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Post by Supervee on Jan 21, 2016 7:39:41 GMT -6
Thanks Joe, It will come to a point that I won't be able to do all the jobs within Supervee myself….We have to become a team, with teams within the main team. Plus, my 'personal' goal is to have Beetlebomb #14 finished and at the first ever Supervee gathering, just as it was part of the first ever Sanctioned Formula Vee race, back in 1977...
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Post by dmar836 on Jan 21, 2016 10:06:32 GMT -6
I, too, have wondered about the rules to come. I like the idea of "classes" to allow SII and other displacements but favor the original 1600cc class. I do know this forces building light which is rare today but we would otherwise likely have difficulty getting enough planes together. Another concern is safety with competition. I don't see this as "serious" big money racing(no offense - similar to the huge draw to college sports rather than professional) but must consider safety. I, for one, know of builders and planes that I choose to avoid and would never want to deal with in this arena. But I also love the idea of racing for the average guy(what Goodyear/F1 was to be and look at it now). Any ideas about how affordability meets safety without requiring expensive tech inspections and qualifications? I prefer the good ol' boy club way of doing things but as we know, there is danger even in exhibition races and someone always gets butt hurt when a rule conflicts with their ideas. I guess I've always just been in the club. Not trying to stir the pot, just inquiring of the visionaries. Dave Kansas City
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Post by Supervee on Jan 21, 2016 16:05:07 GMT -6
Dave, The Formula Vee group had a technical committee that used some functional gauging to determine eligibility. Mandatory engine tear downs at a race site can prove to be not as safe as you would think. If a guy flew his Supervee to the race, the last thing he wants is to have someone else tear down the engine, just before he plans on flying it home…In the spirit of Sport and utility, Formula Vee had some participants flying the racers to the races. If it were totally up to me, I would make Supervee a 'one engine size' racing venue….It would be easier on everybody…However, to attract many different people, personalities, and to fill the field we have divided Supervee into three different engine classes, and I am toying with the idea to allow any VW powered Sonerai 2 to be in its own class as well. There are just 3 or 4 Sonerai 2 owners who have expressed interest enough to request a race number…I was expecting more interest… IF Supervee develops into a Closed Course pylon racing class, I will have to have all competitors use the same size engine…..But having the Challenge and outback competitions that I have outlined in this forum, a racer is racing the clock, so different engine sizes works….Ed
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Jared
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by Jared on Mar 18, 2016 11:16:22 GMT -6
Hello Ed, I just purchased another S-II Midwing and am again interested in racing or helping! I remember a couple years ago when this forum was quieter than it is now and at the time I refrained from requesting a race number for my S-II as it was not finished. I have a pretty much flying plane now and feel much better asking for a number at this point. I have been looking into the Air venture Cup and remembered about this forum. I'm very glad to see some movement on here since last I looked! You are fairly close to me, as I'm in Greensboro, NC, not a long flight to central SC. I am in the process of going through all the posts on here and will be getting in contact with you regarding a race number and so on! Glad to see there is still some hopes for all this!
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Post by Supervee on Mar 18, 2016 15:21:47 GMT -6
Jared, we need all the enthusiasm we can get!!! Thanks for buying a Sonerai !! I told everybody that if there is enough interest, I would create a special division for the Sonerai 2 in all its forms….So far, two people have reserved race numbers for sonerai 2's…. Since you are in Greensboro, that is close enough where we could travel to talk about all this on a weekend sometime… We have a member over in Clinton who now owns my N4X, and he and his partner are contemplating buying another Sonerai 1 that is nearly flyable… I have always said that if we have 3 or 4 show up at an airport, we have a viable reason to have a demonstration. I have outlined the competitions on this forum before, just can't remember where. Consider joining our new Supervee Air Sports Facebook page…there is lots of pictures, and enthusiasm there is building as well…. I told you before, I love the color of your Sonerai!! Ed
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Post by dmar836 on Mar 24, 2016 15:12:43 GMT -6
I know it's kind of an outing but I'm planning to build a 1600 for my V Witt. I'm looking at 043 head castings which certainly have a "heritage" in a factory design but have better cooling are less likely to crack at the plug. I am curious what the new rules will say about engine displacement and mods. A lot as happened since the original VW adaptations. The original FV rules required factory parts but that would be very expensive and in many cases less reliable - both things we want to avoid. It is also now rare to see a 1600cc aviation engine. Just spit-ballin', Dave
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Post by Supervee on Mar 24, 2016 15:51:40 GMT -6
Dave, I have calls out to a couple of the original FV guys who are still kicking'. I am looking for the original FV rules. I lost mine in a fire years ago. I am also looking for someone with computer skills to help me re-write the rough draft rules for airframe/engine/ etc., that I already have. If you run a 1600 thats great, that airframe of yours ran a Porsche engine at least for a while…I plan on a 1600 for #14 as well, you and I will then be competing in the same division. I will say that the new rules reflect the fact that available, non Wolfsburg parts are legal. Mexico, Brasil, and places in the USA all build direct replacement heads, and AS41 Cases….. I have always tried to get performance with the smallest engine the airframe would accept. I found that always a challenge. When you see 175 mph straight and level with 1600c.c.'s, you feel as if you've accomplished something….Ed
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Post by Supervee on Mar 24, 2016 18:39:49 GMT -6
I do not plan on requiring the 'S' mod to be done on Sonerai 1 wings, while we are doing Outback and Challenge competitions, but if Supervee eventually grows into including closed-course pylon racing, the 'S' mod will be then required… Once we are an established competition organization, I will be requiring engine retention cables to attach airframe to engine, separate from mount, as Formula 1 does, and FV did in the day. Understandably, It will take a couple years for things to sort out and people to get in the groove with the rules. I anticipate our first couple of sessions will be 'demonstrations', and the tech committee will be trying to figure out how to proceed…. We need to start thinking about an organization with Officers, small dues structure, and LLC status…Right now I basically 'own' Supervee Air Sports, but eventually that will progress to an Organization. Dave Patterson, last president of FV, has offered me the FV Pylons, but it is possible that now so much time has passed, that they may not be useable….Ed
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Post by dmar836 on Mar 24, 2016 20:11:56 GMT -6
Hmmm, one might look awesome in my hangar! Dave
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Jared
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by Jared on Mar 24, 2016 22:35:25 GMT -6
I hear ya there Dave!
Ed, I just got home from work to receive my first newsletter in the mail. After reading it, and now reading this, I am extremely excited to hear all this movement going on! I may be dreaming prematurely, but I am really thinking about a Sonerai I project for next year maybe, after I get my S-II back in the air. I have a few months left of school and will have much more time to dedicate to overtime at work and spare time to a project...or two. As far as the pylons are concerned, what is their construction consist of? Do you have any closeup photos of one so we can create a new set if the old ones are no longer serviceable? Again, I'm glad to hear all the progress!
Jared
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Post by Supervee on Mar 25, 2016 7:03:51 GMT -6
Sonerai 1 airframes come available from time to time, over the years I have owned six of them…..and still have one….Jared, building from scratch can be done 100 dollars at a time, so that is interesting to many, and often, a Sonerai 1 welded up can be found for 1200 to 1600 bucks, and that is a huge head start…. The FV pylons were a center mast, with a cloth sock, and guy wires to hold it all up. To make it seem ridged and full, a small leaf blower was attached to the bottom end of the sock, so when the blower was fired up, the sock assumed a ridged shape, and after the heat race was over, the blowers were shut down, and the pylon mast retracted. Very simple, but they really wouldn't be much of a display in a workshop unless the blower was running. I have no pictures, but they may appear in some of the old raw video footage I have…. We need to all work towards the goal…which, is to have enough airplanes built and proven, that all show up at a location for a demonstration. This can only happen if we all get busy and finish our projects. ( I am talking to myself here, too !!) Once 4 to 6 aircraft are all assembled at a location, the modern cell phone cameras that everybody seems to have , will provide a ton of promotional footage, because of You-tube…..The sights and sounds will get people motivated….
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Post by dmar836 on Mar 25, 2016 10:54:23 GMT -6
We need to get that raw footage out there on Youtube as well. I'll contact you off list for this. Dave
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Jared
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by Jared on Mar 25, 2016 14:22:08 GMT -6
That would be great to convert all the VHS tapes to digital and post them Dave! I know I have read several people saying they have some, if we could get them all converted and sent to a Supervee YouTube channel would be awesome!
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Jared
Junior Member
Posts: 56
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Post by Jared on Mar 25, 2016 14:37:59 GMT -6
Ed, I was thinking along the lines of picking up an old racer or a new project that is started. I went out to the hangar today before work and messed with my S-II a little. All this talk on here has really got me wanting to do more work on it, not that I don't want to do it already. I would love to get it done soon so I can use it to get to others who would like a hand getting theirs in the air! It wouldn't be much for me to fly down to you Ed and help you for a day here and there.
Jared
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Post by Supervee on Mar 25, 2016 18:05:03 GMT -6
I will go thru some of my raw FV footage this weekend…… I just sold an old FV racer resto project, but they come available surprisingly often. I know where there is a damaged former Racer (Sonerai #17) which has another project to go with it, as a parts donor, or even a separate airplane, in Texas, for a reasonable price. Needs tons of work, but it would be good to get it and restore it. Topic of old racers…If you don't already know, Dave Patterson has kept the FV website up and running….formulav.com
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