130 M ODEL AVIATION
The flying season is underway in some parts of the country,
and others are anxiously waiting. I thought this would be a good
time to let you know about a new event for the 2001 Nationals.
As you may be aware, Fast Rat has not been flown for the
past couple years. Although most people have an opinion on
the merits of flying it or not flying it, I think most will agree
that we need an event that has the thrill of fast, open,
innovative competition.
During the winter, a committee looked at the future of Fast Rat. It
questioned if the event should be held or adjusted to try and promote
competition. The result is a .21 Rat event that maintains most of Fast
Rat with a few exceptions, including the engine size and line sizes.
The hope is that the event will feature fairly high speed, while
making the airplanes lighter and easier to fly.
I have included the new event rules, and I certainly hope you will
participate in it at the 2001 Nationals. It will be held Thursday
following the Quickie Rat event, and it will be a National Control
Line Racing Association (NCLRA) Supplemental Event.
1. applicability: All rules from the Unified Control Line Racing rules
apply to this event except as modified, appended, or specified here.
2. Model specifications:
2.1. If the model is of cast pan construction (two [2] or more
parts held together by screws or bolts), it must be, in the Contest
Director’s opinion, as strong as the methods suggested in the CL
Speed section.
2.2. Only constant diameter exhaust extensions are allowed.
Such extensions shall be no more than 51⁄4 inches in length as
measured along the center line from the center of the piston bore to
the end of the pipe.
3. engine specifications: The maximum engine shall be a .21
3.1. There shall be no restrictions on the type, size, or location of
the needle valve assembly.
4. Races:
4.1. Each contestant shall be allowed two (2) qualifying heats of
CONTROL LINE RACING
Dave McDonald, Box 384, Daleville IN 47334; E-mail: [email protected]
Wayne Trivin gets prepared to pit Bob Whitney’s Fox Racer. Wayne finished second in the event at a Florida contest.
A two-inch bellcrank from Ned Morris. It is well-made and light.
On top is a fiberglass .21 top from Steve Wilk to fit the DARP
pan. On the bottom is a DARP pan from Barry Tippett.
April 2001 131
70 laps in length. One (1) refueling stop is
mandatory in each heat.
4.2. Final races shall be 140 laps in
length with three (3) mandatory
refueling stops.
5. flying Regulations:
5.1. All flying shall be done between six
(6) and twenty (20) feet altitude.
6. field layout:
6.1. The Inner Circle shall be 68-foot
radius.
6.2. The Outer Circle shall be 76-foot
radius.
7. lines: For the .21 size engine shall be a
.016 solid. For the .15 engine, lines are to be
.014 solid. Any engine over the .15 size
must run the .016 size lines.
7.1 Lines shall be 60’ +/- 6”
Now that you have reviewed the rules,
it is important to know where you can
obtain equipment for the event. I have
included the address of each supplier at the
end of the column.
Henry Nelson has a good .21 on the
market. The engine may be obtained
with a minipipe and ready to race.
Henry’s .21 is lightweight, and it
provides ample horsepower to be
competitive right out of the box.
Steve Wilk not only provides
Eliminator propellers that will work in the
event, but is currently making a variety of
fiberglass tops to fit the DARP pan. He
provides tops and bottoms for those who
don’t want to utilize a full pan.
Steve has also informed me that he is
making a fiberglass pan with engine
mounts that have been molded into the
fiberglass shell.
Barry Tippett has a full line of DARP
pans available. During the Nationalsplanning
meeting, he informed me that if
you do not have the ability to drill and
tap, send him your engine and he will fit
it to the pan.
Allen Worley of Planet Hobbies has the
NovaRossi .21 available. This is a rugged
engine, and is extremely well-built.
Regardless if you are building a .21 Rat
or something else, you may want to check
out the bellcranks that Ned Morris is
making. He sent me one of his two-inch
models. Additional sizes are available. It
features pulley connectors made from 1⁄4-
inch-thick tool steel, which will handle
wire as thick as .024 inch in diameter.
The bellcranks are made from .040
chrome moly, and have been laser-cut.
The bellcrank is designed to be mounted
on a 1⁄8-inch-diameter pin, and it will
take a standard Du-Bro solder-link quick
connector.
The verdict is still out on what the
best airplane size and configuration will
be. A .21 Sport Speed model may
provide a good starting point for size,
but it will probably need a larger
elevator-stabilizer for better control. A
.40-size Rat model reduced by 35 or
40% may provide a good-size airplane.
Others may want to consider upright
132 M ODEL AVIATION
or inverted designs. I think the inverted
design is better; they generally seem to
be faster.
This event should provide ample
opportunity for experimentation and
development, so build a couple different
airplanes to see what works best for you.
Racers in florida held a contest
featuring many events, including Mouse
I, Mouse II, Quickie Rat, and NCLRA
Fox Racing. Turnout was very good, as
was the action.
Vic Garner traveled from California to
do battle with his rival Wayne Trivin in
Mouse I and II. These two seem to have
friendly competition in several events,
including Quickie Rat.
Wayne took first place in Mouse I, using
his homemade reed-valve engine for
4:30.85, Gabe Manfredi was second at 5:12,
and Vic was third at 5:44.
Wayne’s homemade engine also
powered him to first place in Mouse II, at
7:44, while Vic took second at 7:50, and
Gabe took third at 8:38.
Quickie Rat was not so kind to Wayne
or to Vic. Both seemed to get so wound up
trying to beat each other, they forgot about
the other competition.
Vic had a long start and lengthy pits,
while Wayne had a bad needle-valve setting
that required an early pit stop. Gabe showed
good speed and steady performance, and
posted a winning time of 6:50, Vic took
second at 7:04, followed by Wayne with a
third-place time of 7:07.
NCLRA Fox Racing provided good
competition, and 2000 NCLRA Points
Champion Gabe Manfredi showed why he
was the champion; he posted a very strong
winning time of 6:16. Second place went
to Wayne Trivin at 6:29, and third went to
Dave Hallas of Florida at 7:07.
The fliers in Florida not only provide a
good contest, but are extremely nice people.
Make plans to attend at least one of the
many events held in Central Florida.
Upcoming event: I talked with Bob Cordle of
Rome, Georgia, and he and others will be
holding a big contest the first weekend in June.
The event will have all the Racing events:
Scale Racing, Slow Rat, Mouse I, Mouse II,
Fox Racing, Quickie Rat, .21 Rat, and
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Team
Race. The contest will also feature all the
Speed classes, Carrier, and Stunt.
Check the event schedule; there may be
more classes scheduled.
Plan on attending one of the biggest
contests in the United States. If you would
like information, contact Bob Cordle at
4993 Big Texas Valley Rd., Rome GA
30165; E-mail: [email protected].
are you an NCLRA member? Support the
Special Interest Group that helps keep
Racing alive and well. Send your dues—
$10 in the US and $12 outside the US—to
Dick Lambert, 4651 Ridgewood Ave., Port
Orange FL 32127.
as always, your comments are appreciated
and solicited. MA
sources:
Henry Nelson
121 Pebble Creek Ln.
Zelienople PA 19047
(724) 538-5282
Steve Wilk
Eliminator propellers
3257 Welcome Ave. S.
Crystal MN 55422
(612) 531-0604
Ned Morris
9044 Rushmore Blvd. S.
Indianapolis IN 46234
Barry Tippett
DARP pans
31052 Mason St.
Livonia MI 48154
(734) 266-7290
Allen Worley
NovaRossi
7477 Woodrail Cove
Memphis TN 38119
(901) 755-4363
