Raptor Aircraft

So he's still at it. At about 3 minutes into this video he's asking the commenters if he should fair in the wheel wells for early flights.



Nothing like crowdsourcing your engineering.
 
That wheel shimmy thing....

I had high hopes but now I'm wondering if that thing is going to be a death trap.
 
When the builder doesn't trust the project enough to fly it himself... there's an issue.
 
FormerHangie said:
So he's still at it. At about 3 minutes into this video he's asking the commenters if he should fair in the wheel wells for early flights.
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I think he’s at the point where the big issues- weight and engine/redrive are insurmountable without going backwards a long way. So he’s playing around with minor issues in hopes of stumbling into a face saving exit.
 
OkieAviator said:
When the builder doesn't trust the project enough to fly it himself... there's an issue.
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Hell, I'll fly it. Truck it somewhere with lots of fields, flat land and write me a fat check. :D

I could use a fat check.

Just need to finish that PPL thing. :cool:
 
OkieAviator said:
When the builder doesn't trust the project enough to fly it himself... there's an issue.
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I didn't think he had his pilots license.

And it's one thing to build. Quite another to be a test pilot.

Since I only had a whopping 5 hours in a canard when it was time for the first flight, I got someone else to make it.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
I’m not an expert by any means but I get the distinct impression that fellow is in way over his head.
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The Wright brothers did more actual engineering on their kites than this dude has...
 
donjohnston said:
I didn't think he had his pilots license.

And it's one thing to build. Quite another to be a test pilot.

Since I only had a whopping 5 hours in a canard when it was time for the first flight, I got someone else to make it.
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Doing taxi tests and 'pulling the nose up', I had made the assumption he was at least a PPL.

As for test piloting I couldn't imagine asking someone else to risk their life on something I built from scratch. Maybe if he knew he was going to be the first one to fly it he would have made different decisions. He's had brackets breaking off during 'taxi tests'... that's concerning.
 
I believe he has his PPL. He's talked about making a runway flight as he gains confidence with lifting the nose wheel.

There's a lot of engineering issues in this airplane. Just watch how the ailerons bounce up and down while he taxis with the stick completely centered. He's going to have flutter if he ever gets it fast enough to fly. He had a test pilot come check it out before they were to start the process. The pilot gave him a big list of issues that were a mandatory fix and then walked away when Peter wouldn't fix them. If you start looking into the details it's a pretty scary, although beautiful, airplane.
 
The concept is sound with pressurized cabin, air conditioned and diesel powered but it really isn't a new design. Looks like a wider version of a Velocity. I hope he does well and in the earlier stages of design and construction, it seemed he had a handle on it but now after seeing some of his "fixes" I'm not so sure anymore.
 
Did anyone here ever watch junk yard wars??? Remember that plane episode??
No nothings built planes and one of them flew quite well, the producers never intended them to get more than a few feet off the ground for a short distance. The producers about sh$t when the one team actually flew one of the plane. Don't think the insurance company was to happy either.
 
This thing's been in the works for 4 years and still isn't flying. Took Kelley Johnson's team a year to build the SR71. As far as test flights, the Richard Hogan, designer of the Commuter Craft, died during it's maiden flight. Sure sounds like vaporware to me. Problem is the guy's too deep into it to stop.
 
steingar said:
This thing's been in the works for 4 years and still isn't flying. Took Kelley Johnson's team a year to build the SR71. As far as test flights, the Richard Hogan, designer of the Commuter Craft, died during it's maiden flight. Sure sounds like vaporware to me. Problem is the guy's too deep into it to stop.
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Maybe he has a great passion to design and build this plane. Will it every fly, will it ever go into production, no one can say. This is what the EAA is all about, design, build and fly you own plane.
I knew a gentleman that I considered a genius. He decided he wanted to built a plane of his own design, and he did, supposedly it was pretty bad azz. Besides having decades of flying something happened, he died in the plane he had designed and built. To this day it has never been discovered what caused this crash.
 
steingar said:
This thing's been in the works for 4 years and still isn't flying. Took Kelley Johnson's team a year to build the SR71. As far as test flights, the Richard Hogan, designer of the Commuter Craft, died during it's maiden flight. Sure sounds like vaporware to me. Problem is the guy's too deep into it to stop.
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I suspect Kelly Johnson had a larger crew. And more experience.

That said, I still think this is little more than a pipe dream.
 
Right now I'm hoping no one ever attempts to fly it, because I fear that flight will not be successful.

I think his original goals were unrealistic. That we can all live with, but i don't have any confidence in his ability to design and build an airworthy product.
 
steingar said:
This thing's been in the works for 4 years and still isn't flying. Took Kelley Johnson's team a year to build the SR71. As far as test flights, the Richard Hogan, designer of the Commuter Craft, died during it's maiden flight. Sure sounds like vaporware to me. Problem is the guy's too deep into it to stop.
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The accident report on the Commuter Craft give me the impression it was the second flight for the aircraft, but Richard's first in it. It also said that he was both low time and out of medical when the flight took place.
 
FormerHangie said:
The accident report on the Commuter Craft give me the impression it was the second flight for the aircraft, but Richard's first in it. It also said that he was both low time and out of medical when the flight took place.
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CommuterCraft had a successful flying prototype and built a second, substantially changed prototype. It was test flown once by a professional who apparently had very bad things to say about it. Significant changes were made, and Richard made the second and fatal flight. I watched Richard make high speed taxi tests about an hour before the fatal flight.
 
If you guys believe in this Raptor thing so hard I'm certain the guy will happily accept your deposits...
 
Lol... using youtube comments to get information... perhaps the least reliable source of truth.
 
steingar said:
...Sure sounds like vaporware to me. Problem is the guy's too deep into it to stop.
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This thing was vaporware right from the outset. He has no clue what he is doing. That anybody believes these sorts of ridiculous claims suggests there's something seriously wrong with our education system.

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steingar said:
If you guys believe in this Raptor thing so hard I'm certain the guy will happily accept your deposits...
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Bingo!

Elizabeth Warren has a greater chance of being a Piper Cherokee than this thing has of actually ever flying safely.
 
TFulwider said:
I believe he has his PPL. He's talked about making a runway flight as he gains confidence with lifting the nose wheel.

There's a lot of engineering issues in this airplane. Just watch how the ailerons bounce up and down while he taxis with the stick completely centered. He's going to have flutter if he ever gets it fast enough to fly. He had a test pilot come check it out before they were to start the process. The pilot gave him a big list of issues that were a mandatory fix and then walked away when Peter wouldn't fix them. If you start looking into the details it's a pretty scary, although beautiful, airplane.
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seems more like a giant arts and crafts project. In one of the videos he is showing the keelnof the aircraft warping where the aileron cables are attached to a pulley there.. this is under zero load, just on the ground, wow

1RTK1 said:
Did anyone here ever watch junk yard wars??? Remember that plane episode??
No nothings built planes and one of them flew quite well, the producers never intended them to get more than a few feet off the ground for a short distance. The producers about sh$t when the one team actually flew one of the plane. Don't think the insurance company was to happy either.
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Yes! Show was awesome
 
I've started watching the YouTube channel and subscribed as I'm curious to watch this unfold. That nosewheel shimmy is frightening, he says the fluid was the culprit but if that were the case wouldn't it be hopping up and down? It's shimmys like when people bend the fork on a motorcycle.

His tuning of the engine also doesn't inspire too much confidence he should be leveraging on-site experts for different components of the aircraft development not the internet....

I'll give the interior and avionics props. That glare shield looks nice lol.
 
1RTK1 said:
Did anyone here ever watch junk yard wars??? Remember that plane episode??
No nothings built planes and one of them flew quite well, the producers never intended them to get more than a few feet off the ground for a short distance. The producers about sh$t when the one team actually flew one of the plane. Don't think the insurance company was to happy either.
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Skip to 4:20 to see the one that actually flew. Looks like the full episode is also available to watch if you have an hour and a half to kill.
 

Sadly, this was about the time that "reality" TV started going nuts. As evidenced by the dramatic narration. I don't recall earlier episodes having that. Just the British hosts with their running commentary and observations.
 
1RTK1 said:
Maybe he has a great passion to design and build this plane. Will it every fly, will it ever go into production, no one can say. This is what the EAA is all about, design, build and fly you own plane.
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So far his passion has sucked up a little more than $2 million (IIRC) of investor's money.

My favorite bit of "design" on the aircraft are the farm gate style hinges on the canard control surfaces.
 
3393RP said:
So far his passion has sucked up a little more than $2 million (IIRC) of investor's money.

My favorite bit of "design" on the aircraft are the farm gate style hinges on the canard control surfaces.
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I thought he was spending his own money and that he wouldn't be touching investor money until after the prototype is flying?

Yeah, those are some fugly hinges. When I saw his original idea for the elevator hinges I knew he was going to have to go to "plan B".
 
3393RP said:
So far his passion has sucked up a little more than $2 million (IIRC) of investor's money.

My favorite bit of "design" on the aircraft are the farm gate style hinges on the canard control surfaces.
Click to expand...
Thats funny, I was looking at that yesterday. They stick out like a sore thumb. I also watched a few of his high speed taxi runs. The ailerons are fluttering back and forth as he rolls down the runway. Not sure if this was him on the stick,or aerodynamic motion... yikes. I sure hope that somebody smacks this guy before he kills himself or somebody else.
 
TipTanks said:
I sure hope that somebody smacks this guy before he kills himself or somebody else.
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There have been several people that have tried to open his eyes but he his fixated on flying this thing. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think it is going to end well
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
This makes me wish I could afford a velocity.
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Let's go halfsies. I own a hangar so we can keep it here and I won't even charge you. You just have to fly the Grumman to Florida when you want to fly the Velo.

PS> I'm going to the Velocity factory for a tour and demo ride tomorrow. :)
 
The hinges are huge because he designed the elevator like a Fowler flap. Should’ve just bought a Velocity nose gear shimmy damper.
 
TipTanks said:
Thats funny, I was looking at that yesterday. They stick out like a sore thumb. I also watched a few of his high speed taxi runs. The ailerons are fluttering back and forth as he rolls down the runway. Not sure if this was him on the stick,or aerodynamic motion... yikes. I sure hope that somebody smacks this guy before he kills himself or somebody else.
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The ailerons are on a cable and pulley system. I think what we're seeing is the structure flexing as the aircraft runs over bumps, which changes the geometry of the cable run, and subsequently causes the ailerons to bounce. Bowden cables fixed at two ends would fix that problem. As would a control arrangement that used pushrods and clevises.
 
the Racor fuel filter he is using has the clear filter bowl in a enclosed space with high heat.....
 
kurttruk said:
the Racor fuel filter he is using has the clear filter bowl in a enclosed space with high heat.....
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Has a temp range of -40°F to 255°F. I know nothing about auto conversions, do they usually run hotter than that?
 
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