• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

LET’S GO RACING! F1 IS GO! n what turned out to be one of the both that and the European Air Racing assessing their relative airspeeds though and better weekends in August last Championship. here came surprise number one – they all fly year, Neil Wilson and I turned up Through Bob, Mike and Dan, Neil and I at wide open throttle (WOT) for the duration at Popham as the guests of the learned something about how handicap racing of the race. That means your aircraft must be 3Rs, the Records, Racing and works, and I must say it is considerably more propped not to overspeed at WOT, and you Rally Association which is part of the Royal involved that I ever thought it was. I understood may have to fit a slightly coarser prop to make OAero Club, to learn a bit about the handicap the principle of handicapping of course, I was sure that doesn’t happen - Bob has to remove air racing scene in the UK. To be honest, I’d a grass track rider in a previous life, hard to his spats to add a little extra drag on his RV8 always thought it was a bit ‘Hooray Henry’ but believe I know, and the sidecars used to have to keep his engine within the max permissible then most of us can be guilty of preconceived handicap races. The basic theory is that you 2,700rpm limit. judgements based on complete ignorance, in all send the slower riders off first, based on their Once the airspeed is calculated at WOT (the senses of the word. previous lap times, and the fastest guy goes aircraft is flown around a left hand octagon with It always helps when you know somebody off last. If the handicapper has worked out eight 30 second straights and eight rate one and fortunately, after a warm welcome from his times properly, come the last lap all the turns), a clever piece of software developed by Dan Pangbourne and Mike Pearson, members riders finish pretty well together. It makes for Mark Turner, one of the racers, works out the of the club’s committee, I bumped into Bob close racing because it evens out machine exact handicap times for each aircraft, taking Ellis who races his Van’s RV8, who I knew as performance and it is the riders’ skill levels that in wind speed and direction and how it affects a trophy winner from the LAA Rally. Having become the predominant factor. each leg of the course. previously dabbled, Bob had decided to have Well with air racing it is pretty much the I was impressed at such accuracy, and the a full season of racing in 2015 and a serious same, which means that you can race a upside is that provided you fly a perfect race, crack at the British Air Racing Championship, Condor against an RV and each has an equal you really are in with a good chance of a win, and subsequently finished the season winning chance of winning. It all depends on accurately regardless of what aircraft you are flying. LET’S GO RACING! Air racing with the Royal Aero Club, that is. Brian Hope and Neil Wilson report from Popham and there’s a great competition prize. Photos: Neil Wilson 20 LIGHT AVIATION | MARCH 2016 AUGUST 2014 | LIGHT AVIATION 63 LET’S GO RACING! Therein lies the rub of course, you have to fly needs to be assessed for its WOT airspeed, instructor and receive your pilot accreditation absolutely accurately on every leg and turn of you as a pilot have also to be checked out to that way. In association with this article, the each of four or five laps of the approx 20/25 make sure you are safe to fly at a minimum 3Rs are running a competition that includes mile course, and that’s where the real skill 500ft, steeply banked around the pylons and a training day with Skysport UK, membership comes into it. That means holding a perfect in close proximity to other aircraft. You must of the 3Rs, and entry to your first race, a total track and height between the turns, and maintain plus or minus 40ft on the turns and value of almost £1,000. See end of article for positioning to bank into the turn, hit the apex 20ft on the straights, and if you are confident details. and roll out exactly on track for the next leg of you can fly that accurately, an approved 3Rs As ever in aviation, the race flyers were from the course. pilot can fly with you in your own aircraft to various backgrounds and ages. A few, like Every error in judgement will mean the aircraft check you out, free of charge. Bob, were ex-military, most were typical PPLs. is flying farther than it needs to, or slower than If you’d like some training, Skysport UK at Some race solo, but most have a crew member optimum speed, and races are literally won Kemble offers air race training in Beagle Pups – a useful extra set of eyes for spotting other or lost by fractions of a second. Each aircraft so you can practice race flying in safety with an competitors and the pylons. has a GPS datalogger which is downloaded to The eldest team at Popham were Alan confirm the race results, and racers carefully Turner and his navigator Rex Levi who have study the practice and race profiles to see been racing for more than 30 years in their where they are not accurate enough and Aircraft line up in order, slowest to fastest Grumman. One of the youngest was Roger how they can shave a second off here and from front to back, ready for the start Scholes (pilot) and his friend (navigator) there, it really does come down to that level of marshal to flag them off in turn. It is not Dominic Crossan who were flying a hired accuracy if you want to be on the podium. unusual for a slower aircraft to have Slingsby (yes the owner did know they raced, You can’t just turn up and race of course; completed a full lap before the fastest in fact it was one of very few aircraft that they notwithstanding the fact that your aircraft aircraft take-off. could hire and race). › › MARCH 2016 | LIGHT AVIATION 21 LET’S GO RACING! A FLYING LAP. BY NEIL WILSON Dan Pangbourne invited me to join him in towards the target. you will then have to go wider and therefore his Grumman Tiger to see what is involved in The first marker was on a corner of a road, add distance and possibly lose speed. There’s completing a lap of the Popham race circuit; with fields either side and a track running off to much more to this air racing lark than first I took his Dad David’s place in the right hand one side. As we approached, Dan spotted the meets the eye! seat. marker before me and moved the Grumman The next marker was soon with us, this time We took off heading west, with Dan climbing into position and pulled a hard left turn. This with a few trees nearby, but now knowing how steadily at speed, as this gains time. The was quite a bit steeper than I am used to (I big (or should that be small) it looks from the course is marked out on the map, and has four bimble with friends mostly) so it was all rather air, I saw this one in time. Dan again flew the turning points, marked by orange pyramids on exciting. He then levelled out and set off turn well, with me ready this time for the tight the ground. I hoped the near perfect weather straight for the next turn point marker. turn, eyeing the marker and making sure we would make spotting them fairly easy. Along our way, we noted farm buildings, and stayed outside of it. As Dan had already done a few practice some train tracks, so that he would know the As practice was now drawing to a close, we laps, he had a good idea of what to look right side of them to be in the race, when in crossed the finishing line and landed. Having out for, but I still wanted to see if I was up to the heat of the moment checking the map isn’t handed in the datalogger we would soon be the job. The Ordnance Survey map helps always possible. able to see how well, or badly, our practice as it isn’t just about looking for the marker. If Making a turn, as with a racing car, you try to had been, and perhaps Dan could modify his you spot a wood that is nearby, or a house hit the apex of the bend, but misjudge it and technique for the race. It’s all very professional or a crossroads, these all help to guide you you will need to level out your turn. That means and state of the art! To the winner the spoils. John Bate recorded his first ever race win, picking up the British Constructors’ Trophy and the Navigator’s Trophy in his RV8 when he won the Sunday Race. Dan Pangbourne cranks his Grumman AA5 around a corner marker, note how close to it he is to minimise distance flown. 22 LIGHT AVIATION | MARCH 2016 LET’S GO RACING! Winners of the Saturday race were Gordon Dellerby and David Lee in their DR401 diesel engined Robin – the first time a diesel had won a 3Rs event.

Load more

  5

Copy Link