Glasair Pilot Bruce Hammer, of Lafayette, LA, decided he needed a challenge; something he could accomplish in his nearly ten year old Glasair I TD which he built and completed in 1997. Hammer, who has 16,000 hours helo time and 2,000 hours in fixed wing, has flown his Glasair in five Sun 100 Air Races and six AirVenture Races, consistently placing at the top. His 'speedier-than-most' Glasair is equipped with a fixed pitch prop and a normally aspirated 180-hp Lycoming.
The speed-minded Hammer started thinking about speed records and decided to make a run at the Transcontinental Eastbound Record in Class C-1.b (1,102 – 2,205 lbs gross T.O. weight).
To qualify for a Transcontinental record, a pilot has to have a starting point within 30 miles of the West Coast and a finish line 30 miles from the East Coast. Thus, he chose San Diego’s Lindbergh Field and Jacksonville, Florida as his log in/log out sites. He set up his record attempt with representatives for NAA and flew over to Ramona, CA on Friday, March 3, 2006. Early the next morning, March 4, after de-icing his aircraft with a garden hose, he took off with 104 gallons of fuel, climbed to 17,000’, activated his flight plan and overflew the tower at San Diego.
Aero-News Network
The speed-minded Hammer started thinking about speed records and decided to make a run at the Transcontinental Eastbound Record in Class C-1.b (1,102 – 2,205 lbs gross T.O. weight).
To qualify for a Transcontinental record, a pilot has to have a starting point within 30 miles of the West Coast and a finish line 30 miles from the East Coast. Thus, he chose San Diego’s Lindbergh Field and Jacksonville, Florida as his log in/log out sites. He set up his record attempt with representatives for NAA and flew over to Ramona, CA on Friday, March 3, 2006. Early the next morning, March 4, after de-icing his aircraft with a garden hose, he took off with 104 gallons of fuel, climbed to 17,000’, activated his flight plan and overflew the tower at San Diego.
Aero-News Network
