Longest Flight on a Home Built Airplane !

[Bokrijder]

Originally Posted by Beemer Bob

No, I'm not kidding....There are plenty of professional shops building EXP airplanes, flying off the 40 hours and selling to a customer. Not on the scale of Rutan but professional non the less.

+1 on that


"I can't believe we are comparing Scaled Composites to some guy that has to ask his wife to park the minivan in the driveway so his fuselage can cure in the garage."

That's pretty much the way Rutan started out.

Bokrijder

[scottfromboston]

All of this discussion is kind of irrelevant, as the record was issued for longest non-stop single-engine flight. Impressive.

[EsconDeasy]

I just want to say both accomplishments are pretty cool.

I just love the thrill of switching over to reserve on my XR650L and slowing to 50 to get max range. I sometimes imagine I'm on an over water flight and I might have to coast it in like airtransat 236

[Fishizl]

**note the oil burn - none !

March 5, 2013 - It's been quite a long week for Bill Harrelson, EAA 257277, of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Long-distance, that is.

On February 24, he flew nonstop in his modified Lancair IV (N-6ZQ) from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana, to Honolulu, Hawaii, a 22.5-hour flight of about 4,000 nautical miles. On February 26, he flew from Honolulu to Guam - 17.6 hours, 3,000 nm. Then on March 1 (February 28 on this side of the international date line) he set an unofficial record for a nonstop flight - from Guam to Jacksonville, Florida - totaling 38 hours, 29 minutes aloft over a distance of 7,051 nm!

When verified, that will shatter the 26-year-old world record for distance flown in a Class C-1d airplane weighing between 1,500 and 3,000 kilograms. The previous record was set in 1987 by Australian Peter Wilkins, who flew 6,890.2 nm nonstop in a Piper PA-46 Malibu Mirage from Sydney, Australia, to Phoenix, Arizona.

EAA spoke with Bill Monday as he was preparing to send the verifying data to the National Aeronautic Association. When confirmed, NAA will forward that info to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) for world record verification.

"They told me I needed to fly 40 hours, so I thought I would do it all at once," joked Harrelson, who is also an airline pilot. His aircraft, which he spent eight years building "from the ground up with these kinds of flights in mind," is specially outfitted for the extra fuel required. He departed Guam with 361 gallons of fuel and landed with 6 gallons in Jacksonville.

That was far less fuel than anticipated - the result of being about four hours behind schedule due to stronger-than-forecasted headwinds and weaker-than-expected tailwinds. "I don't recall a winter flight across the U.S. where there was little or no tailwind," he said.

Key to N-6ZQ's marathon flight capabilities is a 13-gallon header tank, which feeds the custom Barrett IO-550 engine. The header tank is fed by other tanks in the wing and additional auxiliary tanks as fuel is pumped to the header by three transfer pumps, each on its own electrical system.

All that fuel gave N-6ZQ a takeoff weight of 4,449 pounds. Average fuel burn worked out to a little more than 9 gallons per hour, ranging from 11 gph at his heaviest to 8 gph at lighter weights.

Harrelson plans to attend AirVenture Oshkosh this summer to let the aviation world see his record-setting Lancair IV.

Flight Facts

Engine: Barrett IO-550 non-turbo, 10:1 pistons, oversized oil sump, GAMI injectors, mags
The Lancair IV falls into Class C-1d in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale classification system (landplane, internal combustion powered, 1,500 to 3,000 kilograms).
Official takeoff weight: 4,449 pounds (2017.6 kilograms)
Total fuel on board at engine start: 361 gallons
Total fuel on board at engine shutdown: 6 gallons
Fuel burned: 355 gallons
Oil quantity on engine start: 14 quarts
Oil added: None
Oil quantity on landing back home in Virginia: 14 quarts
Total oil consumption: None (Thank you, Allen Barrett & crew!)
Great Circle distance between PGUM and KJAX - 13,059 kilometers, 7,051 nm, 8,114 statute miles
Time aloft: 38 hours, 29 minutes
Average fuel consumption: 9.2 gph. Cruise ranged from 11 gph heavy to 8 gph light.
Average ground speed: 183 knots
Average cruise TAS: 180 knots

[UngaWunga]

Originally Posted by BillsR100

For other non pilots such as myself, this is what a Lancair IV looks like (thanks google)

that is one sexy little airplane....

[Bokrijder]

Great accomplishment !!

Aviation folks ( we ) are a bit jaded over claims being made for first or fastest or this or that.. You can get a glimpse as to why when you note the class breakdown for the award. A lot of room is made for claims of being first.
THE FIRST !!! - class such and such & the claimant's very fine print (while wearing a green hat, dark sunglasses, and drinking Tang for the entire flight)
This stuff happens and gets press.

An undertaking such as this takes an incredible amount of fortitude - for all of the technology, work, planning, etc. ; Mother nature can make all for naught in the snap of the fingers.

Bokrijder