veritech-z Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I was talking to OTM the other day about a car project he's planning, and the subject of racing planes came up. This got me looking around for a physical book with pictures, and I didn't have any luck. The internet saved the day, and i came across a pretty cool website that has pictures and history behind lots of different racing planes from the 30's (give or take a decade or two). People who care about this kind of thing may already know about it, but I thought I'd share anyway. http://www.airracinghistory.freeola.com/the%20great%20races.htm Caudron C-460 Northrop Gamma Can't talk about racing planes without talking about the GeeBee (this one is the Z model) If anyone has any more (or newer/better) pictures (I know some of the Oregon contingent are into planes), post them up! Never know where you can draw inspiration from once you start looking. And for those interested, the streamlining of the landing gear and how that could be adapted to headlights mounted on pods were how OTM and I ended up on the subject in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 The GeeBee is one of my favorite ugly planes. Not one thing about that is pleasing to look at, but did it ever move! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Laird Super Solution Weddell-Williams 44 Travel Air Mystery Ship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hughes H-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hall-Springfield Bulldog(image too large to post) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Love the Hughes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PalmettoZ Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hughes H-1 This plane was bad ass back in the day... It was the first aircraft model produced by the Hughes Aircraft company. Many groundbreaking technologies were developed during the construction process, including individually machined flush rivets that left the aluminium skin of the aircraft completely smooth. Also it had retractable landing gear to further increase the speed of the plane. It was fitted with a Pratt & Whitney R-1535 twin-row 14-cylinder radial engine of 25.2 liters, putting out over 1,000 horsepower (750 kW). The H-1 first flew in 1935 and promptly broke the world land-plane speed record with Hughes at the controls, clocking 352 mph (566 km/h) averaged over 4 timed passes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Not just back in the day, that photo is of a recently built and flown replica that tragically crashed and killed its owner / builder / pilot, Jim Wright. A prop counterweight is thought to be the culprit. Jim built both sets of wings, as well, the blue endurance wings in the photo and the red pylon racing set that the aircraft is never depicted with. Sad story, both the aircraft and builder had a very bright future in the airshow and racing circuit. Here's my personal favorite, the Macchi-Castoldi 72, 440.6 mph in 1934, while on FLOATS! Imagine what this thing would have done without all of that drag. The engine itself is a marvel of engineering, the Fiat AS-6 was two Fiat V-12s mated together, and it spun a counter-rotating prop. And an AS-6: The Schneider Cup races were really in a world all their own and gave rise to some amazing machinery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 wow that looks like its approaching 400mph just standing there. Curious what the reason for the floats was? I imagine it was built for the express purpose of speed. Only landing place in the area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 It's a Schneider Cup / Trophy aircraft - the entire racing series was specifically for seaplanes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 wow that is fascinating thanks! And Doolittle himself even raced! As much as I love learning about planes and history, I cant beleive I didnt know about all this. 400mph and with floats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PalmettoZ Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 It's a Schneider Cup / Trophy aircraft - the entire racing series was specifically for seaplanes. That thing is a piece of work, I didn't know that counter rotating props even extisted on an airplane, unbelievable. Look at the pitch angle on the props as well, serious angle on it. It almosts looks like it is in a feathered position, but I don't think you can have variable props combined with counter rotation like that. I wonder if the front engine has a hollow crankshaft on it ? Take those floats off and I bet it would really scoot. I have always wanted to go to one of those pylon races and watch those guys run, I love the sound of those big V-12s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 well now i've done a little bit of poking around and found this. 10X better than the Red Bull races Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Look at the pitch angle on the props as well, serious angle on it. It almosts looks like it is in a feathered position, but I don't think you can have variable props combined with counter rotation like that. They're fixed pitch, the spinner doesn't have cutouts in it for variable pitch. And yeah, the angle on them is pretty wild. Contra-rotating props on aircraft weren't that unheard of in that era, but this is indeed one of the earliest examples. You want to see something crazy with contra-rotating props, . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerAce Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Take those floats off and I bet it would really scoot. Actually, it wouldn't go very far at all in that case Those copper colored areas on the floats aren't for show, those are the radiators Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Oh, dammit... You guys opened up a huge can of beans by starting this thread. I'm a sucker for classic aviation, though most of my knowledge lies in WWII aircraft. I actually took these pictures almost 5 years ago, a few days after graduating from flight school. I was in the process of driving my Z home from California when I happened across an aviation museum in Texas just off the highway. After looking around the place, I went into the hanger and started poking around. They had all sorts of planes, including an Ilyushin and a Spanish Bf-109. Then I came to this one. Not only was this the closest I'd ever been to a P-47, but I'd also never seen one in such perfect condition. Its by no means my favorite plane, but god it was awesome. And MASSIVE!! Its pilot came from behind me while I was snooping around, and after letting him know I was just out of flight school and was impressed with the aircraft, he let me get some photo ops. It just so happened that he used to be a Marine as well, and I had actually seen him fly overhead during an airshow a day earlier in Arizona as I drove through the state. Talk about coincidence! One of the coolest days of my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt_furious Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 *eye twitch* You.... ...bastard. The P-47 is the airframe for me, I know a lot of people will hold up its contemporaries as better, but I have my reasons. *peers closer at photo* Wait.That's CAF HQ in Midland, isn't it? I've been in that hangar numerous times. At least, it looks very similar, save for the lack of banners hanging from the rafters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 *eye twitch* You.... ...bastard. The P-47 is the airframe for me, I know a lot of people will hold up its contemporaries as better, but I have my reasons. *peers closer at photo* Wait.That's CAF HQ in Midland, isn't it? I've been in that hangar numerous times. At least, it looks very similar, save for the lack of banners hanging from the rafters. Yup! At least, I know it was a CAF museum. I have no idea where it was in Texas though, somewhere between Pecos and Dallas off the I-20. *Looks at google maps* Yeah, most likely Midland. When I was there they were also in the middle of restoring a B-29 in the back of the hanger (of which you can see a wingtip, engine and prop in the background of the first picture). Don't get me wrong, the jug is a great plane. P-51 used to be my favorite, but its spot in my heart was superseded a while ago. After hours and hours (too many!!) of playing IL2: Sturmovik, I came to love the P-40E. That plane may be slow as crap, but boy for a non-radial engine plane it sure is tough! However, even that (and the P-38) are only my favorite US planes. Call me a kraut-loving bastard if you will, but the spot in my heart for favorite fighter of all goes to the FW-190A and its later non-radial ("Dora" and Ta-152) varients. The sheer power, turn rate and ungodly weaponry earns them that right. I can never be the next Erich Hartmann, even if I tried (missiles are for p*ssies), but at least I have IL2 on my computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Aw crap... now you've gone and done it. I want to play IL2 but my power machine desktop is still down.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 How about the Bugatti Model 100 racer? Twin straight eight Bugatti engines with magnesium crankcases to keep the weight down. Too bad it never actually flew as I'm sure it would have been quite a sight had the war not broken out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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