I just read something in SN that led me to think that a guy that flys faster has a better chance of winning the NATs.
(Or any contest?)
Is a 5.0 better then a 5.5 lap time. Or is the just to the windy conditions at the NATs?
Not really. You run the speed you need to run to get the performance you want. If you get too slow, you can lose the ability to just sit back and steer it around and you have to help the airplane by whipping, etc, But as long as you have sufficient tension everywhere, more doesn't help, and tends to hurt. For a reference, at last year's Golden State contest, we had about 15-20 mph sustained and smooth as silk, and I think someone got me at around 5.4 seconds, from a baseline around 5.25-5.3.
Also, in general, you can fly slower when it is windy.. The wind can help you, almost too much at times. Crank the needle in in a 20 mph wind and your airplane is going to pull you over or pull the wings off. You need some speed in dead air to make up for the lack of assistance, and to barrel through your own turbulence.
I end up flying slightly slower at Muncie than I do here in California. Instead of 5.25-5.30, I am usually around 5.4 in Muncie depending on the conditions. For whatever reason, I get slightly more tension for a given speed in Muncie, in all conditions, wind, calm, etc. But I don't target a speed. I just adjust the needle until it feels right to me, adjust faster in calm, and a bit slower in smooth heavy wind, and it usually works out. How your engine responds to needling also makes a big difference. An ideal setup will get more aggressive if you back off on the needle, with more boost/brake as you slow it down. This is also very helpful in the wind, so you can have more power when you need it, and less power or more braking action when you get whipped up.
Muncie is not at all bad for wind compared to many places we fly. Try going out at 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon at Whittier Narrows, or Napa. The only difference with Muncie is that you have to fly when it's time to fly regardless of the wind. Every place else, you just decide to skip it when its bad. It is absolutely no accident that the two most successful competitors both spent some of their formative years flying in very difficult sites (Paul Walker at Whitter Narrows and David Fitzgerald at one or the other of the Napa sites). Even David gives up about 11:30-noon at Napa.
Brett