Redline (inspired by Gross Weight)

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 04:31:23 GMT, Jose
wrote in : :

So, how far over redline is it "ok" to operate an aircraft, ...

There is a letter to the editor in the current issue of Pilot Getaways
Magazine in which the owner of a Cessna 180 has this to say on the
subject:

Yeah, that is pretty darn fast for an old rust bucket 180 [with a
Vne of 184 mph]. The airplane was fast before I installed some
speed mods and an O-520 replacement engine, so I can't take all
the credit for 195 mph at 2,000 ft MSL. I used to think my
airspeed indicator had a problem until the Cessna 180/185
convention in Spearfish, South Dakota, a couple of years ago (and
the addition of a Garmin 150).

Judging from the responses, I see two questions: (1) How is it
that an old C-180 can do better than Vne, and let alone get into
the yellow arc in the first place? (2) What in the heck are you
doing flying past Vne?

I'll answer question one first. The aircraft has quite a few
speed mods and the engine puts out in excess of 300 hp. Couple
this with the fact that it was a fast airframe to begin with and
you have a fast C-180. The 195 mph has been verified by several
eye witnesses. At 5,000 ft MSL, if you wind the engine up, it
will fly just short of redline (about 165 kts groundsepped on the
GPS with calm winds aloft).

As far as exceeding Vne.... Well, I had to find out how fast it
was, didn't I?

Pete Vinton
Parker, Colorado