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How Fast is My Airplane?
A good radar gun or some type of speed trap is the most
accurate way to determine your airplane's speed. To get
a fairly good idea of how fast your airplane flies—without
any high-tech equipment—is quite easy.
All you need to know is the rpm and pitch (in inches) of
the propeller. The propeller pitch is the distance the
propeller will advance in one revolution. (Technical
Editor's note: The pitch is actually slightly less than that,
but close enough to use for this purpose.)
To find the speed, follow this simple equation:
rpm x pitch x .000947 = speed.
The .000947 converts the pitch inches and the
revolutions per minute into miles per hour. For example, if
your motor has a propeller with a 6-inch pitch that turns at
12,000 rpm, the airplane will probably have a top speed
of roughly 68 mph. (12,000 x 6 x .000947 = 68 mph.)
If your model is aerodynamically clean, this figure will be
close; however, if you have a draggy airplane—such as
rigged biplane—you could loose 10% to 20% of your
speed.
By Don Johnson, editor
from the Tri-Lakes RC Flying Club, Kimberling City MO
New Business:
John Moen and Darin Nichols counted the votes for
election of officers. The results are as follows. We
received 15 ballots. Membership stands at over 40
members.
For President:
Doug Goldman
9 votes
Kevin Keuhn
5 votes
Leon Olszewski
1 vote
For Vice President:
John Moen
8 votes
Wayne Barta
7 votes
For Secretary/Treasurer:
Kevin Keuhn
8 votes
Rusty Selkow
7 votes
For Safety Officer:
Doug McFarland
6 votes
Darin Nichols
5 votes
Rusty Selkow
4 votes
Also: 2 new Board members must be appointed. These
positions will be appointed by the new president, and
must be one of our new officers.
Current Board members are: Doug Goldman
Rusty Selkow
Wayne Barta
John Moen
Leon has proposed a point system to promote flying at
area events, with prizes to be given away at the end of
the summer to those with the most points.
50/50 drawing winner is John Moen, he donated the
$8.00 to the club. Thanks John!
Update to freq. List, Wayne Barta is on channel 55 only.
Meeting adjourned.
Kevin gave a flying demonstration of his new R3D, he
flew in a small room at the meeting. Look for photos of
this on our web site soon!
After meeting activities included a gathering at a nearby
pilots lounge, several beverages were consumed, and
fun had by all.
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