Maximum Potential of the Model

[swferris]

Please, (first and foremost) keep yourselves very safe. . . . Question, what is the ultra, maximum cross country potential of the Legal Eagle & Legal Eagle XL.  The longest flight (total trip length) that I know of, from reading these posts, (was in what I understand is in a) standard Legal Eagle, and is from the fella that lives in Kansas City.  I believe we could learn a lot from him.

Please watch this video (example from a Quicksilver 2 cycle / 2 place model):  

[Sam Buchanan]

Question, what is the ultra, maximum cross country potential of the Legal Eagle & Legal Eagle XL.  

There are two maximums to consider:

1) Aircraft maximum range. This is limited by fuel on board which is five gallons in a Part 103 Legal Eagle which will be at most two hours with a little reserve.

2) Pilot maximum range. This is limited by the endurance, available time, persistence, and sanity of the pilot and depends on how many legs he wishes to string together on a "cross county" trip.

This means a pilot with the skill, will, time and money can connect together as many cross country legs in an Eagle as he wishes, but each leg will be limited by the fuel on board. But the airplane doesn't know it is on a long journey, it only sees the world one short flight at a time.

So...what was your question? It really should be "What is the maximum cross country potential of the Legal Eagle Pilot?".

[Steve]

Question, what is the ultra, maximum cross country potential of the Legal Eagle & Legal Eagle XL.  

This is my LE experience with a 214 mile trip (Dulzura, CA - Dateland, AZ)  and many others in the 50 mile range.... The 200 mile flight and more were with the Density Altitude off the top of the Koch Chart...  My gas tank will release all of the 5.5 gallons it holds...

On the Map below flying from (B) Holtville, CA to Dateland, AZ I depleted the fuel 8 miles short of (C) Dateland and landed on the I-8 frontage road to re-fuel... The flight time from (B) Holtville was 1 hour 50 minutes... During that portion of the flight the temp was over 110 F and I ran the engine WOT to clear the hills east of the Yuma Sand Dunes... It was an emotional/moving experience to fly low and slow across those Yuma sand dunes - amazing...

I fully support anyone thinking about doing cross-countries in the Ul... Advise to carry a GPS (it looks different down low), plan the trip in 50 mile legs which accounts for unexpected winds, getting a little lost or interrupted and about 1 hour in the seat... Carry the empty 2.5 gallon fuel can on the wing back brace as Joe Engelman does...