Radio Control: Pylon Racing
Bill Hager 4 Holly Springs Dr. Conroe, TX 77302
Season and battery maintenance
Here we are into the fall. For some of us it's Championship race time; for others it's time to start building for the 1992 racing season. If you live where it gets too cold to fly for several months, don't forget to maintain your batteries. If not properly maintained, they stand a good chance of failing you come spring.
Ace R/C offers several charging options. For a few dollars you can buy a device called an Add‑A‑Trickle to trickle‑charge batteries. I leave batteries on trickle charge whenever I'm not using them so they are always ready to fly. It will not hurt to leave batteries on charge all winter.
Another option is to charge all batteries every three to four weeks while they're in storage. You can also cycle them in the spring before you fly.
Championship races — TURN Q‑500 Championships (Sept 28–29, 1991, Hebron, KY)
Race CD Barry Anderson reports a new Q‑500 national record was set at the TURN Championship Race. Weather in the 60s, sunny, with light winds greeted 18 fliers who arrived from Kansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky for the 3rd annual TURN Q‑500 Championship. TURNout was a little low, but, with the exception of one flier, everyone flew the Nelson engine and worst‑to‑first time spread was about 10 seconds. There were few if any gimme heats for anyone.
While one motor type was common, there was quite an assortment of airplanes. Doug Whiteaker's Viper enjoyed the greatest representation, mostly in the V‑tail configuration, and they were smokin'. Craig Grunkemeyer and Jim Dodd flew the simple and fast Dodger. Jim Allen's Quick V was represented, along with nearly everything else available — including several pilot designs.
The first round saw some timing problems that were quickly corrected, and the race ran smoothly with few reflys. There was some controversy during a tough heat involving Whiteaker, Grunkemeyer, and Tailman; the CD had a few more gray hairs from sorting it out.
Racing was tough all weekend, with everyone pushing hard. Nearly all racers turned personal best times (the course was double‑checked). Ten of the 18 fliers had times below 1:10. All the trophies were decided by flyoffs: Panzardi, Tailman, and Dodd contested fourth through sixth; Grunkemeyer, Knepper, and Whiteaker contested first through third.
Last year a new Q‑500 record was established at this race. Again this year the times were fast from the start. At the finish of Saturday's racing Whiteaker had set a new record of 1:04.47. The next day Grunkemeyer broke that with a 1:04.23, turning three times in the 1:04s. All trophy winners turned 1:10 or better; three fliers turned times in the 1:04s.
Acknowledgements
TURN and the Flying Cardinals thank our sponsors:
- Carl's Hobbies
- Hobby Hanger
- Northern Kentucky Hobbies
TURN put up cash for first through fifth, with first worth $100. Thanks also to the dedicated work crew from the Cardinals: starter and assistant Brenda and Jim Holbrook (familiar faces at the Nationals), chief judge/pylon No. 1 Jon Oser, chief timer/counter Kim Garrett, and Assistant CD Joe Ruh for lots of behind‑the‑scenes work. Put this race on your calendar for next year.
Results — TURN Q‑500 Championships
- C. Grunkemeyer, 28 pts., 1:04.23
- R. Knepper, 28 pts., 1:07.20
- D. Whiteaker, 28 pts., 1:04.47
- C. Panzardi, 22 pts., 1:08.07
- M. Tailman, 22 pts., 1:10.69
- J. Dodd, 22 pts., 1:07.47
- R. Cromer, 21 pts., 1:05.87
- D. Green, 20 pts., 1:04.53
- J. Ruth, 17 pts., 1:09.10
- T. Scott, 17 pts., 1:10.17
- B. Martin, 16 pts., 1:14.36
- D. Bowman, 15 pts., 1:13.88
- B. Belluomini, 15 pts., 1:34.56
- D. Kane Jr., 14 pts., 1:06.67
- J. Salisbury, 12 pts., 1:07.26
- E. Spiker, 12 pts., 1:05.19
- R. Gray, 12 pts., 1:11.91
- B. Anderson, 4 pts., 1:13.73
Note
TURN championship races are hotly contested and great fun — put the event on your calendar for next year.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
