Radio Control: Pylon Racing
Bill Hager
On to Victory!
By the time you read this, our FAI Pylon team will be on its way to Australia for the 1987 FAI Pylon Racing World Championships. For those of you who haven't been following what has been going on, let's go back a bit.
On October 27–28, 1986, at Smyrna, TN, we selected the team to represent the U.S.A. at the RC Pylon Racing World Championships. The three pilots who qualified had to beat out the best fliers from all corners of the U.S.A.
U.S. Team — 1987 FAI Pylon Racing World Championships
- Dub Jett — Top qualifier. Fastest time: 1:14.09. Dub works as a vice-president of a large company in Houston, TX. He has been flying model airplanes since he was old enough to hold one. He flew Control Line Speed until about 1979, when he became interested in Formula Racing. With his knowledge of engines and his determination, he has risen to the top.
- Brian Richmond — Second qualifier. Fastest time: 1:16.81. Brian is a professional pilot from Florida and has been flying most of his life. I first ran into Brian and his brother, Bruce, at the '76 Nats in Dayton, OH, where they did very well. Bruce has opted to be his brother's caller rather than fly himself; remember, Bruce is no slouch as a pilot either.
- Dave Shadel — Third qualifier. Fastest time: 1:16.28. Dave is from Carlsbad, CA, and runs his own business in the modeling industry, supplying reworked ST X-40 engines and many other items needed in Formula Racing. He has spent most of his life in modeling, has won the NMPRA Championship Races several times, been number one in national points, and has won at the AMA Nats. He worked for Kraft Systems for several years, then moved on to Airtronics, and then started his own business.
- Team manager: Bob Wallace — Bob has been competing in FAI Pylon Racing for years, has raced in Europe, and his vast knowledge of FAI racing will be a great asset to the team.
So, there they are. I think we have the very best representing us at the World Champs. Good luck, guys!
Here is a contest report sent to me by Dave Latsha. The reporter is John Kilsdonk:
12th Annual Northeast QM Championships
July 5–6, 1986 — Harrisburg, PA
The annual big bash in Harrisburg was historic for 1986. Another well-arranged, well-run contest, thanks to Dave Latsha and the West Shore Flying Society. This two-day affair can be broken down into three events: the Contest, the Party, and the Trophy Dash.
- Contest
- Party
- Trophy Dash
The Contest
Six rounds were flown on Saturday in 95° temperatures. Denny Sumner was the class act with two 11.6s in the first two rounds. Two new fliers, Rich Moreland and John Albritton from the Washington, DC area, impressed everyone with sub-1:20 times. Gail Jacobson's best crash smeared Polekitty Number 3 pylon. Kilsdonk and Grether had the best midair high-speed mating maneuver around Number 3 pylon.
Dave Latsha had the best fire. Dave's plane crashed near the timers' stand after a midair and burned in a cloud of dense black smoke, leaving the engine, a wheel, and some fiberglass strands.
Four rounds were flown on Sunday. Sumner zeroed (and broke a good prop) on a nose-over on takeoff. Hulik zeroed due to no start. Sumner tied for first and won first in a fly-off. Rex Knepper finished third, Greg Doe fourth, and Dave Latsha fifth. The contest was over by 1:00 p.m. Lots of good races, with a whole bunch of people all going about the same speed who qualified for the Trophy Dash.
The Trophy Dash
This year's Trophy Dash was a memorial to Lew Hipkins, who passed away in May. Lew was an avid East Coast racer who was well-liked by his competitors. He will be missed.
The 12 fastest fliers (under 1:23.5) were pitted against each other in four three-plane eliminations. The final race ended up with Sumner, Doe, Heatlie, and Kilsdonk. The latter two declined to fly because of an RC-frequency conflict, allowing Greg Doe to fly off. Denny Sumner won. Greg Doe executed a high-speed landing on the sixth lap coming to Number 1 pylon.
Congratulations to Denny Sumner for winning everything: the Contest, the Fast Time, and the Trophy Dash.
The Party
The annual "Big Steak" party hosted by Dave and Marianne Latsha on Saturday evening was terrific, as usual. Everyone got their fill of goodies. This was followed on Sunday by a brunch for all of the women at the contest.
Eight states were represented at the contest: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Michigan, and New Jersey.
Reader letter — Philip Zak (Reading, PA)
Philip wrote: "Read your feature every month in Model Aviation and enjoy it very much. Although I fly Pylon I think I would like to try Skooter II racing. I know time is a problem and I am a race nut — have been following local Skooter II racing for years. I would like to start, but cannot handle going to QM and FAI. I know some tidbits on building/setting up and there may be a book on the subject or another source that lists engines, pipes, mods, plans, kits, designs, etc. Is there any organized racing for 1/4-scale?"
Philip, the best way to stay in tune with what is going on in Pylon Racing (other than reading my column, of course) is to join the organization responsible for racing as we have it today: the NMPRA (see below). As far as books on racing, I don't know of any. As to where to buy racing items, I will list some people who sell to the racing fraternity in future columns.
Support Pylon Racing — Join the NMPRA
Dues are $13/year for non-racing members and $22/year for flying members. To join, write to:
Donna Bartle 1353 N. Santiago Santa Ana, CA 92701
Donna is the organization's treasurer this year. See you next month.
Bill Hager 706 Glen Haven Dr. Conroe, TX 77385
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
