Radio Control: Pylon Racing
Bill Hager 4 Holly Springs Dr. Conroe, TX 77302
Atlanta (report from G. E. Jacobson)
"I survived Atlanta" will be remembered for a long time. In all my years of racing I do not believe I have experienced such adverse wind conditions. Saturday a "calm" wind registered about 10 mph with gusts to 24 mph (handheld wind meter), although it felt higher. Generally the wind was down the runway, but the gusts made for difficult landings, many hard greases, and plenty of applause at the timing stand.
Two rounds were flown on Saturday and then flying was called off. After the first round we delayed the second round for more than an hour. A pilots' vote was split on continuing; it was a concern to see experienced pilots crash in the first round, although it was hard to determine how much wind was a factor. At the end of the second round flying was called off for the day when Dave Latsha had to tie his motor home down to keep it from blowing away.
Sunday morning the wind was calm at 8:00 a.m., but by 9:45 the wind returned. Still, eight rounds were flown on Sunday by 5:30 p.m. with 24 contestants (three were absent). The 4 x 6 matrix established on Saturday was maintained, so we went through the matrix twice.
Highlights:
- Dennis Ennis and Jake mid-air coming around pylon #2.
- Several very short landings; some planes ended up in trees over 300 ft. from the runway.
- Vern Smith stopping for a Senior Citizens breakfast on the way to getting his plane out of a tree (inside joke).
- Dave Latsha teaching Dennis O'Brien that Dennis's plane was indestructible — Dennis left half a carbon prop in Dave's center section after a collision that also split Dave's wheel.
- Dave Latsha's attempt to get away with five cuts at pylon #3 before getting the message — he posted a fast contest time of 1:14.15.
- Note: subsequent research shows Jim Moorhead has a 1:13.45 verified time; Mike Kultz's 1:13.65 remains a noted QM time.
- Rick Moreland suffered two broken crankshafts.
- Pressure lines coming off earned zeroes for several fliers.
- A carbon-fiber prop broke on a takeoff nose-over and hit the starter, causing a minor cut near a flier's eye (the pilot was at least 15 ft. from the plane).
- Another contestant asked the CD if a half-cut-through blade of a carbon prop would be safe to fly — the answer was a quiet "No! No!"
Thanks to the contest workers (including the ladies running the concession stand) — the workers make or break a contest. Thanks also to TURN for a case of fuel and to SEMPRA for the plaques for first place and fast time.
Results (fast time listed):
- Jacobson — 1:17.31
- Rehm — 1:24.57
- Benezra — 1:21.72
- O'Brien — 1:19.50
- Grovel — 1:25.00
- Latsha — 1:14.15 (Fast Time)
- Kovach — 1:23.56
- Albritton — 1:26.41
- B. Schuster — 1:24.00
- Salisbury — 1:23.36
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Fort Worth, TX — May 6, 1989 (Fort Worth Thunderbirds, CD: Ed "Pappy" Rankin)
A cool front brought a lot of rain, but in the end the conditions produced excellent air for racing. Brian Richmond flew in from Florida and was the story of the weekend.
Saturday: Brian recorded a 1:07.17, beating the previous mark of 1:07.22 set by Dave Shadel. There were 19 entries; top finishers that day included:
- Dub Jett — 1:11.62
- Norm Johnson — 1:13.88
- J.P. Hanway — 1:11.74
- Bruce Hobbs — 1:10.76
- Bob Greer — 1:16.32
- Red Cranfill — 1:17.49
- Ken Kline — 1:17.86
- Ed Rankin — 1:13.60
- Brian Richmond — 1:07.17 (Fast Time — new Formula record)
- Bob Miller — 1:07.45
Sunday: Heavy rain the previous evening nearly washed the event out — Lake Benbrook flooded roads into the park. After discussion the race ran with 21 entries. The wind shifted toward the end of the first round but racing went well after that. Brian broke his own record with a 1:06.10, then later lowered it again to 1:05.91 (several clocks used; the course was double-checked).
A noteworthy newcomer: Jerry Small (designer of many popular Formula Ones, including Mustangs used by the FAI team) was flying a new long-winged plane called the "Kazi Killer" and began posting consistent 1:10s and winning races — his first Formula wins. In one round Brian cut trying to catch Jerry (Jerry turned a 1:10.00). When the smoke cleared Bruce Richmond and Jerry Small were tied for first; a flyoff was set, Jerry won on best time, and Brian finished third despite his record speed.
Great contest by the Fort Worth Thunderbirds.
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West Virginia — Q-25 Pylon Racing (report by Al Ritch)
Back in November, the Tri-State Flyers (Huntington, WV) and the Mountaineers and Flying Hillbillies (Charleston area) completed their fourth year of Q-25 Pylon Racing.
We fly Q-500–type airplanes (usually Scat-Cats) powered by .25 FS engines. In the past we permitted modified engines (including some OS .25 VF-DFs), but in 1988 we required that engines be strictly stock with the stock muffler, a 9 x 4 Master Airscrew propeller, and club-supplied 25% nitro fuel. These changes were made to reduce equipment costs and slow the airplanes down to speeds manageable for most RC fliers. (We had clocked an OS .25 VF-DF–powered plane at 109 mph with police radar in 1987; for 1988 airspeeds were reduced to about 85 mph.)
The rule changes did reduce cost and speed, but participation dropped: 25 different people flew at least one of our eight races in 1987, falling to 17 people in 1988. Average pilots per race fell from 13.6 in 1987 to 10.6 in 1988. It seems the harder it is to get people involved in racing, the more we scare them off.
Top five racers for the 1988 season:
- Mike Spencer — 98 pts.
- Jack Lang — 79 pts.
- Barney Moats — 71 pts.
- Dave Ellis — 68 pts.
- Dave Edwards — 67 pts.
The 1989 Q-25 season will start in April with the same rules as 1988. Several new people from the three clubs have promised to come out, so entries should increase. We also plan one AMA-sanctioned Q500 race and one QSPRA race at the Hillbillies' field in addition to eight Q-25 races. Our races often show a time off for lunch, but they’re fun and fast — Quarter Midget short-course times average about 1:45. In my opinion Q-25 is a true entry-level racing event; Q500 planes are far too fast for the average RC pilot.
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Record broken
Brian Richmond set a new Formula One course record at the Fort Worth event, lowering the mark to 1:05.91 (after earlier 1:07.17 and 1:06.10 times that weekend). Previous notable fast times include Dave Shadel's 1:07.22 and verified times such as Jim Moorhead's 1:13.45 and Mike Kultz's 1:13.65 for QM.
If you want to see your club's race report in this column, send it in along with some pictures.
See you next month.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
