Control Line: Racing
Bill Lee
I knew it when I wrote it. I should have kept my big mouth shut. Here I am with a good thing going and I had to open my yap and spoil the whole thing.
You probably wonder what that is about. Well, I'll tell you the sad tale. A couple of issues back I wrote about the success I had last year flying Goodyears in contests around the country — some pretty good times and a few wins. I also mentioned that I was running a small-crank Rossi and preferred it to the later, larger-crank versions, and that I had not, up to that time, ever broken one.
Well, I might as well have gone out to the shop and taken a hammer to that engine because destiny was upon me as soon as that issue hit the stand. That's right — the next contest I blew up a Rossi. I went to the Southwestern Regionals in Buckeye, Arizona, and really did a number on it. The rod galled on the crank pin, causing the rod to lock tight to the crank. The sudden stop caused the crank to break directly in front of the crank web. Oh my, how that hurt! But I should have known — I should have suspected it.
Speaking of Buckeye, that's a long way from Houston where I live, but the trip was really worth it. I had a couple of other crazies who wanted to go, too, so we all piled into the car and drove 1,200 miles out into the desert. We intended to fly the AMA events — Rat, Slow Rat, and Goodyear — but one of the others, Larry Miller from Corpus Christi, wanted to try some of the special local events that are widely flown in the Southwest. Their events — Arizona Control Line Association (ACLA) Slow Rat, ACLA Slow Proto speed, and Southwest Control Line Association (SWCLA) Big Goodyear — are a lot of fun. Below are the special rules.
ACLA Slow Rat
- Planes are profile models with a minimum 300 sq. in. wing.
- Must have at least one-wheel landing gear (no minimum wing thickness rules).
- Engines .40 cu. in. or smaller, running on suction.
- Maximum fuel tank capacity: 1 oz.
- Control lines: .015" x 60'.
- Races are the standard 70/140 laps style as the AMA flyers use, but there are no required pit stops.
ACLA Slow Proto Speed
- Same basic rules as Slow Rat.
- The purpose of the event is to achieve maximum speed measured over one mile (14 laps) from a standing start.
SWCLA Big Goodyear
- The purpose is to provide an event where a competitive entrant can be completely supplied from an average local hobby shop.
- Requires kit airplanes with production .35 engines.
- Maximum fuel capacity: 2 oz.
- No shut-offs, hot gloves, quick fills, or other trick racing equipment allowed.
- Requires two-wheel landing gear and use of standard, readily available parts.
The racing at Buckeye was very good and highly competitive in the special events, while the AMA classes were not as heavily developed in that area. Big Goodyear is the big event right now, with 27 entrants, compared to 11 in AMA Slow Rat and 14 in ACLA.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
