2022 National Championship Air Races Photos

**RAD2LTR** · 10-02-2022, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by AAFO_WSagar

Always good to see your stuff here Leo! the mid-engine fighters have always been my favorite! Can you imagine what it felt like shooting that cannon between your legs direct centerline aim!!

Kind of always wondered why that airframe never did better at air racing.. I'm betting there are some aeronuts here who can give me some tips!

The biggest reason a P39 or P63 didn't work well as a racer was due to the thickness of the wing. The P63 "Tucker Special" had the wings clipped to nearly half the length. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Airfram...p?Serial=58021 Also the Allison needs a better supercharger housing, and a slower nose case to really be a contender. Cool airplanes, but not the best for going fast. Many people tried, nobody was successful. I think John Sandberg tried a twin turbo version of the Allison in his race 28 Tipsy Miss at one point. I guess it ran 374 and change in 1974. Compare that to Pretty Polly this year at 312 (qualifying) that is a sizeable speed difference, but still not a contender. Perhaps with a different, thin wing, and a modern modified Allison running a slower nose case, it might be able to run 400+, but even then I think that would be a tall order.

Will

**AAFO_WSagar** · 10-02-2022, 11:14 PM

Thanks Will! Owned a 914 in another lifetime, mid engine just stuck with me as ultimate cool! Bet it was a good cannon platform though!!

The airframe is so sleek it still astounds me that it is not faster... pretty though!

**RAD2LTR** · 10-02-2022, 11:51 PM

When you have wings that short, and that thick, its not going to be a fast aircraft. Its a visibly clean design, but aerodynamically its a drag monster.

As a wartime attack aircraft, it would pack a punch that you didn't want to be on the receiving end of. That said, a stable platform with a heavy punch doesn't usually make for a light, low drag racer.

**Leo** · 10-03-2022, 07:38 AM

Always been a P-39/63 fan. The airplane was designed to use the Allison and be a package that basically supported the cannon. Two very limiting requirements and aero technology passed it by during development a bit.
"Cobra" by Birch Matthews is a great read on the history. Fascinating to see all of the issues they had getting the plane into service.
I always shoot too many pixels of Pretty Polly.

**Lon Moer** · 10-03-2022, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by AAFO_WSagar

Thanks Will! Owned a 914 in another lifetime, mid engine just stuck with me as ultimate cool! Bet it was a good cannon platform though!!

The airframe is so sleek it still astounds me that it is not faster... pretty though!

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**Leo** · 10-03-2022, 06:48 PM

Oh yeah!!
On my list to paint, It looked both weird and pretty at the same time.

**AAFO_WSagar** · 10-03-2022, 08:53 PM

I restate my previous post! HOW IN THE WORLD can that thing not be really fast stripped of all the weight... Is it really just the wing? Pointy nose slick as hell fast looking machine that boggles my mind that it's not faster!

**MRE** · 10-04-2022, 01:59 AM

Charlie Tucker's purple race 30 qualified at 394 at Cleveland in 49. In testing in socal they figured it would do 420 at 2500 feet. From the book Cobra by Birch Mathews.