Speed Data

[Bob Axsom]

The Sport Air Racing League has been sanctioning and reporting race results at www.sportairrace.org for three years now. I went into the site and collected the data and put it into an Excel Workbook (a tabbed collection of spreadsheets).

- If you click on the first tab you get the results in order by race beginning with the Taylor 100 in May of 2007 and ending with the Rocket 100 in November of 2009.
- The second tabbed spreadsheet is the same information sorted by race plane class including RV Red (320 cu. in.) and RV Blue (360 cu. in.).
- The third tabbed spreadsheet is sorted by speed regardless of class each entry is ranked from #1 Paul Tackabury in a Lancair IV at 348.51 mph to #491 Ryan Malherbe in a Pietenpol at 72.2 mph.
- The fourth tabbed spreadsheet is sorted by pilot and speed.

If you would like a copy of this Excel Workbook just give me your e-mail address and I will forward it to you. If you want to know the race classes go to www.sportairrace.org, click on the Mission, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Experimental Classes for ... and Factory Classes for ...

Bob Axsom

[Bob Axsom]

I printed book of these 3 years of data and find it very interesting to review and observe how all of the different types of aircraft stack up in head to head racing (not handicapped) competition. I guess I'm unique in that interest.

Bob Axsom

[DEWATSON]

Bob,

I'm interested but find it hard to find time to get too involved right now. I have too many interest and I'm still building the 8. I do have one question for you though. I read your posts as often as they appear and I understand that you are finding ways to split hairs to get just one more MPH. So, why did you choose to race an A model RV? Thanks.

David Watson
49FD

[Bob Axsom]

The reason I built an "A" is my wife insisted on it. Since it is done I too like the "A" better. It sits right on the ground with a good view all the time and, in spite of what Paul Lipps says, I think a properly faired "A" is as clean as the tail dragger. One of my faster mods was the subfairing on the nose wheel - 3 kts. If I had built a tail dragger as I originally thought I would really work on cleaning up the tail wheel installation like the Hammer brothers have done with their SUPER FAST Glasair I TDs. Anyway, the real reason for the "A" was a lady named Jeanine.

Bob Axsom

P.S. The speed data does not require racing involvement but it does show objective evidence of relative speed between different models of aircraft. I lets you make up your own mind based on actual competitive results.

[DEWATSON]

I was suspicious of that.

David

[elippse]

[quote=Bob Axsom;408697] It sits right on the ground with a good view all the time and, in spite of what Paul Lipps says, I think a properly faired "A" is as clean as the tail dragger. Bob Axsom
QUOTE]

Oh, Bob! I was only quoting C.A.F.E.'s equivalent parasite drag area in an old Sport Aviation of 2.32 sq. ft. with the results I got with my testing of Jim Smith's RV-6 which came out at between 2.15 and 2.2. Only 0.12 sq.ft. for a nosewheel; that doesn't seem like a whole lot now does it. Besides, with all of your cooling and wing mods you've probably got it down below that of a TD! Now if you only had one of those rad four-blade props, well....!

[Alan Carroll]

Just for fun I used Bob's spreadsheet to calculate average race speeds for different aircraft types. Only types with at least 5 race times were included, to reduce the influence of different winds or other race conditions on the results. The averages below are based on 437 race times recorded during 2007-2009. It should be noted that these averages aren't necessarily comparable to the performance specs of kit manufacters.

Its interesting to note that there is no discernible difference in average race speeds for the RV6/7s vs. RV6A/7As.

Lancair Legacy: 294 mph
SX-300: 288 mph
Polen Special: 272 mph
Glasair III: 261 mph
Glasair I: 255 mph
Lancair 360: 250 mph
Berkut 360: 245 mph
EVO Rocket: 240 mph
F1 Rocket: 238 mph
Vari-EZE: 228 mph
Glasair IISFT: 223 mph
RV-8: 220 mph
Cozy: 214 mph
Velocity RG: 212 mph
Long-EZ: 206 mph
RV-6A/7A: 202 mph
RV-6/7: 202 mph
RV-4: 199 mph
Lancair 235: 198 mph
Tailwind W10: 195 mph
Mustang II: 192 mph
Midget Mustang: 165 mph

Bonanzas: 201 mph
Mooneys: 182 mph
Grumman AA5B: 172 mph
Cirrus SR-20: 169 mph
PA-28R: 166 mph
Cessna 180/182: 156 mph

[Danny7]

Alan not enough lancair legacy's to make the list?

[L.Adamson]

Originally Posted by Bob Axsom

The reason I built an "A" is my wife insisted on it. Since it is done I too like the "A" better. It sits right on the ground with a good view all the time.

The "A" does have that certain look of sleekness. Imagine all of those sleek and speedy looking biz jets as taildraggers. Wouldn't look right....would it?

L.Adamson --- RV6A

[Alan Carroll]

Originally Posted by Danny7

Alan not enough lancair legacy's to make the list?

Oops, I truncated the first line by mistake. I've added the Legacy's back in (based on 5 race times).