flyingriki
New member
Experimental Performance
I know some of you guys live to bash us so go for it! Hope this fellow doesn't mind the cross post, identity deleted....
Recently I picked up an oxygen system and have been putting it to good use flying back and fourth between Houston, TX and Greenville, SC.
Typically the east bound flights take less than five hours and going west can add as much as an hour. Also, the east bound flights tend to be higher than west bound because I'm trying to take advantage of the winds or avoid them. Even with good tailwinds I usually land half way for a bio break and $4.45 a gallon fuel.
Even though my engine has a carburetor hanging from the oil sump, the dual P-mags allow me to run LoP, which helps with my fuel burn.
Today pretty much the entire US was covered with clear skies and before leaving the office I checked the winds aloft. 15,000 feet was forecast to be going my way at 35 to 40 knots. I thought that if I could get up there, then maybe I would have enough push to make the 720 mile flight non-stop.
Leaving Pearland (KLVJ) I contacted Ellington Departure and asked for flight following, which they promptly gave me and cleared me into Houston's Class Bravo at or below 3,000'. That is what I have come to expect, no big deal.
When Ellington handed me off the next controller asked me what altitude I would like I asked for 15,500', expecting they would hold me at 6,000' until well clear of incoming traffic. When the controller cleared me directly to 15.5 I stumbled in my reply and the controller wanted me to verify I was going to head up that high.
With 15,500' and 500 FPM dialed into the SkyView, up I went. Going through 8,000' I was at wide open throttle and leaning as I went up. It was also time to turn on the oxygen.
Those long wings on the -9 are amazing!
Even though the engine could only produce 48% power at 15.5 I was still going up at 500 FPM without any hesitation. I did notice some Dutch roll going on the last 1,000 feet or so. I'm not exactly sure what that was about.
Level at 15.5 I was pickup up 40 to 50+ knot tailwinds, the Dutch roll stopped, and the air was glass smooth. Great news, I knew I could make it all the way without stopping. What I didn't count on was being able to lean the engine to where it was putting out just over 40% power while burning just a nick over five gallons per hour.
With a burn rate of 5 GPH and a Ground Speed over 200 knots, I could easily make the 720 mile flight without stopping. Had I gone up to 17.5, I could have picked up another 10 knots of tailwind. Maybe I'll do that the next trip. (My feeling was to take flying up high like that in baby steps and not jump off a cliff.)
I know some of you guys live to bash us so go for it! Hope this fellow doesn't mind the cross post, identity deleted....
Recently I picked up an oxygen system and have been putting it to good use flying back and fourth between Houston, TX and Greenville, SC.
Typically the east bound flights take less than five hours and going west can add as much as an hour. Also, the east bound flights tend to be higher than west bound because I'm trying to take advantage of the winds or avoid them. Even with good tailwinds I usually land half way for a bio break and $4.45 a gallon fuel.
Even though my engine has a carburetor hanging from the oil sump, the dual P-mags allow me to run LoP, which helps with my fuel burn.
Today pretty much the entire US was covered with clear skies and before leaving the office I checked the winds aloft. 15,000 feet was forecast to be going my way at 35 to 40 knots. I thought that if I could get up there, then maybe I would have enough push to make the 720 mile flight non-stop.
Leaving Pearland (KLVJ) I contacted Ellington Departure and asked for flight following, which they promptly gave me and cleared me into Houston's Class Bravo at or below 3,000'. That is what I have come to expect, no big deal.
When Ellington handed me off the next controller asked me what altitude I would like I asked for 15,500', expecting they would hold me at 6,000' until well clear of incoming traffic. When the controller cleared me directly to 15.5 I stumbled in my reply and the controller wanted me to verify I was going to head up that high.
With 15,500' and 500 FPM dialed into the SkyView, up I went. Going through 8,000' I was at wide open throttle and leaning as I went up. It was also time to turn on the oxygen.
Those long wings on the -9 are amazing!
Even though the engine could only produce 48% power at 15.5 I was still going up at 500 FPM without any hesitation. I did notice some Dutch roll going on the last 1,000 feet or so. I'm not exactly sure what that was about.
Level at 15.5 I was pickup up 40 to 50+ knot tailwinds, the Dutch roll stopped, and the air was glass smooth. Great news, I knew I could make it all the way without stopping. What I didn't count on was being able to lean the engine to where it was putting out just over 40% power while burning just a nick over five gallons per hour.
With a burn rate of 5 GPH and a Ground Speed over 200 knots, I could easily make the 720 mile flight without stopping. Had I gone up to 17.5, I could have picked up another 10 knots of tailwind. Maybe I'll do that the next trip. (My feeling was to take flying up high like that in baby steps and not jump off a cliff.)