Radio Control: Pylon Racing
Bill Hager
Another pylon racing season has come to an end. Even with the economy the way it is, we have had a very good year.
But wait — there is still one more race, and it will be the best one of the year for some 50 to 80 Formula 1 fliers. This year's NMPRA Championship Race will be held December 30–31 in Seguin, TX, the same site as the 1981 Nats, with yours truly as Contest Director (CD). I will report on the outcome in full next month.
NMPRA Championship Race — qualification and notes
The NMPRA Championship Race is held each year in Florida, Texas, California, or Las Vegas, NV. It is by invitation only; only the top Formula 1 fliers compete.
To qualify for this race you must:
- Be a member of the NMPRA.
- Qualify in the top 20% of your race district. (The United States is divided into seven race districts. Also included are Canada, Mexico, and Hawaii.)
- Or finish in the top 10 at the AMA Nats.
- Or be an NMPRA officer or a past championship race winner.
This year, over 100 Formula 1 racers are qualified, so we should have one heck of a good race.
Growth of pylon racing
Pylon racing just keeps on growing. Club 500 racing seems to be the most popular at this time, but people are racing anything that flies — R/C models, sport planes, trainer-type planes, sailplanes, and on and on. I guess it is just natural for one person to want to be just a little faster than the next.
The Boeing Hawks Club in Seattle, WA is holding pylon races using electric power. The aircraft have a minimum wing area of 290 sq. in. and a minimum thickness of 3/8 in. No minimum weight, and no landing gear is required. They fly a course that is only 300 ft. long with 60 ft. between the No. 2 and No. 3 pylons. The race procedure is not unlike what we use for Formula 1. It sounds like fun, and they sure won't have a noise problem.
Texas Formula 1 racing — Ft. Worth, TX (August 21–22, 1982)
Reported by Ed Rankin
This contest was a rescheduled event from our June date that was rained out. Everyone can understand why we don't have races in August after suffering through two days of 100° weather.
The contest was very well attended, with 21 entries both days. This idea of two separate contests on a weekend is real popular in our district.
This district is becoming one of the most competitive areas now, with over half of our regular race pilots turning times in the mid teens, and the rest in the low 20s. In most of our heats, 1:18 will get you last place, especially when guys like Bob Onari and Bill Preis attend. In this contest, we had four of the top 10 at the Nats, which made it even more competitive. The SCW district had three members in the top 10 at the Nats, and a total of six members in the top 20. I think our progress has been due to the converted Control Line Speed experts' participation — especially Dub Jett, David Layman, and Phil Bussell. Their customized engines are proving to be very top-notch.
On both days we started the first heats around 9:00 a.m. and finished five rounds by 3:00 p.m., with one-hour breaks for lunch.
Saturday started with a bang, and I could tell we were going to have some fast times. Bill Preis had a perfect score for first place with a fast time of 1:18.2. Dave Layman was on his tail with one point down, winning him second place with a fast time of 1:17.5. Gary Heithold, Dub Jett, and John Hancock followed, finishing up the top five trophies.
Sunday was an even better day: the temperature was about the same at 100° but the humidity was down. As a result, the speeds were faster with 10 people in the teens.
It was obvious from the start that Layman, Preis, and Johnson were the guys to beat at this race. At the end they all had perfect scores, setting the stage for the most exciting race that our district has ever had. These three guys had posted mid- to high-teens in all five of their heats, with Preis being the most consistent.
Wow, what a race! Layman won the flyoff with a 1:13.5. Preis was second with a 1:14.2, and Johnson cut out. Dave Layman won first place and set a new fast time for our district. Bill Preis took the fast-time trophy with a 1:14.7, just two-tenths of a second better than Norm Johnson's 1:14.9.
Summary — August 21, 1982:
- Bill Preis — 1:18.2
- Dave Layman — 1:17.5
- Gary Heithold — 1:20.7
- Dub Jett — 1:19.38
- John Hancock — 1:20.7
Summary — August 22, 1982:
- Dave Layman — 1:17.5 (1:13.5 flyoff)
- Bill Preis — 1:14.7 (1:14.2 flyoff)
- Norm Johnson — 1:14.9 (cut out)
- Jerry Small — 1:18.6
- Dub Jett — 1:23.2
See you next month.
Bill Hager 706 Glen Haven Dr. Conroe, TX 77302
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
