Return-Path: Sender: (Marvin Kaye) To: lml@lancaironline.net Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2004 12:43:53 -0400 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from imo-m17.mx.aol.com ([64.12.138.207] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.2) with ESMTP id 351983 for lml@lancaironline.net; Wed, 04 Aug 2004 12:20:42 -0400 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=64.12.138.207; envelope-from=Sky2high@aol.com Received: from Sky2high@aol.com by imo-m17.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v37_r3.4.) id f.27.5ea8fc84 (17377); Wed, 4 Aug 2004 12:19:57 -0400 (EDT) From: Sky2high@aol.com X-Original-Message-ID: <27.5ea8fc84.2e4266ac@aol.com> X-Original-Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2004 12:19:56 EDT Subject: The Ruminations of a Cross Country Race Junkie, Part 2 X-Original-To: Cozyone2@aol.com, N360TG@earthlink.net, lml@lancaironline.net, ewhyte@wi.rr.com, swtpndoughboy@mhtc.net, jmorrison@aurora-il.org, frank@remotearrow.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="-----------------------------1091636396" X-Mailer: 9.0 for Windows sub 5000 -------------------------------1091636396 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Language: en =20 The 2004 Air Venture Cup Race=20 Chapter 2 =E2=80=93 Take-off Power Rules=E2=80=A6=20 Arriving at the briefing, we discover that the weather is not conducive to=20= a=20 9 am departure. Of course, that was clear to anyone able to look out of th= e=20 bus window. Soon, the Dayton Operations Czar, Bob Whitehouse, careens up to= =20 the staging hangar with hundreds of assorted Krispy-Kreme doughnuts and=20 gallons of strong coffee. This delays the race even further since it seem= s he=20 had driven to Atlanta to pick them up while the freshly cooked =E2=80=9Cred= light=E2=80=9D was=20 on. Lo carb diets forgotten, everybody loads up on these FAA approved pilo= t=20 drugs =E2=80=93 caffeine, sugar and other secret K-K ingredients.=20 Briefed and with a sugar high we prepare the racers for flight =E2=80=93 sl= owest=20 first in order to shorten the finish line arrival time. The Kitfox is sen= t off=20 early even though everyone will probably pass it enroute. I will lead the R= G=20 group with Arnie off next followed by Larry and Mark (or Mark and Larry,=20 whatever..), etc. Jack, his E-Racer in the Unlimited Class, will leave las= t as=20 everybody expects him to go by in a blur.=20 In the beginning:=20 The racers were flagged off 30 or 40 seconds apart and I took-off staying=20 low to build speed before the timing mark at the end of the runway. Turnin= g to=20 the west I said to myself, =E2=80=9CSelf, where is the alleged 1000 foot ce= iling?=E2=80=9D =20 Dodging low-hanging fuzz for 25 NM, I see light on the horizon and the=20 ceiling begins to rise as do I.=20 Leg1 - MGY -> SQI =E2=80=93 280 NM:=20 Still at take-off power (2710 RPM, 29+=E2=80=9D MAP, 14.2 GPH), Arnie and I= are=20 talking on an off-race frequency and at 40 NM out, Arnie catches sight of m= e.=20 My strategy was to stay in smooth air as long as I didn=E2=80=99t have to b= e too=20 high because the laminar flow stays attached without turbulent air disrupti= ons. =20 This must be balanced with engine power losses as altitude increases. Wind= s=20 aloft forecasts were correct with virtually no effect at the surface and=20 6000 but with a significant tailwind component thru OH and IN at 3000. Alt= hough=20 we encountered occasional light rain, 3300 feet (about 100 feet above light= =20 turbulence) worked for quite awhile providing ground speeds of 216-218 Kts=20 from time to time. Arnie had come up to that altitude and we remained in s= ight=20 of one another for quite some distance =E2=80=93 long enough to watch =E2= =80=9CTweety Bird=E2=80=9D , Rob Logan=E2=80=99s yellow Legacy, streak by us at tree top level surely=20= collecting=20 green stains on his prop tips. =20 In the same time frame, I was approaching a pair of canard airplanes from=20 below - my passing call, answered by Frank Pullano (Race 20), came thru wit= h=20 the sound of a whirring camera in the background. Very Hollywood.=20 Weather improved in Indiana and as I crossed the IN/IL border (I could see=20 the dashed line on the ground), 2200 feet worked better. By now, Arnie and= I=20 had passed many airplanes, amazed that GPS kept us all closely spaced on th= e=20 same racetrack. I lost the visual of Arnie=E2=80=99s tail about 40 NM out= of=20 Sterling Rock Falls (KSQI).=20 Planes are starting to bunch up now and, screaming down to 50 feet above=20 runway 36 (OK, maybe 100=E2=80=99), the first turn is marked as a goodly nu= mber of=20 spectators get a fleeting glimpse. This is the most fun you can have with a= =20 leaden load of donuts in your belly and too much coffee working to raise you= r =20 personal fluid pressure level. =20 Leg2 =E2=80=93 SQI -> RFD =E2=80=93 38 NM:=20 Pulling up slightly to avoid the tree tops, I switch the RFD approach=20 frequency and hear clusters of call-ins. I try it myself but with no resp= onse=20 since I am too far away yet (>20 NM). Permission was obtained from Homeland= =20 Security for us to fly near the nuclear power plant as long as we don=E2=80= =99t loiter =E2=80=93=20 so=E2=80=A6 as I zip by to the north, I notice a yellow streak near the bas= e of the=20 west cooling tower =E2=80=93 Hmmmm=E2=80=A6. Tweety Bird must have been by.= =20 Incredibly, approach was assigning transponder codes and that works for the= =20 first few airplanes with approach finally giving up. I finally got mine abo= ut=20 10 miles away and switched to the tower. The tower gave up too =E2=80=93=20 instructing the ever growing group to just squawk VFR 5 miles out. The high= speed pass=20 down runway 7 was marked by the race crew positioned at the far end. RFD=20 departure was happy to see the daisy chain of racers just quickly leave the= =20 area. We were probably below radar coverage anyway.=20 Leg3 =E2=80=93 RFD -> ? Finish =E2=80=93 89 NM:=20 OK, this is where the rubber meets the road. I can=E2=80=99t complain sin= ce there=20 is little turbulence, little headwind, few cheese head bugs, sunshine (but=20 not too warm yet) and enough fuel. Arnie announces on the race frequency t= hat=20 there is an enormous tower about 10 miles from the finish line =E2=80=93 he=20= notices =20 that one of the guy wires is still vibrating from Tweety Bird=E2=80=99s pass= ing =20 earlier. It is a bit tall, about 1700 MSL and just where some of us are=20 descending.=20 Oops, setting my OBS to the finish line track (330 degrees) allows me to=20 drift a mile south of this visual pimple and, as I turn northwesterly, I se= e=20 Mark (Race 77) make his close in turn to the =E2=80=9Crunway=E2=80=9D ahead= of me. Darn, I=20 must have lost 20 or 30 seconds by my mistake at the end. Don=E2=80=99t wor= ry though,=20 the complaint champion will be announced at a later time.=20 Ahhh=E2=80=A6 The satisfaction of the low pass over the finish line (some o= f the=20 cones must have been blown away by wake turbulence) is memorable. Now I cli= mb to=20 a position west of Fond Du Lac (KFLD) and, after an uneventful let down to=20 landing there, I am finally parked with the group at the south end of the=20 ramp.=20 What a beautiful day!=20 Chapter 3 =E2=80=93 On to OSH!=20 See the next chapter tomorrow.=20 Scott Krueger AKA Grayhawk Race 94 Sky2high@aol.com II-P N92EX IO320 Aurora, IL (KARR) LML, where ideas collide and you decide! -------------------------------1091636396 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Language: en

 

The 2004 Air Venture Cup=20= Race

Chapter 2 =E2=80=93 Take-= off Power=20 Rules=E2=80=A6

 

Arriving at the briefing,= we=20 discover that the weather is not conducive to a 9 am departure.  Of course, that was clear to anyon= e able=20 to look out of the bus window. =20 Soon, the Dayton Operations Czar, Bob Whitehouse, careens up to the=20 staging hangar with hundreds of assorted Krispy-Kreme doughnuts and gallons=20= of=20 strong coffee.  This delays th= e race=20 even further since it seems he had driven to Atlanta to pick them up while the freshly= =20 cooked =E2=80=9Cred light=E2=80=9D was on.=   Lo carb=20 diets forgotten, everybody loads up on these FAA approved pilot drugs =E2= =80=93=20 caffeine, sugar and other secret K-K ingredients.

 

Briefed and with a sugar=20= high we=20 prepare the racers for flight =E2=80=93 slowest first in order to shorten th= e finish=20 line arrival time.  The Kitfox= is=20 sent off early even though everyone will probably pass it enroute.  I will lead the RG group with Arni= e off=20 next followed by Larry and Mark (or Mark and Larry, whatever..), etc.  Jack, his E-Racer in the Unlimited= =20 Class, will leave last as everybody expects him to go by in a blur.

 

In the beginning:

 

The racers were flagged o= ff 30 or=20 40 seconds apart and I took-off staying low to build speed before the timing= =20 mark at the end of the runway. =20 Turning to the west I said to myself, =E2=80=9CSelf, where is the all= eged 1000=20 foot ceiling?=E2=80=9D  Dodgin= g low-hanging=20 fuzz for 25 NM, I see light on the horizon and the ceiling begins to rise as= do=20 I.

 

Leg1 - MGY -> SQI =E2= =80=93 280=20 NM:

 

Still at take-off power (= 2710=20 RPM, 29+=E2=80=9D MAP, 14.2 GPH), Arnie and I are talking on an off-race fre= quency and=20 at 40 NM out, Arnie catches sight of me.

 

My strategy was to stay i= n smooth=20 air as long as I didn=E2=80=99t have to be too high because the laminar flow= stays=20 attached without turbulent air disruptions.  This must be balanced with engine=20= power=20 losses as altitude increases.  Winds=20 aloft forecasts were correct with virtually no effect at the surface and 600= 0=20 but with a significant tailwind component thru OH and IN at 3000.  Although we encountered occasional= light=20 rain, 3300 feet (about 100 feet above light turbulence) worked for quite awh= ile=20 providing ground speeds of 216-218 Kts from time to time.  Arnie had come up to that altitude= and=20 we remained in sight of one another for quite some distance =E2=80=93 long e= nough to=20 watch =E2=80=9CTweety Bird=E2=80=9D, Rob Logan=E2=80=99s yellow Legacy, stre= ak by us at tree top level=20 surely collecting green stains on his prop tips. 

 

In the same time frame, I= was=20 approaching a pair of canard airplanes from below - my passing call, answere= d by=20 Frank Pullano (Race 20), came thru with the sound of a whirring camera in th= e=20 background.  Very Hollywood.

 

Weather improved in Indiana and as I=20= crossed=20 the IN/IL border (I could see the dashed line on the ground), 2200 feet work= ed=20 better.  By now, Arnie and I h= ad=20 passed many airplanes, amazed that GPS kept us all closely spaced on the sam= e=20 racetrack.  I lost the visual=20= of=20 Arnie=E2=80=99s tail about 40 NM out of Sterling Rock Falls (KSQI).

 

Planes are starting to bu= nch up=20 now and, screaming down to 50 feet above runway 36 (OK, maybe 100=E2=80=99),= the first=20 turn is marked as a goodly number of spectators get a fleeting glimpse.  This is the most fun you can have=20= with a=20 leaden load of donuts in your belly and too much coffee working to raise you= r=20 personal fluid pressure level.

 

Leg2 =E2=80=93 SQI ->=20= RFD =E2=80=93 38 NM:

 

Pulling up slightly to av= oid the=20 tree tops, I switch the RFD approach frequency and hear clusters of=20 call-ins.  I try it myself but= with=20 no response since I am too far away yet (>20 NM).  Permission was obtained from Homel= and=20 Security for us to fly near the nuclear power plant as long as we don=E2=80= =99t loiter =E2=80=93=20 so=E2=80=A6 as I zip by to the north, I notice a yellow streak near the base= of the west=20 cooling tower =E2=80=93 Hmmmm=E2=80=A6. Tweety Bird must have been by. 

 

Incredibly, approach was=20 assigning transponder codes and that works for the first few airplanes with=20 approach finally giving up. I finally got mine about 10 miles away and switc= hed=20 to the tower.  The tower gave=20= up too=20 =E2=80=93 instructing the ever growing group to just squawk VFR 5 miles out.=   The high speed pass down runway 7=20= was=20 marked by the race crew positioned at the far end.  RFD departure was happy to see the= daisy=20 chain of racers just quickly leave the area.  We were probably below radar cover= age=20 anyway.

 

Leg3 =E2=80=93 RFD ->=20= ? Finish =E2=80=93 89=20 NM:

 

OK, this is where the rub= ber=20 meets the road.  I can=E2=80= =99t complain=20 since there is little turbulence, little headwind, few cheese head bugs,=20 sunshine (but not too warm yet) and enough fuel.  Arnie announces on the race freque= ncy=20 that there is an enormous tower about 10 miles from the finish line =E2=80= =93 he notices=20 that one of the guy wires is still vibrating from Tweety Bird=E2=80=99s pass= ing=20 earlier.  It is a bit tall, ab= out=20 1700 MSL and just where some of us are descending.

 

Oops, setting my OBS to t= he=20 finish line track (330 degrees) allows me to drift a mile south of this visu= al=20 pimple and, as I turn northwesterly, I see Mark (Race 77) make his close in=20= turn=20 to the =E2=80=9Crunway=E2=80=9D ahead of me.  Don=E2=80=99t worry though, the co= mplaint=20 champion will be announced at a later time.

 

Ahhh=E2=80=A6 The satisfa= ction of the low=20 pass over the finish line (some of the cones must have been blown away by wa= ke=20 turbulence) is memorable. Now I climb to a position west of Fond Du Lac= =20 (KFLD) and, after an uneventful let down to landing there, I am finally= =20 parked with the group at the south end of the ramp.

 

What a beautiful day= !

 

Chapter 3 =E2=80=93 On to= OSH!

 

See the next chapter=20 tomorrow.

 
Scott Krueger=20 AKA Grayhawk Race 94
Sky2high@aol.com
II-P N92EX IO320 Aurora, IL=20 (KARR)

LML, where ideas collide and you=20 decide!
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