Rider R-6

Development

The R-6 eightball had smooth plywood skins painted light blue with a large eight ball on each side. The actual racing number for the aircraft was 18. It was the last of the Rider racers, as well as the first and last of Rider's new company Union Aircraft Company before World War II intervened, stopping the National Air Races.

Design

The R-6 is a single place, all-wood low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear. The first wing used was a long thin wing about 20 ft long with hydraulic landing gear. For the 1939 races, a new wing was installed that was nearly elliptical in shape and a light weight worm-gear manually retractable mechanism replaced the hydraulics.

Operational history

• 1938 Louis W. Greve Trophy Race - The Eight Ball competed against two other Rider designs, the "Firecracker" and the "Jackrabbit". Pilot Joe Jacobson placed third with a speed of 218.478 mph.
• 1938 Thompson Trophy The Eight Ball dropped out in the 27th lap.
• 1939 National Air Races. Pilot George Byers dropped out after a lean mixture burned through a cylinder on tryouts.

On Display

The Eight Ball was restored and is on display at the Planes of Fame museum in Chino, California, along with the R-4 Firecracker. In 1991, the R-6 was displayed at the EAA Airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin as part of a "Golden Age of Air Racing" program.

Specifications (Rider R-6)

|prime units?=kts General characteristics

|max takeoff weight kg= |max takeoff weight lb= |max takeoff weight note= Powerplant

|eng1 kn-ab= |eng1 lbf-ab= |eng2 kn-ab= |eng2 lbf-ab= |eng3 kn-ab= |eng3 lbf-ab= Performance

|never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |never exceed speed note= |minimum control speed kmh= |minimum control speed mph= |minimum control speed kts= |minimum control speed note= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading lb/sqft= |disk loading kg/m2= |disk loading lb/sqft= |power/mass= |thrust/weight= Armament

References

References

1. (1969). "Racing Planes and Air Races: 1932-1939". Aero Publishers.
2. John Underwood. "Grand Central Air Terminal".
3. Experimenter. (March 1957). Don Berliner
4. Sport Aviation. (August 1989)
5. "1938 NAR".
6. Experimenter. (March 1957). Don Berliner
7. "Eight Ball".
8. Sport Aviation. (September 1991)