STOL drag racing is a growing thing and it's coming to the Reno Air Races (Vids inside!)

"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond) 03/22/2019 at 16:31 • Filed to: Planelopnik, Air Racing, Aircraft, Airplanes

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From a dead stop, takeoff. Literally. Fly straight ahead at full-power, accelerating. You cannot land until on or past the 1-mile white line ahead. Come to a full stop, spin 180 degrees around, then ram that power in and takeoff back to the start line, where you can’t land until on or past it. At a full stop, it’s all about total elapsed time.

Did you beat the Draco? (A turbine powered 680hp Wilga) What about that light weight 140hp turbo Rotax Kitfox? Yup. A bunch of back country enthusiasts found a way to really measure an envelope of performance. This is that 0-100-0 race in a car, twice in a row. Time penalties come from landing short of the line in 10 ft. increments and not coming to a full stop on either end. It all adds up in total time. So much technique goes into making a time that can overcome most any airplane deficiency.

Here is a video form the competitor’s viewpoint. Trent makes a lot of back country videos of himself and his Kitfox.

(Trent’s racing video segments below start at 7:50)

I can think of plenty of ways to play in your spare time, but this is a new one, and I think this is an excellent way to rid yourself of those pesky and heavy bags of gold bricks you’ve been complaining about!

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Grindintosecond 03/22/2019 at 16:40

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Oh I’m INTO this.

3point8isgreat > Grindintosecond 03/22/2019 at 16:42

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I assume there’s also a line you have to take-off before? Otherwise you could get “I didn’t land before the 1-mile line. I just didn’t take-off before it.”

Grindintosecond > 3point8isgreat 03/22/2019 at 17:33

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Probably just an airborne requirement beca u se a Cessna 180 most likely uses up the most runway given the other talent. If so, I would bet it’s a few hundred feet or something out of the mile measured out.