12-19-2020, 11:01 AM
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#2 (permalink)
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Jaded Collector
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Home at last, crewing can s¥€<%#*
Posts: 611
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Re: Speed record at sea level?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rudi
I expect a military jet to be the record holder.
"Sea level" doesn't necessarily mean a Navy jet that produces visible shock waves on the surface of the water. What I mean is just a low flight level where the air is "thick".
I know the SR-71 was more than three times faster than the speed of sound but at 80,000 feet.
Don't get me wrong... that was awesome but I just want to know how fast a jet can be at about 1,000 feet.
Is there a record?
How fast was it?
Was the limit caused by the limited engine's power or is there a physical limit that tears the plane apart?
Does the air friction cause already too much heat at a much lower speed at "sea level"?
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There is an unbroken record. The category is now just too bloody dangerous and its been, to quote the FAI “retired by changes of the sporting code”.
The late and great Darryl Greenamyer was the holder in his home built Starfighter registered N104RB, “Red Baron”. He was clocked officially at 1,590kmh over 3km at Mud Lake in 1977. That was slower than his previous year’s attempt when the tracking camera malfunctioned. I don’t know how low he was, but I think the rules were that the entire run had to be under 125 feet above the deck. Those were certainly the requirements when the “Sageburner” Phantoms made their attempts in the ‘60s. If you’re feeling ghoulish there is footage online of the first Sageburner crew meeting a very rapid end when their pitch damper failed - which shows just how dangerous it was. What the other limits were depends on the aircraft type, but unlikely thermal since that’s a function of Mach number. More likely dynamic presure related.
https://www.i-f-s.nl/f-104-records/
Last edited by Adour; 12-19-2020 at 11:17 AM.
Reason: website link
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