RE: are we interested in air speed or ground speed ? Does it matter
Mike, someone else pointed out that a .40 sized trainer could go 200 in a tornado. I say, what's wrong with that? If I was witness to a plane that was under my control going 200 and was able to "take it all in", I would get a kick out of knowing that it did 200. I would tell the World [and I doubt that this trick has ever been done].
When a DSer is radared at the bottom of a dive, does his speed "count"? It does to him and that is all that matters. It is just a matter of degree how far you want to take the "unassisted" part of the equation for what you think counts. Maybe the only recognized clockings should be with no dive what-so-ever, just level passes? Set the ceiling at 50 feet and clock the plane in a 665 foot stretch in zero wind only [none of that 2 way average BS for me].
This forum isn't really about extreme speed, never has been. The only extreme speed guys [except for ILJ] have been run out of here for being too hardcore. If a guy wants to come here and claim 200, share his set up, talk about how it was clocked, etc., I'm all for it, it's not meaningless to me.
If a guy wants to come here and talk about a RC garbage can lid that he clocked at 200, I'll read about that with some interest, too.
I don't think any of it is worthless or meaningless, all the claims have some relative value. I come here to learn and to be entertained and the claims are just numbers...no matter where they come from.