Radial Racer

grabcad

I'm actually putting the cart before the horse here. My mind works visually, and for many years I haven't been able to picture how a radial engine camshaft works. It's driven me nuts, so I decided to make a radial engine assembly to figure it out. After starting, I thought, why not make a real engine from existing parts that might possibly work? So, I based the engine around Lycoming cylinders (I modeled a IO-540 cylinder and piston), and made a giant 11 cylinder engine. I did this because Reno Super Sport Class racers allow up to 1000 cu. in. of engine displacement, and this radial engine would give me 990 cu. in. total. If I hit the lottery.. well, dreams sometimes do come true. So I got the engine mostly done, but realized how huge the engine is, so I decided to see what an airplane would look like with this engine. As you can see, it looks pretty good, though the airplane is incomplete. This airplane was designed specifically to run in the SS class, so it's quite small with only a single seat. When I get the engine done, I'll upload it too, but I'm still working out some bugs. Also, the propeller assembly shown in the photos is based on a propeller blade I've already uploaded previously. There is no structure yet with this, but I will finish everything once the parts (engine) are done. Hope you enjoy what I have so far.