Apr 192020
The “Mach Buster” was an unfinished amateur-built prop plane that was optimistically planned (in the late 1980’s) to exceed the speed of sound. Sadly, I’ve long since lost the reference for where the below image came from, existing in my collection solely as a single photocopy.
A brief article on the Mach Buster was in the August, 1989, issue of Popular Mechanics.
Ask the XF-84H development team how well that worked.
seems he’s into bush planes now. maybe you could contact him, and see what he says.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-montagne-7389022/
found a few more pics too..
http://highpowerrocketry.blogspot.com/2006/10/mach-buster.html
http://www.shu-aero.com/AeroPhotos_Shu_Aero/Aircraft_M/Montagne/Mach_Buster_yea_right_01.jpg
http://www.shu-aero.com/AeroPhotos_Shu_Aero/Aircraft_M/Montagne/Mach_Buster_yea_right_02.jpg
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/mach-buster-supersonic-turboprop-aircraft.21661/
similar, same principle..they bought the machbuster, tried to finish it, and started over from scratch
https://eflyer.barnstormers.com/2008/010-eFLYER-FA01-ChangeRules.html?path=eFLYER/2008/010-eFLYER-FA01-ChangeRules.html
https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-chapters/chaptergram-articles/2016-03-the-rest-of-the-story-david-roses-renegade
ok I replied to this with a heck of a lot links to info I dug up…did it go to spam?
Ayup. This blog gets about 20 spam comments a day, compared to about one *real* comment every few days at best. I’ve long since ceased scrolling through the spam and just let the spam filter deal with them, but it does seem to like to nuke messages with links. Same problem a lot of people have with the order fulfillment emails I send out…
no problem, that’s what I figured…I put some work into that and was kinda disappointed when it didn’t show up. normally I just let them go but it’s a very interesting plane. too bad it never flew, we’ll never know what it could do.
November 1988 Popular Mechanics magazine featuring several aircraft articles also briefly describes the aircraft, along with a Illistration by a Mr. Timothy Dick (or maybe a artist rendering?) Of the aircraft. Very cool and interesting. I have the magazine in my possession, and I can provide an image of the short article by email if you’d like!
“Prop Plane To Break Sound Barrier”
Good news boys! Er… on second look, the airframe is NOT the Mach Buster, that I was innitially believing has been posted for sale on craigs list in San Diego… It’s some other design that appears similar, and probably incorporated alot of design concept..? I thougfht I might as well post this because why wouldn’t anyone at last find this airframe interesting enough ffor a look?
Did anyone here work with North American Aviation in Southern CA in the late 50’s – 60’s, or can direct me to where I may find information on my second cousin, Jim Murtamatsu, an engineer on many aircraft design teams from the Super Saber to the Valkyrie …
Thanks
MusashiGSN@gmail.com