Hi Dwayne,
My familiarity with Rare Bear began in 1982 when I helped Frank Sanders build the Dreadnought Hawker Sea Fury unlimited air racer. Dreadnought first raced at Reno in 1983 and I was on the crew for the next ten years. We spent a lot of time getting to know many of the unlimited air racers and their crew, Rare Bear among them. Up until 1987 Rare Bear ran in the Gold races, but was not among the fastest racers. In late 1986 the 'Bear' picked up a significant sponsor and serious work on Rare Bear began. Aerodynamic mods were made, and a new engine was built with a nitrous oxide system installed in the airplane. One of the most significant mods in terms of aerodynamic drag was in the cooling air inlet...the annular opening between the spinner and the speed ring of the cowl was reduced to the minimum needed for cooling at race power. The exhaust exit was redesigned along with the cooling air exit to reduce drag and increase thrust horsepower recovery. The airframe was sealed to minimize leakage/migration of air through the airframe, reducing drag significantly. The high blower gears were removed to reduce the power needed to turn them as they would not be used at the altitude at which the Bearcat was raced. High blower typically kicks in at around 15,000 feet msl. The low blower gears were left in place to supercharge the engine at the altitudes at which the 'Bear' would be raced. Other mods included removal of the flaps and fairing over their installation position, another drag reducing measure although the cost is a final approach speed of 120 knots. Rare Bear has been a work in progress over quite a few years and has been a well-known and popular success story in Unlimited Air Racing.
Bill Byles
Topic: O.T. Rare Bear (Read 1804 times)