>Hi Paul I'm using this slow correspondence time to ask your opinion.
    >
    >I'm deciding which plane and engine to pick.  So I could start
   building
    >from plan.  (less expensive).  Well now I know for sure a want a
   rotary
    >engine (which one? like 13turbo w/o the turbo so I could have ram air
    >induction,  renesis on a Mustang II?  will it fit?).  From the start,
    >my mine was made up for a rotary.  Don t ask me why but rotary
   just make
    >so much sense.  Rotary engine goes in an airplane like daddy goes with
    >mummy :)))
    >
    >Now where I'm hesitating is the Mustang II.  A fellow at work is
    >building one from plans (great).  Where I'm concerned is that it seems
    >so much popular with the RV.  Also there is so much been made for them
    >and so little for the Mustang II  why not the Mustang?  I don't
   want to
    >find my self lost in the garage walking around in circle cursing at me
    >regretting making the wrong choice.  Because everything has
   already been
    >created for the plane (RV) but I have to re-invent the wheel for the
    >mustang.  I'm limited in human resources I'm a train conductor not an
    >engineer.  The Mustang has so much (for me) room for improvement
   reducing
    >drag and all that jazz it seem the sky is the limit in improving
   it (Am
    >I wrong or the RV would be just as fun to build from plans possible?).
    >I just had to get it of my chest.
    >
    >Just about everywhere I look they talk about a RV 4, 6, etc
   etc...  not
    >much help from RWS Tracy he is a RV guy.   At RWS they have only one
    >customer with email address doing Mustang II and rotary.  Did not find
    >much much more than this one guy.
    >
    >Where is the beef???
    >
    >Marc Montreal Canada
    >
    >I'll let people answer that have built both.
    >
    >Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.


   Hi Marc - I've flown quite a bit in a buddies Mustang II with a modified
   O-320.  Probably
   about 175 - 180 hp.  There are some photos of it on the SDSEFI.com
   website.
   Cruises 175 mph
   on about 7.5 gph.  WOT about 210. Very nice handling.  The problem
   with the
   Mustang is landing speed.
   Approach speed on final is 100 mph, touchdown in a wheeler type landing
   about 80.
   His is a taildragger and on a 4700 ft runway tries to touch the mains as
   soon as possible
   and then keeps the tail up clear to midfield before the tail touches
   then
   usually rolls out
   the rest of the runway so as not to use the brakes too much.  He can
   get off
   about
   3000 ft if he really gets on the brakes.  Also, the tail is really
   wiggly on
   the runway and
   takes a lot of work and attention to keep straight.  I think the
   tail moment
   is a bit too short
   and could use a larger rudder.  RV's have much nicer ground handling
   and
   land far slower.
   The Mustang is just a much older design.  Its a real runway hog.   Other
   than that its a great design.

                                                       Glenn


This performance for the Mustang II is not at all typical.  Sounds like
he has not formed the leading edges of his wings properly & thus has an
unusually high stall speed.  MAero now sells pre-formed leading edges
(which can be retrofitted to flying Mustangs) to address those builders
who can't get the laminar flow wing built properly.

Here's a link to a builder demonstrating a proper Mustang II -- takeoff
and landing in under 1000 feet.  http://www.experimentalairplane.com/

At the end of the day you must decide between a fundamental tradeoff --
do you want a fast airplane (M2's typcially cruise around 210-215 vs the
RVs which max out around 185) or do you want a fast build (No one can
beat Van's tinker-toy approach; their predrill kits are simply
outstanding vs a Mustang which is still in many ways a plans-built
experience).  Mustang's are about 1/2 the cost for the airframe vs.a RV,
but you 'pay' for it in longer build time since you actually have to
build a Mustang vs simply assembling it as in a RV.

As I toil away on my Mustang II, I do confess to RV envy when I watch
those guys get their kits & immediately start clecoing everything
together.  I look forward to the days of having to throttle back to 50%
so they can keep up.

Mark


With a p-port that is going to be a lot of them :)