Race 44 Records Patch

Patches are done!! These are for the #aerochia #worldrecords. 4 records in 3 days. 390 mph! And the fastest #recip time to climb in the record books. Easily the coolest flying I have ever done!!! Send a SASE to PO Box 131 Mojave CA 93502. #patch #lancair #sportclassairracing #experimental #avgeek #airplanesarecool #gofly #airrace @btmichael for the design.

A photo posted by edseguin (@edseguin) on Jun 10, 2015 at 6:15pm PDT

Four records in three days. #everythingisawesome #aerochia #race44 #lynnfarnsworth #naa #brianutley

A photo posted by edseguin (@edseguin) on Apr 18, 2015 at 12:20am PDT

SETP Pics!!

#petesaiddontcuss #wedidntcuss #setp talk complete #aerochia #flighttest

A photo posted by edseguin (@edseguin) on Mar 27, 2015 at 5:26pm PDT

#wasabiairracing #aerochia #setp #getyourheadright #gameface

A photo posted by edseguin (@edseguin) on Mar 27, 2015 at 11:53am PDT

Carbon For Breakfast

These photo's were taken late at night in the build up to Reno 2014.  We had just had another forced landing due to a significant loss in power.  I had run to the house to get the data off the memory card, leaving Andy as nervous as he gets.  There was a long list of things that could have caused the failure and some were a lot harder and more expensive than others.  We needed an answer.

I got back to the hangar to find a very different guy, a very happy Andy.  After pulling all the top cowl it was very quickly very obvious what had caused the problem, and in many ways it was the best answer we could have gotten.  The one thing that makes Andy happier than knowing what the problem is, is knowing he can fix it with carbon.

On an unrelated note:  If Andy says he can get in 4 cure cycles while you are at work, and have the plane ready to fly before sundown, don't bet him he can't, especially in front of your girl.

Airplanes are cool,

Elliot

Super Legacy Test Report

Hey Guys,

Over the last year Jenn, Justin and I have been very fortunate to help Andy Chiavetta of Aerochia Aircraft Performance and Racing with the testing on some of the Super Legacies.  We recently published the report on one of these aircraft, N357AW, on which we did the phase one test program during the summer of 2014.  That report is available here (link), there is a brief and inaccurate summary of my knowledge of Andy's career below.

Airplanes are cool,
Elliot

Andy Chiavetta has built more than 20 airplanes, 8 of which are the Super Legacies that he is most known for, he has also built several hundred skim boards, is part owner in a skim board company (Exile), and has appeared in several skim movies (Exile Bearded).  To me Andy is first a master of composite manufacturing, who's technical skill has consistently put him around some of the smartest people in the business.  The result is that Andy's depth of knowledge, especially with airplanes, extends far beyond the physical building of things with composites.

Andy and Darryl in Race 33, Photo Andy Chiavetta

Andy learned composites building sailboat masts in the LA area.  But the experience that makes me particularly jealous is the work he did with skim boards in the early 90's.  As an engineer in aerospace I spend a lot of time designing and building aircraft structures but little time structurally failing them.  If an engineer is lucky the part that is being designed will be taken to failure once before it is installed on the airplane.  By comparison, when Andy was designing and building skim boards with his friend Aaron Peluso they built and broke hundreds of boards.  The idea of laying up a board, and riding it to failure the next day, seems at once perfectly foreign, perfectly educational, and freaking awesome!  I believe this is a fundamental series of experiences for Andy, and has led to his supreme understanding for composites and how they fail.

Andy Skimming, Photo Matt Adams

With his composite experience and his background in ultralights it was probably only a matter of time before Andy started building composite airplanes especially with the boom in composite kitplanes that was happening in the 90's.  The result, Andy built several kitplanes with customers, which prepared him for the second experience that makes me so jealous of Andy, the moment he met Darryl Greenamyer.  Andy was at a place in his career where he was seeing at once a change in the market, he had been building Wheeler Express' and they were beginning to lose favor, and a plateau in his experience.  He had gotten pretty good at what he was doing and not one to let himself get bored he was looking for the next challenge.  Meanwhile the long awaited Sport Class of Reno Championship Pylon Racing had just gotten on it's feet and Darryl Greenamyer was interested in getting in on the action.  Darryl was asking around to find someone to help him assemble an airplane (Race 33), a perfect combination was born, and four consecutive championships were the result.

Darryl and Andy with Race 33, Photo Andy Chiavetta

The trick in racing is to find a way to sell the technology that you are proving on the race course, making it slightly more financially practical.  Andy was able to turn the modified version of the Lancair Legacy into its own new type of sport aircraft with it's own following, the Super Legacy became the work that kept Andy busy the rest of the year.  Through selling the parts to modify your stock Legacy or doing the actual work of modifying the airplane Andy supplemented the air racing habit that had firmly taken hold.  Eight of these Super Legacies have been built.

Andy and 3 of the Super Legacies, Photo Andy Chiavetta

Lastly Andy's enthusiasm and willingness to push through the problem to a solution with shear will has made him the guy to go to for so many different types of airplane problems.  As a result Andy has worked with and is well respected by the best in the business.  It is fantastic to see good things happen to good natured and hard working people and Andy is one of those.

Andy performs a hasty mid week repair to Strega, Reno 2013

Flying the LT-1

Below are some photos and the report from my first flight in the Aerochia LT-1 Bobcat.

Airplanes are cool,
Elliot Seguin

A weekend at SZP

Got to spend the weekend with Andy and Klaus at Santa Paula.  What a cool airport with so much cool stuff going on.

Check out the ground fog south of Mojave, and the silver dollar that Darryl carried on his 3km run in the F-104, is that cool or what?

Elliot

#f104 #greenamyer #3km #worldspeedrecord

A photo posted by edseguin (@edseguin) on Dec 12, 2014 at 4:33pm PST

Groundfog? What the frank?

A photo posted by edseguin (@edseguin) on Dec 12, 2014 at 12:26pm PST

2014 Banner

Hey Guys

We had a great week with Wasabi.  Qualified and finished up 4 places and 6 mph from last year.  Had the fantastic opportunity to fly "in the pack" all week which meant for great opportunities to learn.

A huge thank you to our sponsors and team

Justin Gillen
Rick Poe and Susan Fine
Donald McMullin
Wayne Rausch
Andy Chiavetta
Ken Baker
Jake Jacot
Robbie Grove
Gail Austin
Craig Catto
Terry Lutz
Ralph Wise
Chris Higbee
Roger Hayes
David Bertucci
Mark Bassett
MGL Avionics
Spot Tracker
Mojave Air and Spaceport

Race 44 test hop for Lynn

There are good days and there are really good days.

Twice during race week we were asked to fly test sorties for Andy and Lynn.  I had been doing the break-in and power testing on the airplane in Mojave but it is a different thing to test over Stead, to some a holy thing.

Turning the power up while in a leisurely left hand turn in a truly hot airplane while the sun sets over that valley of speed is something air race freaks dream about. I remember checking and rechecking my data, I wanted to be damn sure I wasn't blowing this awesome opportunity.

After landing I taxied up to the team; Andy, Lynn, Jenn, Donald, Terry, and even Klaus and Jenny. The looks on their faces told me the airplane had sounded good. The look on Andy's face said "give me the data".

Thank you Andy and Lynn, for a truly awesome Reno experience.  I can't wait until we get this thing hooked up.

Aero Chia work from this weekend

Andy is the jam!

A New Legacy

Hey Guys

Jenn, Justin, and I have been having a lot of fun helping out Andy Chiavetta and Jon Hadlich with the flight test work on this new Legacy.  The airplane was built by Austin Willis with a lot of the Aero Chia mods.  It is a total rocket ship!

Justin Gillen chased the first flight.  With ground support by Jenn Whaley, Andy Chaivetta, and Jon Hadlich.

What a great airplane!
Elliot

Jon Hadlich, Andy Chiavetta, Elliot Seguin, Justin Gillen

Aero Chia Mission Patches

Hey Guys,

A month or so ago Jenn and I had the opportunity to help out on an Aero Chia race prepped Lancair Legacy. The airplane had some modification work done by Andy Chiavetta. It's owner Mac Hammond clearly has great taste as he gathered a great team for the project. The panel was done by Jon Hadlich owner of AI systems. The paint was laid out by Mirco Pecorari . The engine was done by Chris Padilla at Pacific Continental.

The test program happened this last winter, testing was done by Matt Jackson and Len Fox with a little help from Wasabi Air Racing (Elliot Seguin, Jenn Whaley and Justin Gillen).  I was flattered to get some test guidance from Darryl Greenamyer and Mojave legends Dick Rutan, and Peter Siebold. 

What a pleasure to work with such talented and professional people!

There was a minimum order on the mission patches for this project and we have a few extra. We will be giving 5-10 away. If more envelopes come in than we have patches we promise we will send you something equally awesome.


Send a self addressed stamped envelope to:


Wasabi Air Racing
PO Box 131
Mojave CA
93502


What are you working on tonight?


Thank you,
Elliot and Jenn

 

Chia tow for the start

Screenshot from GoPro video

Hey Guys,

Another screenshot below.

See you at the tent talk.

What are you working on tonight?

-Race 68

Tool Box Mod

Hey Guys

The last time our sponsor and friend Andy Chiavetta of Aero Chia was in town I was finally able to get some pictures of his most awesome tool box.  Andy has outfitted his Toyota pickup for fabrication on the road, and anyone who has seen Andy burn through a week of Reno will have no question about whether all that he needs is there.  In particular though I have long envied his toolbox.

Like Andy I have been using the Plano Stowaway tackle boxes for years, they are great but thats not anything new.  What impressed me about Andy's rig is he was not only using the Plano Stowaway but the associated organizer rack built by Plano.  I was surprised how well the Plano Stowaway Organizer Rack, fit in my old Craftsman Two Shelf Side Chest.  This seemed like something worth passing on.

What are you working on tonight?
Elliot Seguin

RARA 90 day rule

Hey Guys

I am sure everyone has heard already about the new RARA 90 day rule.  This rule requires any major mods or new aircraft to complete phase one testing (5 or 40 hours) and demonstrate test points at race conditions (Speed, G, and RPM) 90 days prior to the event in September, or June 1st.

We are happy to announce; thanks to the unwaivering support of our sponsors and fans, that flight testing is complete and the associated report was submitted on May 30th, ahead of schedule.

Good news for the team, and for our participation in Reno 2013.

Please take some time to visit our sponsors listed below.

Thank you,
Wasabi Air Racing

Nemesis Air Racing
Grove Aircraft
Experimental Aircraft Exhaust
Aero Chia
Twisted Composites
MGL Avionics

2012 Sponsor flyer

Nice Shirt Andy!