AirSport_Jan15

FEATUREPOCKET ROCKET“IF OFFERED A SEAT ON A ROCKET SHIP, DON’T ASKWHICH SEAT. JUST GET ON.”Christa McAuliffe, astronaut and first high school teacher in spacePOCKET ROCKETPhotos by Rod AndrewarthaIt may not be a rocket ship, but when Kreisha Ballantyne was offered a seat in theF1 Rocket, she didn’t have to be asked twice.I had mixed reactions when I told people Iwas going to fly in a rocket over the weekend.My arty, non aviation friends assumed it wasanother crazy stunt - up there with wingwalking, formation flying and flying solo acrossthe country in heels and lipstick – and soon lostinterest. My pilot pals, however, responded withthe all-important question: F1 or Harmon?The answer is: F1. In fact, the full answer is:two F1s.Although the two have known to be confused,the Harmon is a high performance derivative ofthe RV-4, while the F1 is the product of TeamRocket of Texas, USA. The F1 Rocket is a standalone,quickbuild kit and does not require thebuilder to purchase anything from other aircraftmanufacturers to complete the airframe.Designed in the USA with kits built in the CzechRepublic, the F1 Rocket is a tandem two-seatlow wing, constructed largely of aluminium.A fixed gear tail-dragger, the F1 features anenormous rear-sliding canopy, and deep bucketseating and is fully aerobatic to +6 -3g. TheRocket is designed with a Lycoming IO-540power plant rated from 235hp all the way up to350hp driving two or three blade propellers.Nick Wills and Rohan Hall owned and built thesilver Rocket NBW. Nick now owns two TeamRocket F1s. The aircraft are hangared at Temora,NSW, and Nick invited me along to admire, flyand experience their sheer magnificence. I flewto Temora on a glorious afternoon, in time foran evening flight in VH-NBW.VH-XFI and VH-NBW are subtly different: XFIis the most glamorous , with its three-bladevariable pitch prop, traditional clocks and sleekblack exterior. Nick’s favourite - NBW - boastsa mix of digital and analogue instruments, atwo-blade prop and uber-modern silver skin.Nick and former syndicate partner, Rohan,had previously owned an RV4. After muchdiscussion, they decided they wantedsomething a little faster and more comfortablefor the back-seater. Rohan’s son Matt hadflown an F1 Rocket in the USA and at that timedescribed the experience as ‘the most fun he’dever had in a single engine piston, with theexception of a P51 Mustang.’Nick & Rohan were involved in every aspect ofbuild from start to finish. After six long years ofhard labour (with expert assistance and advicefrom builders at Temora), the maiden flight wasnothing short of extraordinary.“Rohan won the toss and I flew chase plane inthe RV4.” Nick tells me. “It was a remarkableachievement that neither of us are likely toexperience again. A mixture of excitement,awe, nervousness, intense concentration, anda degree of trepidation all rolled into one. TheAlan, Nick and Kennyflight was a magnificent success.”As there are a mere nine F1 Rockets flying inAustralia today, the privilege of being invited tofly in two was not lost on me. After a detailedbriefing, Nick introduced me to our photo-shippilot, Kenny Love and his immaculate 1976 PiperLance. Our photographer, Qantas 747 pilot RodAndrewartha, came armed with a giant lens anda harness, ready to strap into the Lance for thefirst of our two formation shoots.Entry to the F1 Rocket is via the left wing, andfrom my experience of aerobatic aircraft (PittsSpecial S2B; Extra 330LX and Yak 52) easierthan most due to the extremely ergonomicallypleasing bucket seats, and sensible placement ofhandles. Once seated in the most comfortable22 AIRSPORT SAAA – THE HOME OF AUSTRALIAN EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT AIRSPORT 23