THE COSMIC WIND Bernard Martin Right: Heading photo shows Litle Toni in original guise (via EAA Vintage Aircraft ) Although the main article appears in the SUMMER AVIATION WORLD, the individual histories have been abbreviated to suit the general magazine readership. What appears here online are the FULL histories in the more detailed style usually associated with AIR-BRITAIN. Reference to Bills of Sale and Certificate of Registration & Airworthiness data, helps to confirm the provenance of the details shown. General Although the real cosmic winds disperse interstellar gases and prevent new stars from forming, the aeronautical version certainly was a star of its time. With the arrival of a “new” Cosmic Wind on the UK Register as G-NZIC (marks chosen to visually represent the original N21C), Bernard Martin thought that it might be useful to summarise the type in our modern style of potted histories. Considering the small number of aircraft involved, their potted histories are fairly complex and what appears in this article may never be the complete or final story ! First, a little background to place the Cosmic Wind in context. Although Air-Racing in the USA had been fairly prolific pre-WW2 and Cleveland, Ohio had featured prominently as a major venue, the post-War resurgence from 1946 initially took advantage of former WW2 types, notably modified Lockheed P-38, P-51 Mustang, P-63 Kingcobra, F4U Corsair and the like. By the end of the year, however, public interest had started to wane at the lack of purpose-built racing aircraft, as there had been pre-WW2. Thus, the Racing community event organisers, in association with the Professional Race Pilots Association decided to return to the 1930s concept of custom-built midget racers, providing lower operating costs and, hopefully, safety. By December 1946 the 190 Cu Inches/later Formula One Goodyear Trophy racing class had been created and for the 1947 National Air Races, no less than thirteen midget racers were entered at Cleveland, two of which were LeVier Cosmic Winds. Tony LeVier was already a pre-WW2 established racer, having won the 1938 Greve Trophy Race in the Keith Rider R-4, and although engine problems caused him not to finish in the following year, he did manage 2 place in the later nd Thompson Trophy race. In 1946 he raced in a Lockheed P-38L, but the new Racing Class had inspired him (now an established Lockheed test pilot) to create a new racer, so he put together a team of professionals that included his colleagues Herman “Fish” Salmon and Glenn Fulkerson, who were later joined by Irving Culver. As the drawings were finished, parts began taking shape in workshops and machine shops all over the Los Angeles area, which were eventually all gathered at Maynard Guilford’s machine shop where final assembly took place. In order to put the “midget racer” description into context, the Cosmic Wind initial specification was a low-wing, tailwheel, single-engined aircraft with a wingspan of 19ft6", length of 15ft, empty weight of 540lb with a Continental C-85 (188 Cu Inches) powerplant generating a top speed of 190 mph. Reportedly, Lockheed management noticed a discouraging number of pilots being involved in accidents in Air Racingand did not want their two top test pilots taking risks, so the Cosmic Winds were sold on to new owners after the first few years of racing. As the individual histories reveal, there was much interplay between the key air racing teams and owners, with many instances of an aircraft moving on, only to return again later. By the 1970s, regular racing in the USA of this type had effectively died out. Surviving Cosmic Wind aircraft, together with the mass of spares, jigs and components originally laid down by Tony LeVier and colleagues for a planned mini- production line, were all gathered up and brought to the UK including surviving parts of the original aircraft. Milton Blair had been the major driving force in the USA in this venture. He came to the UK in 1960 and was active in the then UK air-racing scene. He flew Paul Bannister’s imported Kensinger KF G-ASSV, but was killed in a crash at on take-off from Halfpenny Green on 02.07.69. (AAIB Report CAP338 01.01.70) One Cosmic Wind was initially built using some of these imported parts (G-BAER) and four further projects lodged with the PFA in 1994, and with the basis of N21C now being resurrected, any further emergence of the type remains with the enthusiastic team in the UK.
Transcript
THE COSMIC WIND
Bernard Martin
Right: Heading photo shows Litle Toni in original
guise (via EAA Vintage Aircraft )
Although the main article appears in the SUMMER AVIATION WORLD, the individual histories have beenabbreviated to suit the general magazine readership. What appears here online are the FULL histories in the moredetailed style usually associated with AIR-BRITAIN. Reference to Bills of Sale and Certificate of Registration &Airworthiness data, helps to confirm the provenance of the details shown.
GeneralAlthough the real cosmic winds disperse interstellar gases and prevent new stars from forming, the aeronauticalversion certainly was a star of its time. With the arrival of a “new” Cosmic Wind on the UK Register as G-NZIC(marks chosen to visually represent the original N21C), Bernard Martin thought that it might be useful to summarisethe type in our modern style of potted histories. Considering the small number of aircraft involved, their pottedhistories are fairly complex and what appears in this article may never be the complete or final story !
First, a little background to place the Cosmic Wind in context. Although Air-Racing in the USA had been fairly prolificpre-WW2 and Cleveland, Ohio had featured prominently as a major venue, the post-War resurgence from 1946initially took advantage of former WW2 types, notably modified Lockheed P-38, P-51 Mustang, P-63 Kingcobra, F4UCorsair and the like. By the end of the year, however, public interest had started to wane at the lack of purpose-builtracing aircraft, as there had been pre-WW2. Thus, the Racing community event organisers, in association with theProfessional Race Pilots Association decided to return to the 1930s concept of custom-built midget racers, providinglower operating costs and, hopefully, safety. By December 1946 the 190 Cu Inches/later Formula One GoodyearTrophy racing class had been created and for the 1947 National Air Races, no less than thirteen midget racers wereentered at Cleveland, two of which were LeVier Cosmic Winds.
Tony LeVier was already a pre-WW2 established racer, having won the 1938 Greve Trophy Race in the Keith RiderR-4, and although engine problems caused him not to finish in the following year, he did manage 2 place in the laternd
Thompson Trophy race. In 1946 he raced in a Lockheed P-38L, but the new Racing Class had inspired him (nowan established Lockheed test pilot) to create a new racer, so he put together a team of professionals that includedhis colleagues Herman “Fish” Salmon and Glenn Fulkerson, who were later joined by Irving Culver. As the drawingswere finished, parts began taking shape in workshops and machine shops all over the Los Angeles area, which wereeventually all gathered at Maynard Guilford’s machine shop where final assembly took place.
In order to put the “midget racer” description into context, the Cosmic Wind initial specification was a low-wing,tailwheel, single-engined aircraft with a wingspan of 19ft6", length of 15ft, empty weight of 540lb with a ContinentalC-85 (188 Cu Inches) powerplant generating a top speed of 190 mph.
Reportedly, Lockheed management noticed a discouraging number of pilots being involved in accidents in AirRacingand did not want their two top test pilots taking risks, so the Cosmic Winds were sold on to new owners afterthe first few years of racing. As the individual histories reveal, there was much interplay between the key air racingteams and owners, with many instances of an aircraft moving on, only to return again later.
By the 1970s, regular racing in the USA of this type had effectively died out. Surviving Cosmic Wind aircraft, togetherwith the mass of spares, jigs and components originally laid down by Tony LeVier and colleagues for a planned mini-production line, were all gathered up and brought to the UK including surviving parts of the original aircraft. MiltonBlair had been the major driving force in the USA in this venture. He came to the UK in 1960 and was active in thethen UK air-racing scene. He flew Paul Bannister’s imported Kensinger KF G-ASSV, but was killed in a crash at ontake-off from Halfpenny Green on 02.07.69. (AAIB Report CAP338 01.01.70) One Cosmic Wind was initially built using some of these imported parts (G-BAER) and four further projects lodgedwith the PFA in 1994, and with the basis of N21C now being resurrected, any further emergence of the type remainswith the enthusiastic team in the UK.
Individual Aircraft Histories
c/n 101
Built 1947 by LeVier & Associates (a group of Lockheed engineers) as one of 3 similar Formula One
Racing aircraft. Final assembly in a garage in La Canada, Los Angeles. CofR Application 13.06.47 by
Anthony W LeVier (on behalf of LeVier & Associates). CofR issued 13.08.47 as N67888. Aluminium &
Red with a banded Racing No:3. Participated in first Goodyear Trophy race at Cleveland in 1947.
CofR Application 29.07.48 from H R Salmon & Re-Regd 10.08.48 as N20C with reconfigured
bubble-style canopy, although still a high-back down to the fin. Red & Cream with Race No:3 Named
Little Toni. Finished 5th in 1948 event flown by Bill Robinson. Over the next couple of years there were
several nominal transfers between Pacific Air Races Inc and it's proprietor John Erwin Smith. Bill of Sale
(BoS) 31.12.49 from Anthony W LeVier (on behalf of LeVier Associates) to J E Smith, Los Angeles &
CofR Application same date. Re-Regd 02.02.50 to J E Smith. BoS 26.04.50 from J E Smith to Pacific Air
Races Inc, Los Angeles & CofR Application same date. Re-Regd 10.05.50 to Pacific Air Races Inc. BoS
09.05.51 from Pacific Air Races Inc to J E Smith, Los Angeles & CofR Application same date. Re-Regd
21.05.51 to J E Smith. CofA (Amateur-built Experimental Category) Annual renewal 12.06.58 (374.00
Hrs flown & Engine Serial No:30572-88 at that time). Annual renewal 11.06.59 (571.40 Hrs flown ). for
12 months. Annual renewal 10.06.60 (585.10 Hrs flown ). BoS 09.09.60 from J E Smith to M C Blair,
