Pond Racer: with 2x 300zx engines it was awesome and ill-fated

"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond) 10/16/2013 at 19:02 • Filed to: planelopnik

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...but gorgeous and inspiring. Warbirds can't fly without spare parts and the Reno racers were using them all up!! So, in the early 90's Bob Pond (wax magnate) decided to fund a new modern high-tech plane to beat the warbirds and drive them out of the game before they jeopardized the other warbird's ability to remain flyable. Burt Rutan's business built it. It was ill-fated but oh my god the noise and such a sci-fi plane to watch. (more + vid)

Scaled Composites built this thing. (Rutan Model 158) The meat of the plane and its problem was the pair of 300zx's VG-30 engines massaged by Electramotive. The same people who built them for the Nissan GTP and LeMans teams where they made 1100hp for qualifying. The most of that 1100hp that LeMans ever saw was at the most 15 seconds at a time. In this application they were trying to make 1,000hp at full 8k rpm for a solid 15 minutes!! Oh yeah, they sat inside of 2 foot diameter tubes with all kinds of plumbing strategically run elsewhere to try and prevent heat issues. It couldn't last. Cooling was not an issue. It ran on Methanol, that greatly helped cool it. The stress of the high boost and RPM was the culprit. They blew engines literally all over the place. Burt Rutan said the design planning and follow-through was more complex than the Voyager project. This pair of engines had EM interference so severe they had problems trying to isolate the engine management boxes so they didn't have 'cross-over engine failures'. Of course if you split the crankshaft and throw 5 rods and catch fire that's the least of your worries.

This video is in German. I can't find it in English anywhere but the people interviewed in it are English.

Notes on the video. Notice how they immediately attach cooling hoses and remove the cowlings so the engines can cool down. This plane required pre-heating of all oil and coolants before flight. Dick Rutan has said that it's more difficult to land than a Mig-29, I would agree. The approach speed is the same speed of an airliner: 140kts (160mph) and It did not have flaps to help slow it. It was designed to be the cleanest prop driven plane in history.

The plane suffered through those engines. They never made more than 600hp in any of their programs and it had then undetermined oiling problems due to the constant rpm it was running at. In 1993 it threw a rod and caught fire and landed off airport killing the pilot. A very bad ending to a very nice idea. The only bad decision the whole time was the choice of engine. The type of power they wanted for long periods of time was only being mostly produced by indycar engines. they could run constantly at 700+hp outputs on methanol for long periods. A possibly better choice for longevity but still short of power. The plane was just ahead of engine technology. Unlimited class racing had to be recip power.

In the below video, skip to 4:35 to hear it under race power. It's a VHS tape recording the passes of the Bronze race.

There is sadly very little video of this plane out there. (It taxis back to the ramp at about 6:30 with a finicky right engine. he's trying to re-start it to keep airflow moving through the cowling until the crew can attach air hoses.) Nowdays Jack Roush makes pretty much most parts to keep the warbirds in the air. Rolls Royce won't let him build new V-12 Merlin blocks but he can readily make all other parts to go in there.

I wish there were some dedicated race video shot by some professionals more available. This is the stuff that influences the youth to get involved. Perhaps some day another person will try.

Your boy, BJR > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 19:10

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His grand-daighter is the hottest petrolhead EVAR.

Grindintosecond > Your boy, BJR 10/16/2013 at 19:14

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Provide links to her. It's hard to find any mention of his family life and kids.

Lets Just Drive > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 19:15

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I don't know how you fly a thing like that...

... what with all the TiE fighters and Cylon Raiders dive-attacking you.

Your boy, BJR > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 19:17

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http://www.setorii.com

there's her website.

Grindintosecond > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 19:19

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I realize I am not very good at writing. Bear with me while I try to remove the suckitude from my keyboard skills. I'm trying to learn what I resisted to learn in school.

Grindintosecond > Your boy, BJR 10/16/2013 at 19:19

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Thanks. So how did you run across her? Oh, and the pond collection showed up on chasing classic cars. Wayne is looking for a whole collection buyer.

Your boy, BJR > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 19:24

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Her & Her '93 512 TR were featured in MT Classic awhile back.

Grindintosecond > Your boy, BJR 10/16/2013 at 19:26

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Very cool. I wonder if she would be the Jalophottie for the forum, or if there is a hotter more petrolled famous girl out there.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 19:27

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I think I just found an awesome use for one of these beasts:

Modify for flight appropriately, then add displacement and cam for huge power.

Your boy, BJR > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 19:31

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someone should email her

f86sabre > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 20:01

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Nice write up on the Racer. Always one of the planes I found interesting. I think Pond had the right idea. Mi love seeing the warbirds, but there will come a point where that is no longer sustainable.

Also, didn't know that Roush had license to make Merlin parts. That's pretty cool.

Grindintosecond > f86sabre 10/16/2013 at 20:08

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He is really the only source for camshafts, valves, pistons, cranks, etc. The blocks are all welded and patched etc. The FAA certified coolant variant of Prestone used in the v-12 allisons and merlins is slowly corrosive to the welds so its a constant fix program.

http://www.roushaviation.com/

f86sabre > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 20:24

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Ah, they've developed PMA parts. That isn't something you have to do with the permission of the original OEM. Based on that they probably could do a block if they wanted, but there would be a lot of complexity there. The fact that they say that say that they are authorized to repair and overhaul the motors means that they have them on their FAA capabilities list. I'm surprised they don't have an engineer on staff to help develop the PMAs and to walk them through the FAA approval process. I might have to remember that if I get bored working with the big jets. I'm actually going to the big PMA conference in Vegas next week.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parts_Man…

Grindintosecond > f86sabre 10/16/2013 at 20:29

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I would bet there's a few PMA consultant companies out there that have the process perfected and provide the service to small shops. How many p-51 engines is he doing per week.

6shelBfan6 > Paul, Man of Mustangs 10/16/2013 at 20:45

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Torque and weight. You don't want either of those in an airplane. Wouldn't a Boss '9 powered airplane be awesome though!

f86sabre > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 20:52

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Oh, indeed. There are a number of good PMA houses out there that would be able to help them out pretty easily. The recipe for PMA reverse engineering is pretty simple, especially for metallic parts.

6shelBfan6 > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 21:00

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I can't tell you happy I am to see this here. I am a big air race fan and was hugely disappointed that Reno was never even mentioned on Jalopnik. I've been to plenty of car races and they are snooze-worthy in comparison to Reno. I almost wrote an oppo post on my trip out there this year. Noting compares to three 3500+ hp Merlins screaming by you at full tilt. I don't care what it is.

6shelBfan6 > 6shelBfan6 10/16/2013 at 21:05

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Also, the loss of Rick Brickert was very sad. He was a very talented pilot.

Grindintosecond > 6shelBfan6 10/16/2013 at 21:15

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I saw Big Bossman there a number of years ago. the merlins screaming by are awesome but the bossmans twin engines run right up your spine felt through your feet....oh wow

Grindintosecond > Paul, Man of Mustangs 10/16/2013 at 21:20

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In the sport class, theres a thunder mustang kit plane running a twin supercharged V12 Falconeer marine engine......

6shelBfan6 > Grindintosecond 10/16/2013 at 21:23

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Yeah the Tiger is very cool as well. Absolutely massive in comparison to everything else out there.

Grindintosecond > 6shelBfan6 10/16/2013 at 21:27

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ill post something tomorrow with teh most awesome sound....

Paul, Man of Mustangs > 6shelBfan6 10/16/2013 at 22:46

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The heads are aluminum, and I think someone makes an aluminum block as well. But with the right camshaft and rotating components, Boss '9s can be real screamers. Remember, you can fit a tennis ball in the intake ports.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Grindintosecond 10/17/2013 at 00:18

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If they had used race-built rotaries, 3 or 4 rotors on each side, especially if turbocharged, or turbo-compounded and supercharged.

They wouldn't have had as many problems with high RPM durability.

Rotaries make excellent aircraft engines, with high horsepower per pound, and sustainable high RPMs, and none of the low-RPM lugging, oil starvation, and other issues that give traffic-slogged rotary cars problems.

6shelBfan6 > Paul, Man of Mustangs 10/17/2013 at 03:43

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Yeah you are right. I was just meaning in comparison to most aircraft-specific engines of the same Cu/in the Boss is on the heavy side.

I am mostly a small block guy (insert size joke), but do I have an original Boss 429. Somewhere I have a picture where we stuffed a Red Bull can in the intake ports! Lined up next to the 289s and 302s it is huge and tend's to be thought of, in my mind at least, as a boat anchor. For a big block though, they can be made very light. Along with the SOHC 427, and RR Merlin, the Boss 429 is my favorite powerplant.

I believe John Kasse Racing makes some aluminum 429/460 blocks. If you haven't checked out their website, there is some very cool stuff on there.

http://www.jonkaaseracingengines.com

Grindintosecond > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 10/17/2013 at 10:59

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Rotaries when boosted make prodigious volumes of heat. The entire exhaust system has fire in it not just gasses when on boost so 15 straight minutes of that power level? Racing beat would probably know the result but even theyve only seen perhaps 5 minutes of bonneville at a time. I think it can be done...there's a rotary RV plane in the sport class so im not saying its a bad choice but running high boost for huge power would be so much more heat in that tiny space.

Paul, Man of Mustangs > 6shelBfan6 10/17/2013 at 11:02

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That's where I got the pic from, since they're the most prolific producer of Boss heads out there. I've had an inexplicable desire to stuff one of those into a Crown Vic for the longest time. Dunno why, just think a 1200 hp NA Crown Vic would be kinda cool.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Grindintosecond 10/17/2013 at 11:26

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Maybe 4 rotors don't need full turbocharging, but even with it, with dry sump, the rotary can be oriented almost any direction, and the exhaust can be exposed to the prop-wash for air cooling.

And of course, it would be an Inconel exhaust.

And with so many fewer moving parts, and no valves to be burned up... as long as it is implemented well, high heat won't cause the same sort of damage that high heat and high reciprocating RPMs did to the Nissan V6s.

Bonneville speed runs by their nature don't last as long as air races, whether the engine can handle it or not. It is harder to turn at those speeds on the ground, and the speed trial is probably limited to a couple of miles in length. Planes aren't so limited.

Plus there are ideas such as shrouded spark-plugs or laser ignition that eliminate the cavity for the spark plug that allows a lot of blow-by around the apex seal as the apex of the rotor passes by the spark plug, especially the second one, allowing combustion gasses into the preceding lobe's exhaust cycle, and out through the exhaust port.

Less of a cavity, or a flush-fitted sapphire aperture that a laser igniter beams through... less or no blow-by, more compression containment, and more complete combustion, and homogenous, fully combusted exhaust. Less rich fuel mixture, less emissions, less unburned fuel into the exhaust, more power efficient, and less likely to flood, (especially combined with direct fuel injection into the intake cycle of the rotation)

I hope Mazda is doing some of this stuff with the 16X.

Short of a jet turbine, a wankel rotary has some of the best aeromotive potential for internal combustion. Less weight, less consideration for torque, better at steady-state, constant high-horsepower duty cycle.

Plus... if you split the intake compressor off, and just run a turbine in mechanical compounding arrangement, with a gear reduction mixing unit to add turbine power to the output shaft, with the rotary's power output also, the compressor can run at it's ideal pressure and volume, and the turbo impeller needs not be waste-gated and kept below it's peak efficiency to keep the compressor alive. A turbo impeller designed to use as much waste heat and pressure as possible, is a more efficient thermal recovery device, and turns more of that thermal energy back into kinetic energy, and adds it to the kinetic output. that is less heat that is output down-stream of the turbo impeller.

I imagine that aero tech can handle the heat of a jet output, or the thermal load of a huge Merlin V12 with the bare minimum of exhaust.... I imagine that thermal management of a turbo rotary is possible.

DasWauto > Grindintosecond 10/23/2013 at 13:59

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Just a slight correction: that first video is Dutch. If need any translation you can let me know. Aside from the interviews, it doesn't say much that you haven't mentioned in the article already though. Cool post.

TacoWagon > Grindintosecond 01/22/2017 at 15:56

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That narration is Dutch... not German.

dsigned001 - O.R.C. hunter > Grindintosecond 03/30/2017 at 01:54

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Stumbled on this while doing some internet fantasizing about recip powered planes. Thought I’d throw my 2c into the mix, albeit very very long after the fact.

I think two things: it might have been worthwhile to have scaled the whole plane up. The power density they were looking for, as you mention, just didn’t exist at the time in the time frame they needed. But I don’t think it needed to. A couple of 5.0L V-8s or v-10s could likely have been reliably boosted to 1200hp. It would have given the plane marginally larger frontal area, but it would still have been tiny compared to anything else running, while making similar power.

The second thing is somewhat unrelated. I think (and hope) that UAV tech will trickle its way down into GA testing. Too many really good pilots and projects are lost due to errors that are completely normal during development. Flying planes like the pong racer as glorified FPV drones while you work out the bugs would allow for more innovative designs like this one to fly without dying with their pilots when the seemingly inevitable hiccup occurs. I suspect that, even today, this wouldn’t really be an option for something like the pond racer, but I’d like it to be.

I love seeing innovative designs, and hate that GA seems stuck in the 1930's with respect to engine design (although there are a few of the newer engines that look interesting). I’m unaware of any FAA certified piston engine over 1000 hp, or any aircraft designed to take advantage of one that isn’t a warbird. And even though turbines have been scaled down far enough to be realistic for GA, from a fuel burn perspective, you’d be better suited with a recip probably up to about 400 mph, from a cost perspective.

/4 year late rant