Under Steve’s ownership it’s also something of checkbook engineering, as he and the crew quickly point out they’re the caretakers, not the original builders of Endeavor’s speed. With its skinny-stick landing gear, razor-narrow rear fuselage, and slender wing joined at textbook right angles, Endeavor eschews any romantic notions of streamlining in favor of whatever the engineering handbook says. That’s just a little faster than the similarly powered Cessna 150. Steve also holds the race record at 260.775 mph, set at last September’s races. The prop is a Steve Hill Twisted Composite of admittedly not overly new technology, but, as Steve puts it, “We’ve tried some pitches over the years, and this one is the best compromise between acceleration and top speed.” Race pace is a humming 4400 rpm, resulting in the current 267.289 mph qualifying record. Ly-Con supplies the thoroughly detailed O-200 engine, while the legendary Al Marcucci at Savage Magneto, also in Hayward, blesses the old-school ignition with trick internal timing. The wing is foam core and carbon fiber, the fuselage Kevlar and carbon fiber. Propeller: Fixed-pitch, wood or composite onlyĭesigned by Mike Arnold, first raced by Dave Hoover, and bought by current pilot-owner Steve Senagal in 2008, Endeavor is based in Hayward, California. Our partial sampling of the racers below are arranged fastest qualifier first. In 2014 we visited the F1 pits at Reno to recalibrate ourselves with grassroots racing developments. ![]() Mainly Cassutts-a plane that’s still well supported-these planes represent one of the most approachable paths possible to rounding the pylons. And maybe most exciting for budding racers, languishing in the rear of hangars across the country are a legion of F1 racers waiting for a little love. It is followed by a gaggle of serious-minded developing racers, along with a backfield of heritage rag-and-tube designs most often run for fun, but still capable of amazing performance. Currently the F1 ranks are dominated by a carefully engineered and beautifully executed design known as Endeavor. Or maybe they are there just for fun with cost containment as the main motivator. ![]() Near-radical wing design is another F1 hallmark the last two decades seeing unusually high aspect ratio wings for high-G, maneuverable racers.īut for every wild F1 racer in the avant-garde, there are three traditional models banking on careful build quality or the odd airframe tweak to give them an edge. In the modern era the path to speed seems paved with composites, where smooth, carefully shaped skins offer drag reductions. Pushers have come and gone, and there once was an F1 racer with the two mandated maingear tires set in tandem in the fuselage belly, like a two-wheel glider. Of course, occasionally the innovation in F1 is overt. The emphasis is on reducing drag and increasing efficiency, traits that transition well to mainstream homebuilding. An O-200 Continental engine is mandated, along with a fixed-pitch prop, 500 pounds minimum weight, and no less than 66 square feet of wing area. The working man’s racing class since they were called Midgets right after WW-II, the Formula One class sets hard limits on expensive items such as engines and propellers, leaving plenty of room for innovation by homebuilders. When it comes to racing airplanes around pylons, there is no less expensive flight plan, other than maybe running your spare Pitts in the slower biplane heats. Racing is about the most fun you can have with anything internal combustion, but it costs everything you’ve got and just a little bit more. That, and a prop change, netted Stephen first in the Silver race at 221.850 mph. At Reno he was removing the rather thick vinyl stars from the cowling as their edges were apparently catching the wind. ![]() For 2014 Stephen’s team extensively reshaped and lightened Miss USA’s aft fuselage, with the horizontal tail next in line for updating. ![]() Stephen Partridge-Hicks is English, but he races a patriotic Miss USA.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |