Formula V Air Racing is an American motorsport that involves small aircraft using engines up to 100 cubic inches (1.6 litres) in displacement.
History
editThe proposal for Formula V has its roots in the 1964 Reno Air Races.[1] In 1969, Air racer, Steve Wittman presented at the Rockford air convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association specifications for a racing event based around aircraft powered with a Volkswagen air-cooled engine.[2]
Racers compete around a 2-mile oval course that subject the racers to up to 2.2g.
Several aircraft were capable of meeting the specifications for Formula V at its creation. Specific designs were introduced shortly after that maximized speed for the configuration.
Aircraft include:
Champions
edit
Winners of the Formula V National Championship are determined by points from the years events. Since 1995 the winner also holds The Wittman Trophy for a year.[4]
- Steve Wittman 1977-81
- Charles Terry 1985
- Rick Leonard 1987-88
- Brian Dempsey 1989-95 Sonerai "Miss Annapolis"
- Dave Patterson 1996-97
References
edit- ^ Don Berliner (January 1973). "What's up with Formula V". Sport Aviation.
- ^ Bill Blake (October 1969). "Specifications For The 100 Cubic Inch Racers". Sport Aviation.
- ^ Don Berliner (December 1970). "WITTMAN FORMULA V FLIES!". Sport Aviation.
- ^ "Formula V National Champions & Wittman Trophy". Formulav.com. Retrieved October 6, 2013.