AMA Nats: RC Pylon Racing

Edition: Model Aviation - 1988/11
Page Numbers: 39, 40, 41, 145, 149, 150, 151

Art Arro

Overview

One of the largest and best-run "go fast and turn left" gatherings took place at the 1988 Tidewater Nats. Highlights:

Total event entries: 190 pylon entries (raced during six morning time slots).
Geographic representation: 25 U.S. states and four countries (Canada, Mexico, France, Czechoslovakia).
New and major entries:
Quickie 500: 79 entries
Formula I: ~50 entries
Quarter Midget (QM): 44 entries
FAI Pylon (F3D): ~17–18 entries, including international competitors
Weather: hot and humid most of the week; racing was nevertheless fast and record times were set in several classes.
Race site: main runway, Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, Fentress — continuous macadam strip 8,000 ft long and 180 ft wide. Vehicle parking adjoined the taxiway; pitting was allowed in the grass median.
Race management: Wayne Yeager, RC Pylon Racing Event Director, and his crew ran the event superbly.

Processing: All events began with aircraft paperwork, transmitter checks, and safety inspections. Quickie 500 processing at the Holiday Inn Chesapeake required handling 79 pilots and over 100 models.
Frequency management: Preassigned frequencies and clean transmitter output minimized past 31 MHz problems.
Inspections: Models were checked for AMA rule conformance and safety. A common rule issue in Quickie 500 was wing thickness/span requirements (minimum wing thickness 1/16 in. for a specified portion of span; span limits 50–52 in.). Officials waived a single parameter in some cases if other specifications were met.
Scoring and starters: New shutter and lap-counting systems were demonstrated. Course workers flagged starts/finishes, judged cuts, snapped shutters, and recorded scores. Chief starter Karen Yeager handled most starts.

Entries processed: 79 pilots (over 100 models).
Common model/engine combinations:
Most popular: Skat Cat fuselage with a Rossi .40 engine — 63 of 79 Quickies used Rossi .40s.
Other engines seen: Webra Speed .40 ABC, Super Tigre S.40, Como .40, ABC ASP .40, FSR Irvine .40, Picco P.40, Fox .40.
Designs: V-tail, T-tail and conventional tails were all represented. The Viper design (both T-tail and conventional) was a popular choice.
Modifications: Many entries used fuselage fairings, wing thickeners, and extenders to meet rule requirements. Safety checks were performed to reduce mechanical mishaps.

Pilots' meeting: 6:30 a.m. on Sunday; demonstration of shutter/lap-counting system.
First heat flagged: 7:14 a.m. Paul Benczewski set an early fast time of 1:21.08.
Pace: Average cycle time per heat (call, line-up, race, scoring) averaged about 5½ minutes — very brisk.
Scheduling note: Quickie was paused mid-round to yield the site to RC Pattern; Round 3 later resumed early the next morning.

Early standings: After Day 1, the top nine were under 1:30, many in the mid-20s.
Tied leaders: Ten pilots were tied after cutting out in Round 3; Paul Benczewski led on fast time until later rounds shuffled placings.
Flyoffs (held at high noon):
Gold flyoff (Henry Bartle, Dub Jett, Ken Heatlie):
Winner: Henry Bartle — 1:18.95
2nd: Dub Jett — 1:20.53
3rd: Ken Heatlie — secured third overall but crashed (lost his model) after contacting Henry’s caller with his transmitter antenna while rounding Pylon No. 3.
4th–5th flyoff (Dennis Sumner vs Jerry Salisbury):
Winner: Dennis Sumner — Jerry Salisbury double-cut out.
6th–8th flyoff (Peter Bergstrom, Jess Thurrott, Doug Whiteaker):
Winner (6th): Peter Bergstrom — 1:34; both Jess and Doug had low cuts.
Awards: Plaques presented down to 12th place (per Nats policy), plus Fast Time.
Fast Time: Bob Nickle — 1:18.46 (Round 5)
Notable competitors: Peter Bergstrom was the only Quickie novice (soloed in February); most award winners were seasoned pylon racers. Craig Grunemeyer, a Quickie competitor, was transitioning to Quarter Midget.

Entries processed: 44 entries (processed at the AMA HQ hotel).
Popular airframes: Hemi 1000 most common; other models included Pole Cat, Napier-Heston, T-11, Spitfire, ME-109.
Engines: Nelson .15 used by 32 fliers; remaining pilots used K&B/Cox Conquest .15 variants.

Schedule: Pilots' meeting 6:00 a.m.; first heat airborne at 7:30 a.m.
Workload: Five complete rounds plus two flyoffs completed by 1:00 p.m. — 57 heats in about 6½ hours.
Fast times: Bruce Richmond recorded the event's best time — 1:15.05 in the final heat.
Flyoffs and placings:
Four pilots had perfect 20-point scores after five rounds; two others tied at 17 points, necessitating flyoffs.
Flyoff among Henry Bartle, Bob Brogdon, Gail Jacobson, and Dave Latsha: Gail began but Dave failed to start; Henry had engine trouble and cut once; Bob cut out early.
Second flyoff (Al Grove vs Ken Heatlie) for 6th/7th: Al Grove won — 1:35.46.
Awards: Top eight places awarded, plus Fast Time and Best Senior.

Entries: 17–18 entries, including international competitors:
Milos Malina (Czechoslovakia), Guy Brouquières (France), Antonio Galicia (Mexico), plus U.S. team members Dub Jett and Brian Richmond.
Popular designs: P-51 Mustang was commonly flown.
Processing followed Quickie and QM; the field was competitive with international presence.

Structure: Intense competition; "ten times required to win" heats and multiple rounds.
Early rounds: Three rounds of 13 heats were completed on the first day.
Round 4 began early (7:07 a.m.). Round 5 included 16 heats, with standout times.
Fast times and notable pilots:
Dave Shadel: 1:10.48 in Round 5.
Brian Richmond: 1:09.16 in Round 7.
Henry Dibble and Gary Hover were strong contenders as well.
Flyoffs:
Top-three flyoff (Henry Bartle, Brian Richmond, Dave Shadel):
Winner: Brian Richmond — 1:09.20
2nd: Dave Shadel (finished despite a cut in lap six)
3rd: Henry Bartle
4th/5th: Bruce Richmond (4th) and Mike Helsel (5th) by points.
6th/7th flyoff: Dub Jett won after Dave Pearce cut a pylon.
Awards: Distributed down to ninth place, plus Fast Time, Best of Show, and Best Junior.
Best Junior: Pete Waters, Jr. — also competed in Quickie 500 and Quarter Midget.

Best-of-Show Polecat (a striking black/silver/blue model) suffered a midair loss in the first round — reportedly the third Nats in a row in which the Best-of-Show model was lost during heat racing.
Other losses: Dub Jett lost his Tonix racer during heat racing.

Total heats flown at the Nats: 262 heats with very few retirements.
Special recognition:
Wayne Yeager — RC Pylon Racing Event Director and key organizer.
Karen Yeager — Chief Starter for most races; contributed her time and energy for six days of pylon action.
All volunteer officials and course workers — responsible for calling heats, fueling aircraft, counting laps, tabulating scores, and numerous other tasks.
Conclusion: RC Pylon Racing at the 1988 Tidewater Nats featured excellent facilities, strong competition, international participation, and efficient race operation — a standout Nationals for pylon racing.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.