RV-10 Adventure

So my buddy Steve asks if I want to go to Bonneville and see the racing??

You mean Bonneville salt flats, where the worlds fastest vehicles gather for Speed Week each year?? That Bonneville??? Wendover Utah???

Sure, why not???

Only take a couple of hours in the -10, his brother will meet us at the airport and we all go over to the salt flats.


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Here we are loading up, enough clothes for an overnighter, a box full of snacks for the flight, and 3 coolers full of frozen water bottles.

We cruised at 11.5 alt. burning 12.6, 200mph



We flew over the race area before landing, I was totally un-prepared for the sheer amount of vehicles/people/activity there was-------and this is only a fraction of what was there.



At Bonneville you will see everything from the weird to the weirder. Dozens of classes allow just about anything you can think of to run-------there was a ?Whizzer? motorized bicycle, hoped to see 35 MPH or so, and a turbocharged nitro burning ?Hayabusa? looking to see 240--------in a street legal bike

?Rat Rods? are getting to be a big thing on the street, out here they are a staple.




This car set a record last year with a GM EcoTech motor for power, this year it is back with a Mopar under the hood. Looking for speed in excess of 320, (which they saw with the EcoTech). ----------1200 HP, four cylinders.



Unfortunately, the wind came up, the rain was coming, and racing was canceled for the day, so we headed off to the airport for the flight home.



What a great way to spend a Sunday.

Thanks to Vans for the ability to make this happen.

Time to head off to the barn-----------------

That looks like a blast. Did you guess consider landing on the salt? I know a big group heads out from Salt Lake every year and they just land right there.

Thanks for sharing.

Salty landings

We considered it, but the salt was pretty damp----and sticky----still a lot of standing water in places, we even had to drive through 6" or so to get out there.

Steve was concerned about the wheel pants getting packed up with salt, and causing damage.

And, there is the issue of corrosion-------------

In the old Stinson, we would have been fine landing there, but the flight would have taken at least twice as long, with a fuel stop on the way.

Landing on the salt

You don't want to land out there with your RV's! Family and friends have been going out there for a few years to chase records and what it does to the vehicles is something you have to see to believe. One of my friends used to spend days cleaning his Van after taking it on the salt and it rotted to nothing and quickly. Also the streamliners that they run take a real beating from the salt and the attention that they get is dramatic yet it is hard to control the corrosion. Find another way onto the salt.

If anybody has an interest in following the progress, the Ack Attack is on site and testing so to speak. This group is lead by Mike Akatiff who designed and built the streamliner. (motorcycle) He is a fellow aviator and manufacturer of ACK ELT's and blind encoders. My father in law is on the crew and is the engine builder for the streamliner along with whatever else needs doing I guess. There are many others involved and working their backsides off to make this happen. Anyway this event is being used as sort of a trial run for the BUB speed week in Sept which has the judges in place for a world motorcycle land speed record. Last year they broke the world record that has held since around 1991 or so, I can't remember to be honest. With all the attempts and failures for all these years by all comers they broke the record only to have it fall in a day or so at the same event. The Ack Attack gang broke the streamliner trying to answer. This year much has been done to make it faster, stronger, and slippery to the air. Last year the fast runs were in the 340'ish mph and one over 350mph by Sam Wheeler that he couldn't back up. This year look for speeds to go up if either of the fast motorcycle streamliners get it together.

I'm Trying to decide whether to fly to Wendover and spend Saturday on the salt or fly to Independence for the Van's Homecoming. Decisions, decisions. Do I cross one state line to the north and spend the day and come home, or two state lines to the east and spend the day and fly home. I love having a flying RV!

Best,

Brian, thanks for the ACK Attack update. One of a couple specific vehicles I wanted to see.

Steve and I looked for, but did not find it. Too little time, too many vehicles.