Tsunami Racer
Encyclopedia
Tsunami
is an experimental
American built aircraft
. First flown August 17, 1986 by test pilot
Steve Hinton
, it was designed specifically to break the 3 km world speed record and to compete in Unlimited Air Racing. The aircraft was designed and built by Bruce Boland, Ray Poe and Pete Law. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin
engine, Tsunami was potentially the fastest homebuilt piston-powered
propeller driven
aircraft in the world with a projected top speed of 586 mph.
Originally, it was designed as a light-weight racer with a single-staged supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin. However, as speed increased in the Unlimited Racing Class, a higher powered two-stage supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin was installed. An attempt was made in August 1989 to break the 3 km world speed record at Wendover Utah. However, they aircraft was unable to beat the existing record.
Despite being very fast, in its racing career from 1986 to 1991 it only won one Unlimited Gold Race, in Sherman Texas in 1990.
report states that there was a mechanical failure in the flap system, causing the aircraft to roll on final approach into Pierre, SD
on September 25, 1991.
is an experimental
Experimental aircraft
An experimental aircraft is an aircraft that has not yet been fully proven in flight. Often, this implies that new aerospace technologies are being tested on the aircraft, though the label is more broad....
American built aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. First flown August 17, 1986 by test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
Steve Hinton
Steve Hinton
Steve Hinton is an American aviator who held a world speed record from 1979–1989 and won six Unlimited air races including two national championships. He won four consecutive Unlimited races in one year, and remains the only pilot ever to do so. He retired from racing in 1990...
, it was designed specifically to break the 3 km world speed record and to compete in Unlimited Air Racing. The aircraft was designed and built by Bruce Boland, Ray Poe and Pete Law. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
engine, Tsunami was potentially the fastest homebuilt piston-powered
Reciprocating engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common features of all types...
propeller driven
Propeller (aircraft)
Aircraft propellers or airscrews convert rotary motion from piston engines or turboprops to provide propulsive force. They may be fixed or variable pitch. Early aircraft propellers were carved by hand from solid or laminated wood with later propellers being constructed from metal...
aircraft in the world with a projected top speed of 586 mph.
Originally, it was designed as a light-weight racer with a single-staged supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin. However, as speed increased in the Unlimited Racing Class, a higher powered two-stage supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin was installed. An attempt was made in August 1989 to break the 3 km world speed record at Wendover Utah. However, they aircraft was unable to beat the existing record.
Despite being very fast, in its racing career from 1986 to 1991 it only won one Unlimited Gold Race, in Sherman Texas in 1990.
Fatality
The program ended in 1991 when the owner John Sandberg lost his life while ferrying the aircraft home. The NTSBNational Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
report states that there was a mechanical failure in the flap system, causing the aircraft to roll on final approach into Pierre, SD
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...
on September 25, 1991.