Formula V Air Racing is an American

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

that involves small

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

using engines up to in displacement.

History

The proposal for Formula V has its roots in the 1964

Reno Air Races The Reno Air Races, officially known as the STIHL National Championship Air Races from 2016, is a multi-day event tailored to the aviation community that takes place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada. A ...

. In 1969, Air racer,

Steve Wittman Sylvester Joseph "Steve" Wittman (April 5, 1904 – April 27, 1995) was an American air-racer and aircraft engineer. An illness in Wittman's infancy claimed most of his vision in one eye, which convinced him from an early age that his dre ...

presented at the Rockford air convention of the

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...

specifications for a racing event based around aircraft powered with a

Volkswagen air-cooled engine The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an air-cooled, gasoline-fuelled, boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinders, cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium-alloy crankcase, and forged steel crankshaft and co ...

. Racers compete around a 2-mile oval course that subject the racers to up to 2.2 g. Several aircraft were capable of meeting the specifications for Formula V at its creation. Specific designs were introduced shortly after that maximized speed for the configuration. Aircraft include: *

Monnett Sonerai The Sonerai is a small, VW-powered homebuilt aircraft,"The Sonerai I,"
GreatPlai ...

Wittman V-Witt The Wittman V-Witt also called Witts V and Witt's VeePlane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', page 160. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. is single-engine tube-and-fabric construction aircraft specifically made for Formula V Air ...

Southern Aeronautical Renegade The Southern Aeronautical Renegade is an American Formula V Air Racing homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Charles Lasher and produced by Southern Aeronautical Corporation of Miami Lakes, Florida. The aircraft was supplied in the form of pl ...

Southern Aeronautical Scamp The Southern Aeronautical Scamp is an American aircraft designed for homebuilt construction and Formula V Air Racing. Design and development The Scamp is a single place, mid-wing aircraft with conventional landing gear. The fuselage is constr ...

Champions

Winners of the Formula V National Championship are determined by points from the years events. Since 1995 the winner also holds The Wittman Trophy for a year. *Steve Wittman 1977-81 *Charles Terry 1985 *Rick Leonard 1987-88 *Brian Dempsey 1989-95 Sonerai "Miss Annapolis" *Dave Patterson 1996-97

References

{{reflist

External links

Formula V Air Racing Association
Air racing