the engines. No way is 
a light duty automotive piston engine going to work.

If you are going to spend that kind of money you
might as well start from scratch and improve on
an air cooled horizontal opposed real aircraft engine.

If somebody would come up with a gear box that would
take 900 HP a turbo three rotor would do the job
no doubt.

Paul Lamar
 
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