Warbird Information Exchange

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEASE-IT ... 240%3A1318

a little late for this year...

Did that thing ever fly?

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Magister Aviation
It's all in my book

good question!
my bet would be no, so that means that whoever "leases" it becomes the test pilot, and all around guinea pig.

No thanks.

as well since it has been knocking around for years in about the same condition who knows if it is even ready for flight.

How can they offer it for lease as a racer if it has yet to even be tested??
They have no performance numbers, and no proof it can even race, let alone be competitive.

the whole project looks like a desperate attempt at raising funds.

I prefer this one.

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=24471&highlight=racer

that meets the weight standard

they did computer sims and it has been fast taxied but never flown. I have seen it several times over the years and it is from a cursory inspection very nicely built. Yes it would take a LARGE PAIR to race it. Test flights if done properly I would think may be fairly safe. if you need to jettison the aircraft you are SOL it has a roll cage second to none ala blown fuel dragster but if you were in a spin or some such similar upset attitude you would ride it down.
I don't think we will be seeing it soon at Reno.

That plane looks fine to me. In fact the workmanship appears to be excellent, just an experimental aircraft. I don't see what all the vitriol is about. It's probably fast, and needs to be flown carefully on test flights to determine stall speeds, etc.

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"No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!" R.R.

Welcome to the USSA! One Nanny State Under the Messiah, Indivisible with Tyranny, Higher Taxes, Socialism, Radical Environmentalism and a Loss of Income for all. Boy I'm proud to be a part of the USSA, what can I do to raise taxes, oh boy oh boy!

Seems odd that they never few their own airplane.
But heck Chris you go ahead and fly it.

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Don't touch my junk!!

Why would they be leasing it rather than selling it? Cynical perhaps, but do they have much to gain by insuring it heavily in case the leasers crash it, or they can keep it once the leasers have testflown it demonstrated its flyability??

Are not leases such as this, of very experimental aircraft - or warbirds, for that matter - unusual?

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Kevin McCartney

Maybe they're craftsmen, who don't fly.

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"No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!" R.R.

Welcome to the USSA! One Nanny State Under the Messiah, Indivisible with Tyranny, Higher Taxes, Socialism, Radical Environmentalism and a Loss of Income for all. Boy I'm proud to be a part of the USSA, what can I do to raise taxes, oh boy oh boy!

they started building it for the Reno unlimited class, back when Bob Love was racing. it took years of development and experimentation and just when they thought they might be ready to get it in the air RARA changed the weight rule and it was too light to compete in the gold class at that point. Their goal was unlimited gold racing and so they started on a new bigger heaver plane.

I'mn guessing that this isn't the old "MACHBUSTER" right? (Which looks like this thing)

Mark H

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Fly safe or you get to meet me .......

Not exactly the same aircraft, but an outgrowth/evolution of that program. Same owner.

Whatever happened to the T-6 thing called Wildfire with a R-2800?

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Don't touch my junk!!

Wildfire, ya the never ending saga of when that will race.
Apparently they are pretty close, it has flown, and is being prepared.
But the main issue with it has always been that it was reported to fly very badly at best, and was slow.
I was of the opinion that starting with a T6 was not such a great idea, the wing fairing looks strange, the cowl is ungainly, and the canopy looks very strange.
Everyone has their own view of what works and what looks good, but I would think that the amount of money, and time ( lots of both I believe) would have been better spent in another direction.
Like the Matt Jackson racer, (yet to fly) Tsunami, Miss Ashley II, etc.