PIC Low Speed Record

Henning

Henning

Taxi to Parking
Gone West
Joined
Feb 26, 2005
Messages
39,463
Location
Ft Lauderdale FL
Display Name
Display name:
iHenning
Mine is 35 kts flying the PA 12 into a 70+kt wind from Abilene to Odessa. I had to land at the Flying J on 20 for fuel.
 
I am fairly certain 5kts in a champ would be the lowest... But we weren't in a hurry. :)
 
0 airspeed departure was my slowest.....fell backwards through a cloud of unburnt fuel before it flopped over on its back and started gyrating.
 
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Level flight ... the ASI is in MPH. The groundspeed of 34.9 knots is thanks to a tailwind.
 
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I remember 68 knots coming back from Ohio in the rain and the bumps... UGH! I stopped in Indiana because I needed a break from the bumps and the IMC. :rolleyes2:
 
Does 0 in a hover count? :dunno: (I would think in the interest of fairness helicopters would be disqualified.) No clue, but I would guess I have some very low groundspeeds in a 130, landing at various spots in Alaska.
 
If we're talking ground speed, I've been negative many times for fun on windy days in the 150 next to the interstate. You can see people staring out their car windows at you.
 
I don't remember the exact speeds, but I was in Wally's T-Craft going through the Columbia Gorge. I tried both sides of the river, and even though I was making some headway, I turned around about Bonneville.

I finally bought a Super Cub. It was like flying a fighter...... the extra 10mph!
 
5 knots backwards, Cessna 140 full flaps out....just on the teetering edge, holding level on the approach.
 
One winter near Seattle, I did 5 knots in a Cutlass at 11,000 feet. Since it would have taken 22 hours to get to Portland, I decided getting on top was not that important!
 
Does -6 count?

I've told this tale before - mid December around 2006 - flew from CT to HYA in a Skyhawk. Coming back winds at 6500 were about 65knots from the west smooth as glass with some snow about and I was heading west. In the days before I had a cell phone with a camera that I thought was usable in flight so I have no photo.

I slowed down - deployed some flaps. Took it to about 55kias - and the GPS flipped around and showed me going the other way - peaked about -6 - and the controller came on and told me that I had a another Skyhawk gaining on me . . .

Recovered and descended to 3000 where winds were only about 40knots - it takes a long time to go 55nm at 70kts grounds speed . . ..
 
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If we aren't counting things that hover, probably single digits in a 172 in slow flight for me. Things that hover, I've had hours of less than 2-4 knots, many minutes of 0 in the airship.
 
Ground speed wise, I've stopped and backed up in both a Skyhawk (really windy day in Iowa) and a Seminole (mountain wave trying to get to, then through Banning Pass). It's fun watching the 430 in the Seminole trying to figure out what the crap is going on when you hover it.
 
How about 20 knots, with the engine cold and tiedowns in place??? :D

(This was actual speed made good, not counting relative wind.)
 
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The lowest ground speed I ever observed was in the 172 one day -- we were doing slow flight. IAS was somewhere in the 40s, and GS shown by Mr. Garmin was 5.
 
Ah Ship...I see.

First I thought you put it on a truck, but I figured a truck would be moving faster than 20kts. So I asked.
 
I remember following the interstate from BGR - AUG in a Beech Sport one night...cars were passing me.
 
55 knots GS in a warrior II over Mt. Mitchell at 10,500ft. Had to climb that high to get out of the mountain wave effect taking me up/down and making it impossible to hold altitude.

In hindsight, I should have gone around the mountain. Once I got down to a lower altitude on the other side, I was doing almost 100 kts.
 
0kts ground speed at altitude in a DA20 during flight training. Windy day up high.
 
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