We
flew our 320 out to the Copperstate fly-in in Casa Grande, AZ last
weekend. A great fly-in with perfect wx. Several Lancairians were there
competing in the Fuelventure 400 race.
The
race has two classifications; one is pure MPG. Whoever burns the least fuel on
the 400 sm course wins.
The
other is a CAFE foumula that takes into account speed, fuel burn and payload.
It
would be hard to imagine airplanes better suited to compete on an efficiency
basis than Lancairs. There were 2 Legacys, 1 - 360 and 1 - 320 in the
competition in the 750-1,000 kg weight class ( 1,654 - 2,205 lbs).
Being the most underpowered (a relative term), our little 320 won both
categories.
On
Sunday we attempted to see if we could get back to Virginia nonstop. An
interesting project to say the least. With good wx, slight tailwinds and a
bottle of oxygen we were able to make it...barely. Here are some interesting
comparisons to other forms of transportation.
N6ZQ
IV under construction
Casa
Grande, Arizona (KCGZ) to Orange, VA (KOMH)
Our
flight time: 9 hrs
20 mins, nonstop 13,500, 15,500 and 17,500
ft.
actual
fuel mileage 39.4 mpg.
49.9
gal avgas @ 3.75/gal = $187.12
fuel
burn per person (2 people): 24.9
gallons
Yahoo
maps driving directions shows the following distance and driving time from Casa
Grande to Orange.
This
would require 3 hard days of driving, 2 nights in a hotel plus food.
If your car got 30 miles/gal you would use 78.3
gallons.
78.3 gallons @ $2.50/gal = $195.75 plus
hotels and food.
fuel burn per person (2 people): 39.15
cost per person: $97.87 plus hotel and
food.
The
best airline schedule is UAL #952. Nonstop PHX - IAD other flights require
intermediate stops and add 2-5 hours.
Flight
time 4 hrs 19 mins.
Drive
from Casa Grande to PHX airport 1
hr.
Arrive
PHX 1 hour
before flight.
Arrive
IAD unload and take shuttle to main terminal, retrieve baggage 30 min.
Estimated
fuel burn: 27,000 lbs = 4,030 gallons. (B-757, 3 class seating)
Fuel
burn per person (110 seats): 36.6
gallons
(does not include fuel burned driving)