Aircraft	Grumman AA5-A, "Cheetah"
Company	Private
Name	Bob Hodo
Date	02 Jan 2012
Groundspeed	247 kts
Notes	Well, y'all, it has been a cold and windy couple days in the Heart of Dixie. With all the recent talk about quick trips southbound on the east coast I checked winds and temps aloft and saw a chance last evening. It was showing a strong band through Montgomery with 104mph at 12,000 and even more above that. Wind from 310 degrees. So I figured tacking (sailing term intentionally used) from Gadsden to Tuscaloosa while climbing, then a turn to Montgomery for the downwind, and then a broad reach back home would be fun. After the turn, a few slight heading changes to find the sweet spot, and I got 226kn level at 13,500. The air was absolutely smooth, felt like sitting in my living room. Then I pushed the nose over, pulling power back to stay at least in the vicinity of the redline, and saw a peak of 249kn on the gps, my best picture being 247kn. I didn't get the pic at 249 cause I kept hoping for the 250! I was really hoping to beat Ned's 254kn in his Tiger, but I either need more tailwind or constant speed prop! I think I could have made Savannah if I had lost power. :) The track can be seen at flightaware.com, punch in N477BG. It only records speed once per minute, and the highest it shows is 244kn. Bob Hodo playin in a cheetah