Air Facts Speed Records

This contest, based on a similar program in the original Air Facts magazine, is an unofficial and informal way for pilots to claim speed records between 29 major cities. It’s easy and fun–you fly a trip and send us the flight details. Each city pair has a speed record in both directions, and the contest is divided into horsepower classes so everyone can participate. Read on for more details and current Air Facts Speed Records.

Rules / Horsepower Classes / City Pairs / Current Speed Records

Submit your speed record to: [email protected]

Rules

1. You can’t be employed by an aviation magazine, aviation association, aircraft/avionics/equipment manufacturer, dealer or distributor or an advertising agency serving an aircraft manufacturer. Airline flights are not eligible. The purpose of this is to reserve the competition strictly for the general aviation consumer.
2. The airplane must be licensed in the Normal, Utility or Experimental category, and must be at or below maximum gross weight at take-off (no ferry tanks). All Federal Aviation Regulations must be obeyed.
3. An IFR flight plan must be filed for the flight, and within 48 hours after landing the pilot must submit via email to [email protected] the following: date, pilot’s name, aircraft type, N-number, departure and destination airport. Please include a photograph and brief bio of the pilot.
4. The flight must be a non-stop between any two of the cities in the list below (separate records will be kept each way—i.e., Chicago to Washington and Washington to Chicago will be two separate records). The groundspeed will be determined by dividing the total flight time (as reported by FlightAware.com) by the total mileage. The mileage between the cities will be determined by Air Facts, using FlightAware.com. The airports used may be any normally considered to serve the city in question. The major terminals need not be used. If there is any doubt in your mind about an airport you plan to use, drop us a line.
5. The airplane must be in one of the below horsepower categories. That’s total horsepower. In other words a Baron with two 260 JT15D engines would have 520 total horsepower and would be in the 421-800 category.

Horsepower classes

• 0-185 hp
• 186-235 hp
• 236-420 hp
• 421-800 hp
• Unlimited/Turbine

Cities for Air Facts record flights

• Atlanta, GA (ATL)
• Billings, MT (BIL)
• Boston, MA (BOS)
• Cincinnati, OH (CVG)
• Cleveland, OH (CLE)
• Chicago, IL (MDW)
• Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DAL)
• Denver, CO (DEN)
• Detroit, MI (DET)
• El Paso, TX (ELP)
• Kansas City, MO (MKC)
• Las Vegas, NV (LAS)
• Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
• Memphis, TN (MEM)
• Miami, FL (MIA)
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP)
• New Orleans, LA (MSY)
• New York, NY (LGA)
• Oklahoma City, OK (OKC)
• Orlando, FL (MCO)
• Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
• Phoenix, AZ (PHX)
• Portland, OR (PDX)
• Raleigh-Durham, NC (RDU)
• St. Louis, MO (STL)
• Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)
• San Francisco, CA (SFO)
• Seattle, WA (SEA)
• Washington, DC (DCA)
• Wichita, KS (ICT)

Current Speed Records

City pair: Cincinnati to New York
Actual route: LUK-CDW
Horsepower class: Unlimited/Turbine
Airplane: Pilatus PC-12
Pilot: Jim Zimmerman
Date: 6/3/12
Distance flown: 498 nm
Time en route: 2:02
Speed record: 244.9 knots

About the pilot: Jim Zimmerman has been a pilot for over 40 years, and has owned everything from a Cessna 170 to his current Pilatus PC-12. A retired retail executive, he is based at Lunken Airport (LUK) in Cincinnati, OH.

City pair: Washington, DC to Chicago
Actual route: GAI to ENW
Horsepower class: 421-800hp
Airplane: Beech Baron 55
Pilot: Pete Bedell
Date: 7/21/12
Distance flown: 553 nm
Time en route: 3:02
Speed record: 182.3 knots

About the pilot: Pete Bedell is a pilot for a major airline who lives in Gaithersburg, MD, with his wife and daughter. He is a third-generation pilot who was instructed by his father and two brothers. His family has owned a Beechcraft Baron and Cessna 172 for more than 30 years.

City pair: San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, CA
Actual route: SQL to VNY
Horsepower class: 186-235hp
Airplane: Cessna 182
Pilot: George Nelson
Date: 9/22/12
Distance flown: 291 nm
Time en route: 2:14
Speed record: 130.3 knots

About the pilot: George Nelson has been a pilot for 9 years and lives in San Francisco, CA.  He normally flies out of San Carlos and Palo Alto California.

City pair: Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA
Actual route: VNY to SQL
Horsepower class: 186-235hp
Airplane: Cessna 182
Pilot: George Nelson
Date: 9/22/12
Distance flown: 283 nm
Time en route: 2:09
Speed record: 131.6 knots

About the pilot: George Nelson has been a pilot for 9 years and lives in San Francisco, CA.  He normally flies out of San Carlos and Palo Alto California.