1929 Travel Air "Mystery S" Racer

This accurate and delightful recreation of the Thompson Trophy racer flew gracefully at Akron, Colorado in 2008. There were 5 Mystery Ships built between 1928 and 1931. They had a top speed of 235 mph, which was faster than the miliary pursuit aircraft at the time. Hundreds of speed records fell to this little racer; piloted by Doolittle, Pancho Barnes and Frank Hawks. Matt Younkin presents his racer with great style and speed. The "Mystery S" had two interchangeable wings.The short wing had a span of 29 ft 2 in and the longer wing was 30 ft 6 in. The engine was a Wright Whirlwind (J-6 Series) R-975 rated at 420 hp (233 kW) at 2350 rpm. The empty weight was 1,485 lb.