If you’ve ever wondered what the fastest rc plane is, then you may be interested to know that on January 18, 2010, an RC turbine-powered plane reached a speed of 293 knots (542.64 km/h or 337.18 mph) at the Hobbyland Airfield in Santo Domingo, which is in the Dominican Republic. The end results after many flights came to an average speed of 337.18 mph (up and downwind), but the maximum speed achieved was 345.23 mph (downwind).
According to the Web site of the Guinness World Records, the fastest RC plane was created and piloted by Axel Hache of the Dominican Republic and David Shulman of the United States of America. On January 26, 2010, the Guinness World Records adjudicator, Carlos Martinez, presented them with a certificate for having the fastest remote-controlled jet-powered model aircraft (RC) that is conventionally configured.
Hache and Shulman came up with the fastest RC plane using a stock off-the-shelf Jet Model Products (JMP) Firebird and an Olympus turbine engine from AMT Netherlands with 50-pound thrust. The team that established the record did not only include David “Shui” Shulman, who is a well-known RC jet and scale pilot, and Axel Hache, who handled promotion and support. Tom Cook of JMP was in charge of airframe manufacturing, while Bennie van de Goor of AMT Netherlands was responsible for the specially built turbine engine. The team also had a Firebird backup for the speed attempt.
The Web site of JMP gives the Firebird’s specifications. Its wingspan is 81 inches while its wing area is 1,200 square inches. It is 92 1/2 inches long. The model airplane kit used for the fastest RC plane has a fuel capacity of 168 ounces and a thrust of 18 to 40 pounds.
The Firebird kit includes a fully molded all-composite airframe, a complete hardware package, a machined stabilizer mechanism, and JMP’s zero-flex servo mounts. Firebird options and accessories include a fuel vent system and an electronic gear/door sequencer, among several others.
The Olympus engine in the fastest RC plane was apparently a specially made one, but on its Web site, the company states that all their turbines are available with manual or auto air-start, as well as fully automatic electric starting. Olympus turbines are also known for very fast throttle response due to fuzzy logic software.
Following the announcement of the world record, great interest was generated in the community of model airplane enthusiasts and some of the best pilots in the field were expected to try to break the record established, possibly in the next International Cup for RC Jets in Santo Domingo.
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