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Aviation History
1969
1969 - 1077.PDF
984 FLIGHT International, 12 June 1969. te Fl US FORMULA RACING WITH THE APPROACH of formula racing in Britain it might be appropriate to look' at the development of formula contests in America, where handicap racing is un known. Much of today's American racing can be traced back to the 1930s, when the first formulas were little more than limits on piston displacement. Today, extensive regulations have helped create safer, less costly racing with consistently closer finishes than were seen in the so-called "Golden Age." In the past few years, American air racing has solidified its transition from an arm of aeronautical development into which firms,such as Thompson Products and Bendix poured $100,000 (£41,700) and more during the annual Cleveland Air Races, to a sport offering competition and entertainment on a par with car and boat racing. Today, most prize money is furnished by the race organiser who hopes to get it back and make a profit from gate receipts: only now is it rising above $50,000 (£20,800) for a major meeting. The typical national meeting involves three to five classes, each of which will have some two, three or four elimination races leading to a consolation and a championship race, each for five to seven aeroplanes. Six-pylon oval courses measure at least 8 miles in circumference for Unlimited Class races and H or 3 miles for all other classes. Unlimited Class The direct descendant of the Thompson and Bendix Trophy Races of the 1930s, which split into Recipro cating and Jet Divisions in 1946 to 1949. It is currently open to reciprocating-engined aeroplanes with a take-off weight under 21,0001b. Prize money will climb from $20,000 (£8,350) in 1968 to $35,000 (£14,600) this year, but remains far short of $55,000 (£22,900) awarded at Cleveland in 1949. The future is none too bright, due to the diminishing supply of racers, and the solution may be 500 to 600 cu in home-builts. Formula One First raced in 1947 as Goodyear Trophy Class, later as 190 cu in class and now Formula One. Its achieved purpose was the solution to problems of cost, safety and reduced competitiveness which threatened pre-World War II racing. The class started off fast, with Goodyear's guaranteed $25,000 (£10,400) race for three consecutive years. The biggest purse of 1969 will be $18,000 (£7,500), but the total for the season's five events will be a record $70,000 + (£29,000+1. Specifications include a minimum wing area of 66 sq ft; minimum empty weight of 5001b; engines limited to stock Continental C85, C90 and O-200; fixed-pitch propeller; non-retractable landing gear; standard aviation fuel; strict requirements for visibility, and flight tests for new and modified racers. The only major rule change in 22 years was an increase in engine size from 190 to 201 cu in; the minimum weight restriction was removed in the 1950s and replaced in 1966. The future is bright, due to close competition. Sport Biplane Class Created casually in 1964 in response to pilots' requests. Specifications, formalised in 1966, call for a minimum 75 sq ft wing area; 293 cu in maximum piston displacement (souping-up is allowed until January I, 1970; stock after that); other rules similar to Formula One. Prize money was kept relatively low to discourage costly modifica tions, but in this it did not succeed. Purses started at $1,000 (£417) and will this year exceed $7,500 (£3,130) for one meeting and $25,000 (£10,400) for the season. At first, all racers were standard home-built designs, with the trend to special racers developing in 1968. The future will see the emphasis on aerodynamic refinements. Women's Stock Plane Class Started in 1964 as a race for Cherokee 180s, it was opened to any four-seat, retractable gear, single-engine aeroplane of no more than 300 h.p. in 1966. Purses have risen from a few hundred dollars to the current level of $7,500 (£3,130). A typical race attracts eight to ten aeroplanes, with Meyers/Aero Commander 200 the favourite, but most races have been won by the Bonanza, and now the Waeo/SIAI Marchetti SF260. Pilot and race organiser interest is not keeping pace with other classes; and the future could see women switch to sport biplanes. AT-6 Class Begun at Cleveland in 1946 as a women's race with yearly variations on allowable modifications, it returned in 1968 as a men's race for stock aircraft. The class offers noise and very close competition, rather than individuality. Purses range from $2,500 (£1,040) to $7,500 (£3,130), but they probably won't go much higher unless racers are made more interesting by permitting significant modifications. Formula Vee Specifications were approved in 1965, but as yet no races have been held nor racers completed. It was patterned after the 1965 Rollason Design Competition. Wing area minimum is 75 sq ft; engines must be stock Volkswagen of no more than 1,600 c.c. displacement; novel rules on minimum cockpit size are aimed at making aeroplanes more practical. The future, if any, probably depends on some dynamic catalyst to turn the high level of interest into hardware. DON BERLINER This unusual shot of a Piper Cherokee was taken by a remote-control camera fitted to the wing-tip as the aircraft flew low over Batlyfree air strip during the International Round-Ireland Air Rally at the end of last month. The Trophy for the Light Aircraft Pilot of the Year was won by Michael Ryan from London
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