King of Speed

I now hold a National Speed Record, one that will shortly be certified as a World Speed Record. I know what you’re thinking:

He’s some adrenaline-fueled jet jockey with a hot plane and deep-pocketed sponsors (the lucky bastard). Or you might be thinking William Edward Who?

I guess I should mention that my record speed was a blazing 139.66 miles per hour. Yes, that’s MPH, not Mach. And that I set it in a 1947 Ercoupe. Oh, and, no. I didn’t do this:

U.S. Air Corps’ first rocket-assisted takeoff test, using an Ercoupe, August 12, 1941. That’s the chase plane in the foreground, still on its takeoff roll, with the tail wheel barely off the earth.

Nope. I set the record the old fashioned way: Careful planning, meticulous preparation, and skilled execution. I planned my route and my altitude to take every advantage. I watched the weather like a person obsessed. I readied my plane, waxed her wings, made sure she was in top fighting form. I carefully selected the exact day, hour, and minute of my flight. Then I flew with an accuracy and precision like never in my life. And the fruits of my labor paid off.

And I couldn’t be more proud of myself, my plane, and my luck.

Date Line… May 6, 2015

Email from the National Aeronautic Association’s Director of Contest and Records A. W. Greenfield:

Dear William:

Congratulations!  Your record for “Speed Over a Recognized Course” claimed on April 8, 2015, has been approved as a United States record as follows:

 Albuquerque, NM to Amarillo, TX:  139.66 mph

                Class C, Aeroplanes

                Subclass: C-1b, Group: I (Internal Combustion)

                Ercoupe 415-CD

The record dossier has been forwarded to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in Switzerland for approval as a World record.  

Pretty impressive speed for an Ercoupe, if I say so myself!

Date Line… June 1, 2015

I’m front page news…

Check it out.

Oh… and in the local paper, too…

And in the paper from the next-nearest town…

And in Coupe Capers…

In Fly New Mexico! the newsletter of my state’s Aviation Division…

And in Smart Brief…

And in Flying Magazine…

Oh, and somewhere along the way, my World Record became official…