The shuttle just flew over my house at 35,000 feet. Double sonic booms.
Ran into the living room and watched it land. Pictures perfect landing.

Paul Lamar
--

Dear Paul,

It has been an honor to meet you at the Race Tech Symposium. I have always
been an admirer and true fan of the Chaparral program and its technical
visionary philosophy. I met Jim Hall few years ago at Goodwood, so now you
completed the picture. I always put the Chaparral story as case study when I
lecture young Engineering and Motorsport students. Thank you for coming to
the UK, I hope to visit the Chaparral shop sometime soon, I hope we can meet
again then.

When I read your work on Rotary engines I wish we could use that technology
in racing, hopefully now that we have the ´hot potatoes in our hands´ some
people open their minds and let us back to innovation again. How is the
efficiency of rotary engine these days? To be honest, because we cannot use
it I have not had that much contact with that technology of late.

Best Regards,
Sergio Rinland

Thank you Sergio. I am sorry we did not have more time to talk.

Some people are still using Rotaries in racing here in the US and they
are doing very well indeed having won the Daytona 24 hour GT class
yet again last January. These engines are extremely robust and durable.
They would not be able to win endurance races if the fuel consumption
was excessive. Extra pit stops you know. The RX8 rotary was five
laps ahead at the end of 24 hours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMW09hKJQIQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4XsC6T-8rU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7MrPudKPC4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVXXQwDkNHw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk7hcjX8fVU

Also we have a training series here in the U.S. called Star Mazda where
young drivers can gain experience. These are 250 HP RX8 engines open wheel
racing  cars with wings. The engines last about 3 season with ten races per
season. No overhauls between races or at the end of the season for that
matter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qsn0rA4ROI

In aircraft use the BSFC is about .47 where a typical  air cooled
aircraft engine is .45. That is pounds of fuel per brake horse power hour.
The rotary will run 200 F lean of peak while most air craft engines
stumble at 50 F lean of peak. This was discovered only recently.

The other major factor in turbo compound engine applications is there are
no poppet exhaust valves. The rotary in effect is piston ported. Fully half
of the kinetic energy in the exhaust of a piston turbine compound engine is
dissipated by the exhaust valves. We have high hopes of the rotary becoming
the most efficient turbo compound engine in the world.

The HP per pound of engine weight exceeds almost all other engines except
turbo prop engines. However the fuel consumption is 2/3rds of a turbo prop
engine.

Paul Lamar