Hi Steve / All,
Much has been said about 'Chalkie's flight,' most positive (aside from 'Digitalsound' on the African Aviation posting on Pprune, perhaps too much bass fused the two brain cells he had)
ZU-CLC, an Osprey GP4 was designed to be neutrally stable to enhance performance and being built of wood with retractable gear, is 100kg heavier than an RV-7 and for this reason could only carry 378 liters of fuel plus survival equipment / legal docs / food etc. The main spar of the GP4 is stressed to +10 / -6 G at 2400 lbs; that is only the spar, the completed wing is stronger so perhaps this would explain the 100 kg more. The GP4 was cruised at 2380 rpm as it has a vibration node between 2400 and 2450, just the spot that would be the prefferred rpm and of course 2380 resulted in an economical fuel burn.
It has taken more than 70 years for a challenger to rise to the 'Henshaw Challenge' and finally the record has been broken. Times could have been better, but bureaucracy won on the day and I do wish Steve the best of British luck. Steve still has a fight ahead of him to convince the CAA / LAA that homebuilts should be allowed to fly IFR; after all, most homebuilts are better equipped for IFR than many Cessnas / Pipers et al. Now that a South African aircraft holds the record, perhaps this is the catylist needed for the British homebuilder's group to stand together and take on the CAA. Flying Lawyer, are you going to lead the way?
In South Africa we sure have more VFR days than the UK and we are allowed to register our aircraft for day / night IFR, provided the aircraft owner / pilot has an IF Rating. Flying IFR in Europe with a South African homebuilt is legal as CLC is registered in the RSA and approved for IFR and if the aircraft is deemed to be safe in the RSA, it is safe in the 'neighbour's airspace' too. In 2003 I flew my RV-6 IFR into the UK and when ATC requested "aircraft type" it was a pleasure to announce "Romeo Victor 6" which was followed by silence...
So if a South African or American homebuilt can fly IFR in Europe, why not a local aircraft?
When Steve attempts to better my record, I will be there to assist him and perhaps submit a flight plan to Madagascar...
Regards, Chalkie.