Fox 35 Speed - Cold Cash Speed Bash

[Bob Heywood]

The Dayton Buzzin' Buzzards will run Fox 35 Speed at the Cold Cash Speed Bash in September. The meet is scheduled for Sept 12 & 13, 2015. The class will run using St. Louis Rules.

https://lafayetteesquadrillecl.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/fox-35-speed-rules-rev-a.pdf

Eric would be pleased.

[Motorman]

There are allot of holes in those rules. The aircraft rule has suggestions, what does that mean, is it open to pan rat ships or do you have to have a ringmaster? It's not clear. How much of the engine has to be fox 35 stunt, crankcase only? Supertiger RV guts, billet head? Commercially available props include anything bolly or Wilk sells, lots of CF props commercially available.

MM

[Fred Cronenwett]

There are basically no rules on the model, the only real rules are with the engine

Suction can only be used
Fox 35 Stunt with stock plain bearing
Upgrades like a hemi-head, different needle valve, back plate are allowed
60 foot lines, .016 solids flying lines

Any model can be used...what ever you have, full bodied, profile. if it flies and you can mount a Fox 35 Stunt to the model you are good

any model can be used it just has to have a Fox 35 Stunt with a plain bearing and suction for the fuel system

We are having the first running of the event on Feb 22 at Buder park, we have at least 4 entries that will be flying, and they all look different

Fred
Lafayette Esquadrille CL club
St Louis MO

[Paul Smith]

I would say, yes, you can build a carbon fiber pan rat if you want.

I would define the engine as the crankcase, crankshaft, piston, cylinder, head, rod, and wrist pin.  If I was running the event, you could grind & polish these, but not replace them. 

You could go wild on the backplate, gaskets, bolts, and NVA. 

The speed is ultimately capped by the fuel, suction tank, and the strength of the Fox parts. 
I'm hoping to run a few tests tomorrow to get an idea of the times possible with off-the-shelf sport planes. 
I'm not convinced that airplane size is all that important in the sub-90 speed range.

[Bob Heywood]

I can not comprehend why some are having such a hard time wrapping their heads around the Fox 35 Speed class. It's record racing with only the minimum regulations necessary to define the class and comply with safety requirements. It's for us no different than what the hot rodders do at Bonneville or the dry lakes. It's worth a look to see what some of those folks do.

The Fox 35 Stunt engine is effectively defined by the crankcase. That's your basic cast iron flathead Ford block. No aftermarket aluminum blocks allowed. The rest of the engine can be hotted up to your heart's content. How fast do you want to go...How much do you want to pay? It's the age old hot rodder dilemma. Take things too far and you can start your very own collection of offerings to the God of Speed.

There are absolutely no limits on the airframe. But remember, Proto places a premium on acceleration AND top end. Build light. Most of the planes thus far are variations on a theme of the Quickie Rat. Although, Carl Dodge has a cool design that harkens back to the very earliest C/L speedsters, like Jughaid. I think all of the ones I've seen thus far are too heavy.

There are three (3) limiters: No "Cottage Industry" props, Spec Fuel (cough syrup in my book), and the wires. Life's not perfect.

If you've never flown Speed, this is the perfect gateway class.

Remember, the weekend after Labor Day, Dayton has Record Air. You need to be there.

[Paul Smith]

There are allot of holes in those rules. The aircraft rule has suggestions, what does that mean, is it open to pan rat ships or do you have to have a ringmaster? It's not clear. How much of the engine has to be fox 35 stunt, crankcase only? Supertiger RV guts, billet head? Commercially available props include anything bolly or Wilk sells, lots of CF props commercially available.

MM

I must stand corrected.  Another expert has asserted that you may, indeed, completely swap out the innards of a Fox 35 Stunt crankcase.  So you are free to go 120 MPH with you one-of-a-kind engine.  

Foxberg Racing kept the name and switched to the OS LA25.  One good reason was the ability to define a STOCK engine.  With an engine that has been produced for over 60 years with countless revisions, it's next to impossible to define what may have been stock at some point in time.

[Bob Heywood]

I must stand corrected.  Another expert has asserted that you may, indeed, completely swap out the innards of a Fox 35 Stunt crankcase.  So you are free to go 120 MPH with you one-of-a-kind engine.

That's exactly what it is all about. Record Racing isn't the place for box stock engines.

[C.T. Schaefer]

And that's the appeal, right BH? Although Henry Nelson was talking about the event out at Brodak.  TS

[Bob Heywood]

And that's the appeal, right BH? Although Henry Nelson was talking about the event out at Brodak.  TS

Yes. People thrive on a challenge.

[Motorman]

Perhaps it's time to rekindle the Rossafox lol.

MM

[john e. holliday]

Maybe to get to those that like to do everything possible to get an engines absolute run one time,  make a rule that it has to last at least for 3 official flights.

[Paul Smith]

We did a "Fox 35 Stunt Speed" run yesterday with a basic heavy Ringmaster and did 67.4 MPH for the standing mile.  This was not a go-fast attempt, just a base line trial of an off the wall unit. 10/6 prop and all.

I get the impression that maybe somebody is holding an ultra-cheater engine and is trying to build an event for a one time win.

[bob whitney]

and  your point is???

[Motorman]

If you want ringmasters and 10-6 tornados put it in the rules but don't make the rules wide open then say people are cheating.

MM

[Paul Smith]

I'm not making rules. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on.

A sport flyer broke a Fox 35 Stunt conrod just trying to learn stunt yesterday.  If the strength of Fox factory parts is the limiting factor, it might be fun using up some old Foxes trying to find the breaking point.

But if the name of the game is putting high tech parts inside a Fox crankcase, it might be fun for a machinist, but not me.