AMSOIL Racer
Encyclopedia
The AMSOIL Racer, also known as the AMSOIL/Rutan Racer and the Rutan Model 68 Racer, was a race tandem wing plane which was designed by Burt Rutan
's Rutan Aircraft Factory, and built and flown by Dan Mortensen and friends. It set several speed records, but crashed at the 1983 Reno Air Races
due to wake turbulence.
, owned by Don Beck and which was dominating the competition at the time. After some research and calculations, Rutan produced three preliminary designs, and the least radical of these was chosen. Like the Model 54 Quickie
tandem wing that previously designed, the Model 68 (as Rutan designated it) was configured with a canard
wing, a main wing and, unlike the Quickie, had an additional horizontal flight surface in the form of a T-tail
. Rutan sold rights and plans to build two aircraft of the design to Mortensen for $6,000.
The construction began in January, 1981 in Sacramento, California
, first in a garage and then in a hangar. During the construction phase, Amsoil
signed on as a sponsor, in order to promote its new synthetic aviation motor oils. The plane was built from fiberglass
, kevlar
and graphite
composites. First flight took place that summer, but the canard was damaged by heat from the engine's exhaust and missed appearing at Oshkosh. After it was rebuilt, it was entered into the 1981 Reno Air Races.
for further design analysis and flight testing by Rutan Aircraft Factory pilots Mike Melvill
and Dick Rutan
. The aileron
control system design was subsequently modified with steel tubing instead of aluminum tubing.
At the 1982 Reno Air Races, Mortensen and the AMSOIL Racer took second place, with an average race speed of 209.21 mi/h, just 0.3 seconds behind the winner, again Sundancer.
Mortesen then set out to break speed records. The first was the Class C.1.b (1,000-2,000 pound take off weight) 3 km closed course, which the AMSOIL Racer beat with a speed of 232 mi/h. The second record achieved was over a 75 miles (120.7 km) closed course, which was accomplished with a speed of 235 mi/h.
At the 1983 Reno Air Races, in a heat race on Sat morning, Mortensen had to maneuver in order to avoid a mid-air collision with Sorceress, ending up entering that plane's wake turbulence
only 35 feet (10.7 m) off the ground. With so little altitude to recover, the AMSOIL Racer hit the ground at over 200 mi/h, tumbling. The plane was almost completely destroyed, but since Rutan had designed the cockpit to withstand a 22G impact, Mortensen survived with only minor injuries.
The aircraft was rebuilt for static display, and was displayed over the Pylon Bar at the Grand Sierra Resort
(formerly the Hilton Hotel) in Reno, Nevada
for many years. In 2007, the Grand Sierra Resort remodeled and discontinued the air racing theme in the world's largest sports betting parlor. The racer was then donated by AMSOIL to the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, WI where it now hangs in the Rutan Gallery.
The second aircraft that was licensed by Rutan was never built.
Burt Rutan
Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft...
's Rutan Aircraft Factory, and built and flown by Dan Mortensen and friends. It set several speed records, but crashed at the 1983 Reno Air Races
Reno Air Races
The Reno Air Races, also known as the National Championship Air Races, take place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA...
due to wake turbulence.
Conception and construction
The concept which led to the AMSOIL Racer began in 1979 when race pilot Danny Mortensen approached Burt Rutan about designing an aircraft that would beat the Beck-Mahoney SorceressBeck-Mahoney Sorceress
The Beck-Mahoney Sorceress was a racing staggerwing biplane originally designed by the father and son team of Lee and Seldon Mahoney with later improvements accomplished by pilot Don Beck....
, owned by Don Beck and which was dominating the competition at the time. After some research and calculations, Rutan produced three preliminary designs, and the least radical of these was chosen. Like the Model 54 Quickie
Rutan Quickie
-See also:-External links:***...
tandem wing that previously designed, the Model 68 (as Rutan designated it) was configured with a canard
Canard (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, canard is an airframe configuration of fixed-wing aircraft in which the forward surface is smaller than the rearward, the former being known as the "canard", while the latter is the main wing...
wing, a main wing and, unlike the Quickie, had an additional horizontal flight surface in the form of a T-tail
T-tail
thumb|right|Grob motor gliderA T-tail is an aircraft tail stabilizer configuration in which the horizontal surfaces are mounted to the top of the vertical stabilizer. Traditionally, the horizontal control surfaces are mounted to the fuselage at the base of the vertical stabilizer...
. Rutan sold rights and plans to build two aircraft of the design to Mortensen for $6,000.
The construction began in January, 1981 in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, first in a garage and then in a hangar. During the construction phase, Amsoil
Amsoil
AMSOIL Inc. is a corporation based in Superior, Wisconsin that primarily formulates and packages synthetic lubricants and filters. The company's advertising slogan is The First in Synthetics.-History:...
signed on as a sponsor, in order to promote its new synthetic aviation motor oils. The plane was built from fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
and graphite
Graphite
The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
composites. First flight took place that summer, but the canard was damaged by heat from the engine's exhaust and missed appearing at Oshkosh. After it was rebuilt, it was entered into the 1981 Reno Air Races.
Racing and records
At the 1981 Reno Air Races the AMSOIL Racer, with Mortensen as pilot, finished third after being assessed a penalty for cutting the home pylon when rolled by wake turbulence by Sundancer). Due to roll control problems, Mortensen took the plane to Rutan's home base at the Mojave AirportMojave Spaceport
thumb|right|235px|A retired [[Boeing 767-200]] that flew for [[Ansett Australia]] being cut open for scrap at Mojave AirportThe Mojave Air and Space Port , also known as the Civilian Aerospace Test Center, is located in Mojave, California, at an elevation of...
for further design analysis and flight testing by Rutan Aircraft Factory pilots Mike Melvill
Mike Melvill
Michael Winston "Mike" Melvill is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. Melvill piloted SpaceShipOne on its first flight past the edge of space, flight 15P on June 21, 2004, thus becoming the first commercial astronaut and the 434th...
and Dick Rutan
Dick Rutan
Richard Glenn "Dick" Rutan is an aviator who piloted the Voyager aircraft around the world non-stop with co-pilot Jeana Yeager...
. The aileron
Aileron
Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...
control system design was subsequently modified with steel tubing instead of aluminum tubing.
At the 1982 Reno Air Races, Mortensen and the AMSOIL Racer took second place, with an average race speed of 209.21 mi/h, just 0.3 seconds behind the winner, again Sundancer.
Mortesen then set out to break speed records. The first was the Class C.1.b (1,000-2,000 pound take off weight) 3 km closed course, which the AMSOIL Racer beat with a speed of 232 mi/h. The second record achieved was over a 75 miles (120.7 km) closed course, which was accomplished with a speed of 235 mi/h.
At the 1983 Reno Air Races, in a heat race on Sat morning, Mortensen had to maneuver in order to avoid a mid-air collision with Sorceress, ending up entering that plane's wake turbulence
Wake turbulence
Wake turbulence is turbulence that forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. This turbulence includes various components, the most important of which are wing vorticies and jetwash. Jetwash refers simply to the rapidly moving gases expelled from a jet engine; it is extremely turbulent,...
only 35 feet (10.7 m) off the ground. With so little altitude to recover, the AMSOIL Racer hit the ground at over 200 mi/h, tumbling. The plane was almost completely destroyed, but since Rutan had designed the cockpit to withstand a 22G impact, Mortensen survived with only minor injuries.
The aircraft was rebuilt for static display, and was displayed over the Pylon Bar at the Grand Sierra Resort
Grand Sierra Resort
The Grand Sierra Resort & Casino is a resort hotel located approximately three miles east of Downtown Reno, Nevada. The hotel has 2,001 guest rooms and suites, 10 restaurants, including two by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, and a casino with of space...
(formerly the Hilton Hotel) in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
for many years. In 2007, the Grand Sierra Resort remodeled and discontinued the air racing theme in the world's largest sports betting parlor. The racer was then donated by AMSOIL to the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, WI where it now hangs in the Rutan Gallery.
The second aircraft that was licensed by Rutan was never built.