On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 3:13:54 PM UTC-5, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 10:57:06 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 10:44:01 AM UTC-5, Tom Kelley #711 wrote:
https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3....l?dsId=6514812

Flight details
Points for the flight 279.92
scoring distance 783.79 km
Speed 313.51 km/h
Duration 02:30:00
Scoring class double
Scoring start 23:56:30
Scoring end 02:56:45
Index: 116.0
Club Perlan Project
Date of claim 10.06.2018 03:26:24

Best. Tom #711.

So how did they get around the plane's VNE of 280 km/h? Can't be a tailwind because the trace shows speeds of up to 380 km/h going both Northbound and Southbound.

What do you mean by "get around"? Just push the nose down further.

Vne is just a number on the placard which the manufacturer makes every effort to prove is safe in a wide rage of circumstances. There is nothing to say that a higher speed will break the plane. And you're not going to get a speeding ticket or something.

I've heard the owner of a glider manufacturer tell a pilot at the worlds that a particular glider model should be fine to take 20% past Vne.

You just need to be aware that if you go past Vne you're a test pilot.

People do exist with the experience and knowledge and judgement to be test pilots.

I'm not one of them.

Test pilot indeed. Based on this OLC trace there are several times where the plane was 37% over published VNE. Wow.

I'm no test pilot either, haven't played one on TV, and never want to find out what being one is like...