Your top speed (so far)

[Flightrite]

Let's see some pix of yr GS, even how slow you have been too?

[farri]

Went Drifter flying in the southerly wind blowing here yesterday, I call it "aerial surfing", didn`t take any pics but at times my GS was almost zero! I could hold the Drifter into the wind, just above the stall speed of 32 kts...........Franco

[facthunter]

When the wind gets a bit stronger Franco, try a circuit in the vertical plane in your plane. No track change. Your slowest airspeed is your backwards downwind leg. Nev

[Yenn]

When I was a student pilot I landed a C150 with no forward speed. The instructor took it up and landed backwards. No photos.

[facthunter]

I've commented before about a c-150 that fell about 10 ft to the ground at Albury. Stalled the motor and just started it again and taxied away. I guess that's what I'd do if I'd just pranged in front of a Fokker F 27 waiting for me to land. 1969 it was. Hope the lady pilot got over it. Nev

[kasper]

Do not have the pics but...

Flying to Calais in my flexwing (see my avatar) in 2009 for the Bleriot centenary flight is the best I have ever managed on airspeed.

 

The morning was blowing a gale and storms coming up the channel from daybreak and we sat on the ground in Kent watching the weather radar as the sh#t was coming up the channel. By 11 it was looking lke a drop in wind and an hour or two of no rain from midday so two of us took off in close formation - single flight plan and me leading and doing radio.

 

Radar lied and forecast was no better - the winds did not drop as we arrived in France from over the channel.

 

Arrived at Calais and on downwind for 24 my airspeed of 58mph but my groundspeed was over 110mph ... turning final my groundspeed was -10mph until I went full power to make it slowly back to the runway - longest time on final in my life.

 

On touchdown - at more than cruise power - my groundspeed was 0 with power on to not be lown backwards on the runway ... and I added more power to taxi up to exit runway.

 

You live and learn ... but I was one of nearly 100 microlights that made it safely into Calais that day and flew back to the UK in celebration the following morning ... in glorious still air!

[Flightrite]

Do not have the pics but...

Flying to Calais in my flexwing (see my avatar) in 2009 for the Bleriot centenary flight is the best I have ever managed on airspeed.

 

The morning was blowing a gale and storms coming up the channel from daybreak and we sat on the ground in Kent watching the weather radar as the sh#t was coming up the channel. By 11 it was looking lke a drop in wind and an hour or two of no rain from midday so two of us took off in close formation - single flight plan and me leading and doing radio.

 

Radar lied and forecast was no better - the winds did not drop as we arrived in France from over the channel.

 

Arrived at Calais and on downwind for 24 my airspeed of 58mph but my groundspeed was over 110mph ... turning final my groundspeed was -10mph until I went full power to make it slowly back to the runway - longest time on final in my life.

 

On touchdown - at more than cruise power - my groundspeed was 0 with power on to not be lown backwards on the runway ... and I added more power to taxi up to exit runway.

 

You live and learn ... but I was one of nearly 100 microlights that made it safely into Calais that day and flew back to the UK in celebration the following morning ... in glorious still air!

Wow! Sounds scary A mate of mine has one of those things, Rotax 80 HP Trike he won't fly it above 20 kts wind?

[Flightrite]

It's funny how we strive for a fast GS (630kts my fastest) but getting a GS of 0 would be amazing!?

[farri]

When the wind gets a bit stronger Franco, try a circuit in the vertical plane in your plane. No track change. Your slowest airspeed is your backwards downwind leg. Nev

 

:whisper:Ah yes! Now! the verticle plane is another story, not to be discussed here.............Franco.

[spenaroo]

learning to fly J160's.

so think I'm still yet to beat my record of 130knts on a Suzuki Bandit 1200

Admittedly was just a fast taxi, with crosswind being a limiting factor from applying more power, and reducing throttle

Edited May 4, 2020 by spenaroo

[facthunter]

Just over the 700 Kts coming from WA . 220 Kt's tailwind component. You can notice the difference visually, with that % increase even at FL350. 1/6th of the speed to go into orbit but I even thought I felt a bit lighter. (perhaps OME can help me out there).. MxRxOmega squared I think. Nev

[facthunter]

That would have been great stuff and a great event Casper. How about we get a Bleriot XI movement going? Nev

[Flightrite]

Just over the 700 Kts coming from WA . 220 Kt's tailwind component. You can notice the difference visually, with that % increase even at FL350. 1/6th of the speed to go into orbit but I even thought I felt a bit lighter. (perhaps OME can help me out there).. MxRxOmega squared I think. Nev

 

That's sweet! I've had 200 up the clacker but was slowed down due 'traffic', at FL490? Not many operate up there!

[facthunter]

You have no airspeed range to apply at that level either. Too high for the stuff I was driving... You know the lower stuff gets priority anyhow because it's in your way. Nev

[SSCBD]

Mangalore air show back in the day - first time the thruster two seat Gemini was flown in public before actual two seat approval to carry pax. - I got grounded by air marshals for taking off vertically and landing vertically. They said it looked to dangerous in the windy conditions. In fact is was very smooth air.

And so much fun.

[Flightrite]

You have no airspeed range to apply at that level either. Too high for the stuff I was driving... You know the lower stuff gets priority anyhow because it's in your way. Nev

 

Could reduce a bit at that height, say back to M071. Yeah I know lower traffic hold you up for decent but who's up there in my way anyway?

[facthunter]

SSCBD..I flew my first Thruster at a Mangalore Airshow. Those airmarshills were notorious for being PITA's. Only allowed 300 ft. How could THAT be dangerous?. Well that was the theory anyhow behind the height limit.. It was actually more dangerous. What year are we talking about? I know they were the first two seaters. Nev

[spenaroo]

can I just say,

while we often complain about over regulation and all of the limitations.

how cool is it that we can have a talk about max speeds achieved openly.

 

no need to add "in private airspace" or "under controlled conditions" even the lakes and waterways are increasingly having speeds limited.

[facthunter]

Yes. They did restrict when and where you went through the sound barrier. Most planes have a quite narrow speed range in normal flight and you are generally so far away you seem to be going slow (unless you're LOW) which is close to the bottom edge of the sky where most bad things happen. Nev

[kasper]

Wow! Sounds scary A mate of mine has one of those things, Rotax 80 HP Trike he won't fly it above 20 kts wind?

LOL - if you didn't go out in wing and low weather in the UK you'd not get any flying in at all.

If you have any interest take a look at how to go from Stoke in Kent up to the Shuttleworth airfield of Duxford going past Stanstead ... you find yourself at 1000amsl less than half a mile from 737's full of happy tourists watcing you pootle along as they prepare for landing.

 

Wish the control areas in Australia were as tight as the UK and Europe - so much tiger country could disappear and we would not need to see controlled airspace access ...

[Old Koreelah]

Just over the 700 Kts coming from WA . 220 Kt's tailwind component. You can notice the difference visually, with that % increase even at FL350. 1/6th of the speed to go into orbit but I even thought I felt a bit lighter. (perhaps OME can help me out there).. MxRxOmega squared I think. Nev

I recall hearing that a Perth-Sydney TAA flight (perhaps a 727) had averaged supersonic ground speed because it caught a jet stream. Was that you, Nev?

Edited May 4, 2020 by Old Koreelah

[facthunter]

No mine was Perth Melbourne and I didn't tell anybody about it till now.. Chock to chock was pretty good. The normal cruise is Mach.82 so that would easily be supersonic G/S equivalent with 220 Kts. tailwind Nev

[Old Koreelah]

No mine was Perth Melbourne and I didn't tell anybody about it till now.. Chock to chock was pretty good. The normal cruise is Mach.82 so that would easily be supersonic G/S equivalent with 220 Kts. tailwind Nev

Nev I guess that tops all the others- unless there's an SR-71 pilot lurking on here...

 

[kgwilson]

Returning from Airventure at around 7500 feet it was really turbulent & I slowed down to 75-80 knots on ASI but noticed the GS was just shy of 170 knots. The highest GS for the trip was 177 knots. I got home in 2 1/2 hours.

[Old Koreelah]

Returning from Airventure at around 7500 feet it was really turbulent & I slowed down to 75-80 knots on ASI but noticed the GS was just shy of 170 knots. The highest GS for the trip was 177 knots. I got home in 2 1/2 hours.

Kevin I left the previous day, but had to stay under that soup. The highest ground speed I've ever seen in my Jodel was under 130kt- far less than I've experienced a metre above a racetrack on a GSX-R!