Back in 2001 or 2002 I had a number of the Kangke F3D-30 planes set up with different engines. This airframe was very close to a Q-40 in size. A 402 square inch wing that was 1 3/16" at the root and the fuselage is 4.75" by 2.75". Just a little under the Q-40 size. But effectively the same drag profile.

I put a TT Pro 40 in one of them. I ran a lot of different props. With a 9x6 it was noticably faster than a 424 plane. With a 9x7 it was still faster. I ran the 7.4x8.25 pylon prop and it was a lot faster. I also ran the APC 8x8 and 8x9. You gain top-end speed at the cost of acceleration as expected.

I didn't have a radar gun to check them. But the speed was as fast as a Quickie with a Quickie JETT with a RED JETT carb on it. The carb slows a Quickie down to about 140-150.

When I came up with the idea for Club 40 in 2005, my vision was Club 40, AMA 424, and Q-40 Sport all using the TT Pro 40. Starting with lower building and pilot skills and increasing with each step.

In 2006, myself, Duane Gall, and some others got Dub Jett to make beam mounts for the TT Pro 40 that allow the TT to be switched with the 422 engines. This was so that older Q-40 airframes could be used in Q-40 Sport. Plus new planes could be built with the intention of moving from Q-40 Sport up to 422.

Duane Gall fitted a Polecat with a TT Pro 40 using one of the mounts and found the same thing I did with the speeds.

In the AMA 425 proposal, composite airframes were not ruled out. There are too many older Q-40 planes that could be put to use in Q-40 Sport to rule them out.

But Q-40 Sport is less demanding on airframes and building is making a comeback with MANY people building Seekers and other planes for 424. Now some are building Q-40 Sport planes as well.