Wayne Handley races his Raven aerobatic plane against Jim Cheatham in the R-22 helicopter. The rules are from a standing stop to one quarter mile down the runway, then back to the start line. Jim was a helicopter pilot in the Army and Wayne a fighter pilot in the Navy. Ahhh, the feud continues!
Wayne Handley's Turbo-Raven is the culmination of his dream to have an aerobatic plane that could out perform anything in the world. The one-type-design Turbo-Raven boasts a 750 HP Pratt & Whitney PT6A-25C turbine engine coupled to a Hartzell 3 blade composite propeller. The propeller produced 2,800 pounds of thrust for the 1,600 pound Turbo-Raven.
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The flight demonstration was nothing short of spectacular! The thrust vectoring nozzles really enhance the maneuverability. Watching the flight control system work during the tail slide was mind boggling- every flight control surface was "twitching" as the F-22 started sliding backwards.
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Shooting Radio Control aircraft is a tremendous challenge. The speeds approach 200 mph and maneuverability is "off the scale". Being only 50 feet from the aircraft as it flys by at 100-200 mph is a rush.