World Piston Engined Speed Record Attempt

Great clip. That is the Valley of Speed where they attain max speed before the turn in to the Home Pylon.

http://vintageaviationecho.com/steve-o-prop-record/

http://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2017/09/05/steve-hinton-jr-beats-world-speed-record-for-piston-engined-aircraft/

http://www.flyingmag.com/p-51-voodoo-becomes-fastest-piston-in-world?src=SOC&dom=tw

I think that Challis is not an ideal area,due to the surrounding hills and valleys.At 480 kts to do a 270 degree turnaround one needs a radius of turn about 2nm,with a good line-up and run in ,using about 65* deg bank to minimise speed loss in the turn and then acceleration and stabilisation over the 3Km course.One is also limited in height above the datum that one can use,believe +1500 ft.This is not too much of a problem to the S of Challis,but to the N there are hills encroaching on that height limit and extending into such a turning area.
As can be seen from the speeds,the first run was excellent,from S-N,second run,down 20 kts ,from N-S,third run ,bit better,last run,lost more speed with oil pressure failing.

I think that maybe speed was lost doing 2 turnarounds at the northern end of the course,which is the hilly and narrower area,requiring maybe `excessive`G` and limiting acceleration distance and time.
If the first run had been made N-S,then the turnaround could have been over flatter wider terrain,less G and a long run in,possibly a faster speed,and then requiring only one turnaround at the Northern area.
If the first 2 runs had been similar in speed and the last 2 the same as they were,it could have averaged about 535.mph.
If one loooks at the video of SH Snr. in R-B at Mud Lake,he was doing run-ins from at least 5 miles to get nice and stabilised after turnarounds between runs.
This is just my opinion,and there were probably lots of other factors to be taken into account,however the first 2 passes are critical to get a high average,and maximize turnarounds and run-in..
Feel free to pass this suggestion on to the Team….
Still an excellent effort by them all…

We`ll go to Pocatello with a Fury,where it`s flat….if the numbers come up this week…
Syc..

The 554 is certainly a very impressive speed and no one can blame them for going flat out for the best possible record. The record attempt raises an interesting “what if” scenario however, what if they had moderated their record aspirations and targeted a slower maximum speed. Perhaps the engine would have lasted better and they might have ended with a new record on the same regulations as Rare Bear, perhaps in the range 535/540.

Hi All,
A big well done to all involved and a big thank you for sharing the video…..:eagerness::applause::cool:

Geoff.

Great effort though folks – and that first run speed was a hell of an achievement.

Hear hear!

Anybody clarify the height/distance limits for the runs in terms of `sterile airspace`….?

Wonder how much supercharger boost was applied? Seems that this is a popular technique for going faster with a given airframe – continuous strengthening of the engine way beyond design to take higher pressures, and then pumping it in until something gives. There was little visibly done to the aerodynamics specifically for the attempt – unless there it can now be revealed that the wing was indeed somewhat counter-intuitively thickened, as has been reported?

Great effort though folks – and that first run speed was a hell of an achievement.

Well done but it also makes you realise how much stress that engine must be under to be causing problems after 4 runs.

Blimey so close to doing it. Thanks anyway for the explanation.

Rob

Yes the speed is averaged over the 4 runs, unfortunately after the first really fast pass of 554 mph the engine started getting a little unhappy, and by the fourth pass he was down to 515 mph which brought his average down to 531 mph. He needed just over 533 mph to officially beat Shelton’s record per the FAI rules, so that still stands.
So with that said Steve Hinton does now hold the record for the fastest piston engine average speed.
Jason

Looking at those numbers I’m slightly confused. So is the record an average over the four runs? Even so it must be pretty close to Shelton’s record even if it wasn’t quite enough.

Regardless of the outcome, a brave young man – and congratulations on what you and the team have achieved!

Rob

That thing has MUMBO +…

Thanks for the post.

Here’s the videos from Pursuit Aviation’s Facebook page

Jason

Bernie Vasquez photo
[ATTACH=CONFIG]255549[/ATTACH]
From Scott Germain’s post on Facebook
“There has been some confusion about what record was set, and which one wasn’t. Stevo and Voodoo shattered the existing 3kM speed record fir its weight class. They worked hard and are in the record books as such.
On the other hand, the confusion and disappointment comes from the fact that Rare Bear’s record wasn’t surpassed. There are two ways to look at that; Rare Bear’s record was “shelved” and could never be truly broken. This is because those rules are no longer in place.
So, overall, it was a successful campaign, it just didn’t really turn out the way everyone wanted, or thought it would.
Stevo really hammered this motor; as you can see in Bernie’s post, you can see the speeds for each pass. On the completion of the third pass, in the turnaround, oil pressure began falling. Stevo used a little more G to get headed back to the airport and scrubbed some speed. They had the speed record for current rules for the entire run – by well over 100MPH. They were going to be Shelton’s record up until the last pass”

So where’s the “live” coverage that was promised I can’t find it on Facebook or the company site?

Four perfect passes, waiting for the numbers…

Appreciate the updates Jason.

Maybe with a propeller. If it’s possible with a propellor remains unknown, but who knows?

Yeah, sorry, I meant to say Saturday. They were originally going to try on Friday but they wanted to get as much testing down on the engine after putting the left bank back on.
Jason