Timz From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 6468 posts, RR: 8 Posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 12 hours ago) and read 1533 times:
Caption for a photo on p41 of Air Line Pilot for July 1970:
"James R. Bede (center), Cleveland aircraft designer and pilot, shows off a model of the "powered glider" he designed and flew to a world record 8,924 nonstop miles."
The caption goes on to suggest that the record was observed by the NAA-- so you'd think it would be in the record book, unless somebody beat it since. I haven't found any such thing.
Was it a misprint? Anybody know what the actual record was?
DeltaASA16 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 9 hours ago) and read 1480 times:
People have flown Gliders for over 1000 miles at a time! Not motor powered either! Just catch that big ass thermal and ride it way up and ride between thermals between states(USA)
8924 seems like a big stretch....But then again, in the record books, a person flew a Cessna for about 51-52 days nonstop! Refueling by air!
FSPilot747 From United States of America, joined Oct 1999, 3599 posts, RR: 14 Reply 3, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 9 hours ago) and read 1472 times:
"a person flew a Cessna for about 51-52 days nonstop"
I do not think I could survive that. Where the hell did he go to the bathroom?
Illini_152 From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 1000 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 9 hours ago) and read 1471 times:
Same way we did when towing banners, probibly. Go in the piss jar. Or use a relief tube.
Happy contrails - I support B747Skipper and Jetguy
2912n From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 2013 posts, RR: 9 Reply 5, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 9 hours ago) and read 1464 times:
This is the Jim Bede of BD-5 fame. The record setting plane was a conversion of a Schweizer sailplane (2-32 I think...) Called the BD-2. Records were set in 10-69 for distance over a closed course.
2912n From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 2013 posts, RR: 9 Reply 6, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 8 hours ago) and read 1461 times:
This was probably Jim Bede's best known design (at least to carry his name...) He was invovled in the design of several famous a/c. No luck so far trying to find the actual record, although it is quoted in several places on the web.
Looks like the longest glider flight is 1646 km out and return, there are others out there.
Couldn't find the one for the motor glider.
Looks like the highest absolute altitude a glider has reached is 14938m or 49790ft.
It's not just only thermals that can get you the long flight, if you've got a good ridge lift, you can follow a mountain range for a long way. Once you get hight enough you can catch the rotors (the ones that powered airplanes avoid because of turbulence) to go higher.
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from surviving bad judgement.
HlywdCatft From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5321 posts, RR: 7 Reply 8, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 6 hours ago) and read 1436 times:
<
<<
Same way we did when towing banners, probibly. Go in the piss jar. Or use a relief tube.>>
Illini_152 From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 1000 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (10 years 2 months 1 week 3 hours ago) and read 1417 times:
High protien, low fibre diet helped, but we never flew more than 6.5 hours nonstop, so I never really had a problem with it. However, I've heard stories from those that didn't have as good control of their bowels the following story:
Nowhere to land, our intrepid aviatior had a pressing problem. He HAD to go. Turn away at this point if you are easily offended. Ok, knew you were all still here. Our resourceful hero undid his seatbelt and slid back the canopy (did I mention this happened in an Ercoupe?). He elevated his posterior above the seat and spread a sectional across it. He took care of business, wrapped up the package, and jettisoned it over the side.
At this point he realized that he just threw out his chart. D'oh!
Seriously, from my experience, it's something you just get good a controling. I've never actually had to use my piss jar. Intentional dehydration might have something to do with it though.
--
Mike
Happy contrails - I support B747Skipper and Jetguy
Airbus Lover From Malaysia, joined Apr 2000, 3248 posts, RR: 10 Reply 10, posted (10 years 2 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 1392 times:
How can you refuel a Cessna single prop in mid-air? Custom built fueling vents like those military fighters? who supplies the fuel? I am sure tankers cant fly in front of the cessna due to wake .
Timz From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 6468 posts, RR: 8 Reply 11, posted (10 years 2 months 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 1357 times:
You fly 2-3 meters above the runway while the guys drive the truck along the runway and hand up fuel. The record was just over 60 days in a C172. In 1958, maybe.
Illini_152 From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 1000 posts, RR: 2 Reply 13, posted (10 years 2 months 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1325 times:
You've never flown a Cessna, have you? A skyhawk stalls at around 45 knots, and can fly quite comfortably in ground effect at 55 knots or so, thats 63mph. Figure in a headwind, and you're going even slower.
--
Mike
Happy contrails - I support B747Skipper and Jetguy
Timz From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 6468 posts, RR: 8 Reply 14, posted (10 years 2 months 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 1305 times:
2912n mentioned the BD-2, and now I see that a BD-2 (powered by a 210-hp Continental) flew a 10000-mile closed circuit in 1981. So I guess it's not a misprint-- it just wasn't a glider or motorglider record.
Presumably the 1981 record is still the greatest distance ever flown nonstop unrefuelled by a single-engine aircraft?
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