Unlimited Weight Rule

[BadIdea]

I'm not going to try to hide that I do not agree with the Unlimited Weight Rule.
I am hoping this thread will create POSITIVE feedback and maybe some productive alternatives.
The sport class has shown that Very Fast non warbird racers are now a reality.
The 370mph speeds at the top of the sport class are not far from the 400mph bottom of the Gold Race.
I can understand the stock warbird guys not wanting to be bumped by sport class racers.
Perhaps we need to have a daily Medallion race so everyone gets their fill of warbirds?

What do you all think?

[bellarch]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

Turbulence, Prop Wake, Wingtip vortices, etc. generated at 400+ by "Heavy Iron" is dangerous, but manageable by the Unlimiteds.

The same cannot be said for the featherweights.

Ask a 172 pilot how much fun it is to get caught up in "heavy" A/C wake.

My 2 cents.

B.

[spacegrrrl]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

This is more a matter of wing loading that total weight. You could make a lighter racer safe with the big boys if the wing loading is high enough.

Michele

[BadIdea]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

Turbulence, Prop Wake, Wingtip vortices, etc. generated at 400+ by "Heavy Iron" is dangerous, but manageable by the Unlimiteds.

The same cannot be said for the featherweights.

Ask a 172 pilot how much fun it is to get caught up in "heavy" A/C wake.

My 2 cents.

B.

Strictly for discussions sake:

The weight differance (empty) between a Tigercat and a Yak 9 (16,000 - 6,000) is greater than the differance between a Sea Fury and a Thunder Mustang (10,000 - 2,200).
By this logic, perhaps, we should be getting rid of the Tigercat and not the thunder mustang.

Again, just for discussion.

[chrisp51man]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

Strictly for discussions sake:

The weight differance (empty) between a Tigercat and a Yak 9 (16,000 - 6,000) is greater than the differance between a Sea Fury and a Thunder Mustang (10,000 - 2,200).
By this logic, perhaps, we should be getting rid of the Tigercat and not the thunder mustang.

Again, just for discussion.

i agree with you on not getting rid of thunder mustang, but we CANT get rid of the tiger cat!!!

[Lowell]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

Dave (Morss), can you comment on how it felt with the prototype Thunder Mustang on the course with the Unlimiteds during qualifying and practice in 1997?

Lowell Thompson

[BadIdea]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

i agree with you on not getting rid of thunder mustang, but we CANT get rid of the tiger cat!!!

OH, I'm not suggesting it at all.
Just trying to prod a discussion.

I would really like to see a solution found that lets everybody race and I'm hoping to hear from people with real experiance and innovative ideas.

[jarrodeu]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

Whenever this discussion comes up, 2 racers are right in there. Tsunami and the Pond Racer. Raced previously and possibly under the weight limit(Pond Racer for sure) These would now be banned.
I think that if a racer does not or cannot be easily modified to fit into the rules of the sport class then it should be able to race in the Unlimited class.

Jarrod

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

This is more a matter of wing loading that total weight. You could make a lighter racer safe with the big boys if the wing loading is high enough.

Michele

Except that by the time you get the wing loading on a small plane high enough to handle the turbulence of an unlimited, then it may not be able to take the turns without approaching high speed stalling. It seems like every potential solution raises it's own problems.

[speeddemon]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

From experience.. not fun and down right terrifying at times, and to tell the truth it's applicable to a/c bigger than a 172 (think Baron) also.

Uh, I've been tossed around in the P-3 while in a 747 wake turbulance on short final. That's not fun either.

[ignomini]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

Maybe there will come a day when there is enough support to create a separate Unlimited Lights class.

As a student pilot, I once casually pulled the J3 Cub I was flying in behind the Stearman I was following. Being a slow learner, it took two attempts before I realized what was causing me turn turtle in clear air. Whatever the Sport pilots might want, I should thing it will take some pretty heavy stones for them to want to fly around with the Buick.

[just a fan]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

Maybe there will come a day when there is enough support to create a separate Unlimited Lights class.

exactly! why should they limp along with the slower group of unlimiteds and be restricted to once a year racing. more races, cheaper to build/fly/maintain. more racing venues. as that upper gold group emerge, they should be in a class by themselves and not dependant on the "heavy" unlimiteds.

as i understood it the pond plan was always to fly faster to fly high and outside. as long as you have one of the top pilots in the hole, and no one "departs the line" unexpectedly, that might work. but i don't want to see a TM flying 460 MPH, high/outside to avoid wake turbulence just to have heavy metal unexpectedly depart (pull up and out), leaving the wake behind for the TM to fly through.

[morss]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

During practice and qual several mustangs and a sea fury made sure I got a good dose of wake. The TM actually handled it better than the full size mustang due to the clipped wing wing loading and better aileron response at speed.
I just got home from flying the 8th flight in the gp5 a plane designed to race in bronze at reno.about a week after its first flight the 4500 lb rule was put in place. We are hopefully someday to race somewhere.
the high line is not the slow line. it takes a little more practice to fly the high line fast but the clock dont lie. if your not the leader and there are lots of wakes the high line can be faster.
dave

[King]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

During practice and qual several mustangs and a sea fury made sure I got a good dose of wake. The TM actually handled it better than the full size mustang due to the clipped wing wing loading and better aileron response at speed.
I just got home from flying the 8th flight in the gp5 a plane designed to race in bronze at reno.about a week after its first flight the 4500 lb rule was put in place. We are hopefully someday to race somewhere.
the high line is not the slow line. it takes a little more practice to fly the high line fast but the clock dont lie. if your not the leader and there are lots of wakes the high line can be faster.
dave

Let me know when you come down next to SA to run the Corsair and Bearcat. Would love to come over and talk to you. We ran the Mustang yesterday.

[Unregistered]

Re: Unlimited Weight Rule

It hurt to fly through the wake of the Seafury. My back was sore for a few days. (Now they tell me!)
VL