Radio Control: Pylon Racing
Bill Hager 4 Holly Springs Dr. Conroe, TX 77302
FAI Fliers
For those who want to try out for the U.S. FAI Pylon team: the team selection finals will be held September 1–2, 1990, at LaSalle, MI. Wayne Yeager will be the Contest Director. Contact Micheline Madison at AMA Headquarters for more information.
New products
Aerospace Composite Products has new items worth noting:
- Carbon fiber strips: 1-in.-wide by 12-in.-long strips contained in tissue paper covers to prevent fraying.
- Kevlar cord: new .054-inch-diameter Kevlar cord.
- Epoxy laminating resin: a new resin for composite work.
For more information, write: Aerospace Composite Products, P.O. Box 16621, Irvine, CA 92714.
Letters & local advice
I regularly receive letters like this one from J. J. Robinson II:
"I'm a newly qualified pilot with the Manned Spacecraft Center R/C Club in Clear Lake. I'm interested in RC racing. Your information about pylon activity in the area and advice on skills development would be greatly appreciated."
Advice:
- Check local hobby shops; they should know about area activities.
- See the Competition/Newsletter section of this magazine for sanctioned competitions.
- Consider joining the National Miniature Pylon Racing Association (NMPRA); they publish a monthly newsletter that can be very informative.
Local contact in Texas:
- Ritch's Hobbies, 4104 Lark, Houston, TX 77025. Tel: (713) 661-5458. They serve as Texas Race Headquarters and stock the Texas Outlaw, a good Q500 starter kit.
People like to race — they'll race almost anything — so organized, well-designed classes are important.
Texas Slow 500
Don Huffhines sent details on a new event called the Texas Slow 500. Organized by North Dallas RC Club president John Reed and former VP Don Huffhines, the event is intended for pilots who do not wish to compete in Q500 and Formula I but want a stable, affordable, easy-to-fly class.
Background:
- Club-designed pylon events often failed because aircraft were too difficult to fly or too small for standard radios, leading to early destruction and poor longevity.
- A search produced the Sig Four Star 40 as the selected airplane: inexpensive, easy to build and fly, and visually suitable.
- The K&B .40 engine was chosen despite some protests; proper cleaning, inspection, bearing alignment, and break-in result in reliable performance.
- Strict rules keep the airplane and engine stock with no modifications. Propellers and fuel are provided by the race organizer. All starts are made from an idling engine. The racecourse is similar to Q500 with 10 laps.
- Participating Dallas-area clubs: Dallas RC Club, Collins RC Club, Richardson RC Club, and North Dallas RC Club. Don Huffhines has been CD for races so far.
- Sig Manufacturing Co. (Montezuma, IA) has supported events by furnishing fuel and prizes.
- A Texas Slow 500 event will be held in the San Antonio area in mid-October (AMA-sanctioned). See Model Aviation for details.
Texas Slow 500 Racing Rules (summary)
- Airplane:
- Kit: Sig Four Star 40.
- Wing area: 604 sq. in., including wing tips.
- Chord: to conform with plans.
- Airfoil and leading edge: must conform to plans.
- Mandatory controls: throttle, elevator, ailerons, rudder.
- Maximum radius on fuselage corners: 1/4 in.
- Nose: no streamlining other than shown on plans.
- Engine mount: standard metal or plastic.
- Airplane: stock condition; absolutely no nonstreamlined modifications allowed.
- Propellers and fuel are furnished by the race organizer.
- All starts are made from an idling engine.
- Racecourse: similar to Q500; 10 laps.
Product report and upcoming review
A product report on the Great Planes Ultra Sport 40 will appear in the column following the Nats issue. Due to my schedule, local flier Bob Bolling built and will report on the airplane. Bob is an excellent builder and sport flier — an engineer and F-15 test pilot — and has prepared a thorough report. Look for it in two months.
GMP Mini-Elite rotor head
GMP is producing an all-metal, preassembled two-thirds-size version of the Elite rotor system called the Mini-Elite, intended for the .30-size market. It fits popular .30-size helicopters (Concept 30, Shuttle, Enforcer) and aims to improve FAI Expert-level aerobatic performance and hovering stability. Suggested retail price: $169.
GMP notes their Cricket, Hughes 300, and Competition product lines are currently superseded, though parts will remain available, and reintroductions may occur after improvements.
Bob Daniel — large Cobra fuselage
Bob Daniel (CFRI RC Supply, 9180 Hill Road, Lakeland, FL 33809; tel. 813/858-2658) is producing a large, six-foot-long Cobra fuselage made from polyester glass, large enough for most .60-size mechanics. It resembles the old Hegi Cobra and features X-Cell mechanics and DTE full stunt landing gear. Contact Bob for prices and availability.
Nats preview
This will be a short month for the column — I'll be traveling to Illinois to cover the Nats and will provide a full report in the next issue.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
