*Official* Foam Board Top Speed Challenge

FlyingWithRyan

Elite member
I really wouldn't think the FAA will be camped out near any potential flying sites (in the entire US) with a radar gun. Silly thought, right?

It may have been mentioned here already but how would someone compete without access to a radar gun? Just asking. Seems like a prerequisite.
GPS tracker units are $50 ish.
 

FlyingWithRyan

Elite member
GPS? A Sound Speed App? I admit to not knowing the limitations of them so they may not track those speeds. Yes posting vid of a plane traveling definitively more the 100+mph seems to be a violation according the Current FAA 14 CFR Part 107 rules. (see section highlighted in black)
View attachment 195841
In a interest of being good Stewarts of the hobby, many will not be on board.
Forces from Air speed are (0.00256)(V^2) Velocity V is in mph.
60 mph = 9 psf, 100mph = 25.6, 150 mph = 57.9 psf, 200 mph = 102 psf

3x speed = 6x forces on the plane. (let alone turning g-force loads)
an exciting challenge.
I wonder if there are licenses
How many of you people actually have gone over a hundred clocked? Not to even mention going 100+. Then there's the issue of keeping it at that speed, a place big enough to not pull the wings off doing a turn, structural integrity......... had aileron flutter somewhere north of 100 in a dive, and by the time the sound registered as WTF?, the plane exploded and was raining very small parts. The biggest piece was the battery pack but it no longer had a wire/connector.
How many of you people actually have gone over a hundred clocked? Not to even mention going 100+. Then there's the issue of keeping it at that speed, a place big enough to not pull the wings off doing a turn, structural integrity......... had aileron flutter somewhere north of 100 in a dive, and by the time the sound registered as WTF?, the plane exploded and was raining very small parts. The biggest piece was the battery pack but it no longer had a wire/connector.
Ive done 122mph clocked with an EDF jet however that was outside of FAA airspace of course. 😉
 
I wonder if there are licenses


Ive done 122mph clocked with an EDF jet however that was outside of FAA airspace of course. 😉
Be careful - the airplane police are hiding in every shadow and behind every bush with their high tech devices just waiting for some lawless RC flyer to come along and fly really fast.
 

L Edge

Master member
Did you see HH new V1200? With 6S 5000 lipo, it can maybe top 150 with a 10 x 8 prop.

It has a wing loading of 50 oz/sq ft!!!!! As the magazine stated, it will separate the men from the boys when it comes to landings, without landing gear, it will be tear it up Heck, most of the weight is motor/prop/esc/ and the worst, the battery.

Also to keep it honest, a video showing flight one way and the another direction(that reveals wind speed) using level flight( no climbing and diving down where you can gain speed) . To go from 150 to 200? good luck.
 

OliverW

Legendary member
Did you see HH new V1200? With 6S 5000 lipo, it can maybe top 150 with a 10 x 8 prop.

It has a wing loading of 50 oz/sq ft!!!!! As the magazine stated, it will separate the men from the boys when it comes to landings, without landing gear, it will be tear it up Heck, most of the weight is motor/prop/esc/ and the worst, the battery.

Also to keep it honest, a video showing flight one way and the another direction(that reveals wind speed) using level flight( no climbing and diving down where you can gain speed) . To go from 150 to 200? good luck.
The V1200 hit 205 mph one time. People at horizon put a different prop on it, and a higher cell battery/motor, and the wings shed due to them not putting a spar in it that could handle those speeds
 

FlyingWithRyan

Elite member
Did you see HH new V1200? With 6S 5000 lipo, it can maybe top 150 with a 10 x 8 prop.

It has a wing loading of 50 oz/sq ft!!!!! As the magazine stated, it will separate the men from the boys when it comes to landings, without landing gear, it will be tear it up Heck, most of the weight is motor/prop/esc/ and the worst, the battery.

Also to keep it honest, a video showing flight one way and the another direction(that reveals wind speed) using level flight( no climbing and diving down where you can gain speed) . To go from 150 to 200? good luck.
The V1200 isnt an all out speed design though. It has very draggy components and also if Im not mistaken has an outrunner brushless setup which is less efficient and less capable than an inrunner setup. Hate to say it but you truly have no idea what you’re talking about here.
 

Piotrsko

Master member
Well goofing around I came up with: 6" pitch spinning 21000 gives you 125 mph, 8" is more realistic rpm, 10" better still since it's almost subsonic, but disclamer: I prefer long props. Cant convince me a short stick will produce the acceleration thrust to quickly get to speed. A short multi blade might work, but it all still needs a big battery, and a monster motor any prop.

Also thinking: you need a site that is at least 500 yards square unless you are good at precisely pulling high G Turns, so you'll also need a hi visibility scheme and really stable airframe. Finally: it isn't necessarily illegal to attempt over 100, but if you do measure it and you exceed you have to stop immediately. There WAS an aero club at KEDW ,where this would be legal. BUt entry and access is limited.
 

LitterBug

Techno Nut
Moderator
200 MPH = 293ish Feet per second. That is a football field every second. So yeah, LOTs of space needed. Something small moving at that speed is going to be difficult to see. The bigger it is the more wind resistance. Other option to keep it small is FPV....
 

L Edge

Master member
The V1200 isnt an all out speed design though. It has very draggy components and also if Im not mistaken has an outrunner brushless setup which is less efficient and less capable than an inrunner setup. Hate to say it but you truly have no idea what you’re talking about here.

I just repeated what was in the article in a AMA article.. My experience includes 4 years of racing at speeds of 135mph and 3 years of Formula 1 at 200mph.
Don't care about what motor/prop, I look at it from a stress aspect. A foam airplane not totalledly re-enforced will not stand up to 200 mph forces. In fact, what ever motor/prop if not balanced will probably tear out of the foam setup. How about flutter, vibrations and gusts or loss of signal?

Again, you will need an expert pilot to guide the weapon in flight and to land without damage. A 7" prop with no landing gear left vertical when it hits the ground ?
 

Claym

New member
I've got a delta wing pusher style jet that I'm pretty sure has reached speeds of 150mph or more. It's made out of foam board with a wingspan of 30 inches. A cheap 450 size heli motor was used with a 4s battery. Just a simple design that I put together in a few hours. It handles like a dream and has no negative tendencies at top speed. Has a kf type airfoil with packaging tape and hot glue used to assemble the airframe with.
 

FlyingWithRyan

Elite member
I've got a delta wing pusher style jet that I'm pretty sure has reached speeds of 150mph or more. It's made out of foam board with a wingspan of 30 inches. A cheap 450 size heli motor was used with a 4s battery. Just a simple design that I put together in a few hours. It handles like a dream and has no negative tendencies at top speed. Has a kf type airfoil with packaging tape and hot glue used to assemble the airframe with.
What prop was it on? I can basically tell you what speed it went from that.