Our congratulations to record-breaking aviator, the irrepressible Steve Wood, who went to St James' Palace last week to be presented with The Air League's Scott-Farnie Award by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
The FAI has just ratified another 35 records giving him 64 world records at present - with another 14 pending!
We have been looking at how many world records he could have claimed using the official start / finish times submitted to the FAI for the records he has claimed.
It gets complicated as the FAI Has changed its rules three times in recent years to stop ridiculously slow speeds being claimed. Up to 2006, any speed could be claimed which is why some records are down to just 8 km/h (5 mph). From 2006 to 2008, speeds below the clean stall speed of the aircraft (or 100 km/h if the stall speed was not known) could only be claimed if other records were claimed on the same route which were above the stall speed. From 1 March 2008 the FAI has simplified the rules and now only speeds above the clean stall speed (or 100 km.h) can be claimed.
We have also been researching the records set by Sheila Scott - who is generally regarded as having set the most aviation records of any British pilot up to now. In the Encyclopedia Britannica she is reputed to have broken "more than 100 light-aviation records" between 1965 and 1972. However, she claimed only 77 official FAI world records (which is why Steve has claimed 78 records) and of those 77 records 30 were duplicate 'Feminine' records which have been superseded by the FAI as no longer valid as there is now no 'feminine' category.
It seems that Sheila Scott may have set more than 100 aviation records but only claimed the 77 world records. Based on the same rules as existed when she set her records, Steve actually set a massive total of 320 world speed records, but of course has only claimed 78 world records.plus another 5 British National records.
Under the 2007 rules which applied during all but his last flight, Steve could have claimed 197 FAI world records, plus the 5 British National records. Under the 2008 rules he could have claimed 161 FAI world records, plus the 5 British National records.
I hope you are keeping up! But let me summarise.
All of Steve’s 78 claimed records meet the 2008 rules and, if you apply the 2008 rules to other pilots records, the situation changes dramatically.
Based on claimed records:
Steve become no. 1 in the world for the number of records ever set in a homebuilt aircraft as the previous 'top scorer' (H G Schmid) claimed 168 records of which only 61 records would be valid under the 2008 rules. This compares with Steve’s 78 claimed, and still valid, records!
Sheila Scott's total of 77 records would reduce to just 38 valid records. Another British pilot, Victor Davies, claimed 62 records and this would reduce to 28 records. Judith Chisholm originally claimed 56 world records but 29 of these were 'feminine' and her total would reduce to just 16 records under the new rules. Interestingly the number of records set by a British pilot in a single year back - 27 records set in 1952 by T W Hayhow - stays unchanged, but, in any event, Steve smashed this total by setting 78 world records in a single year.
Of course, irrespective of the changes in the FAI rules, Steve is now the top scoring British aviator in the history of aviation presently holding 64 FAI world records with another 14 world records pending ratification.
We are all very proud of Steve. On the same day that Steve received his prestigious Scott-Farnie Award medal, another Yorkshireman was there. Her Majesty The Queen knighted Sir Michael Parkinson – we think she might have put the royal sword to Steve in recognition of his amazing achievements.
