July 8, 1998 Inaugural EAA AirVenture Cup Race

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by	The Editors of AVweb

Monday, July 27th, two days before the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 1998 convention even opened, the sound of airplanes at full fury filled the air at Oshkosh Wittman field. Ten very special, very speedy airplanes wrestled for the finish line on the south end of runway 18-36, ending a 822 nautical mile cross country race.

Though there have been air races at Oshkosh before, this is the first year of the EAA-sponsored AirVenture Cup, a race designed to showcase experimental airplanes and recreate the excitement of the old Bendix Trophy races that began in the 30's. Participants receive a special commemorative plaque and the names of all the winners will be placed on the AirVenture Cup, on permanent display in the EAA Air Museum.

Racers began at Manteo, North Carolina's Dare County airport, swooping down the starting line on the runway at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, aviation's birthplace, then headed north across rugged terrain, negotiating weather and special-use airspace along the way. Each aircraft had to fly around a pylon at the Aurora airport, near Chicago, then down the home stretch at Wittman field at Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the finish.

Three classes of experimental aircraft entered the race: Formula FX, comprised of any piston aircraft with an engine displacement of up to 360 cubic inches and fixed landing gear; included in this group were an RV-4, Long EZ, Skybolt and even a Whittman Tailwind.

Formula RG with he same engine displacement, but retractable gear. This was the smallest class with a Glassair IIS-RG and a Berkut, which suffered a gear collapse at the start of the race.

Finally, the Unlimited class, which, as the name hints, is open to any experimental aircraft of any power. This is where the Lancair IV-P's, Questairs, and even a 2800 horse Hawker Sea Fury thrashed it out with brute force and avgas. A 2800 horse Sea Fury competing with the 300-400 horse Questairs and Lancairs?

About 150-200 spectators cheered the racers at the start line at Kitty Hawk and an equal number met the racers at the finish line in Oshkosh.

As you might expect, the mighty Sea Fury pilots by Hoot Gibson crossed the finish line first in 3 hours, 11 minutes and 9 seconds, but the 420 horsepower Lancair IV-P, piloted by Jim Rahm, was only 6 minutes behind the Hawker. A Long EZ, flown by Gus Sabo was first in the fixed gear FX division and Thomas Taylor, flying his Glassair IIS-RG was the uncontested winner in the Formula RG class due to his only competitor's misfortune with the landing gear.

A special program will be held in the Theater in the Woods on Wednesday evening, honoring the racers.