Air racing team relies on Lincoln Electric GTAW machine

San Jose, Calif.'s Dago Red team recently took first place at the 2003 National Championship Air Races and Air Show in Reno, Nev. Crew Chief Bill Kerchenfaut said that one of the secret weapons in his arsenal is pilot Skip Holm, and another is his Invertec® V205-T AC/DC GTAW machine from the Lincoln Electric Co.

During the air races, six classes of airplanes race around a pylon course made up of 50-ft. telephone poles covered in brightly colored panels with striped metal drums on top to make them visible to pilots. Winning the unlimited class for the fifth consecutive year, Dago Red's North American P-51D Mustang also broke the never-before-reached 500-MPH barrier, being clocked at 507.105 MPH.

The 35-lb. Invertec V205-T is capable of SMAW as well as AC and DC GTAW. It can be plugged into 115- or 230-V input power. The machine also has adjustable controls, including pulse, upslope, downslope, crater fill, post flow, two-step/four-step trigger multiprocedure, and AC balance. Adjusting the AC frequency focuses the arc.

Kerchenfaut said he uses the machine mainly for repairs on steel and aluminum up to ¼ in. thick. He and the Dago Red team will be in Reno again at the 41st National Championship Air Races and Air Show Sept. 16-19.