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Q-talk 65 - OTTAWA PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FLIGHT

QBAers

The Ottawa Performance Evaluation Flight has come and gone and looking over the results I feel that we have some very interesting data.

Please note that the purpose of the event was not to see who has the fastest airplane. The primary goal was to spice up our fly-in a little bit and take the opportunity to record the performance of several aircraft under the exact same conditions. With this data at hand we can more accurately make judgments as to which modifications and/or equipment works the best. A safe event was our highest priority and I am happy to report that there were no safety problems. This is a tribute to each of the pilots that participated in the event.

Participants were asked to run the course in a fashion that was comfortable to them and record key data during the cruise portion of the course. Some guys ran their planes harder than others did. I ran mine slightly harder than my normal cruise but not full throttle. It is important to take note of the standing start. This obviously hurt the overall event speed but was the safest method to start the event. The course that all participants followed was a triangular shaped route of 60 statute miles. The event was run at 1:30 p.m., the temperature was 89 degrees, the air was somewhat bumpy and it was so humid you could cut the air with a knife. Well, it felt pretty humid to me. Everyone started from a standing start on the runway. Time was started when the wheels started rolling. After takeoff all participants climbed to 2500' MSL and flew the remainder of the course at this altitude. Each turn point was located over an airport and each pilot was asked to make the turn to the outside and around the airport. The finish was flown at 2500' MSL over the Ottawa airport. Time was stopped when each plane was directly overhead.

The data gathered at this event is presented to you for your own analysis. I have found it extremely entertaining comparing the numbers. We have some very good information on Q200's. Sadly, there is not enough consistency in the remaining aircraft (type, equipment, etc.) to draw many conclusions. I am disappointed at being the only Q2 to run the event. I looked forward to seeing how my bird compared to others of like equipment before my conversion to a Subaru engine.

Terry Crouch did 110 MPH!! I found this very impressive. Way to go Terry!

I want to offer a BIG "Thank You" to all those that participated. You offered your time, aircraft and fuel to help all of us learn more about our planes. Thanks!!

Another BIG "Thank You" to the ground crew. Without Terry Sickler, Gene Knapp, Brian Christian, Alan Thayer, Chip Palmer, Pam Finley and Kris Browne we would not have this valuable data. Thank you very much!

Jon Finley, Bloomington, MN



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