I keep seeing g referees to the TTC but I can't find any info on it ?
Sorry have been curious.
Bob Millar
Several years ago an American rotor head by the name of Russ McFarland
living New Castle Australia decided to build a Mazda rotary powered
world record attempt time to climb
aircraft. Russ was a long time subscriber to the Rotary Engine News Letter.
Russ decided to use an extremely high power to weight ratio 650 HP
turbo charged Mazda 13B all aluminum engine.
Russ contacted the same gentlemen that built Dave Garber's engines back
in 1973. Namely Jim Mederer owner of Racing Beat in Southern CA. BTW Jim
holds the stock car body land speed record at Bonneville at 268 MPH in
an Mazda RX7. Stock body means you cannot improve the aerodynamics of
the car bought off the show room floor.
Russ was counting on the high power to weight ratio of the Wankel and
it's exceptionable robust nature. This 13B TC engine weighed less than
200 pounds with the turbo.
The projected life of ceramic apex seals is now 20,000 hours.
The propeller driven absolute time to climb record is 90 seconds from a
dead stop on the runway to 3000 meters I believe it is held by a Grumman
Bearcat. This is not a weight class record. This is an absolute record.
If this works the turbo Wankel will go down in history as another type
of viable aircraft engine. Joining piston engines, turbo props and pure
Jets.
This time Jim was able to extract 650 HP running on alcohol. Jim also
developed aluminum end housings that dropped the engine weight
from about 300 pounds to 200 pounds. Jim designed and had cast aluminum
housing to replace the three cast iron housings.
Lots of other engine changes were made. A dry sump oil system was needed
so the oil pan was done away with and replaced with AN pluming that
extracted oil directly from the center and front end housings and send
it to the oil cooler. A new larger capacity water pump was needed. A
p-port was chosen in instead of the stock side ports.
A Motec after market EFI system was chosen to supply fuel to the engine.
That came with an EFIS. The rotors are modified stock rotors as is the
eccentric shaft.
Historically this development is on a par with the jet engine and the
turbo prop engine on a power to weight basis.
Not only will it best a turbo prop on power to weight ratio but it
will burn half the fuel.
Now for the chosen aircraft to accept this engine.
A flying Harmon Rocket was purchased and the Lycoming engine and
instruments were removed and sold.
Russ choose the same gear box that Dave Garber used. In fact he obtained
one of Dave's gear boxes from his widow.
Namely a Bell 47 helicopter final drive. Russ choose Dan Gray from Santa
Paula California to help complete the installation.
I designed the liquid cooling system. It was a real challenge so I
choose two large Dodge truck radiators and TIG welded them back to back
in what is known as a cross counter flow configuration. Cold water will
be sprayed on this radiator as needed in the evaporation cooling mode.
It cools extremely well so that was never needed.
The pilot was moved to the back seat and the 20 gallon alcohol fuel, 10
gallon water and 4 gallon oil tanks were installed in front of and
behind the stock firewall.
A new carbon fiber instrument panel with altimeter, air speed and Motec
EFIS screen was made.
The power to weight ratio of the Bearcat was approximately 2 pounds per
HP. The power to weight ratio of this aircraft is only 1.5 pound per HP.
We estimate the Harmon Rocket will climb vertically at 175 MPH based on the
exceptional power to weight ratio. This should easily break the 91
second record.
We test flew the aircraft for ten minutes at California City in the desert.
Back in Santa Paula we are still fine tuning the Motec EFI which has
been a real
pain in the ass. The "documentation" sucks big. I am now working on a
Maximite versions. More on that later.
Paul Lamar
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