Bob’s two conditions were no conventional aircraft engines were to be used, along with warbird airframes. So, who do you turn to when you need to challenge conventional thinking? The Rutan brothers, of course! Dick Rutan, fresh off his history-making round-the-world flight, managed the project for Scaled Composites and served as chief test pilot, and brother Burt led the design team.

The design itself was an elegant twin-boom, twin-engine, composite design, with the pilot seated in a third pod immediately in front of the vertical stabilizer. Electromotive, a winning race engine shop, provided the power, two Nissan 3.2 liter turbocharged and intercooled V-6 racing engines producing 600 hp apiece when mounted in the reigning IMSA champion Nissan GTX prototypes. Tightly cowled in a slick composite airframe, these engines promised two-thirds the power and only half the weight of a race-modified P-51. On paper, the Pond Racer was good for 460 mph. 

However, there are significant differences between auto racing and unlimited air racing. Although Pond poured between $3 million to $6 million into the project, it likely required much more. Also, auto racing prototypes compete in 12 to 15 races a year, with each one an opportunity to develop the car-engine combination. However, since Reno comes only once a year, development time under actual race conditions was extremely limited. And, finally, the tight packaging of an unlimited air racer places demands on systems packaging that prototype sports cars do not share.

Shoehorning the 195-cubic-inch turbocharged engines into the tight aerodynamic cowlings required compromises as well. And these highly stressed engines were required to run at full power continuously for long periods of time. Oil scavenging and supply issues dogged the aircraft during its three years in competition and resulted in several spectacular inflight failures. Although the engines ran relatively cool on methanol, the composite engine cowlings required the use of external blowers immediately after shutdown to maintain their strength.

The airframe was completed in late 1989, and the first flight took place in March of 1991. The plane made its debut at Reno that same year. Race pilot Rick Brickert, the 1986 unlimited champion, reported excellent handling qualities. High wing loadings made for a smooth ride and a “not for the faint of heart” 140-knot touchdown speed. Brickert qualified for the Silver race at 400 mph. However, on Sunday, a connecting rod let go in the left engine, producing a spectacular fire and light show. He landed it safely.

In 1992, Brickert and the Pond Racer returned to Reno, now under the management of Steve Hinton’s Chino race shop, and managed a credible second-place finish in the Gold race at 365 mph. However, the engines never reached their desired power output. And, once again, an engine failure occurred during pre-race flight test, with Brickert expertly flying through the mountain passes back to Chino.

Back for a third year at Reno in 1993, the Pond Racer appeared poised for a breakout. Sadly, it was not to be. During the Saturday time trial, the Pond Racer suffered a spectacular engine seizure. Unable to feather the propeller, pilot Brickert elected to land gear-up in the desert. Sadly, both pilot and aircraft were lost.

A beautiful and efficient Rutan-designed airframe mated to compact and powerful race engines, with enough time and money, the Pond Racer might have succeeded. Part modern-day P-38, part “Star Wars” Pod Racer, all David against Goliath. But while it flew in the skies over Reno with its distinctive shape and high-pitched whine, every eye was on this incredible airplane. 

The post This Incredible Plane: The Pond Racer appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

There aren’t many aircraft that can literally stop traffic, but the praying mantis shape of the giant composite lifter literally does just that. No one ever figured out what to do about it, though.

Giving it a name for a mythological Greek sea god who could change appearance at will, Burt Rutan originally designed Proteus as a high-altitude, long-operation, optionally piloted telecommunications platform. Its design mission included carrying an 18-foot-diameter telecom antenna system to provide high-speed internet over major cities. Proteus was to be the first of a series of aircraft built by Scaled Technology Works of Montrose, Colorado (a Scaled Composites spinoff company that eventually closed). But by the time Proteus was developed, telecom companies became more interested in ground-based fiber-optic systems. Lacking commercial interest, Scaled Technology Works built only one Proteus. But its story was far from done.

NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, seeing Proteus’ potential for its own research missions, stepped in and helped Scaled Composites continue the aircraft’s development. Airborne testing began with its first flight on July 26, 1998, piloted by Mike Melvill, Proteus chief test pilot, and Peter Siebold, Proteus flight test engineer, at the Mojave Airport. Testing continued through the end of 1999. NASA created a station-keeping autopilot and SATCOM system for the Proteus as a part of its Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project. In June 1999, Proteus debuted at the 1999 Paris Airshow, completing its last leg nonstop from Bangor, Maine, to Le Bourget.

The aircraft features a tandem-wing, a twin-boom configuration, and two rear-mounted FJ44-2E turbofans, modified for high-altitude operations. Payloads up to 2,000 pounds are attached to the bottom fuselage. Tip sections can be added to or removed from the rear wing or the forward canards to tailor the Proteus’ aerodynamics for various external payloads or for maximum altitude.  The aircraft typically cruises at altitudes from 50,000 feet to more than 63,000 feet for up to 18 hours. Notably, Proteus attained a maximum altitude of 62,385 feet in October 2000, earning it a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Class C-1e world altitude record.

There is no shortage of projects to occupy its schedule—it has flown more than 1,000 flights. Atmospheric research, reconnaissance and surveillance projects; commercial imaging; and small satellite launches all keep Proteus busy. The aircraft requires minimal specialized ground support and regularly operates into and out of general aviation airports, making it a versatile and economic flying testbed.

Proteus’ legacy lives on in Scaled Composites White Knight aircraft, with the wing design and “mothership” concept being two of the most significant contributions to the project.

Designed for only 100 to 150 flight hours (as a proof of concept aircraft), Proteus, which is today owned and operated by Scaled Composites’ parent company, Northrop Grumman, passed the 4,500-hour mark in 2019 and continues to fly an abundance of research missions to this day, proof that a great design sometimes delivers way more than promised, and for much longer, too.

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The post This Incredible Plane: Scaled Composites Proteus appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.