Yes,

as I mentioned in post #24:

Again, if memory serves, I believe that Hanson's and Brown's conception of the Tipo and, further, the actual flying of a prototype, occurred before the SPA cut off date and began with Prettner's third place F3A Super Sicroly entry in 1973 and second place Curare finish in Switzerland '75. This based on my recollection of what Hanson said in the last couple of years after being posed questions on the matter. In other words, the Tiporare apparently flew before the end of 1975.

We did ask Dick and he responded in a thread somewhere here on the forum - I just can't recall which one. There is random info on the Tipo all over the place in the forum. Good luck finding it again.

Basically I recall someone wanted to fly a Tipo in SPA, the issue was raised with them, my understanding is they said no, and then Dick was posed the question. As stated above, my recollection is that Dick said he flew the Tipo in late '75 or early '76 (February comes to mind for some reason). This of course means that he and Dave were busy designing and building during '75 and probably much earlier.

In fact, after glancing over Dick's '80 article recently, I re-read that Dick says that both he and Dave "were impressed" with Hanno's model at the world's in Doylestown! That means '71 and it also means Hanno's Super Sicroly. Hanno didn't enter a Curare until '75 in Switzerland. Dick also speaks of having built/experimented with over 150 models! I'd say it takes some time to build 150 prototypes even if there are two people building them... In other words, Dick and Dave were busy with the Tipo since 1971! Now..., that is significant.

Pre '76 documentation would be "easy" to come by so long as Dick and Dave were willing to provide an account of the progress of the design. But the fact that strikes me as most important is that the Tipo isn't even based on the Curare originally. The Curare is usually mentioned because that model was in play in '75 and is perhaps the best known classic pattern plane to the average modeler. And Dick of course also mentions it in the first paragraph of his article. But, all said and done, the Curare is simply an evolved SS just like the Tipo. The final Tiporare "arrangement" that Dick and Dave were happy with probably didn't come about until after 1977 in Springfield just like Hanno's final arrangment of the Super Sicroly didn't come about until that year as well with his Curare II - if we can call it that. Hanno was first in Springfield '77 but was second in Berne '75, reason for which Dick and Dave were likely tracking the progress of the rising star as well as that if his and their design!

BTW, Hanno's rise to stardom was incremental during the '70's: 4th '71 SS, 3rd '73 SSII, 2nd '75 CI, 1st '77 CII. Then I believe he was sick in '79 and held the entire decade of the '80's in first place with his "simple" conventional gear designs; except for the Magic (Magic '81, Calypso '83, Supra Fly '85, Supra Star '87, Supra Star '89). All were powered by SuperTigre's except for the last Supra Star in '89 when he began the development of the Hanno Special with OS. The first version was just referred to as a "long stroke".

As I mentioned before, I have little vested interest in the Tipo being admitted. But the more one digs, the more it just makes sense that the Tipo and the Curare are contemporaries - both based on the Super Sicroly originally.

Given recent SPA criteria, if that is accepted, as it properly should, then one could in principle be allowed to fly a 4 stroke Tipo Surpass... [:-] since the Tipo version 1 model was likely built 'round about 1972-73 but no later...

When was the P8 designed...?

I hope this isn't upsetting anyone here. It's actually interesting investigative work! [8D]

Tipo Surpass for all you Tipo fans.

David.