For the climb he was at 35" MP at 3000' 130KTs IAS and 2600 (
prop) RPM and not at full throttle. He still had 300 RPM and probably 5" of MP he could have put in. He was probably 3-400#s below max gross weight.
At sea level 1 person and half fuel (35 gal) The (400HP) Radial Rocket averages 4200' a minute through 5000' at 42"MP and 2900 (
prop) RPM.
At full gross it is off the ground in 800'
In cruise he was getting 186 KTS
IAS at 22" and 2200 (
Prop) RPM (at 6000') Normal cruise for the Radial Rocket is 28" and 1850 (
Prop) RPM AT 10,000 feet this usually gives 195-200KTS
TAS depending on how heavy the load is at about 15 GPH this represents approximately 65% power. Pete has subsequently taken the plane higher and reports 215KTS TAS ,lightly loaded, at his cruise settings (which I do not know).
Subsequent increases in speed come at the price of a huge (logarithmic) increase in fuel consumption.
The plane holds 70+ Gallons. The engine is 400HP geared, supercharged and 620 cubic inches driving a 98" MT prop patterned after the FW 190 prop.
The engine has a relatively low compression ratio of 6.3:1 and the gear reduction ratio is .658:1
Having the 400HP version vs the 360 makes a huge difference in takeoff and climb performance. The only difference between the 360 and 400 HP versions is the gear ratio of the supercharger drive. Both engines weigh the same. The video below is a takeoff on a close to 100deg F day fully loaded at 30" MP and 2800 (Prop) RPM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdEMYd8B-4A