Tom Swift and His Sky Racer

Infobox Book
name = Tom Swift and His Sky Racer
orig title = Tom Swift and His Sky Racer, or, The Speediest Flight On Record
translator =


image_caption =
author = Victor Appleton
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = Tom Swift
genre = Young adult novel Adventure novel
publisher = Grosset & Dunlap
release_date = 1911
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 200+ pp
isbn = NA
preceded_by = Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice
followed_by = Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle

"Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice", or, The Speediest Flight On Record, is Volume 9 in the original Tom Swift novel series published by Grosset & Dunlap.

Plot summary

A $10,000 prize lures Tom into competing at a local aviation meet at Eagle Park. Tom is determined to build the fastest plane around, but his plans mysteriously disappear, which means Tom must redesign his new airplane from the beginning. A side-plot through the story is Mr. Swift's failing health.

Inventions & Innovation

Tom's Sky Racer, known as the "Humming-Bird", is a two-seater monoplane, like his previous monoplane the "Butterfly". However, the Sky Racer, is smaller and faster - making it ideal for air racing. It uses a single gasoline, air-cooled engine, which can attain air speeds of well over 100mph with a minimum thrust of 1000lbs at 2000rpms. Tom also invented an automated stabilizing unit which allowed the Sky Racer to handle adverse weather conditions without loss of control. The Sky Racer's design was compared to that of the Blériot_XI and the Antoinette VII, however its wings were patterned after that of the hummingbird, rather than standard rectangular wings.

* [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/951 "Tom Swift and His Sky Racer" e-text at Project Gutenberg]