Andrew Findlay, the Stihl-sponsored Lancair Legacy Sport Gold racer, is having a developmental year at the Reno National Air Races. We’ve been following along for a future feature article in Kitplanes magazine, meaning we’ve been spending some quality time with the team.
This included engine run-ups on the Reno ramp well after the sun was done, and with a twin-turbo 550 Continental that means a header glow-show when the power comes up. The photo shows the red-hot results of a limited power run, and we’re displaying it here just to remind us all that exhaust systems, especially those plugged by turbos, run much hotter than we think. If you’re wondering why your firewall-mounted battery dies before its time, this is a likely reason why.
