Tsunami rebuild update

[RAD2LTR]

They were hoping to bring a mostly complete fuselage to Oshkosh this year. Obviously they won't be a Osh, but the Tsunami tent at Reno will be worth stopping by.

They are very serious about this rebuild, and equally serious about returning and racing at Reno. I think their biggest hurdle in getting the build done is a lack of manpower and time. I'm not sure what Walter does for a living, but Johnny works for Pat Harker. I'd bet they would be happy to have some help once this plague has run its course. Donations are always welcome as well.

I think the day Tsunami touches down at Reno marking its return, we will see something special happen. There are still people who want to go fast, and are willing to throw lots of $ and time at the conquest to do so. Heck, I'd bet even with a stock Merlin, Tsunami would still scoot right along. Heck, in '86, their first year out Steve Hinton qualified 3rd at 435 mph. (Interestingly enough, Dreadnought won on Sunday with an average speed of 434 after qualifying at 452.) I'd say qualifying the same or better would be a good target for when they come back. (Its crazy to think the return could be 40 years after its first appearance.)

Will

[Reever]

I remember the original build of Tsunami, it seemed like it took forever. News was scant at best with NAG RAG, Air Classics and Pacific Flyer. But, this is getting really exciting.

[AAFO_WSagar]

These guys really are re writing the history of Air Racing with this project!

I truly have to admit, when I first heard of it, it felt like I was seeing yet another "pipe dream, gonna build a racer and bring it to Reno" story.

These guys are SO far beyond that level!

I'm really outta the business (retired) but somebody gotta step up and be the publicist, which ties in directly with fund raising.

NOT, asking to help, just saying to the group, get the word our more,, somehow.

[CubersWrist]

They put out a call on fb some months back asking for help modeling some drawings to CAD. That way they could send the files out to a CNC shop. So I modeled a couple parts for them. The scan I got was hand drawn and things were crossed out and written over which gives a small glimpse into what it was like putting it together the first time.

[Reever]

These guys really are re writing the history of Air Racing with this project!

I truly have to admit, when I first heard of it, it felt like I was seeing yet another "pipe dream, gonna build a racer and bring it to Reno" story.

These guys are SO far beyond that level!

I'm really outta the business (retired) but somebody gotta step up and be the publicist, which ties in directly with fund raising.

NOT, asking to help, just saying to the group, get the word our more,, somehow.

I was wondering if Sharon Sandberg is still involved in the project. I thought she was the publicist.

[Fence Sence]

They put out a call on fb some months back asking for help modeling some drawings to CAD. That way they could send the files out to a CNC shop. So I modeled a couple parts for them. The scan I got was hand drawn and things were crossed out and written over which gives a small glimpse into what it was like putting it together the first time.

Thanks dude. I wish I had more to offer these guys. I’m usually rocking a Tsunami T-shirt at least once a week.

Nice to see such progress. You guys are on 11 right now!

[RAD2LTR]

I was wondering if Sharon Sandberg is still involved in the project. I thought she was the publicist.

Sharon is still involved as far as I know.

I help where I can, but I'm not directly involved with the team or the rebuild, simply a pipeline to help keep the dream alive.

The drawings that were used for the CNC stuff might have been from the original build. I understand there are a lot of plans like that that can be hard to decipher.

I think at one point Jonny was going through some of the plans and notes he has from the original build and found a section for the cooling system that had three different ideas, done by none other than Pete Law. It wasn't clear which design was the one to use so he called Pete who remembered the three different designs and their strengths and weaknesses. If I remember correctly, one was the original, one was a revised setup, and the 3rd was one that was never tested. I remember Pete talking about this at the NAG dinner a few years ago.

This is a very cool project that I really can't wait to see fly (again).

Will

[RAD2LTR]

Now John can sit and make airplane noises...

More headway on Tsunami.

Will

[Reever]

This is just awesome. I read or heard somewhere that John Sandburg had done some mods to the original design and was planning others. Are any of these mods being integrated into the rebuild?

[RAD2LTR]

I can't say for sure what the plan is, but I think they are implementing some of the changes that were made already before the crash, and making some changes that were either not a good design, heavy or not really ideal. I'm pretty sure it will look nearly identical to the way it was before the crash, but things here and there will be different. There was talk of replacing something forward of the cockpit with something lighter, so the weight in the tail could be removed as well (or something along those lines. I can't remember what exactly they were looking to change or move, but I do remember it was a win/win in the long run.) They are talking to the right people as they rebuild so I think it should be a pretty solid racer when its done.

Will