Flight, January 1936

SOME NEW AMERICANS
Contrasted Types, but all Fast: The Vultee V-11: Consolidated P-30: Grumman F2F-1: Rasmussen IIa Racer

High Speed on 40 h.p.

   Rasmussen IIa. - No one will deny that the little Rasmussen IIa monoplane illustrated ДальшеMore>>> above is of striking appearance. Obviously it is not "anybody's" machine and actually is a privately built racing type. Its engine is a 40 h.p. inverted air-cooled four-cylinder in-line type of 1,300 c.c. and, according to a correspondent who is in close touch with Mr. Rasmussen, does 142 m.p.h. It is confidently expected that a different airscrew (the one now fitted was designed for a flat twin) will increase this.
   It seems fairly obvious that with the cowling shown, the forward view is bad, but this should improve when a hollow-ground cowling is incorporated. Structurally the machine is of welded steel tubes, excepting the wings, in which wooden construction is employed.
   According to the correspondent who has sent these particulars of the Rasmussen, the little Chester monoplane, illustrated in Flight of April 25 last year, has passed the 300 m.p.h. mark using a supercharged Menasco of approximately 200 h.p. And this is in spite of the fact that it has a fixed undercarriage and strut-braced wings!