Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 10:12 AM - Rocket Efficiency, Defined! (Rob Ray)
2. 02:13 PM - Re: Rocket Efficiency, Defined! (Jim Stone)
3. 03:55 PM - Pima Air Museum (Tom Gummo)
4. 04:00 PM - Re: Rocket Efficiency, Defined! (Lee Logan)
5. 08:01 PM - Re: Pima Air Museum (william hilling)
6. 10:03 PM - Re: Rocket Efficiency, Defined! (ACTIVE NZ - Andrew)
7. 11:01 PM - Re: Rocket Efficiency, Defined! (nico css)
Message 1
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| Subject: | Rocket Efficiency, Defined! |
Guys,More on a Rocket note, I am constantly amazed by the capabilities of t
his little machine. Coming home from Dallas post-Christmas I looked at fore
cast winds and thought I would try to one hop it home, nearly 800NM and rea
lly get some efficiency numbers. With 54 gallons of 100LL on board( 10 gall
on aux tanks) I launched, cruise climbed to 11,500 and after letting my Ly-
Con built IO-540 with GAMI injectors settle down I began to lean to 50 Degr
ees LOP and 33 degrees advance on my EI. With just under 20" MP and 2375 RP
M I consistently showed 10.4 GPH at 235 Knots GS, a nice tailwind indeed. B
eing a Saturday and knowing the Whiskey areas would be cold I requested dir
ect to home, straight over the Golfo De Mexico, went on O2 and climbed to 1
5,500 increasing my GS to 252 knots retaining the same FF. When I finally b
egan my descent into the swamp I still had nearly 20 gallons of fuel on boa
rd, landing on my 1500 ft grass strip with 16 gallons left.---My
Rocket is definitely not the fastest on the block with my oversize tires,
caked mud and large tailwheel dragging in the breeze, but it truly shows wh
at John's design is capable of.-
BTW, the tach almost clicked over 1000 hours as I flew over the house, look
ing forward to several thousand more!
Rob "Smokey" RayHR2
--- On Wed, 1/6/10, nico css <nico@cybersuperstore.com> wrote:
From: nico css <nico@cybersuperstore.com>
Subject: Rocket-List: FW: What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
(MWH)
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
Brian Shul, Retired SR-71 Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine.
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question
I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured o
f
hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an
interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there
really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little
more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute.
Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted
to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of
temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual "high"
speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when
Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order.
Let's just say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to
Mach numbers we hadn't previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations,
someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?"
This was a first.
After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had never
shared before, and relayed the following.
I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my back-seater,
Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron
Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base. As we scooted
across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the
English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commande
r
there was a former Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating
moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. N
o
problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the
North Sea, we proceeded to find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat,
and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we
found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most
former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small towe
r
and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and tha
t
I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing but trees as
far as I could see in the haze.
We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we
were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt
said we were practically over the field-yet; there was nothing in my
windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hope
s
of picking up anything that looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the cade
t
commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to
get a prime view of the fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind an
d
partial gray overcast.
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us
but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we continued to
peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the
awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flyin
g
career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges.
As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped
and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At thi
s
point we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight bank.
Just at the moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of
flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view
of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that
morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as
the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the
infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as
some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.
Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to Mildenhall withou
t
incident. We didn't say a word for those next 14 minutes.
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was
reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the
commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen,
especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that coul
d
only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet's hats
were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full
afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable.
Walt and I both understood the concept of "breathtaking" very well that
morning, and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low
approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight
suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the pass."
Finally, Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six knots.- Wha
t
did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred fifty-two.
"
We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever do that to me
again!"
And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer's
club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71
fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kid
s
falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their
eyebrows.
Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in our hands,
he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had occurred.
Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a routine low
approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane."
Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day
that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories.
It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's fastest jet
can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good idea to keep
that cross-check up, and keep your Mach up, too.
le, List Admin.
=0A=0A=0A
Message 2
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| Subject: | Re: Rocket Efficiency, Defined! |
Nice!!
Jim Stone
Louisville
----- Original Message -----
From: Rob Ray
To: rocket-list@matronics.com
Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2010 1:10 PM
Subject: Rocket-List: Rocket Efficiency, Defined!
Guys,
More on a Rocket note, I am constantly amazed by the
capabilities of this little machine. Coming home from Dallas
post-Christmas I looked at forecast winds and thought I would try to one
hop it home, nearly 800NM and really get some efficiency numbers. With
54 gallons of 100LL on board( 10 gallon aux tanks) I launched, cruise
climbed to 11,500 and after letting my Ly-Con built IO-540 with GAMI
injectors settle down I began to lean to 50 Degrees LOP and 33 degrees
advance on my EI. With just under 20" MP and 2375 RPM I consistently
showed 10.4 GPH at 235 Knots GS, a nice tailwind indeed. Being a
Saturday and knowing the Whiskey areas would be cold I requested direct
to home, straight over the Golfo De Mexico, went on O2 and climbed to
15,500 increasing my GS to 252 knots retaining the same FF. When I
finally began my descent into the swamp I still had nearly 20 gallons of
fuel on board, landing on my 1500 ft grass strip with 16 gallons left.
My Rocket is definitely not the fastest on the block with my
oversize tires, caked mud and large tailwheel dragging in the breeze,
but it truly shows what John's design is capable of.
BTW, the tach almost clicked over 1000 hours as I flew over the
house, looking forward to several thousand more!
Rob "Smokey" Ray
HR2
--- On Wed, 1/6/10, nico css <nico@cybersuperstore.com> wrote:
From: nico css <nico@cybersuperstore.com>
Subject: Rocket-List: FW: What was the slowest you ever flew
the Blackbird?(MWH)
To: "'nico'" <nico@nicsysco.com>
Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 6:29 PM
<nico@cybersuperstore.com>
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
Brian Shul, Retired SR-71 Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine.
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker,
the question
I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can
be assured of
hearing that question several times at any event I attend.
It's an
interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for
speed, but there
really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give
you a little
more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles
a minute.
Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and
never wanted
to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any
limits of
temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own
individual "high"
speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine
over Libya when
Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order.
Let's just say that the plane truly loved speed and
effortlessly took us to
Mach numbers we hadn't previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my
presentations,
someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the
Blackbird?"
This was a first.
After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I
had never
shared before, and relayed the following.
I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my
back-seater,
Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and
the Iron
Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base.
As we scooted
across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF
base in the
English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air
cadet commander
there was a former Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a
motivating
moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a
low approach. No
problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial
refueling over the
North Sea, we proceeded to find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in
the back seat,
and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to
subsonic speeds, we
found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze.
Like most
former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had
a small tower
and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were
close and that
I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing
but trees as
far as I could see in the haze.
We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from
325 knots we
were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just
uncomfortable. Walt
said we were practically over the field-yet; there was nothing
in my
windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling
maneuver in hopes
of picking up anything that looked like a field. Meanwhile,
below, the cadet
commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower
in order to
get a prime view of the fly-past. It was a quiet, still day
with no wind and
partial gray overcast.
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should
be below us
but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we
continued to
peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our
power back, the
awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good
instructors in my flying
career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges.
As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my
heart stopped
and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full
forward. At this
point we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight
bank.
Just at the moment that both afterburners lit with a
thunderous roar of
flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell
into full view
of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still
quiet of that
morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in
their face as
the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the
tower side of the
infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be
described as
some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.
Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to
Mildenhall without
incident. We didn't say a word for those next 14 minutes.
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both
certain he was
reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands
and said the
commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he
had ever seen,
especially how we had surprised them with such a precise
maneuver that could
only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the
cadet's hats
were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in
full
afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable.
Walt and I both understood the concept of "breathtaking" very
well that
morning, and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to
see our low
approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits
to flight
suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the
pass."
Finally, Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six
knots. What
did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One
hundred fifty-two."
We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever do
that to me
again!"
And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall
Officer's
club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an
SR-71
fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story
included kids
falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet
singed their
eyebrows.
Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays
in our hands,
he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had
occurred.
Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a
routine low
approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane."
Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my
audience that day
that it would become one of the most popular and most
requested stories.
It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's
fastest jet
can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good
idea to keep
that cross-check up, and keep your Mach up, too.
nbsp; --> http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Rocket-List
_sp; --> h - List Contribution Web Site;
&nb;
http:=======================
Message 3
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Arizona and Tucson RVers or Rocketeers,
In the last week of January or first two weeks of February, I am
planning a trip from Apple Valley, CA to the Pima Air and Space Museum
and the DM Bone Yard. It looks like a three day event. First morning fly
the Rocket to a nearby airport, rent a car, get a cheap but nice motel
room, and maybe spend the afternoon at the museum. Second day, take a
tour of the Bone Yard and finish up at the museum. Third day, fly home.
What small airport nearby best fits my needs? Don't want to go to any
place where a RAMP check may occur. KRYN, Ryan Field Airport, looks like
the closest.
What ideas do you guys/gals have for this type of trip?
Do not archive.
Tom "GummiBear" Gummo
Harmon Rocket II N-561FS
370 hours and a big smile
Message 4
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| Subject: | Re: Rocket Efficiency, Defined! |
Great report, Smokey. An amazing airplane, indeed!
Lee...
P.S. Festus and his gang spent the holidays with us. Spun him around the
field in my F1, had a great time!
Message 5
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Tom=2C
I Flew the time off my Rocket at Ryan Field. It's towered=2C but VERY frien
dly. If you get there=2C send greetings to Craig Lefever
(feeve80@comcast.net). Craig sold his Harmon and lives local. Ron Rice has
a hangar on the field that may have room for a day or two? Any case=2C both
are great guys. Have Craig take you to Fred's. It is a local bar/restauran
t that only the locals can find.
You won't regret.
Craig Hilling
From: t.gummo@verizon.net
Subject: Rocket-List: Pima Air Museum
Arizona and Tucson RVers or Rocketeers=2C
In the last week of January or first two weeks of February=2C I am planning
a trip from Apple Valley=2C CA to the Pima Air and Space Museum and the DM
Bone Yard. It looks like a three day event. First morning fly the Rocket t
o a nearby airport=2C rent a car=2C get a cheap but nice motel room=2C and
maybe spend the afternoon at the museum. Second day=2C take a tour of the B
one Yard and finish up at the museum. Third day=2C fly home.
What small airport nearby best fits my needs? Don't want to go to any place
where a RAMP check may occur. KRYN=2C Ryan Field Airport=2C looks like the
closest.
What ideas do you guys/gals have for this type of trip?
Do not archive.
Tom "GummiBear" Gummo
Harmon Rocket II N-561FS
370 hours and a big smile
_________________________________________________________________
Your E-mail and More On-the-Go. Get Windows Live Hotmail Free.
Message 6
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| Subject: | Rocket Efficiency, Defined! |
Couldn't agree more Smokey - I've flown a bunch of different aircraft,
but nothing, NOTHING, can touch my Rocket. Except another Rocket, and
some of you guys seem to have slightly faster ones than I do - I true
out at max cruise (2500 rpm, max throttle, 5000-10,000 feet) at exactly
200 knots, and I've heard some people true out at 205, even 210? Is that
true, anyone?
And as you say the speed/economy equation is extraordinary - not to
mention, the pretty damn good "go-slow" STOL capabilities too.
Only tiny Q I have is that I was under the impression that the best
economy comes from lower RPMs, partly or wholly cos of the internal
friction of the engine. I wonder if you would have got even better
figures at, say, 22" MP and 2000 rpm? Or whatever the lowest RPM limit
is, for your engine...? I believe that is the main "trick" that
Lindbergh taught the aviators of the US Navy & Marine Corps in the
Pacific, back in '44 or so, when he was sent over to teach them to get
maximum range and endurance from their steeds.
not trying to argue, just thought I'd mention it. Your basic point -
that rockets rock - is pretty indisputable I reckon :)
Andrew
________________________________
From: owner-rocket-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-rocket-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Rob Ray
Sent: Friday, January 08, 2010 7:31 AM
Subject: Rocket-List: Rocket Efficiency, Defined!
Guys,
More on a Rocket note, I am constantly amazed by the capabilities of
this little machine. Coming home from Dallas post-Christmas I looked at
forecast winds and thought I would try to one hop it home, nearly 800NM
and really get some efficiency numbers. With 54 gallons of 100LL on
board( 10 gallon aux tanks) I launched, cruise climbed to 11,500 and
after letting my Ly-Con built IO-540 with GAMI injectors settle down I
began to lean to 50 Degrees LOP and 33 degrees advance on my EI. With
just under 20" MP and 2375 RPM I consistently showed 10.4 GPH at 235
Knots GS, a nice tailwind indeed. Being a Saturday and knowing the
Whiskey areas would be cold I requested direct to home, straight over
the Golfo De Mexico, went on O2 and climbed to 15,500 increasing my GS
to 252 knots retaining the same FF. When I finally began my descent into
the swamp I still had nearly 20 gallons of fuel on board, landing on my
1500 ft grass strip with 16 gallons left.
My Rocket is definitely not the fastest on the block with my oversize
tires, caked mud and large tailwheel dragging in the breeze, but it
truly shows what John's design is capable of.
BTW, the tach almost clicked over 1000 hours as I flew over the house,
looking forward to several thousand more!
Rob "Smokey" Ray
HR2
--- On Wed, 1/6/10, nico css <nico@cybersuperstore.com> wrote:
From: nico css <nico@cybersuperstore.com>
Subject: Rocket-List: FW: What was the slowest you ever flew the
Blackbird?(MWH)
To: "'nico'" <nico@nicsysco.com>
Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 6:29 PM
<nico@cybersuperstore.com>
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
Brian Shul, Retired SR-71 Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine.
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the
question
I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can
be assured of
hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's
an
interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed,
but there
really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give
you a little
more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a
minute.
Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and
never wanted
to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any
limits of
temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own
individual "high"
speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over
Libya when
Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order.
Let's just say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly
took us to
Mach numbers we hadn't previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my
presentations,
someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the
Blackbird?"
This was a first.
After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I
had never
shared before, and relayed the following.
I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my
back-seater,
Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and
the Iron
Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base. As
we scooted
across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF
base in the
English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air
cadet commander
there was a former Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a
motivating
moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low
approach. No
problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling
over the
North Sea, we proceeded to find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the
back seat,
and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic
speeds, we
found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze.
Like most
former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a
small tower
and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were
close and that
I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing
but trees as
far as I could see in the haze.
We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from 325
knots we
were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just
uncomfortable. Walt
said we were practically over the field-yet; there was nothing
in my
windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling
maneuver in hopes
of picking up anything that looked like a field. Meanwhile,
below, the cadet
commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in
order to
get a prime view of the fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with
no wind and
partial gray overcast.
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be
below us
but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we
continued to
peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our
power back, the
awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors
in my flying
career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges.
As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my
heart stopped
and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full
forward. At this
point we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight
bank.
Just at the moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous
roar of
flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell
into full view
of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still
quiet of that
morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in
their face as
the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower
side of the
infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be
described as
some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.
Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to
Mildenhall without
incident. We didn't say a word for those next 14 minutes.
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both
certain he was
reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and
said the
commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had
ever seen,
especially how we had surprised them with such a precise
maneuver that could
only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the
cadet's hats
were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in
full
afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable.
Walt and I both understood the concept of "breathtaking" very
well that
morning, and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to
see our low
approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits
to flight
suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the
pass."
Finally, Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six
knots. What
did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred
fifty-two."
We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever do
that to me
again!"
And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall
Officer's
club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an
SR-71
fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story
included kids
falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet
singed their
eyebrows.
Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in
our hands,
he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had
occurred.
Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a
routine low
approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane."
Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my
audience that day
that it would become one of the most popular and most requested
stories.
It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's
fastest jet
can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good
idea to keep
that cross-check up, and keep your Mach up, too.
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| Subject: | Rocket Efficiency, Defined! |
>From what I know, the better fuel economy at lower RPM's is due to less air
being pumped per minute. Theoretically, an engine working at 1,000 rpm as
apposed to 3,000 rpm, just as an example, pumps 1/3rd of the air, which has
a greater impact on the fuel burn even at higher mixture settings due to
higher MP's. The net gain is positive at lower RPM's. There would be, I
assume, an envelope in which that is true, in theory.
Just my 2c worth.
Nico
_____
From: owner-rocket-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-rocket-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of ACTIVE NZ -
Andrew
Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2010 10:01 PM
Subject: RE: Rocket-List: Rocket Efficiency, Defined!
Couldn't agree more Smokey - I've flown a bunch of different aircraft, but
nothing, NOTHING, can touch my Rocket. Except another Rocket, and some of
you guys seem to have slightly faster ones than I do - I true out at max
cruise (2500 rpm, max throttle, 5000-10,000 feet) at exactly 200 knots, and
I've heard some people true out at 205, even 210? Is that true, anyone?
And as you say the speed/economy equation is extraordinary - not to mention,
the pretty damn good "go-slow" STOL capabilities too.
Only tiny Q I have is that I was under the impression that the best economy
comes from lower RPMs, partly or wholly cos of the internal friction of the
engine. I wonder if you would have got even better figures at, say, 22" MP
and 2000 rpm? Or whatever the lowest RPM limit is, for your engine...? I
believe that is the main "trick" that Lindbergh taught the aviators of the
US Navy & Marine Corps in the Pacific, back in '44 or so, when he was sent
over to teach them to get maximum range and endurance from their steeds.
not trying to argue, just thought I'd mention it. Your basic point - that
rockets rock - is pretty indisputable I reckon :)
Andrew
_____
From: owner-rocket-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-rocket-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Rob Ray
Sent: Friday, January 08, 2010 7:31 AM
Subject: Rocket-List: Rocket Efficiency, Defined!
Guys,
More on a Rocket note, I am constantly amazed by the capabilities of this
little machine. Coming home from Dallas post-Christmas I looked at forecast
winds and thought I would try to one hop it home, nearly 800NM and really
get some efficiency numbers. With 54 gallons of 100LL on board( 10 gallon
aux tanks) I launched, cruise climbed to 11,500 and after letting my Ly-Con
built IO-540 with GAMI injectors settle down I began to lean to 50 Degrees
LOP and 33 degrees advance on my EI. With just under 20" MP and 2375 RPM I
consistently showed 10.4 GPH at 235 Knots GS, a nice tailwind indeed. Being
a Saturday and knowing the Whiskey areas would be cold I requested direct to
home, straight over the Golfo De Mexico, went on O2 and climbed to 15,500
increasing my GS to 252 knots retaining the same FF. When I finally began my
descent into the swamp I still had nearly 20 gallons of fuel on board,
landing on my 1500 ft grass strip with 16 gallons left.
My Rocket is definitely not the fastest on the block with my oversize
tires, caked mud and large tailwheel dragging in the breeze, but it truly
shows what John's design is capable of.
BTW, the tach almost clicked over 1000 hours as I flew over the house,
looking forward to several thousand more!
Rob "Smokey" Ray
HR2
--- On Wed, 1/6/10, nico css <nico@cybersuperstore.com> wrote:
From: nico css <nico@cybersuperstore.com>
Subject: Rocket-List: FW: What was the slowest you ever flew the
Blackbird?(MWH)
What was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?
Brian Shul, Retired SR-71 Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine.
As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question
I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of
hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an
interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there
really isn't one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little
more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute.
Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted
to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of
temperature or speed. Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own individual "high"
speed that he saw at some point on some mission. I saw mine over Libya when
Khadafy fired two missiles my way, and max power was in order.
Let's just say that the plane truly loved speed and effortlessly took us to
Mach numbers we hadn't previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one of my presentations,
someone asked, "what was the slowest you ever flew the Blackbird?"
This was a first.
After giving it some thought, I was reminded of a story that I had never
shared before, and relayed the following.
I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my back-seater,
Walt Watson; we were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron
Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base. As we scooted
across Denmark in three minutes, we learned that a small RAF base in the
English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-past. The air cadet commander
there was a former Blackbird pilot, and thought it would be a motivating
moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach. No
problem, we were happy to do it. After a quick aerial refueling over the
North Sea, we proceeded to find the small airfield.
Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment in the back seat,
and began to vector me toward the field. Descending to subsonic speeds, we
found ourselves over a densely wooded area in a slight haze. Like most
former WWII British airfields, the one we were looking for had a small tower
and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that
I should be able to see the field, but I saw nothing. Nothing but trees as
far as I could see in the haze.
We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from 325 knots we
were at. With the gear up, anything under 275 was just uncomfortable. Walt
said we were practically over the field-yet; there was nothing in my
windscreen. I banked the jet and started a gentle circling maneuver in hopes
of picking up anything that looked like a field. Meanwhile, below, the cadet
commander had taken the cadets up on the catwalk of the tower in order to
get a prime view of the fly-past. It was a quiet, still day with no wind and
partial gray overcast.
Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us
but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it. The longer we continued to
peer out the window and circle, the slower we got. With our power back, the
awaiting cadets heard nothing. I must have had good instructors in my flying
career, as something told me I better cross-check the gauges.
As I noticed the airspeed indicator slide below 160 knots, my heart stopped
and my adrenalin-filled left hand pushed two throttles full forward. At this
point we weren't really flying, but were falling in a slight bank.
Just at the moment that both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of
flame (and what a joyous feeling that was) the aircraft fell into full view
of the shocked observers on the tower. Shattering the still quiet of that
morning, they now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their face as
the plane leveled and accelerated, in full burner, on the tower side of the
infield, closer than expected, maintaining what could only be described as
some sort of ultimate knife-edge pass.
Quickly reaching the field boundary, we proceeded back to Mildenhall without
incident. We didn't say a word for those next 14 minutes.
After landing, our commander greeted us, and we were both certain he was
reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the
commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen,
especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could
only be described as breathtaking. He said that some of the cadet's hats
were blown off and the sight of the plan form of the plane in full
afterburner dropping right in front of them was unbelievable.
Walt and I both understood the concept of "breathtaking" very well that
morning, and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low
approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from space suits to flight
suits, we just sat there-we hadn't spoken a word since "the pass."
Finally, Walter looked at me and said, "One hundred fifty-six knots. What
did you see?" Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred fifty-two."
We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt said, "Don't ever do that to me
again!"
And I never did.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the Mildenhall Officer's
club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71
fly-past that he had seen one day. Of course, by now the story included kids
falling off the tower and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their
eyebrows.
Noticing our HABU patches, as we stood there with lunch trays in our hands,
he asked us to verify to the cadets that such a thing had occurred.
Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably just a routine low
approach; they're pretty impressive in that plane."
Impressive indeed.
Little did I realize after relaying this experience to my audience that day
that it would become one of the most popular and most requested stories.
It's ironic that people are interested in how slow the world's fastest jet
can fly. Regardless of your speed, however, it's always a good idea to keep
that cross-check up, and keep your Mach up, too.
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