Wed, Feb 09, 2011
Record Set September 11th Using High-Octane Sustainable
Fuel
The world governing body for air sports and aeronautical world
records has confirmed Richard "Smokey" Young set an official
international airspeed record on Sept. 11 using an unleaded,
sustainable general aviation fuel. The Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale, based in Lausanne, Switzerland,
validated that the flight established a new 100-kilometer
closed-course speed record for a piston engine aircraft weighing
between 300 and 500 kilograms.
Young flew from the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in
Thermal, CA, to the Salton Sea and back at an average speed of
242.7 mph using SwiftFuel developed by Swift Enterprises Ltd., a
firm based at the Purdue Research Park. He broke the record of 233
mph set in 2004 with leaded aviation gasoline. "I chose SwiftFuel
because it is the only credible renewable, unleaded fuel I have
seen," Young said. "As I researched SwiftFuel, I became more
convinced that 'green' fuel is the direction general aviation needs
to move."
Young, who is an instructor in the Aviation Pilot Training
Program at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., explained
how the record flight will impact his race team's future. "This
record flight helped verify the performance characteristics of
clean-burning Swift 100SF and signals our race team's commitment to
exploring eco-friendly alternatives to the current blends of
aviation gasoline," Young said. "We hope to continue this program
by establishing other speed records and through the exclusive use
of biofuel in air show performances."
The record flight was sponsored by Tradition Aviation, which
also hosted flight testing and provided hangar space in their
facility at the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport. Engine work
was performed by Pacific Continental Engines based in Pacoima,
CA.
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