Patiently waiting F1 Rocket fans will take interest in the neat stack of aluminum in the Team Rocket Aircraft’s booth at Air Venture.
Team leader Vince Frazier explained the wing parts shown here are one of three tapered wings under construction. Once fully developed—at an unspecified future date—the tapered wing will be an F1 Rocket option for those wanting to step up from the standard, rectangular Sport wing.
An all-new design and not a continuation of the Mark Fredrick’s Evo wing, the new tapered wing, “…should be a little faster and a little slower than the Sport wing,” says Frazier. It is also much lighter than the Evo wing.
In fact, weight containment is a hallmark of the new tapered wing, which should scale nearly identically as the Sport wing. Frazier says the calculations and tests are showing the two wings weighing within about one pound of each other, so there is no meaningful weight penalty with the tapered option.
Furthermore, the taper wing will accommodate “an enormous gas tank.”
Frazier reports engineering is complete on the tapered wing, although the one shown here is being built as a test article and will be exercised to destruction. It appears the other two being built will achieve flight test on already flying F1 Rockets. Showing confidence in the testing outcome, emphasis at Team Rocket is now centered on building fixtures and tooling.
Also new this year is Frazier noted his retirement from his university work, so aside from an ongoing move to Cutler, Indiana he is now able to give Team Rocket his full time attention. This should help accelerate the general pace at Team Rocket, but Frazier remains cautious about forecasting any future on-sale dates as he transitions to his new mode.
