The Laird-Turner RT-14 Meteor, also called the Turner TR-14, Ring Free Meteor, PESCO Special, Miss Champion, Turner Special and the Turner Meteor was the winning aircraft of the 1938 and 1939 Thompson Trophy races.

Design and development

The aircraft was commissioned and designed by

Roscoe Turner Roscoe Turner (September 29, 1895 – June 23, 1970) was a record-breaking American aviator who was a three-time winner of the Thompson Trophy air race and widely recognized by his flamboyant style and his pet, Gilmore the Lion. Early life ...

in 1936. The Meteor would be the last of the

Matty Laird Emil Matthew Laird (November 29, 1895 – December 18, 1982) was a pioneering American aircraft designer, builder, pilot, and businessman. He put the first commercial aircraft into production at his E. M. Laird Aviation Company. Biography C ...

race planes as well as the last race plane flown by Roscoe Turner. The aircraft is a conventional geared mid-wing monoplane with a radial engine built in California. It was modified in 1936 by Mattie Laird at the

E. M. Laird Airplane Company E. M. Laird Airplane Company was an American aircraft manufacturer of commercial aircraft and custom race planes. History Wichita Airplane Company Emil Matthew Laird partnered with the founders of the Wichita Airplane Company to build a ne ...

in Chicago with three-foot longer wings, wing flaps, a longer fuselage and a fuel tank. In 1938 wheel pants were added for the Oakland races.

Operational history

The aircraft was known by many names. Initially the RT-14 for "Roscoe-Turner 14 cylinder". The air commerce bureau labeled it the Model No. LTR-14, Serial No. 11, Type 1 POLM. The first sponsor was the Ring-Free Oil company, naming the aircraft the ''Ring-Free Meteor''. The 1938 sponsor, Pump Engineering Service Corp renamed the aircraft "The PESCO SPECIAL". In 1939, the Champion Spark Plug Co borrowed the name from its 1931

Pitcairn PCA-2 The Pitcairn PCA-2 was an autogyro (designated as "autogiro" by Pitcairn) developed in the United States in the early 1930s.Taylor 1989, p.735 It was Harold F. Pitcairn's first autogyro design to sell in quantity. It had a conventional design fo ...

autogyro, giving the aircraft the name "Miss Champion". *1937

National Air Races The National Air Races (also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races) are a series of pylon and cross-country races that have taken place in the United States since 1920. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew ...

- Turner placed third after missing a pylon in the sun at . A fire from a leaking fuel tank prevented Turner from racing in the Bendix Trophy race and required the fabric to be recovered before competing. *1938 National Air Races - Turner won the Thompson Trophy Race at *1938 Oakland Air Race - Second place The original aircraft was put into storage at Weir Cook Airport for 29 years until it was restored, then donated to the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum. In December 1972 the plane along with many of Roscoe Turner's trophies were transferred to the Smithsonian. The aircraft retired with less than 30 hours flying time. The Cook Islands minted a $2 Coin in 2008 featuring the Laird-Turner Meteor LTR-14 as part of its 1930s Air Racing Collection

Variants

* In 2003, Tom Wathen built a replica of the LTR-14, demonstrating it at the 2003 EAA Airventure airshow.

Specifications (Laird-Turner RT-14 Meteor)

References

{{Laird Aircraft Meteor 1930s United States sport aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Racing aircraft Mid-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1936

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Specifications (Laird-Turner RT-14 Meteor)

See also

References