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1 month ago | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
In a strategic move sure to rattle air racing’s pylons, Sport Class Air Racing has adopted a new set of wide ranging technical specifications. For over 25 years the Sport class mandated propellers and no more than 1,000 cubic inches displacement from as many piston engines as you’d like. Power adders such as supercharging, water injection and nitrous were unrestricted.
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2 months ago | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
It takes many things to build an airplane to completion. Time for sure; money, of course. Some skills, many of which you learn along the way. But among the greatest of a successful builder’s attributes is an unshakable belief in tomorrow. Indeed, faith in the future must be the strongest motive, the greatest inoculation against the torrent of life’s impediments, the very reason to “take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them,” to borrow from the bard.
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Jan 20, 2025 | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
Moments of clarity can be startling if only for their rarity in my case. But it’s precisely the surprise when innocent synapses are forged into meaningful new connections that makes those rare moments so memorable. I just never expected to have such an aviation episode while navigating my stairwell. Certainly the setup was prosaic enough.
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Jan 6, 2025 | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
Welcome to our annual Engine Buyer’s Guide, where we try to dissect what’s new, what’s old and what’s changed in the world of Experimental-intended powerplants. Last year we reported the supply chain issues vexing aviation engines were slowing down. We were partially right. The majority of engines and parts are more readily available now, but stubbornly many remain elusive, especially for the big mainstream manufacturers.
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Nov 10, 2024 | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
Started in 1997 by Eric Whyte and Erik Anderson, the AirVenture Cup offers its own twist on the traditional point-to-point air race. Namely, it is not run in a straight line, but in a series of straight legs forming a circle. This allows participants to end up where they started, reducing logistical headaches and easing the transition from AirVenture Cup on Sunday to hopping down to Oshkosh for AirVenture proper by Monday.
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Oct 26, 2024 | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
With so much new at Las Cruces last weekend (October 19-20, 2024), there are details behind the racing worth noting. Firstly, the races were the first unrestricted pylon races of the post-Reno era. That the Sport Class has organized itself into an FAA-recognized entity capable of obtaining insurance and putting on all-out speed contests is a noteworthy accomplishment before the first propeller turned.
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Oct 24, 2024 | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
From a Sport Class air racing perspective the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo held last weekend was a great success. Unfortunately the event was marred by the loss of the experienced Chuck Coleman while flying an Extra 300 in a tumbling aerobatic display during the air show portion of the event. This lead to Las Cruces authorities terminating the LCA&SE after the crash so the final Sport Gold race was not held and results awarded on the basis of Saturday’s heat race.
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Oct 19, 2024 | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
Wind was the word yesterday during the Sport Class’ first ever unfettered qualifying session in Las Cruces, New Mexico. This, the first ever unrestricted air racing of the post-Reno era saw gusty winds as a cold front moved through, resulting in a bumpy ride that besides being uncomfortable for the pilots, robs a few mph of lap time. Expected top-qualifier Andrew Findlay ran into injector issues thanks to minor debris floating around the fuel system.
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Oct 17, 2024 | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
Can’t make it to Las Cruces this weekend for the pylon races? Not to worry, Brian Murray is hosting a livestream feed from the Sport Class races so we can all follow the action as it happens.
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Oct 15, 2024 | 
kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson |Pumping avgas
Got the stuff for a Pancho Barnes look-alike contest? If so, you’ll want to cruise on over to Mojave, California (KMHV) this Friday and Saturday for the Mojave Experimental Fly-In.The mirror cracking contest comes at the end of the two-day event. The fun begins Friday evening with stacks of pizza along with a kid-centric model airplane building and test flying; this occurs indoors at the Stu Witt Center on the airport. It’s a walkable quarter mile plus from the flight line.
