Radio Control: Pylon Racing
By Bill Hager
PYLON RACING should enjoy a good year in 1983, since it looks as though we will all have a pretty full schedule of racing events within our reach.
For those of you who have been having radio interference problems, we now have a wealth of new radio frequencies to choose from. We won't be sharing the frequencies with some commercial outfit — these are for RC use only. I know that for some of you this won't mean much, but there are some localities where many of our RC frequencies are totally unusable due to commercial radio transmissions.
For those Quarter Midget fliers who don't already know — there is a new Perry carb for the Cox Conquest .15. The older carb, Catalog No. 2858, had a .210 barrel. The new Perry carb, No. 206, has a .240 barrel. This carb will greatly improve the performance of your Cox engine and it is legal, as it has been officially accepted by the AMA.
Formula One kits
For Formula One fliers, there is a pretty full selection of kits available. As some of the people who build these kits don't advertise in the hobby magazines, here is a complete rundown on what is available:
- Little Toni — Prather Products, 1660 Ravenna Ave., Wilmington, CA 90744. Complete kit: fiberglass fuselage, foam wing, all hardware, sheet wheels. Good instructions. $135.
- Polecat — Jeff Bertken, 31123 Via Colinas #1106, Westlake Village, CA 91362 (213-991-5948). Violet design, fiberglass fuselage, foam wing, templates for wood. Good plans and isometric drawing. $90. May offer wood later.
- Lina — Paul Stenberg, 17463 Fairlee Rd., San Diego, CA 92128 (work 619-578-5060). Fiberglass fuselage, foam wing, wing cores, parts; no wood. Ed Allen's design. $80.
- Denight — Gary McPike, 28925 Parkheath Drive, Agoura, CA 91301. Fiberglass fuselage, foam wing packs; cowl made, wings not included. $98.
- Pitts/Pellet — Ritch's Hobby, Jerry Small, 11042 Waxwing, Houston, TX 77035. Wing design, fiberglass fuselage cores; all wood except sheet. $90.
- Midget Mustang / Minnow / Rickey Rat — Jack Stafford Models, 1211 Beatrice Street, Culver City, CA 90230. Foam wing, wood fuselage, wood hardware.
Club 500: K&B .40 (No. 4011)
There is a new K&B .40 engine, No. 4011, for Club 500 fliers. This engine replaces the old 8011 engine, which is no longer produced. The engine uses K&B's own carb: the body is the same as used on their .60, only the hole through the barrel is reduced to .40 size.
Internally, they have a new, machined connecting rod with bushings as well as a set of bushings in the piston. This will help prevent excessive wear in the wrist pin area. In the old 8011, when you wore out a ring, you usually replaced both the piston and the ring, as the wrist pin holes in the piston would become egg-shaped. Not so in the new engine — you now will have to replace only the ring. There are also new special bearings that seem to help.
For those of you who do engine work, the fit may seem too tight. I suggest that you try the engine the way it is — just flush it out to remove stray metal shavings or debris.
Break-in and running
As with most new engines, you should put several flights in at a slightly rich needle-valve setting to assure proper break-in. I would suggest possibly a Rev-Up 9x7 prop that should run 14,800 to 15,000 rpm on 15% nitro fuel. Back the engine down at least 500 rpm and fly it. After maybe five or six flights, you can start to lean it out a little more. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
The 4011's muffler is very effective and will do well in areas where noise is a problem. The muffler comes with a fuel-tank pressure tap installed. This may be necessary to get maximum performance throughout the speed range.
The new 4011 will run right out of the box. You no longer need to order all the extra parts in order to find a few good ones to blueprint your engine. I think you will see a lot of this engine in the winner's circle in the future.
Safety equipment for club races
Is your club hosting a race this year? The winter months are a good time to build safety equipment. It takes very little effort and very little expense to do it right.
Materials and basic construction:
- 2x4 lumber to form frames and props.
- Chain-link fence to stretch over frames.
- 3/4-inch plywood (do not use anything thinner than 3/4-inch).
Start-finish line protection
For the start-finish line protection for your lap counters, I have used 2x4s to form a 4 ft. x 8 ft. frame, then secured chain-link fence to it. Use two more 2x4s to prop it up at about a 15° angle over the workers.
Pylon shields (No. 2 and No. 3)
For the No. 2 and No. 3 pylons, I have used 3/4-inch thick plywood sheets 4 ft. x 8 ft. I saw the 4x8 in half, ending up with two 4-ft. square pieces. I then hinge them. For set-up, just open them to about a 90° angle and set them up like a wedge, with the hinge pointing in the direction the planes would be coming from. The pylon judges can stand, sit, or crouch behind the wedge for protection.
Number one pylon
At Number One pylon, the shield should be about 10 ft. square. Again, build a frame of 2x4s and stretch chain-link fence over it. At this pylon only, I would suggest that you cover the bottom four to five feet with 3/4-inch plywood. Lean this cage back over your workers about 15°. You can do this with the use of two 2x4s, the same as you did at the start-finish line.
This is the minimum safety equipment to protect you and those who are working for a pylon race. Any improvements are to your advantage.
Tips, products, and contact
Some of you who have been racing for a few years have picked up neat tricks or handy ideas that could be helpful to the new racer. Most of you old-timers would like to see new people join the racing ranks; help them out. Send your ideas or hints to me and I will pass them on.
The other day, I received a model-engine torque stand from Dan Armstrong, 2123 4th Ave. North, Irondale, AL 35210 for testing and evaluation. The workmanship on this product is first class. I will give a full report on it in a future issue.
Send your ideas to me!
Contact
Bill Hager 706 Glen Haven Conroe, TX 77302
Dan Armstrong 2123 4th Ave. North Irondale, AL 35210
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
