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April 28, 2007
NAA Press Release
 The 100km closed course speed record for class
C-1c aircraft has been on the books for more than 30 years, but
it’s about to be blown out of the sky, if John Parker has
anything to say about it. On July 28, 1975, John P. Harris set
the mark in his Bellanca Skyrocket II with a speed of 282.87
mph; flying a Thunder Mustang at the upcoming Golden West EAA
Regional Fly-In & Airshow, pilot John Parker and his Blue
Thunder / American Air Racing team plan to shatter the record by
more than 100 mph.
Parker founded American Air Racing Ltd in 1967
to offer builder support and develop special aviation projects,
and has since staked his claim as the “absolute leader in custom
aircraft building.” It’s a boast he regularly backs up as an
aeronautical engineer and air race pilot, and he’s estimating
he’ll do better than 380 mph at Golden West, an annual
Experimental Aircraft Association event.
“The focus of the business has changed from
time to time, but American Air Racing primarily a build center
for experimental aircraft,” says Parker. “The speed record
attempts are a great demonstration of the standards of
excellence we try to maintain around here.”
Each year NAA tracks dozens of new world and
national aviation record attempts, certifying new records as the
official record keeper for United States aviation and ratifying
them with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the
world air sports federation. The National Aeronautic Association
will oversee Parker’s record attempt at Yuba County Airport in
Marysville, California during the Golden West EAA Regional
Fly-In & Airshow, June 29–30 and July 1, 2007.
“We’re not just shooting to break the record,
we’re aiming to do better than 380 mph,” says Parker. “It’s
about the capability of the airplane, how we load it, and the
fuel we use. The biggest challenge will be minimizing the
penalty on the turnaround: The faster you go, the bigger the
penalty is on the turnaround. A fraction of a second mistake
could make several seconds difference in the overall time and
greatly effect the recorded, credited speed for the record.”
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