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Exciting News at Blue Thunder Air Racing!

 “Blue Thunder II Crew Report”

March & April, 2010

I must apologize for the March report being so late, I am going to make this the March and April 2010 update.  I have been out of town so much of the time contacting companies trying to find a way to pay for this year’s Blue Thunder appearance schedule.

In the February news I said we would have some flight test results to share with you but the flight test program is falling way behind because of unusually bad weather and a pair persistent fuel leaks.  The leak we have been dealing with in the left wheel well has finally gotten so bad; I had to admit my failure of proper construction in the first place. I had to cut a large hole in the wing and do a proper job of fixing the fuel leak, then repair of the hole we cut.

With the fuel leaks repaired and improving weather, the flight test program is back with considerable vigor.  We do a climb test on each flight from 6,000 Ft to 12,500 Ft. MSL using a constant power setting of 4500 RPM and 20 in.hg. MAP.  This constant power climb makes it easier to project performance back to sea level.  Each test gives us another data point on the climb chart.  As of now, the data points show a little more scatter than I had anticipated and my only explanation for now is that Blue climbs better on some days than it does on other days.  Initial indications are that the maximum rate of climb speed is a little less than 130 KIAS but does quite nicely at better than 1700 FPM at 190 KIAS.

Each flight generates a tremendous amount of data, and the spread sheet graph at the left is one of them.  From top to bottom, the graph shows air temperature at throttle body B, throttle body A, OAT, MAP and fuel trim.

This data collection tends to ask more questions than it answers.  The OAT probe is out by the trunion box in the right wheel well. Why does the OAT vary so much?  Why does the air temperature vary as much nine degrees between throttle body A and B?  We can see that the temperatures come fairly close together when the nitrous is on.

The questions we have about the induction air temperatures have led us to install two more temperature probes in the “elephant trunk” to try to get a better idea of just what is happening in the induction system.

Let me add the Blue Thunder appearance schedule in this report to insure that as many people as possible will mark their calendar and come out and support Blue and our Sponsors.

EAA Golden West Show       Marysville, CA            June 11, 12 & 13^th.

Reno Pylon School                 Reno, NV                    June 17, 18 & 19^th.

EAA AirVenture                    Oshkosh, WI               July 26 – 31^st.

Reno National Championship Air Races                    September 13 – 19^th.

Once again Jan and I along with the entire Blue Thunder Crew wish to thank all of you for your continued support.  Stand by for the May report.

John Parker

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.