2009 Reno National Championship Air Races

2009 was a rough one for Team SteadFast. We experienced engine trouble in May and couldn't get it resolved in time to make the races in September. It wasn't for lack of trying though. The team worked feverishly to rectify the problem, consulting the guys in the know and we just couldn't seem to isolate the issue. Sponsorship was down and money tight so buying a spare engine ($55,000) just wasn't in the cards. Our sponsor, Ray Anderson of Anderson Aeromotive has the engine now and is investigating the source of our trouble. We hope to come back stronger than ever in 2010, with our sights set on achieving over 400 MPH and winning the Unlimited Silver.
If you are interested in seeing Team SteadFast succeed, we offer sponsorship and donation opportunities on our sponsorship page. Every little bit helps!

2008 Reno Wrap Up

    For the 2008 season Team Steadfast was able to add a considerable amount of speed with our aerodynamic modification program. Over the winter, we rebuilt the wings in their entirety. We found some factory errors and have corrected them with a little bit of work. The airplane now flies perfectly straight. We also added a servo tab system to help lighten aileron control forces at race speeds.

    We secured sponsorship from Jim Cook of Hawleys Paints to paint the Yak and we were able to do this over a period of about 3 months. We were able to aerodynamically “Smooth” the airplane using a high build primer filler and not Bondo. Then adding a nice smooth and clean paint scheme that surely brought lower drag and higher speeds. We also added a new, full wrap around after spinner which smooths airflow to the front of the engine after the spinner.

    After the aerodynamic clean up was complete, we went after the propeller and reduction nosecase. The nosecase was sponsored by Ray Anderson of Anderson Aeromotive and was a departure from the baseline thought process of those in the know. We had been trying to secure propeller sponsorship all year to develop a backup plan to our prop backup plan.

    We would flight test an Albatross HU-16 propeller on the airplane with the slow nose case giving a prop tip Mach of .92M. We ran Baseline tests on last years prop/gearing and found a speed that seemed pretty fast. We were essentially faster on a reduced power setting than we had accomplished in 2007. This was great news.

    We then put the new gearing in the airplane and had some trouble with schedules to get the new HU-16 propeller in place. Finally with 1 month to go, we were testing the new prop and had modified last years Tracker blades to a tip style recommended by well known race plane designer and builder/Crew Chief of Rare Bear, Dave Cornell. The Tracker props 43D50 hub and spider were used on the new HU-16 Assembly so we couldn’t swap props in a timely fashion so we were stuck with only flight testing the Albatross propeller. More on this later.

    The new nosecase, off the little brother to our R-2000 an 1830, spun the prop at 250 RPM faster than the previous gearing. I gambled on a combination that, would put the tips at a higher more efficient Mach number and reduced angle of attack of the blades at race speeds. The Yak suffers from short landing gear and high horsepower so the optimum long propeller blades would hit the ground if used. Once we flew the new combination, we realized that the new prop/nosecase combination was just the ticket.

    We took the little Yak out to qualify on Monday and before we knew it we were going 5 MPH faster than our best 2007 speed. We were now operating with reduced power due to an unknown factor. Immediately after a second re-qualification attempt, we found the leak in the induction system which reduced power considerably. After fixing the leak we gained 6 more MPH in racing bringing up our race speeds 18 MPH from 2007. SteadFast qualified 11th fastest out of the field up 5 from 16th last year and won 11th fastest Unlimited in 2008. We won 3rd in Sundays Silver race behind Dan Vance in Sea Fury 911 and very fast P51 Mustang Miss America. Look for higher speeds and more modifications to SteadFast in the future.

    Our plans for 2008 include a smaller aft canopy, a different propeller, a race R-2000 producing upward of 2000 HP. SPONSORSHIP We are currently trying to secure sponsorship to build the race engine program. Charlie White of Chesapeake Airways has sponsored the engine we will modify into a volumetric efficient modified R-2000. The build up of the engine will be done by Ray Anderson. We figure 30-40,000.00 will see the test program through it’s initial stages onto completion and ready to install on SteadFast. If we are successful, we could see Steadfast finish in the Gold in 2009! Thank you for your support in our efforts to win the Reno National Championship Air Races!

STAY TUNED!

 

Will Whiteside 

 

 

     Larry Childs and Roy Domke were my right and left hands before and since Reno 2006. I relied once again on them both and they both came through again flawlessly! Thank you both for all the life time you gave up to see this little Yak go so fast! Thank you for your friendship. We have the most dedicated, cohesive team at the Reno National Championship Air Races.

Reno 2007 was a bittersweet year for Team SteadFast. Gary Hubler, our Alternate Yak pilot, was killed in a midair collision in a Formula 1 race on Friday morning. Fortunately my long time radio Control Buddy, Jason Sommes, who was the other pilot in the collision was O.K. Our hearts go out to Gary and his family. Gary was such a helpful and intelligent pilot, he had just joined our team as alternate pilot on SteadFast and I was looking forward to watching him fly and learning from him.      At Reno 2007, Team SteadFast pulled together and we were able to qualify at 382.827 MPH. This is the fastest SteadFast has gone on the course to date. After searching the record books, we see that we are officially the fastest R2000 powered Yak to fly at Reno. Unofficially, Sam Davis’s Miss Trinidad had turned speeds of 389 MPH but were not recorded due to the attacks of September 11th on the United States. That time was on the old course and using different timing. If the rough equation is used, that time might equate to 399 MPH today. We were clocked occasionally at 391 MPH, which is encouraging.      The distraction of loosing Gary this year was a surprise to me. Couple that with seeing Brad go in with his L39 really got my attention. I really had to buckle down and concentrate on my job, flying. I was occasionally distracted.      This year was about the people whom you meet at Reno. The flying part is great but it’s truly the great people that make you come back. Great to see all you friends!       We were overwhelmed with Grumman Interceptors this year. It seemed like everywhere I looked I was passing or being passed by a Blue Bearcat. Not next year! We are planning on being at Reno 2008. Not only are we going to be there, but we plan on breaking the 400 MPH mark. That is our current goal. Next in line would be to Win the Silver or maybe even bump to the Gold on Sunday.

     Well, that is it for now. It’s time to go take the airplane apart and refine the aerodynamics, make it bigger, stronger, faster. We will soon be starting a race engine program based on an R2000 core sponsored by Aero Union. A new airscoop for more Horsepower, and some more propeller mods are on the books as well. There will be some unmentionable speed mods taking place as well this winter and don’t forget, we are still looking for a sponsor who wants to see this yak in his very own colors.

STAY TUNED!

 

Will Whiteside 

More 2007 photos coming soon!
 

Reno 2006 for Team SteadFast was the realization of a dream.

     It was a race season for us that we will try to re-live in future years. In March, 2006 we started with a new, Romanian factory-built airplane that was untested, we had only six months to flight test the Yak and the R&D was not always easy. We came up against a few obstacles that should have kept us out of the races. I was told a few times by some pretty key people involved in our Reno Push that maybe it just would be better, safer, and more practical to just slow down and shoot for next year.

     We had some major setbacks. By the time September came around, the airplane worked perfectly, the crew performed like professionals and we had an excellent go of it. SteadFast actually qualified 19th out of a field of 27 entrants at 363.589 MPH. "We had qualified the first day at 357 MPH but I just wasn’t happy with that speed. I knew there was more left in it and my line had improved as the practice sessions continued. It paid off with an increase in speed of almost seven MPH. The Yakovlev 3U had 2 5th place finishes then on Saturday we won the Bronze race. The team couldn't have been happier. "We had really just hoped to make the field and not get bumped out by faster airplanes, a win was the farthest thing from our minds when we showed up to Reno, Stead."

     With the 1st place on Saturday came being bumped up to the Unlimited Silver race on Sunday. Once again we were beside ourselves with the idea of being a Silver contender, who would have thought it possible? We ended up running behind the Tigercat who was in sixth place the entire race. He was substantially faster than us so I came out of the power just enough to stay ahead of my friends in the two stock P51's running behind us. When the race ended we finished in 7th place Silver which was unbelievable to us. We couldn't have been happier if we had won the Gold.

     In 2007 Team SteadFast's sights are set on turning a 380+MPH qualifying lap in 2007 and trying to get closer to the front of the Silver pack of racers. "We would like to get paint on the airplane but are holding off to secure a sponsor that would like SteadFast in their colors. We have a long list of modifications to make the Yak faster and more reliable. Basically, a better overall sport airplane. That’s the beauty of this short winged little brute, it's an air racer one minute and an airplane you can fly away in for the weekend the next."

     Team SteadFast would like to thank the crew, sponsors and all supporters that made this project and this dream year at Reno a reality. Without every single one of you this little airplane would have never made it.

     Thank you and please keep the sponsorship and support coming. We cannot do this without you.

     Just 1 day prior to departing Santa Rosa for Reno Stead Field in September 2005, Will Whiteside makes a last minute aircraft substitution from the Lancair 360 he had entered, to the Glasair III of C.J. Stephens “INFANT MONKEY”.

     It seems that the gear doors on the Lancair 360MKII were bending downward. Causing too much drag, these gear doors will certainly be ripped off at the high indicated speeds that the Sport Class racers experience coming down the “chute” towards the start pylon as they begin the race. The Glasair is race readied by C.J. and Will, finishing up only hours prior to departure time. This Glasair III was built in 1998 by Stephens and Jim Rhienemer. The engine is a normally aspirated Lycoming IO540 rated at approximately 300+ HP. C.J. believes in the “Lightweight” approach so the interior and all other non-essential items were removed.

     “We Inspected the airplane thoroughly prior to it’s departure to the races. After checking the weather at Stead, the cell phone rang, it was RARA. The voice on the other end of the line said that they had made a mistake in approving my substitution. I had already been assessed the fee for this and as far as my Legal Counsel could tell,(ART VANCE) things would work out! I arrived at Reno and pushed the airplane in the hangar. This would prove be an interesting race year.”

     After Sundays race and after 6 days of practice and 4 days of racing, Will had finished with 3, 2nd place Bronze finishes and 1, 3rd place Bronze finish. Overall TEAM “INFANT MONKEY” finished 2nd in the Sport Class Bronze. They were really happy that out of 80 laps Will had flown within 3 MPH of his fastest lap time. The airplane ran great throughout the week, it never even hiccupped once!