Photo Courtesy of Col. Al Wimer.
Flying the airplane is easy (push forward, people get bigger, pull back, they look like ants). With the fixed racing tailwheel, you accelerate quickly to about 90 mph where you can ease off into ground effect. The speed builds up rapidly and you're soon truing out at around 255 mph straight and level (at Reno elevation). Once the race is over set up an approach at 95-100 mph. More than 105 mph will result in a lot of runway going by before touchdown and less than 95 doesn't provide enough control authority. Always make a wheel landing and let the tail down very gently (the tailwheel is only 3 inches in diameter and is solid). Usually you can shimmy your way onto a taxiway (no steering, remember?) and then wait for the crew to come retrieve you for your ride down in front of the cheering crowds! (For additional flying information, see also "Racing")
Unlike most airplanes which at first glance appear complicated, Aero Magic's cockpit is simple and functional with only minimal instrumentation. Referring to the photo, you can see the 10 gauges in the complete panel. On the left you will find the engine group: Tachometer, oil pressure, oil temperature, and cylinder head temperature gauges. They were positioned on the left so that I could glance in whenever I needed without moving my head (All turns are to the left during a race. In actual practice I only look at the gauges momentarily on the straights.) The center gauges are airspeed (top) and altimeter (bottom). To the right of the airspeed is the recording G meter and beneath it there's the compass. Lastly on the right are the fuel gauge (top) and clock/timer (bottom). During races, we remove the G meter and compass to save weight.
Beneath the tachometer you can see the mag switches (toggles) and underneath them the throttle and mixture. I've since added a cowl flap control which is to the right of the mixture knob. There's no carb heat on this plane nor many other racers.
The black cylinder above the word EXPERIMENTAL is actually the fresh air connection for the oxygen mask hose. The mask provides 3 benefits. First, our aircraft exhaust systems are not routed as far away from the cockpit as a production aircraft and CO fumes may enter the cockpit if seals break down. The mask provides positive fresh air as a safety backup. Secondly, the cockpit noise level is loud (gross understatement) and the mask shields the noise canceling microphone. And finally, there have been several incidents of fuel tanks splitting during flight, filling the cockpit with gasoline. The mask will keep a fresh air supply to the pilot while the emergency landing is conducted. Should an unexpected event occur and the pilot find himself trapped upside down waiting for a rescue crew to right the plane, the mask will again at least provide a path to an air source outside of the cockpit.
For the 2000 season an Aerox oxygen system has replaced the fresh air supply to the mask. This was done for the same safety and communcation concerns listed above, but also to provide 100% pure breathing air during ground operation where electronic carbon monoxide indicators indicated that CO levels exceeded allowable levels.
Cockpit Photo by John Housley.
Year Site Qualifying (mph) Finishing Position (mph)
1991 Reno 201.078 5th Place Silver, 205.116
1992 Reno 216.129 2nd Place Silver, 211.525
1993 Reno 220.872 6th Place Silver, 208.530 due to a pylon cut (oops!)
1994 Reno 218.629 6th Place Gold, 215.367 (someone else cut a pylon!)
1995 Reno 223.161 3rd Place Silver, 216.108
1996 Reno 225.908 5th Place Silver, 216.956
1996 Kingman No Data 3rd Place (Demo event)
1996 Lancaster 230.210 3rd Place Silver, 221.515
1997 Battle Creek No Data 3rd Place (Demo event)
1997 Reno 219.616 4th Place Silver, 204.830
1997 Lancaster 227.551 5th Place Silver, 219.130
1998 Did not race due to work obligations
1999 Reno 212.287 2nd Place in Silver, 217.496
2000 Cape Girardeau No Data 3rd Place (Demo event)
2000 Reno 220.157 1st Place in Silver, 217.219, and
8th Place in Gold, 209.268
2001 Reno 218.xxx Races cancelled due to terrorist attack.
2002 Reno 220.719 6th Place Silver at 203.023
2003 Did not race due to other obligations
2004 Reno 223.249 3rd Place in Silver, 210.081
It's interesting to note that the poorest Reno qualifying speed (excluding the first year when I didn't have the throttle fully advanced) occurred right after we lost the golden prop (1999), and that in 2000 when we incorporated a new composite prop the qual speed rose again.
John, an engineer by day and airplane enthusiast by night, has the easy job of flying Aero Magic at the races.
Julie is the world's most supportive wife (married to the team pilot). She puts up with the all-night panic building sessions and has become quite adept at carbon-epoxy lay-ups. She's been at every race the team has entered and without her support/involvement none of our progress would have been possible.
Jim has been our crew chief at Reno each year since 1991. Jim's talents as an engineer, mechanic, photographer, and craftsman have added immeasurably to the team.
Cy has helped with the awful duty of driving the van and trailer out to the race as well as providing crew support during the Reno races. Even more important, he's Julie's father!.
David was on the Aero Magic team in the early years and has also helped with the dirty job of driving. With no prior experience, David picked up the job of starting the engine (hand propping) and still has all his hands and fingers with no damage- a sure sign of quick reflexes!
Steve, an engineer by trade, provides all of the Aero Magic Internet programming and artistic talent. If it has anything to do with software applications he's the one to see!
1995 Team Photo Courtesy of Col. Al Wimer (from left to right: John Housley, Julie Housley, Jim Keiger)
Aerox
Aerox is the world leader and originator of high duration oxygen systems. By incorporating an Aerox system into Aero Magic, I have eliminated all concern for carbon monoxide poisoning prior to and during a race as well as assuring that my cognitive skills will not be degraded due to below normal blood oxygen concentration. The modern Aerox system is light weight, affordable, and will provide safety from hypoxia for many hours when used with a conserving cannula. Please check out their web site for more information and read about my installation at: Aerox Tests
Hooker Custom Harness, Inc. produces the finest aircraft harnesses available- period! Long the standard of excellence in aerobatic circles, Hooker custom manufactures 5-point harnesses to fit you and your aircraft. The stainless steel ratchet design now installed in Aero Magic enables me to easily tighten the belts so that I truly feel one with the airplane. Formula 1 pilots have experienced neck injuries (and actually broken canopies with their helmets) during racing turbulence that a Hooker Harness would have prevented. Please check out their web site for more information and see additional photos at: Hooker Harness Tests
Aeromedix provides safety/medical related products for aviation, boating, home, outdoor, and other uses. Formed by renowned Senior Aviation Medical Examiner and ER physician Dr. Brent Blue and aviation consultant Mike Busch (editor of AVweb), Aeromedix has assembled and developed a group of products that make flying safer and more enjoyable. At the top of the list is the ultra-sensitive, low cost carbon monoxide detector/alarm which can alert you to contaminated breathing air while you still have time to respond. I have personal experience with this detector and can attest to its performance. Please check out their web site for more information and read about my tests with it at: Aeromedix Tests
Eastern Avionics provided communication support for the team beginning with the 1995 season. Eastern completely overhauled our airborne equipment wiring harness and made sure our systems operated at peak performance. They also provided an ICOM transceiver with headset which enabled clear communication between the ground and cockpit crew. This added significantly to our operational safety as we eliminated ambiguous hand signals while on the ground and provided a positive means to notify the aircrew of emergencies (such as fire/smoke trailing the aircraft or an unsafe runway). Eastern helped us incorporate an improved ignition wiring harness (thanks to Nemesis for development work) for superb clarity at race power settings. If you've got an avionics question call Eastern- They really know their stuff!
Eastern has also developed an excellent web site that includes a three-part on-line interview with Aero Magic's pilot. Check it out at: On-Line Pilot Interview
Advanced Electronics provided a high gain VHF communication antenna to complete our radio installation. This lightweight antenna is attached to a flexible fiberglass substrate, is mounted internally, and requires no groundplane. Give Advanced Electronics a call at 800-758-8632 to discuss your antenna needs.
The Inn of Lancaster is the finest, friendliest hotel in the Lancaster/Palmdale (Edwards Air Force Base) area of California. I've sampled nearly all of the hotels in this area through many years supporting programs at Edwards AFB and can personally attest to the Inn's superior quality and hospitality. The Inn has a great exercise facility, pool, Jacuzzi, modern rooms (non-smoking also available) with suites available, and a terrific location (between avenue J and K on Sierra highway). The people are always friendly and complimentary cookies (my favorite) and fruit are available in the office. The Inn also provides complimentary breakfast (beyond a mere pastry and very tasty) as well as an occasional dinner on the house. Give the Inn a call at 805-945-8771 (fax 805-948-3355) to reserve your room.
