When Vince Frazier began producing F1 Rocket parts a couple of years ago to restart Rocket kit production, he knew he wanted a new wing. The early RV-design wings were not ideal for the F1’s performance profile. The technical goals for the new wing were twofold:
- Enable more practical and slower landing speeds
- Allow faster cruise performance above 10,000 feet
To work toward these goals, Frazier partnered with longtime friend Paul Romano—an F1 Rocket builder, owner, and engineer. Romano has a partially completed prototype of the new wing on display this week at the Team Rocket booth in the Homebuilt Vendor Area, showing the progress so far.
The new wing features a continuous, removable, and replaceable leading edge. It’s expected that the first flying version will carry 30 gallons of fuel per wing—10 gallons more than the older Sport wing. The design includes 2.5 degrees of built-in washout (similar to the Sport wing) and slotted flaps. The weight is expected to be comparable to the Sport wing, maintaining the same gross weight for the F1—and still lighter than the tapered Evo wing previously used on some Rockets.
