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Blue Thunder Air Racing
Blue Thunder II Crew Report
October 31, 2009
Let
me start off by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving coming up in 25
days or so. The Blue Crew highly recommends Diestel Farms turkeys for
Thanksgiving. They can be obtained at most high quality grocery outlets.
 Last month I said I would talk about the future plans for Blue Thunder
II, and I will when those plans are a little firmer. So, this month I
would like to talk a little bit about our Air Data Computer (ADC) and
the Telemetry system used in Blue Thunder II. The amount of data that
can be recorded by the ADC is limited only by the number of sensors
positioned throughout the aircraft. About a hundred and twenty
selectable parameters are transmitted to the ground via a two way
communications modem that can be monitored by the ground crew in real
time as long as the antenna in the aircraft is in line of sight of the
base station antenna. When the system is fully developed, all the crew
needs the pilot for is the hit the starter button. With the currant
development of the ADC, the crew monitors critical parameters of the
engine, such as oil pressure and temperature, as well the aircraft
location, speed, altitude, lap count and lap speeds.
The photo above shows the display on one of the crew’s laptops and is
relatively self explanatory as to what is displayed. The time frame on
this snap shot is nearing the end of lap two on Sundays Super Gold race
at Reno 9/20/09. The seven horizontal windows with the ordinate from -90
to 0 represent the trend of for the last 90 seconds. The trend windows
show that the oil temperature was slowly rising with the cooler doors
fully closed but still well below any limit temperature.
 The
photo at right is a display of the aircraft location. The location is
at the end of lap two on Sundays Super Gold. The trace of the first lap
is proof that I left gigafeet of clearance for Mike Dacey to go by on
the inside as I was ordered to do.
Next month, I would like to show you a little more about the
capabilities of the ADC and the telemeter system and correlate it with
some of the problems Garry Mead had with his Glasair and show how our
system may have been able to save him about $50,000.00.
As always, the “Blue Crew” sends heart-felt thanks for your continued
support.
Gratefully,
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Blue Thunder II Crew Report
September 30, 2009
 Everything
with any aircraft as it is being constructed is entered into a
construction log. Once the aircraft is licensed and flying, all items
pertaining to the aircraft are entered into a maintenance log. For this
reason, I want to continue this monthly report but change the name of it
to the “Blue Thunder II Crew Report” to keep all of our friends, fans,
sponsors and family informed as to what is going on with the racing
team. Over the next couple of months, we will be analyzing most of the
data we have collected this last six weeks.
All month, and especially the week of the races, we were struggling with
gremlins, the biggest of which was the right inner gear door not closing
and the oil cooler air exit door. You can not believe the number of
comments and jokes I received about this picture taken by Tim Kern. We
qualified for the races with the gear door wide open at just less than
300 MPH.
 We made improvements all week long and finished the Super Sport Gold in
5th place a just over 350 MPH. Considering that we were top qualifier at
357 in 2005, I consider this an outstanding accomplishment by the crew
for the first competition of a new Thunder Mustang.
“Thunderstorm 2009” was another success. The menu included an 80 pound
pig, called Nancy Pelosi, Diestel Turkeys, Tritip Baron of Beef, and
King, Coho, and Chinook salmon, 24 cases of Steinlager beer from New
Zealand gifted to us from our Kiwi friends Simon Gault and Chris
Bromley…and lots of camaraderie.
The magnificent sight of eight Thunder Mustangs lined up on the ramp was
the photo op of race week! Next year, we hope for more. For those of you
who could not join us in person, we hope you were able to watch the
first-time-ever full live coverage of all of Sunday’s spectacular
excitement on the pay-per-view offering
Next month we will talk about our plans for the future. Until then, the
entire “Blue Crew” sends a heart-felt thanks for your continued support.
We’ve accomplished a lot in the past twenty-one months from taking “Blue
II” out of the box and into the air, and there is more to be done to
take 1st place in the Gold.
Gratefully,
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
August 31, 2009 report
 This
August account will include a few days of September so that we can
report that “Blue Thunder II” has begun flight testing. We are recording
every second of flight, but most of the information collected is when I
am flying around at low power settings just to accumulation flying time.
Blue II flies well but to say that we have not experienced any glitches
would have you thinking “this is not a Thunder Mustang. The glitches we
have tried to solve were mostly with the instrumentation and landing
gear.
One reason for the delay in the start of flight testing was the setup
and calibration of the MVP-50 and the EFIS system. This effort was quite
a cultural shock to a guy like me who has been called “Mr. Steam Gauge”
in the past.
 The landing gear operation is a wonderment. The system will work 30 out
of 30 cycles on the jacks but only one in five cycles in flight. The
problem is the right inboard gear door doesn’t fully close. We are
working on that.
As in past newsletters, we continue to thank everyone who reads this for
your continued financial, moral, and technical support. As race time
draws near, the crew is working diligently to earn that support and show
you impressive results of that labor. We wish to reiterate a warm
invitation to the Thunder Mustangs, pilots, crews, sponsors, and fans to
our annual AAR “Thunderstorm 2009” open house and tasty ramp dinners.
For those of you who cannot attend, for the first time ever, there will
be a pay-per-view on your computer monitor of all the Gold races on
Sunday, September 20th races starting at 0900 that day only, featuring
the “Blue Angels.” Here is the link for ordering and pricing.
www.LiveAirShowtv.com . See you at the races.
Gratefully,
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
July 30, 2009 report
 This
months report is dedicated to Blue Thunder Crewman, BILL GRANT who was
killed July 12th in a tragic Go-Kart racing accident. Bill was a long
time member of the Blue Crew who was responsible for all the software
that runs the entire aircraft. Few people on the crew knew him well
because he worked mostly “behind the scenes” on the software. When most
people had a chance to meet him at the races, his work was finished and
had little to do except enjoy the events.
Bill’s unfortunate “flight west” has left this team with a large gap in
our collective capabilities, which will be very difficult to fill. He
will be so missed by so many. Our deepest sympathy goes to his wife
Darlene and the Grant family for this deep loss.
 This photo
of Blue Thunder II, was taken July 23 when we were trying desperately to get all
the bits and pieces back on the airplane with all the stickers,
placards, instrument markings, and labels on because the FAA was showing
up the next day for an airworthiness inspection. The only thing I forgot
was the EXPERIMENTAL sticker on the inside.
Don Morgan of the FAA was very helpful with the airworthiness. He
followed the regulations to the letter and hammered me about not flying
on congested airways and I hammered him about the definition of a
congested airway. We got along quite well.
8/1/2009 Blue II is finally ready for the first engine runs and taxi
tests.
 Bill Pearce and I had a very successful trip to Oshkosh last week. We
saw a few really cool items; saw a really weird airplane, and the worst
landing the Airbus 380 ever made. The most interesting thing I saw was a
fuel pump 1 ¼” in diameter and 3” long that would put out 55 GPH at 55
PSI taking 8 amps. I ordered two.
As we all know, September is approaching fast, and AAR will be hosting
once again our annual Thunderstorm 2009 during the races. All Thunder
Mustangs are invited, and their owners may come as the airplanes’
guests. Everyone else with the slightest interest in Thunder Mustangs,
past, present or future are invited to a gathering of Thunder Mustangs.
The Blue Crew, Jan, and I thank all who read this from the bottom of our
hearts for the continued financial, morale, and technical support we
receive from all of our sponsors, fans and contributors.
With this report go our best wishes and prayers for the Grant family.
Thanks again.
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
June 30, 2009 report
 The
high point of the month was June 16-20 during the FAST training and the
PRS. George put on a spectacular show, we learned a lot about Thunder
Mustangs, and how they respond to various techniques on the racecourse.
Fuel pressure is still a wonderment, but George, with “Rapid Travel” is
working through this question and will be a major contender in Super
Sport this year.
Our Blue Crew member Jim Adams recruited Jared and Greg from Exotic Auto
Body of Vacaville, CA to do the painting of “Blue II”. It was clear from
the moment these gentlemen stepped on the property that they knew what
they were doing. And a darn nice job they did.
 Blue II sat outside for a couple of days sucking up the UV rays to cure
the paint. This picture was taken when Blue II was being moved from the
paint shop to the AAR race headquarters.
Back in the shop and during the PRS, we were still able to get some
electrical and assembly work done. Pictures of wire bundles are not very
impressive, so we will keep them in the photo record.
6/30/2009 The prop arrived yesterday, and we did not waste a minute
taking it out of the box and installing it.
 I was truly in hopes of showing a better picture of Blue II out on the
ramp fully assembled with all the graphics on. Unfortunately, there is
so much to do even now, that we can not waste a minute for PR photos.
Next month will be dedicated to completing the instrumentation wiring
and the flight readiness inspections. We hope to take some PR photos
with our FAA maintenance inspector issuing the airworthiness
certificate. There will be a slight lull in operations in July while I
am at Oshkosh July 27-31st. The OSH objectives
 will be to meet with our
venders, fans, supporters and to preview these pictures with some of our
sponsors. I will be spending some time with our sponsors in their
Oshkosh booths, so please come by to say hello.
Once again the Blue Crew, Jan, and I thank you from the bottom of our
hearts for the continued financial, morale, and technical support we
receive from all of our sponsors, fans and contributors.
Thanks again.
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
May 31, 2009 report
 The
request for Blue Thunder II’s registration was sent in to the FAA
Aircraft Registration in Oklahoma City on 4/22/2009. The registration
was issued 5/13/09; post marked on the 18th and arrived 5/21/2009. I
believe this is record time to receive a registration.
Last month I talked about how we were building the cowl to fit a
slightly larger spinner. Our cowl parts are some of the very first parts
molded by Papa 51 and are considerably different than any I have seen
before. The joggles are separate parts that must be bonded onto the
mating part which was a bit of a pain. The cowl cheeks had a flat area
in the front on top that we were never able to pull out so the top part
of the cowl doesn’t match the spinner
 as well as I would like it to.
The entire crew thought the cowl would look a lot better if we did not
have to cut holes in the side for the exhaust stacks. OK, reality sets
in and the holes for the stacks are cut and the smooth prime has been
added to catch up with the painting process.
The three piece wind screen was installed and the plexiglass joints were
heat bonded together to make the screen one piece. Rhonda is feathering
out the fiberglass laminations on the
 outer surfaces. Looks like she is
sitting down on the job.
The canopy plexiglass is attached to the frame and the mating surfaces
are sanded and filled.
The TM in the background is for sale, so anyone who is interested in a
bargain, check out
http://www.americanairracing.com/forsale/tmsale.html
 The fuel valve and the prop control are completed, installed and
functionally tested. The landing gear control has been installed but
still requires functional testing.
The auto door controllers and the air data recorder are still in
development but are expected by August 1st for a first flight date in
August.
The engine is plumbed and wired except for a few secondary transducers
which can be added at any time. We should be able to run the engine as
soon as the prop shows up on or about June 23rd.
 5/31/2009 Today, Blue is all gray sitting in the sun lit curing oven.
Day after tomorrow, out comes the sandpaper again.
The final colors will be blue and white of course but the paint will be
PPG DCC which has much more shine and depth to the appearance than the
old one.
 Last month I ask for a reply to this report, and I received quit a few,
all good and most asking for more pictures and more detail. I am fearful
of making the report so long that some may get bored; so, if anyone has
any specific interest, I will be happy to answer any
specific questions. Anyway, as dry as it may be, I have
tried to add a little humor. Please keep those replies, comments and
suggestion coming in on any subject. They all help to guide this team on
how to better response to everyone.
Once
again the Blue Crew, Jan, and I thank from the bottom of our hearts for
the continued financial and moral support we have received from all of
our Sponsors, Fans and Contributors.
 Next month (June 16-20) will be dedicated to supporting George Giboney
with Rapid Travel at the Pylon Racing School here in Race Central.
Everyone with the available time is welcome to join us in our support
for George.
Thanks again.
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
April 30, 2009 report
 Last month we did a test fitting of the fuselage on the wing to
insure the control system worked, seat and rudder peddles were
positioned properly. Before the wing was permanently attached, we
finished up some electrical harnesses, installed the electric fuel valve
and did the fuel tank leak test. Well, the leak tests did not go well.
We spent about ten days with fuel tank sealant before we got an
acceptable bleed known rate.
Our painter was injured in a minor accident and is out for a short time,
so that has put the painting process behind and we are working around
that.
 The wing was mated for the final time, the wing racks removed, and “Blue
II” was lowered to the floor for good. A true Kodak moment!
On 4/22/2009, I sent a request for the registration certificate for
“Blue Thunder II” to the FAA aircraft registration office in Oklahoma
City. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get a response
from them.
It is a little late to offering anyone any builder tips, but if you ever
have your engine mount powder coated, do not let them coat the vibration
isolator bushing mounts.
 Cleaning out these receptacles delayed the
engine installation more than an hour.
The flight test engine was installed, then “Blue II” was rolled outside
for a sun break and some photo ops.
The vibration isolators were installed per the Lord Mount installation
instructions. Doing so tilts the engine 1.4 degrees to the right
compared to the Papa-51 instructions, which makes a visible difference.
 Back in the hangar, cowling work began in earnest to catch up with the
painter’s work. Maybe the painting delay will work out for the best
after all.
The spinner we are using is 1 ½ inches larger in diameter than the
standard TM spinner, so we must expand the cowl diameter in the front,
which is working out fairly well. I think you will be very pleased with
the results when you see it.
Last month I ask for a reply to this report, and I received a few.
I am
asking again for more response to this report with any suggestions you
may have on any subject. All feedback is good.
 Once again the Blue Crew, Jan, and I thank from the bottom of our hearts
for the continued financial and moral support we have received from all
of our Sponsors, Fans and Contributors.
Thanks again!
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
March 31, 2009 report
 I
hope everyone has been sitting around breathlessly awaiting the March
report on the progress of the “Blue Thunder II” construction. I am sorry
to report that we are falling behind schedule, but we are working hard
to catch up.
While the cockpit interior is being painted, I am wiring the switches
and lights on the panel. This is not a great picture, but it is where
the panel was while I was taking photos.
In our never ending effort to bring modern technology to a classic
design, this picture of the circuit boards that control the fuel valve,
prop governor and landing gear electronically.
 The wing has been filler primed and sanded and will get the finish
primer after it is mated with the wing for the last time. This picture
at the left shows the installation of the roll auto-pilot and trim
servos.
 Here we are testing electrical and manual backup releases for the MLG
and inner gear door latches. The rudder trim servo has been moved to the
aft idler arm where it should have been originally. The bad news is that
maintenance on the servo will be difficult at best and no way can a
photo of it be taken.
The fill primer is being sanded in photo below, and it sure is nice to
have so much volunteer help with this difficult job.
We rolled Blue’s fuselage outside to spray the interior primer. It
seemed that Blue really enjoyed seeing the light of day.
I had an excellent opportunity to personally talk to and say thanks for
the continued support of many of our fans and sponsors at the Aviall
Maintenance Seminar this month here in Reno. To those I did not see,
please know that our accomplishments and success are dependent on your
continued efforts and backing on our behalf.
These monthly reports may have little meaning if not followed each
month. I would like an e-mail reply from the recipients of this report
with any suggestions you have on how I could make this report more
interesting. Should it be longer, shorter, more detailed or less. Your
input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again!
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
February 2009 report
 Last
month I said that we will have the instrument panel installed, the
circuit board controlling the landing gear, prop governor, and fuel
valve to show you and a new deal with Hartzell to advertise. Well, two
and a half out of three is not too bad.
We have a working prototype of the circuit board for that controls the
fuel valve. The package for the board is a plastic box for installation.
Two switches control the valve, one for off and on, one for left and
right.
 We have tested our instrument panel drawing by using a CNC router to cut
an acrylic panel to insure all the instruments, lights and switches fit
with appropriate clearance. The real panel should be cut by next week.
We have our agreement with Hartzell for a special propeller for Blue
Thunder II. It will be pretty much a stock prop except for some tip
modifications. We hope to see it in about six weeks and I will be
touting the Hartzell props forever.
Meanwhile, back in the shop, we have been working on the auto pilot
servo installations; rudder pedal mountings, the solenoid bank, and the
spring balance trim system.
 Jim Griswold, who was the mastermind behind the Piper Malibu and the
designer of the Questair Venture, designed the trim system.
I do not have a picture of the solenoid bank mounted on the wing, but
they hook to cables that release the inner gear doors and the up locks.
There is an extension on each cable for a manual release in event of an
electrical failure.
As I mentioned before, the rudder pedals are Cessna parts using Matco
master brake cylinders with individual brake fluid reservoirs. The
brakes are fully operational at this point. There should be just enough
legroom for the Chubby Little Pilot.
 We are ready to start painting some of the individual parts, but just
how far we get on that next month, I am not sure. If there are any
volunteers interested in doing some painting, give me a call.
The fuselage is ready to be attached to the wing but will probably be
removed at least a couple of times as we fine-tune the trim system and
control cables.
As always, the Blue Crew is eternally grateful for the continued support
of our fans and sponsors. Stay tuned for the progress report.
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
January 2009 report
1/5/2009
 We are back from the Christmas and New Year holidays and starting work
in earnest. Today we have completed the trimming and fitting of the
dorsal fin and stabilizer fairings.
We put a COM and ELT antenna in the dorsal fin. We are not sure both
will work due to the close proximity of the two but hopefully we won’t
be using both at the same time.
1/16/2009
 The electronics bay is filling up nicely. The MVP-50 wiring is complete
except for one obvious error with the EI MAP sensor. We will start on
the EFIS system Monday.
We coated the wheel wells with three coats of the Flame Control heat
barrier. The coating is not as smooth and shiny as a quality paint job
would be, but the protection of the heat barrier is something I believe
in. An additional benefit is that this coating is impervious to fuel;
oil, hydraulic fluid, and chemical wash down sprays.
 The harness for the M600 ECUs is complete aft of the firewall and mostly
complete forward of the firewall. Final wire lengths and the pinning of
the connectors is all that is needed to complete the ECU harness on the
engine.
The electrical power supply is wired to the distribution panel. Only
about 32 circuit breakers need to be connected and laced up before the
wing goes back on.
Here it is deep into February and I am just now getting out the January
report. I must apologize for the delay. February is a short month but
hopefully we will have the instrument panel installed, the circuit board
controlling the landing gear, prop governor and fuel valve to show you
and a new deal with Hartzell to advertise in our next report.
Happy Valentines Day from all of us on the Blue Crew.
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
December 2008 report
 Jan
and I, joined by the entire Blue Crew, hope all of our friends, fans,
and sponsors had a very Merry Christmas, because we did. This team has
so much to be thankful for.
Building the center radio console, installing the seats, arm rests,
cooler air scoop and stabilizer were construction steps which had to be
accomplished with the wing attached.
The radio rack is rather straightforward with the Garmin 420W, 330, 240
and SL-40.
 The
front seat has been modified to make its removal a lot easier. Once the
fasteners are removed, the seat slides forward about an inch, and then
can be lifted straight out, seat back and all. The dummy blue stick in
this photo is to insure we can remove the seat without removing the
stick.
The fitting of the cooler air scoop took considerably longer than I had
anticipated. It has been on and off what seems like a hundred times, but
this is the final location. It will come off one more time for wing
removal and painting. When it goes on for the last time, it will be
attached semi-permanently. Some of the modifications we made to the
scoop can be seen in this photo. We left all of the other parts of the
cooler air ducting exposed carbon, and I wish now I
had
left the inside of the scoop exposed carbon as well.
 Like the scoop, the stabilizer was off and on as many times. Some of the
trouble we had was a reliable reference point for X and the Z axis for
the fuselage. We wound up with an amazing matrix on the floor of chalk
lines and plumb bob reference points. The rear attach bracket was
mounted as far to the right on the forward vertical spar as possible.
Even with this effort, the left stabilizer is ¼” longer than the right.
If anyone complains about this, we will take a saw to the left tip. With
all the shims in place and the bolts tight, we reconciled the alignment
to insure it was straight and
square. The decalage angle is 3/10s of a
degree more than factory specifications, which is our collective best
estimate to compensate for the difference in the wing
incidence angle we use.
12/24/2008 Christmas Eve we separated the fuselage from the wing again.
The fuselage is back in its cradle for installation of the avionics and
electronics. We are happy with the new wing stands. The wing is now
bolted to the stands by bolting the jack pads to the wing then bolting
the pads to the sands.
As I indicated earlier, the electrical systems and avionics are the next
to be installed. Due to the complexity of the electronics, it is not
likely that we will be able to complete this work in just a month, but I
will try to make the January report interesting.
We will be back at work as hard and fast as we can on the 5th of
January. Until our next report, we wish everyone a Happy New Year.
Jan, John and The Blue Crew.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
November 2008 report
 First and foremost, the entire Blue Crew wants to wish our friends, fans
and sponsors a very Happy Thanksgiving. This team has so much to be
thankful for.
Product support from Andair has been non-existent concerning their
electronic fuel valve. Our only alternative was to disassembled and
reverse engineered the valve. Blue II crewmember, Fred Roscher, has
designed a controller for the valve so that fuel management can be
integrated into the rest of the aircraft electrical system.
The most significant accomplishment this month is the mating of the wing
and fuselage. After several days of alignment adjustments and securing
the two structures, we were successful in what we hope is near perfect
alignment with a wing incidence angle of .5 degrees.
 If the weather had been a little better, we would have taken Blue II
outside for some photo ops in the sunlight. It was much more comfortable
inside so the first pictures of Blue “ON THE GEAR” are taken indoors.
The items we had to complete with the aircraft assembled, such as the
seat locations, arm rests, center console, rudder pedal location and
flight control connections, are complete and we are now ready to demate
the fuselage form the wing again for installation of the electronics and
avionics.
We are using the next generation Motec M600 ECUs. Assembling the harness
that integrates the ECUs with the new Air Data Recorder will be much
easier to do with the fuselage separated form the wing.
 All the interior items accomplished have been photographed for
documentation but are not very impressive pictures, so I have not been
included them in this report. You will just have to see the interior for
yourself.
The photo at the left is of the cargo door latch and release which was
finished as one of the “Round Tuit” items.
Jan and I, along with the Blue Crew hope all of you are having a Happy
Thanksgiving~ because we are. Next month we will have the electrical
system well under way and some photos may look like Blue II is having a
bad hair day. We may have some of the external parts like gear doors
painted as well
I will have the December report out by New Years, but if I do not have
it out by Christmas, we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks again.
www.bluethuderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
October 2008 report
 We
got a lot of work done on “Blue II” this month. Most of it is little
stuff than does not make for impressive photos, but is all are items
that must be done.
The MLG doors are complete and fit very nicely. I have the new solenoid
actuated door latches but do not have them installed yet. More
information about the gear door latches will come next month.
We got a new engine and the engine that came with the “Blue Thunder II”
kit from RFI early this month and as they sit, their weigh 631 and 640
pounds respectively. We will put the PSRU’s on them when we get a new
starter from Tilton. The engines have been programmed using the Motec
M-6 ECUs.
  Other small items completed are the stabilizer and elevators, the wing
tips have been trimmed and sanded along with the dorsal fin.
One small set back became evident when we tried to install the ailerons.
They did not fit well at all, and a lot more work must be done there.
We coated the firewall with Flame Control #46081X heat shield and
attached the engine mount. We will coat the wheel wells with the same
heat shield when everything in there has been tested.
The canopy frame has been assembled and is fully operational. The
plexiglas bubble and wind screen has had an initial trimming but
installations will be postponed until just before the painting
process is started. The good news on the canopy is the canopy release
system in totally contained within the canopy frame. The bad news is
that it will not be fully functional in this canopy. I got ahead of
 myself in the assembly, and I am not tearing this one apart. The new
release system will have to wait until the next canopy we build.
The plan for November is to mate the wing and fuselage, install the
seats, armrests and build the center
radio stack console. The fuselage
will then be removed for installation of the avionics.
Jan and I, along with the Blue Crew wish everyone a Happy Halloween. We
are so grateful for your continued support. In case I do not get the
November “Blue II” report out before Thanksgiving, we wish everyone a
Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks again.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
September 2008 report
 Even
though the progress on “Blue Thunder II” was a little slow this month, I
think that we can call September very successful month.
George Giboney with “Rapid Travel” had trouble with his superchargers
but did amazingly well and finished every race. He was voted “Rookie of
the Year” in the Sport Class. Our airport neighbors, “Team Rare Bear,”
did their usual spectacular job but were disappointed when some pistons
burned on Sunday.
Thunderstorm 2008 went very smoothly with the overwhelming support of
all the TBG, fans, sponsors and team members. There are so many people
that deserve recognition, I hesitate to mention anyone for fear of
leaving someone out. So for now, I will say thanks to everyone for a
very successful air race month.
 As
for the progress that did get accomplished on “Blue II,” we were working
on a new way to retract the tail wheel doors so that they could not come
open in flight and seal the tail wheel compartment from any traversing
airflow. My original design was to have a yoke and swivel connection for
the doors connected directly to the gear trunion. This approach did not
work because the doors can only be closed during the last few degrees of
the gear retraction so that the tire can clear the OML of the fuselage
before the doors can close.
A new approach is now used with a cable lift arrangement for the doors
that is working quite well. The cable lift point has considerably more
leverage to hold the doors closed while the gear is retracted and they
can not be pushed open.
 SCS
is sending some new springs that will do a better job of holding the
doors open while the gear is extended, but retracted; the doors are
virtually air tight.
The right MLG doors are complete with their fit and work is continuing
on the left side. This work might be easier with the wing upside down
but we are doing it this way hoping for a better final product.
Next month we should be able to report on a new solution for the MLG
inner door latches, the new engine and possibly show the wing mated to
the fuselage.
Jan and I, along with the entire Blue Crew, are so grateful to everyone
for their continued support.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
August 2008 report
 8/03/2008
Fred Roscher, Bill Pearce, and I are back from Oshkosh where we had
a fantastic time spending an ungodly amount of money of avionics,
EFIS equipment and tools. A truly remarkable part of the trip was
the environment. The temperature all during the convention never got
over 90 degrees, dew point never over 80%, we never got rained on
and not as single thunder storm hazard on the trip to or from. No
“global warming” here.
 8/8/2008
Last month I promised to show a picture of the new electrically
operated prop governor from MT. It arrived today, and here it is.
The drawings and the control of the governor is quite simple.
The crew spent a lot time making this exposed carbon cover for
the control of the electric fuel valve. Our learning curve on making
these types of parts is near vertical. We showed this cover to “Andair”
at Oshkosh, and they liked it very much but did not order any.
Unfortunately, Andair has not been forthcoming with the wiring
diagram or controller for the valve.
  It
is difficult to see much of the fuel system installation in any
single photo, but this is how the fuel tank selector valve looks
mounted on wing rib 45. This system permits building a fuel system
which eliminates all fuel lines from the cockpit and passenger
compartments.
The wing for “Blue II” was successfully closed
out on 8/14/2008. For reference purposes, we used 6012 gms. of Hysol
EA9394 for the close out. Work on the wing is continuing with the
installation of the pilot seat ribs, control column, and MLG up
latches.
8/23-24/2008 The “Blue
Crew’s” electrical engineer, Fred Roscher and I, spent the entire
weekend arranging the layout of the MVP-50 EIS equipment. EI does
not ship their kits with a conventional packing
 list,
so it is very difficult to reconcile inventory received. Otherwise,
we hooked up one of the systems to a battery, and it appeared to
work as advertised.
Next month (September) we will be
enjoying “Thunderstorm 2008” which will be bigger and better than
ever. The Blue Crew will be very busy supporting George Gibony and “Rapid Travel” in his quest for the
gold.
Progress on “Blue II” will continue with little steps
during the Air Races and the rest of September. The next big steps
in the construction process are the installation of the avionics and
mating of the wing to the fuselage. We are planning an exposed
carbon instrument panel and we should be able to show that progress
in the September report. The fuselage to wing mating should happen
in October, only two month behind schedule.
We hope to be
seeing everyone here for the “Thunderstorm” next month. As tradition
would have it, Bill Pearce and his cooking staff will oversee the
ramp party grilled menu We invite our fans, supporters, builders,
pilots, and enthusiasts to join us for and camaraderie.
Once again, Jan and I, with the entire Blue Crew, wish to thank
everyone for their continued support.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
Construction progress on “Blue II”
July 2008 report
This report is out a little early because I will be leaving for
Oshkosh on the 26th,
and I would like to get this out before I leave.
Planning for Thunderstorm 2008 is under way and will be held as usual
during the Reno Air Races on September 10th through the 14th. As in the
past, everyone with even a remote interest in, or connection with, a
Thunder Mustang is cordially invited, and all TM owners are encouraged
to bring their aircraft. We will take care of all TMs attending. The
format and menu will be similar to previous years.
 Our
collective jobs during the event will be to support the TBG standard
bearer, George Giboney with “Rapid Travel,” to insure their win of main
event. Crew member Wayne Richards has taken over ordering all of the
merchandise for the Blue Thunder II team and the TBG. He has selected
some killer crew shirts and related apparel for us.
As to the construction progress on “Blue II”, we have closed out the
fuselage as I mentioned last month, and the baggage door has been
installed. I had to include this picture to show how we were able to get
the exact same radius in the corners of the baggage door as Papa-51 did.
Freshly ground, perfectly round.
 We have been doing a lot of work on the engine installation for Fred
Roscher’s TM which has the same updated oil pan and oil pump
configuration as the future “Blue II” engine compartment will have. This
picture shows
the new pressure oil pump and GAMI alternator with the oil supply
manifold. The manifold receives oil from the pressure regulator return,
prop governor return, and the oil tank.
The next photo shows the oil filter and distribution manifold. Oil
coming out of the cooler enters the manifold and is filtered by the
Tempest filters, then distributed to the engine, PSRU and the prop
governor. I will hope everyone attending Thunderstorm 2008 will thank
John Herman for his support
 of Blue Thunder II and buy his filters from
your local filter supplier.
The
Dailey Engineering scavenge pump is a seven segment unit evacuating each
Falconer V-12 cylinder pair and the PSRU. There are two –16 lines
returning all the oil, air and whatever back to the oil tank.
The cooling air exit ducts for the water and oil radiators have been
trimmed and installed with the doors requiring a little more trimming
and adjustment.
We have been using the Click Bond fasteners, nut plates, stand offs and
studs for some time now. I can not describe how much time these products
save.
The wing is ready for closing but will have to wait until the manpower
can be scheduled after my return from Oshkosh.
 Next month we should be able to provide more detail about the wing close
out, cooler door modifications and function and show you the new “drive
by wire” prop governor.
Once again, Jan and I, with the entire Blue Crew, wish to thank everyone
for their continued support. We hope to be seeing everyone in September.
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Blue Thunder Air Racing
June, 2008 report
Construction progress of “Blue II.”
 Finally,
the long awaited electrically operated fuel valve arrived sans the
cover. We will try to make a very nice exposed carbon cover for the
drive mechanism. The valve is mounted on the left but line XX wing rib
and some of the plumbing is completed.
One primary objective of the fuel system design was to eliminate all
fuel, with it’s associated fire hazard, from the cockpit. I have had
enough of that.
In the second step to having a fully “drive by wire” airplane, we have
been successful in negotiations with
 the
MT Propeller Company to provide us with an electrically controlled prop
governor in exchange for some promotional considerations. This will
permit RPM control with a switch from either the cockpit or the ground
station. We should receive the governor in the first week of August with
pictures in the August report.
I must apologize for the lack of progress on “Blue II” during the week
of the Pylon Racing School while George Giboney and I were out flying
around getting our FAST cards.
 George
completed the Pylon Racing School course and is now a fully qualified
racing pilot. George is the TBG’s standard bearer this September with
the “Blue Crew” supporting him 110%.
The radiator cooling air exit door is not turning out as nicely as I had
hoped it would, but I believe it will fill our objective of effectively
controlling the engine temperature as well as reducing drag.
 The
oil cooling air exit door is all new and should function as well as the
one on Blue did as well as look quite good.
In next month’s report, we should be able to show the fuselage closed
out and be
 near ready to close out the wing.
On
June 30 2008 we were finally ready to close out the “Blue II” fuselage
with just short of 1400 gms. of Hysol.
Once again, Jan and I, with the entire Blue Crew, wish to thank everyone
for their continued support.
Blue Thunder Air Racing
May, 2008 report
Construction progress of “Blue II.”
 In
what appears to be a never ending saga of the electrically controlled
fuel valve, I talked to Andy Phillips this morning for another progress
report. He indicates that he will be shipping this week the basic valve
but is still working on the controller and no date was given on that
portion.
“Blue II’s” engine is ready for some initial testing on the Ryan
Falconer Industries dynamometer. We anticipate that by September 2009,
“Blue II” will have the “short stack” intake manifold we promised to
show you last month. The objective is better breathing at higher RPM
than that of the standard TM engine.
 There
has been a long history of oiling problems with the Falconer engine as
it is integrated into the Thunder Mustang as an aircraft engine. Most of
us have seen symptoms of fluctuating oil pressure and/or high oil
temperatures. I have probably been the leader in a parade chasing my
tail trying to solve a problem in the supply side of the oil system
where the problem, from the very start, was on the scavenge side. I have
discovered, mostly by accident, that the scavenge system anomalies are
most likely caused by unusually high pressures at the scavenge pump
outlet, windage issues that keep the oil inside the engine and by less
than optimum oil system routing. The picture above, promised in last
months report, is of Fred Roscher’s engine illustrating some of the RFI
and the Blue Crew’s currant line of thinking in solving problem in the
oil scavenge anomalies. The current solution is a new FRI oil pan that
isolates each pair of cylinders
 and
two new Dailey oil pumps. The pressure pump is mounted on the left side
of the engine. The scavenge pump is a seven segment pump mounted in the
original location. All new Thunder Mustang engines will have this new
configuration.
George Gibony is a driving force in the improvements for the Thunder
Mustang kit, and the Blue Crew takes every suggestion he makes very
seriously. His solution to the oil scavenge problem is slightly
different than ours, but incorporates the plumbing alterations with
which we agree on.
Another of George’s innovations is a new down lock pin hydraulic
cylinder we have incorporated in “Blue II.”
 His cylinders are a much
higher quality and closer tolerances than the original Papa-51 cylinders
and incorporate several innovations. However; from our perspective, they
should have been anodized blue.
I could report about the hydraulic system changes, but enough is enough.
In June George Gibony, and possibly Bill Eveland, are planning to become
race certified at the PRS held at the Stead Airport. Everyone is welcome
to stop by, view our progress, quench their thirst, and support George
and Bill. We are hoping our benefactor Bob Garrison will be in
attendance as well as several other Thunder Mustangs with their owners
and builders.
Once again, Jan and I, with the entire Blue Crew, wish to thank everyone
for their continued support.
Press Release: For immediate release
Blue Thunder Air Racing
April 2008 report on "Blue II's" construction progress
 After
the never ending on-again off-again issue with the electrically
controlled fuel valve, Andair has agreed to provide a prototype model
with a considerable number of strings attached.
MT Propellers has an electrically controlled hydraulic propeller
governor, but only for 24-volt operation. We are still working on
getting one for 12 volts.
Electrically controlled (drive by wire) throttle bodies are available in
all sizes now and we are looking into how this could be integrated into
an aircraft application. The redundancy requirements may outweigh the
advantages.
 The
fuselage of “Blue II” was delivered without an electronics bay/baggage
door cutout on the left side. The picture shows the bagging of the mold
we are making for a bay door.
The rear canopy trolley is installed with only a slight modification to
raise the canopy higher off the deck while it is open. The rear trolley
support is modified to provide a complete closeout of the aft fuselage
deck.
 Stringer
flanges and the rear fuselage deck shear web have been added to carry
the tensional loads in the fuselage all the way back to the aft rudder
spar (bulkhead 247).
Work on the wing is continuing even though the fuel system is on hold
until we get the new fuel valve. The inner gear doors are fitted and
functioning. After three days and about 43 man hours of work trying to
develop an new hinge for the outer gear doors, I gave up and installed
them per the TBG supplement to the TM construction manual.
 The
picture below left shows the result of our foot well appendectomy and
the first step in the development of a Thunder Mustang with a
turbocharger engine. The additional engine compartment is required to
house the turbochargers.
The rudder pedal assembly is straight out of a Cessna and bolts right in
just forward of the up latches with plenty of room for the “chubby
little pilot”.
 For
now, the oil tank will be suspended on fabricated support fixtures in
the standard TM location.
Work on the normally aspirated engine for Blue II is continuing at RFI.
The new engine will have a new induction system, controlled by Motec M6
ECUs and the new six-segment oil pan and pump. Next month we should have
a picture of the new Falconer Engine configuration for Thunder Mustangs.
Thanks again for everyone’s support.
Jan and John Parker
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Press release: For immediate release
Blue Thunder Air Racing
March 23, 2008 report on “Blue II’s” construction progress.
Here it is deep into April and I am just now getting out the March
progress report. I must begin this report by wishing all of our
sponsors, fans, supporters and crew a belated Happy Easter.
 The
electronically operated remote fuel valve from Andair we promised to
show you in this month’s progress report still has not shown up yet. We
are quite disappointed with this delay, and if any of our friends going
to the Sun-N-Fun show, stop by the Andair booth and ask Andy, or Owen,
about the remotely operated fuel valves we have on order.
The hydraulic pump has arrived and we are setting up a test stand for it
on our hydraulic mule stand. All of the hydraulic plumbing forward of
the main wing spar has been installed except for the inner gear door
cylinder lines. I am sure all can recognize a high tech test stand
pictured at the left.
What appears to be a snake pit pictured below right are the push- pull
cables that will operate the flight controls. These cables eliminate a
considerable amount of complexity and weight, but probably not much
cost.
 Pictured
at the left is the tail wheel unlock assembly. The assembly electrically
unlocks the tail wheel with an over center latch to hold the wheel
unlocked when the power is off. A momentary lock, unlock switch is used
to control the assembly which includes a light indication when the tail
wheel is unlocked. We have not decided yet as to whether we will mount
the switch next to the gear lever or on the throttle.
Normally there is a very large gap between the lower wing skin and the
flap as designed by Papa 51. “Blue II” has a gap seal which will close
that gap and improve the aerodynamics of the under side of the wing as
well as effectiveness of the flaps.
 Hopefully
we will be able to have some news about the remote fuel valve after
Sun-N-Fun. As soon as the wing portion of the fuel system is finished we
can close out the wing.
We are doing a lot of work on “Blue II” that sometimes looks like very
small steps; however, we will have plenty to report on in the April
report.
Thanks again for everyone’s support.
Jan and John Parker
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Press release: For immediate release
Blue Thunder Air Racing February 22, 2008 Report on “Blue II’s”
construction progress:
 The electronically operated remote fuel valve we
promised to show you in this month’s progress report has not shown up
yet so, little work has been accomplished on the fuel system. We have
been unable to get a firm commitment from Andair as to when it will be
delivered other than they will have some at Sun-N-Fun.
Some additional hydraulic plumbing has been installed in the wing. The
Oildyne Power Pack we mentioned last month was ordered and is scheduled
for shipment next week. Our March report should include some pictures of
that unit as well as some additional system components.
Most of the work on “Blue II” this month has been on the fuselage. So
far, all of the parts have been trimmed and the bulkheads from the rear
seat back through station 247 have been installed. The dog house is
assembled and the radiators attached the spray bars are in place.
 The belly scoop has been partially assembled with only a very few
modifications.
Most Thunder mustang builders will recognize the considerable
modifications to the tail wheel bay station 192 – 220. One objective is
for this bay to be completely sealed except for the leakage around the
gear doors. A new tail wheel door retraction method is also in the works
so that the door operation will be more positive and secure eliminating
their opening in high speed flight.
With the entire tail wheel mechanism confined to aft of bulkhead 192,
the bay aft of station 168 is available for additional equipment and
remote electronics storage. The opening in bulkhead 168 has
 been
enlarged to provide access to this bay.
Next month I will be able to show some changes in the control systems we
are working on and the new electronic fuel selector valve as well as the
hydraulic power pack.
The final $14,286.87 payment on the engine that burned up in Blue was
sent out last week. Anyone is interested in helping out on that payment,
don’t hesitate to hit the PayPal button on our web site. Any amount is
appreciated.
Jan and I thank everyone for their continued support.
John & Jan Parker
www.bluethunderairracing.com
Press release: For immediate release
Blue Thunder Air Racing January 13, 2008 Report:
 Within
a week after the loss of Blue, the Team started collecting and
inventorying the Thunder Mustang parts we had collected as spare
parts. By air race time, we had a stabilizer built. December 5, 2007
saw the delivery of Bob Garrison’s complete Thunder Mustang kit,
which provided us with the entire Papa – 51 parts. You all know that
Blue had many updates to her, and Blue II will have even more.
To date, major progress has been made on the
wing. All the parts have been trimmed, ribs and spars installed, MLG
installed along with the flaps.
The hydraulic system will be powered by an
Oildyne power pack greatly reducing the complexity of the system and
some of that plumbing has been installed in the wing as well as the
brake lines.
 The
fuel system will have the same capacity, but the plumbing is
modified to eliminate all fuel lines and fittings from the cockpit.
We are waiting for our electronic fuel selector to arrive before any
additional fuel plumbing is done. We expect the selector sometime in
February.
Our accountant, the firm of Grant Thornton of
Reno has put the loss of Blue at one million dollars. The bad news
is that it will take about that much to complete Blue II. The good
news is that through the very generous contributions of good,
services, parts and money from all of our friends, fans, supporters,
and sponsors, we are at least 50% back to the million-dollar
objective. The road ahead is a lot of labor, along with the purchase
of parts not supplied in the TM kit. A $5,000.00 payment to the TBG
for the new PSRU cover plates for Blue and Blue II was due last
week. If anyone is interested in helping out on that payment, don’t
hesitate to hit the PayPal button on our web site. Any amount is
appreciated.
Next month I will be able to show some changes in
the control systems we are working on and maybe show you the new
electronic fuel selector.
John Parker
Press
release: For immediate publication
December 5, 2007
 Bob
Garrison has sold his complete Thunder Mustang kit to us in terms and
conditions that are so favorable to us it is like a gift. His kit will
become Blue Thunder II. We owe Bob more THANKS than anyone could
imagine.
An ABF truck arrived at the AAR facility today at about 0920 with
the Blue II kit on board. With the help of the Blue Crew and our airport
volunteers, the unloading began.
By 1230 the truck was unloaded and the crew broke for lunch, and a
celebration that the Blue Thunder II kit was on the property.
 With
all the support we have, we should have Blue II far enough along in the
construction process that she can be “a roller” by Thunderstorm 2008.
The next event for the Blue Thunder Racing Team and the Thunder
Builders Group is to support George Giboney with “Rapid Travel” at the
Pylon Racing School in June 2008.
Press release:
For immediate publication
September 5, 2007
Blue Report:
As you all
know by now, the Blue Thunder Air Racing Team suffered a devastating
blow with the loss of Blue Thunder in a sage brush fire after an aborted
take off on Labor Day, September 3, 2007. The decision to abort was
based on an instrumentation failure. In the attempt to stop, the brakes
over heated and became minimally effective. Standing beside her,
watching Blue Thunder burn up was the most heart wrenching time of our
lives. Blue Thunder may not have had a heartbeat but she had a soul,
and the blood, sweat, and love that so many people have put into her
made her something more than an inanimate object. The outpouring of
condolences has been overwhelming, coming from thousands of Blue
Thunder’s fans, friends, sponsors, competitors, and supporters. Many
from sources we don’t know.
The
question is, what is next for the Blue Thunder Crew? The crew and I have
never looked back, never stopped, never given up, always supported any
racing team when asked for help as well as all the Thunder Mustangs. So
that is how things are going to continue. Thunder Storm 2007 is still on
as well as 2008.
In the
coming days and weeks we will be consulting with our friends and
sponsors to clearly define a plan for the next Thunder Mustang. We are
asking all of our fans and sponsors to stay with us as we go forward
with our next project which will be a benefit for us all.
Thank you for your continued support,
John
Parker
Blue Thunder Air Racing
You Can Help Us Return Blue Thunder To The Air!
The hair on your neck is standing straight up. Your
eyes strain as you stare, closely observing shimmering objects in the
distance. You feel your muscles tighten; you feel the electricity in the air.
Amongst the wind, your ears begin to detect the faint sound of shear,
raw, unimaginable horsepower, echoing off the distant mountains. The faint
sound turns into symphonic vibrations of harmony, ever increasing in
intensity. Your eyes now have a lock on multiple, winged-crafts
splitting the boundary between sky and earth, and turning. The
mechanical music still grows, your muscles tighter, your eyes widen. The
rush of power blasts by in a shattering roar as the thunder travels
through your ears and down to your feet, then another, and another and
still more. As the sound fades, the crafts grow small, but the intensity
remains. Your heart pounding, your adrenaline flowing, your body
shaking, you have just
witnessed the first lap, of an air race.
We get the same feeling. Blue Thunder
Air Racing Team is a dedicated group of professionals who campaign a
Thunder Mustang at the Reno Air Races in the Sport Division. They have
been involved with air racing for nearly 40 years. Our team is determined to see the expansion of air
racing to encompass more people, places, and sponsors. We believe
through increased exposure comes increased interest. That is why we need
your help.
With your support, air racing will grow to
have events throughout the country. With your
interest, more people will be exposed to the sport and become fans. With
your participation, you will see why so many people have become
completely committed and addicted to this unique sport.
To some, it's a sport. To us it's a way of life.
Blue Thunder Air Racing supports our men and women in
uniform.
Blue Thunder Air Racing would like to
thank its sponsors; their generous support makes it all possible.
Please take a
moment to visit their websites and see how they may assist you:
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