The LeVier Cosmic Wind was a small single engine, single seat racing monoplane designed and built by staff of the Lockheed Corporation in 1947. It did not race successfully in the US but one won the premier cross-country competition in the UK in 1964. It still flies today.

Design and development

The Cosmic Wind was designed and built by Lockheed's chief test pilot,

Tony LeVier Anthony W. LeVier (February 14, 1913 – February 6, 1998) was an American air racer and test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation from the 1940s to the 1970s. Early life Born Anthony Puck in Duluth, Minnesota, his father died while he was still ...

, and a group of Lockheed engineers. A very small single-seat racer, it was aimed at the Goodyear Trophy for Formula 1 class racers initiated in the US soon after World War II. It is an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane. Wings and tail surfaces are all straight-edged and tapered. The ailerons are full span and carry trim tabs, as does the full-fin-depth rudder. The undercarriage is fixed, with streamlined main legs and wheels in long fairings. The roller tailwheel is tucked into the rear corner of the fuselage behind the rudder. The cockpit is enclosed with a small, single-piece, perspex canopy. The first aircraft were powered by 85 hp (63 kW)

Continental C-85 The Continental O-190 (Company designations C75 and C85) is a series of engines made by Continental Motors beginning in the 1940s. Of flat-four configuration, the engines produced 75 hp (56 kW) or 85 hp (63 kW) respectively. ...

horizontally opposed A flat engine is a piston engine where the cylinders are located on either side of a central crankshaft. Flat engines are also known as horizontally opposed engines, however this is distinct from the less common opposed-piston engine design, wh ...

engines but more recently at least four have used the 100 hp (75 kW)

Continental O-200-A The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...

. The engine installation includes a large pointed spinner and long, bulbous cylinder head/exhaust fairings.

Operational history

Three Cosmic Winds were built at Lockheed's between 1947 and 1948 and a fourth rather later. A fifth was also built in the US by amateur constructors. The last example was built in the UK as late as 1972. The type was not particularly successful in competitions in the 1940s, coming only 3rd and 4th in the 1947 Goodyear Trophy races. One example of the first three, named ''Ballerina'' and exported to the UK as ''G-ARUL'', won the

King's Cup Race The King's Cup air race is a British handicapped cross-country event, which has taken place annually since 1922. It is run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association. The King's Cup is one of the most prestigious prizes of the ...

of 1964; it remains active in the UK, and is a regular participant in air displays. The UK-built Cosmic Wind remains on the civil aircraft register as ''G-BAER'', but currently (2010-10) lacks a Permit to Fly. In the US, the amateur-built example is now in the EAA AirVenture Museum,

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...

. Another Cosmic Wind, built or modified with a shoulder rather than low wing, is in the

Planes of Fame Air Museum Planes of Fame Air Museum is an aviation museum in Chino, California,World Wa ...

, Chino, California.

Specifications (85 hp engine)

References

External links

{{commons category, LeVier Cosmic Wind
''Flight International'' article on the Cosmic Wind from 1963
1940s United States sport aircraft Racing aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1947