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I recently ran my first SARL race... great fun, come on out and play!
For the first race I decided to run pretty much exactly as I would normally... no speed tape or special fittings, etc. to get a baseline. I compromised a bit on this since my tanks were not full and I removed most all of my baggage for the race. I did leave my Oxygen bottle but pulled my flight bag which included tools. Okay idea at the time, but after Brian had to divert for a precautionary landing with engine trouble and ended up having to scrounge around for and hour to get a screwdriver and plier just to remove his cowling, I have decided to include my flight bag and tools as mandatory cross country race gear
Several racers had gap tape of various kinds here and there... beyond looking the part of real racer I figured that it must actually work so I decided to give it a try.
I had a roll of Bowlus Maxi Gap Seal Tape (http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/bowlus.htm) that the glider guys use sitting around the hangar on the shelf that I had once used to cover up some tip cracking on my Cessna... finally I have a chance to use it as intended!
The tape is very thin and goes on and comes off especially easily. For my first test run I taped up my tips, the wingtip lens, the fuel caps, the tie-down holes, the seams of the wheel pants, and one of the air vents.
Results... a clear increase in top end speed in excess of 2 mph... perhaps as high as 4 but I will need to repeat the run at a couple of different altitudes to stand by the higher value...
Others have used gaffers tape and I hope to give that a try too.
Other experiences?
Best places to tape up?
A plug for the upcoming AirVenture Cup from Mitchell, SD to Oshkosh... this one way run looks to be a very well organized event that includes lots of support including all of the local transportation, a breakfast, lunch, and dinner the day before the race, a breakfast on the morning of the race, a lunch at the finish provided by the local EAA chapter, a big dinner banquet at Oshkosh, and a weekly wrist pass to the big show, along with the usual SWAG
Consider joining the AVC run when making your plans to Oshkosh this year!
For the first race I decided to run pretty much exactly as I would normally... no speed tape or special fittings, etc. to get a baseline. I compromised a bit on this since my tanks were not full and I removed most all of my baggage for the race. I did leave my Oxygen bottle but pulled my flight bag which included tools. Okay idea at the time, but after Brian had to divert for a precautionary landing with engine trouble and ended up having to scrounge around for and hour to get a screwdriver and plier just to remove his cowling, I have decided to include my flight bag and tools as mandatory cross country race gear
Several racers had gap tape of various kinds here and there... beyond looking the part of real racer I figured that it must actually work so I decided to give it a try.
I had a roll of Bowlus Maxi Gap Seal Tape (http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/bowlus.htm) that the glider guys use sitting around the hangar on the shelf that I had once used to cover up some tip cracking on my Cessna... finally I have a chance to use it as intended!
The tape is very thin and goes on and comes off especially easily. For my first test run I taped up my tips, the wingtip lens, the fuel caps, the tie-down holes, the seams of the wheel pants, and one of the air vents.
Results... a clear increase in top end speed in excess of 2 mph... perhaps as high as 4 but I will need to repeat the run at a couple of different altitudes to stand by the higher value...
Others have used gaffers tape and I hope to give that a try too.
Other experiences?
Best places to tape up?
A plug for the upcoming AirVenture Cup from Mitchell, SD to Oshkosh... this one way run looks to be a very well organized event that includes lots of support including all of the local transportation, a breakfast, lunch, and dinner the day before the race, a breakfast on the morning of the race, a lunch at the finish provided by the local EAA chapter, a big dinner banquet at Oshkosh, and a weekly wrist pass to the big show, along with the usual SWAG
Consider joining the AVC run when making your plans to Oshkosh this year!
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