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Autography FlightPower . Advantage Hobby . Revolution Models

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Speed - Performance - Drag Race > Anyone used a GPS to measure their heli's top speed?
 
 
Heli-Driver
Elite Veteran
Location: Arlington, TX

I'm considering a GPS handheld and found one that measures both max speed and max elevation, it has a barimetric altimeter inside...

Anyway, I was wondering if you guys have tried tracking the max speed of your heli with a GPS? I wonder if the typically short drag racing runs would be long enough to measure or do you need to do longer high speed runs?

I'm curious what top speed my Fury Extreme/91 can acheive. I'd also get a kick out of measuring max. altitude as well. I could read how high the autos are starting from, I can only guess now and I'm probably not even close with my guess.

The unit I'm looking at is the Garmin Etrex Vista, it's 5 oz , about like a cell phone.



Raymond

Predator Gasser SE/231 X 2
Century Helicopters
10-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Site Dude
Heliman
Location: Utah

yes

I have used my garmin gps III to record Max speed with my plane it was like 98 mph.
I almost did it last time out until some people showed up.
I will give it a try this weekend and let you know how slow my Lil ergo 30 is.

Wes
10-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Alan Szabo Sr
Key Veteran
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

GPS on skids

Yep, done that around 6 months ago on my old mercury 46. I think the top speed down wind was 67 and 50 something into the wind. It wasn't to calm of a day when I was playing around with it. Just so it would get dirty or oily, I put it in a bagie. Wish it had a Max altitude on it, but no luck.
10-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Heli-Driver
Elite Veteran
Location: Arlington, TX

Hey Alan,

It's pretty cool isn't it. I think the altitude hold feature will be really slick.

Did you happen to notice what the minimum run lengths you had to fly in order to get a decent reading? If you fly 100 feet straightline, is that far enough to get an accurate reading or does it require a longer run like 500 feet or more??

I saw some guys checking speed with a GPS at the Hirobo Cup back in the early summer and but didn't get to see the specifics of it.

For kicks, you should strap one on your Raptor 90, I'd like to see what speeds you can achieve in FFF.



Raymond

Predator Gasser SE/231 X 2
Century Helicopters
10-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Lift
Elite Veteran
Location: Houston, TX

RaptorDriver,
Canadian Steve did that this summer at Tom Bass field here in Houston. He flew straight and level for about 100 yards. Here are some results:

1)Fury Extreme - YS .80 = 113mph
2)Raptor 30 = 70mph

This was with an ~10mph tailwind.
10-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Alan Szabo Sr
Key Veteran
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Gps

It was neat Raymond. I flew a got 100 to 150 yards only. Tried it numerous times and each time the reading were approx. the same, so I'm sure its far enough. If I play around with it this weekend I let you know on the 90
10-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Secret Squirrel
Key Veteran
Location: New Zealander living in Melbourne, Australia

It's amazing the different readings everyone's getting.

At a funfly we had, a local cop turned up with his radar gun and try as we might, the highest reading we got was with a 91 powered CS diving at him out of the sky with a huge tail wind, that clocked up 163km/h which I think is somethign like 101mph.

That CS just wasn't goign to go any faster eh...

Si

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Simon Lockington
10-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
NEM3
Veteran
Location: New Lenox, Il

I did the same thing with my Raptor 50 the other weekend. I was onyl able to get 67 mph out of mine, but that was also while I still had on the KSJ paddles and Century muffler. Now I am running Sceadu paddles with a CY muscle.

BTW. I am using a Garmin Emap Deluxe. Weighs a ton in that little heli.
10-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Heli-Driver
Elite Veteran
Location: Arlington, TX

113MPH? wow! that is incredible..

Was that all straight and level or was there a dive involved?


I can't wait to get my GPS and try it on my Fury/91.



Raymond

Predator Gasser SE/231 X 2
Century Helicopters
10-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Lift
Elite Veteran
Location: Houston, TX

Straight and level with the tailwind.... I watched it with my own eyes. We are at sea level so power is pretty good here. At first i surprised me but now that think about it 100+ mph is not that unlikely. I bet my 50 will do close to 85-90 just judging by what that 113mph pass looked like.
10-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
KC
Elite Veteran
Location: WA

Steve, Simon, can you guys maintain those speeds for 300yds? how are your birds set up
10-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
KenJ
Veteran
Location: Ohio, USA

That's the trick!!!!

You hit it right on the head r60!!

It is fairly easy to get over 100 mph for a short distance, but do it straight and level for 300 meters, that's the trick!!

Ken

Team JR
10-19-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Secret Squirrel
Key Veteran
Location: New Zealander living in Melbourne, Australia

R60 & Furious Raptor,
That's my point, my top speed test was really to see just how fast the thing could go, not its consistent top speed.
The way I did things is no way to measure over all top speed, like I said, I was just about vertical diving down at the cop car and all I got was 163km/h which is why I'm always sceptical of people saying they're getting higher speeds in a straight horizontal line.

Si

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Simon Lockington
10-20-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
jradford
Heliman
Location: Sammamish, Washington

Another Option for checking speed

Radar Gun for 80 bucks

Jim
10-20-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Ben74
Senior Heliman
Location: Long Beach, CA

do radar guns work with helis? i would think that they'd get confused by the rotor blades. if you got a reading off the tip of a rotor blade, you'd see some really high numbers.
11-19-2002 Over year old.
 
 
jradford
Heliman
Location: Sammamish, Washington

It seems to work alright. It uses doppler shift technology as oposed to optical which may be why it does not get confused by the rotor blades.

Jim
11-19-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Heli-Driver
Elite Veteran
Location: Arlington, TX

My wife just ordered my Garmin Vista GPS yesterday. I can't wait, it's a Christmas present so I guess I'll have too....

I was doing some further reading on this unit, not only will it clock your speed and max. altitude but will also record acsent and decent rates.

It will be pretty cool to see what my helicopters rate of climb is fro each ship.



Raymond

Predator Gasser SE/231 X 2
Century Helicopters
11-29-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
flyboycpa
Heliman
Location: Nashville, TN

GPS is good but don't forget...

Hey all,

Just another point to give on using GPS for determining straight-and-level speed:

I use a Garmin GPS III-Pilot in my full-scale airplane (along with a panel mount) and have used it to accurately determine my airplane's speed in level flight, at different altitudes and power settings. Since I'm in the plane, I can read out the current groundspeed. I fly on each of the cardinal headings (N,S,E, &W) for 3 minutes each, and record the groundspeed, then average it. This negates the effect of any winds-aloft (for the most part).
Remember, the GPS uses determines "GROUNDSPEED", not "true airspeed."

The GPS is only accurate when the wind is dead calm, otherwise you're groundspeed readout includes the effect of the wind.

So, your GPS is gonna tell you the max speed for the flight, which of course, is your downwind leg.

Take care,
Sam Swift
12-14-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Rangerstx
Heliman
Location: Olean, NY

Casio makes a wrist watch GPS. It is about $200 and is very tiny and light. Look on ebay.

Bryan
12-24-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Blair
Key Veteran
Location: Republic of Canuckistan

Radar Guy

I've done the radar thing and found similar results.

60 size chopper's in straight and level flight averaged about 65mph.

In a dive it was increased to about 80mph.

I'm anxious to beam a monster engine

Have beam....will travel.


Blair
12-24-2002 Over year old.
 
 
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Speed - Performance - Drag Race > Anyone used a GPS to measure their heli's top speed?
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