Greenwood SC Air Race Results

[Jeff_S]

Hey all,

 

The official results from the Palmetto 100 Air Race went up this week on the Sport Air Racing League site (http://sportairrace.org/sarl/node/2204). The original Saturday date was rained out so we ran on Sunday, which caused a few of the original racers to miss the event. But Sunday was bright and clear and the race went off without a hitch.

 

I'd boast that I won my overall category (production aircraft) and my racing class (>280HP, normally aspirated, retractable gear, or FAC1RG) but I was the only in my class, and the only other production plane was a Grumman Cheetah/Tiger (not sure which) so my "high horse" is deservedly low.  But I had a great time and enjoyed the group...I know Byron and Becca have been quite active with them in Texas. I sure want to get a few more races in to improve my technique.

 

Since it was my first race I didn't want to push things too hard. I stayed at about 2200' MSL (1200' AGL) for most of the race, using slight descents in the turns to help accelerate. I also left the RPM at 2550 and the MP around 26" so I have room to go quite a bit up from there.  Fuel flow was about 21GPH to keep the max CHT at 370. I can tell right away from analyzing my track on CloudAhoy that I can cut my time measurably just by better turning. The designated race course was factored in at 109nm, and I flew 114nm which added almost two minutes to my total time.

 

The winner flies a souped up RV-6 that he has tuned for racing. He mentioned all the things he's done to that engine and I can't remember most, except he said he put in high compression (10:1) cylinders.  It was pretty comical how at every turn point, he would announce his turn and he gained two miles per me on every corner.  Anyway, it was fun, so if you've got a hankering to see what your bird will do you should join the fun!

 

Cheers,

Jeff

[carusoam]

Go Long Body!

180+ knots. Not bad for a flying factory built station wagon.

[kmyfm20s]

How long was the coarse? How much fuel did you keep on board?

[Jeff_S]

The course was determined to be 109nm, based on the defined Turn waypoints and assuming 180 KTAS. They do factor in some amount of distance for the turns. If you look at the defined (first graphic) course compared to my actual flight path (second graphic), you see an obvious bobble I made on Turn 1 where I turned too far. Most of the turns were actually pretty tight, except the first one which was less than 90 degrees and I just got carried away. Quickly learned to dial in the heading bug for the new heading prior to the turn to smooth the rollouts. Also, the time started at the departure end of the runway in Greenwood, so you're not up to full speed or altitude when the clock starts. All those contribute to the slower average total speed. I know at most times on the straightaways I was getting 185-190 KTAS.

 

I started with about 35 gallons as I recall...pretty conservative on that front as well, since I didn't know where I'd end up on the GPH.