I have been fooling around with the 3D again and I decided
to change the Reno racer design. I always worried about those belt
drives taking 1000 HP. This design uses two Bell 47 final drive
gear cases just like Dave Garber's airplane. According to Bell they are
good for 1000 HP at 6000 RPM input revs.

Sort of a half or 3/4 scale P38. The liquid to air intercoolers
are fed with acetone and dry ice. The pilot will sit behind the
spar.

Paul Lamar

Paul - I think the references to the Pond racer were well taken. I think
that is a design
that Burt would like to forget. It had more problems than just the hand
grenade engine
(tho that is exactly what did it in). As you recall, the P38 was a big
disapointment
to the air racers - being a big horsepower hog. You cant fool mother nature,
the
frontal area and interference drag exists to steal your horsepower away from
you. As I mentioned, I put that V8 pusher with the vegimatic prop into my
performance model (originally written in BASIC and skilfully converted to
VBASIC/EXCELL by fellow ACRE member Les Orosz) and it is better
than it looks at first glance - the 48 inch prop is better than it seems
(The fastest prop driven plane in the world - Russiab Bear- has supersonic
props). It has an easy 400mph potential (as you say 500 is required), and
the tiny wing has no problems at 3 G turn loads with induced drag. When
you go that fast the lift coeff is so low that induced drag is a non issue.
If they kit it and get some customers it could really raise the bar in the
sport racer class - tho the noise level from that prop is probably
cruel and unusual punishment.
If you want to challange unlimiteds you've got to get your rotors in a row!

I have some more numbers on that airplane. They state a prop efficiency
of 74%. Did you run the numbers on the prop? Also gross weight is close
to 3000 pounds. Is that the number you used on induced drag? Of course
the V8 at 1100 HP and 14:1 is more of an over grown hand grenade than 
the Nissans were.

So you don't think we can overwhelm the drag with three 3 rotor engines 
and 3000 to 3600 HP?

Paul Lamar
 
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