We are a highly competitive International Formula One Air Racing team. There is nothing more rewarding than flying around the pylons 35' above the ground, 250MPH in an Air Racing competition.

The National Championship Air Races & Air Show  Reno, Nevada USA September 12-16, 2012
Reno Air Race Association
MGL Avionics and Instruments
Aerovoltz Batteries
Carbon Slipper on the pylons in Reno
Carbon Slipper debuted in Reno 2005 as a sleek lightweight racer custom built to race in the International Formula One class.
Designing, Building and Flying Airplanes to compete in  the International Formula One Class of Air Racing. Everything we can do within the rules to go fast is our challenge!
Formula One Aircraft are highly modified or custom built airplanes designed to a list of parameters to compete against 7 others in a single race. The races have a total of 24 entries and it is based on qualifying time to start in the field. There are 3 groups of 8 consisting of Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

This class of racing starts on the ground with 8 planes on the runway arranged in a 3-2-3 configuration and await a green flag start also known as a race-horse start.

The Formula One race course has 6 pylons, plus the famous Home Pylon in which racers are not allowed to go below the "R" in Reno (35' above the ground) otherwise they will be fined for low flying. With 3 pylons on each end making a little over a 1/2 mile of turn and about 1 mile of straight on each side for a total of 3.18 miles per lap. The 8 lap race is a little over 25 miles long.

FORMULA ONE RULES

(short list)

• Wing area, minimum size = 66 sq. ft

• Cockpit height, minimum = 30 in.

• Pilot visibility, minimum 25◦ aft, 5◦ over the nose,  45◦ upwards

• Aircraft empty weight = 500 lb minimum

• Aircraft center of gravity = between 8% and 25% of the wing MAC

• Main landing unit fixed (nose or tail wheel may retract)

• Main wheels = 11.4 dia. min. x 5.00 × 5 tire size

• Fixed pitch propeller (metal props not allowed)

• Structural design limits = +/− 6g minimum

• Fuel = 5 U.S. Gallon minimum, 100LL Aviation fuel

• Engine = Continental O-200 100HP@2750RPM stock

(about 4,300RPM for racing)


For the complete list of rules  Click Here
We are in the final design stages of a radical new Formula One Racer. We have taken what we have learned from previous planes we have built and modified and are applying it to this new design.

This new plane will have a composite wing, skin (exterior), and the majority of its components made primarily of Carbon Fiber, Kevlar and Nomex honeycomb.  Some of the structural components will be machined and/or constructed of Titanium, Magnesium, Aluminum, Chromoly and Stainless steel.

Some of the safety features will include having the engine compartment fitted with a fire/smoke detector and a fire suppression system. The pilot will have a fresh air intake with adjustable airflow mixed with oxygen and piped to the mask of the F-16 helmet. We will be utilizing  a HANS device (Head And Neck Support) as most other forms of motor-sport racing are required to use this device.

The flight controls will be Aileron and Elevator on a right joystick with twist action for tailwheel steering. Conventional style, bottom hinged, rudder pedals with pull-pull control. The joystick will have a fighter jet style grip with switches for the mic PTT, information screen toggles and other vital information switching combinations.

On the left side, the Throttle and Mixture quadrant with a cowl flap control. Switches and levers for: master, CDI/Electronic Ignition, fuses, tailwheel retract/extend, fuel shutoff, engine compartment fire suppression, oxygen supply shut-off, emergency fuel pump, pilot breathing air volume control, and canopy release.

The engine will be performing max power at 4300RPM. The horsepower at 5,050 feet (Reno race elevation) has a loss of about 25%. Therefore a stock Continental O-200 produces 100 HP at sea level. It only produces 75 HP at Reno on a standard day. Some racers claim to have outputs of 140-150 HP at sea level, that's about 110 HP at Reno. What is so amazing about that is the top guys are running laps of over 250 MPH (average race course speed) with straight and level speeds around 275 MPH!

The wing will be a well proven Laminar flow design and have a very low drag fuselage with an unconventional tail configuration. The multi-bladed pusher style propeller will have cutting edge design parameters for low drag and high performance.

Our goal is to come in with a empty weight of less than 490 pounds and produce a straight-line speed in excess of 300 MPH.