Flight Sim Blog ala Paul (P-12C)

In 1970 the California Air Race was run at Mojave airport. The race was run around a closed right hand turn oval course of 15.1 miles. The race was a total of 66 laps for a total distance of 1000 miles.

In 1971 the race was run again, but this time the number of laps was reduced to 41 for a total race distance of 1000 kilometers.

Like the modern Reno National Championship Air Races held every September, the field was primarily comprised of piston powered warbirds flying at high speeds very low to the ground. Flying for such a long distance, the aircraft would run low on fuel and the pilots would become very fatigued, so they would land for a pit stop during the race.

Following the release of FSX Acceleration, with the racing system in-place, I wanted to try and re-create the California Air Race in the sim. I found the original air racing brochure on-line with a detailed map of where the pylons were placed and was able to accurately place them with the help of satellite imagery (several pylons are still standing). Unfortunately I can't find the link again, so I can't point you to it.

One of the most interesting elements of this race was the pit stop requirement and the fact that Clay Lacy and Allen Paulsen entered a DC-7B called Super Snoopy so they could fly the full race without a pit stop.

I recently purchased the A2A Boeing 377 along with the Accusim add-on and have been really enjoying this excellent aircraft. After building the course, Brandon and I decided to try racing the Mustang against the Stratocruiser in this race. In the picture below Brandon is getting fuel and ADI while I continue to circle the course in the Stratocruiser (with a little buzz job for good measure).

My best laps in the Stratocruiser were 283 miles per hour with Accusim on and running on the ragged edge right on the deck. It would take me a few laps to get to that speed and as I burned off fuel I would gradually get faster. BUT, the racing Mustang in FSX Acceleration is quite a bit faster than the Mustangs that were raced in 1970 and 1971, and the pit stops we had were much quicker than they would be in real-life. So bottom-line, I couldn't compete with Brandon and expect to win simply by virtue of not having to stop for fuel. If his pit stops had taken 10-15 minutes or more, then I would have had a much higher chance of winning.

Here is a shot of Brandon passing me. Notice how close the ground I am. The next pylon is just at the corner of the engine health display.

Coming in for a landing after a test hop.

Breaking for lunch...

Excerpted from this air racing website here are the real-world results of the 1970 race. Notice the average speed for the DC-7B at 275.87 miles per hour.

1970 - Nov 13-15, California 1000 Air Race, Mojave CA
Unlimited = 1. Sherman Cooper, Sea Fury II (v: 325.92). 2. Cliff Cummins, P-51D (v: 286.93). 3. Mike Loening, P-51D (v: 300.00). 4. Bob Metcalf/Lyle Shelton, Sea Fury II (v: 324.18). 5. Jack Sliker, P-51D (v: 307.28). 6. Clay Lacy/Allen Paulsen, DC-7B (v: 275.87). 7. Howard Keefe, P-51D.

In 1971 the DC-7B was entered again along with a Super Constellation, but after qualifying, both aircraft were not allowed to compete. See the full story here.