District I
Andy Argenio, District I Vice President; [email protected]
States
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
Pylon Racing report (Lloyd Burnham)
The Northern Connecticut Radio Control Club (NCRCC) and the Northeast Pylon Racing Organization (NEPRO) join forces each August for their premier race event of the year. The two-day race is attended by 50-plus contestants racing AMA 424 Quickie 500 aircraft.
Contest directors Dennis Thibodeau and Kevin Cyr organize a first-class event each year. This race is one of several activities NCRCC holds to raise money for the club and to support modeling in general.
NCRCC was chartered in 1962 and immediately became known as an active competition club, hosting many Pattern, Racing, and Scale events each year. Along with Dawn Patrols and Pylon Racing, the club is now also noted for its mammoth February auction each year, drawing attendees from the entire Northeast.
Under the leadership of President Bob Laflamme and his executive board, NCRCC purchased the 50-acre flying site in Ellington, Connecticut in 2002 by selling shares to its members and supporters and has completely paid back all loans. The club prides itself on being a responsible and contributing organization to the town of Ellington.
NEPRO is a well-organized group, bringing all its racing equipment to five different clubs each year and has dedicated programs to introduce Pylon Racing to everyone. The Sportsman Program (for first-time racers) encourages participants to fly any type of airplane, gas or electric, on the course with the guidance of an experienced racer. The winner receives a Thunder Tiger .40 engine or a Viper ARF to further entice them into racing.
NEPRO's racing format pits standard and expert fliers together, with the standards flying nine laps and the experts 10. The one-lap handicap evens the field and many standard fliers win their heats. When a standard flier records laps under 1:20 three times (for 9 laps), they are moved to the expert ranks. This format creates intense racing for all.
Highlighting the weekend is a free-for-all cookout put on by NEPRO consisting of 150 ears of corn and large quantities of sausages, burgers, chicken, beans, and more. The field is open for flying demos and general mayhem. This is a big family affair attended by about 100 friends, club members, and contestants.
This year we honored Dave Doyle for his many years of contributions and dedication to NEPRO. Dave has retired and is moving to Florida. He is well-known for his involvement both locally and nationally. Without him, racing would not have flourished in the Northeast over the past 25 years.
If this all sounds like something you would like to do, please go to www.neproclub.org and race with the greatest group of people you'll ever meet. Thank you, NCRCC, NEPRO, and Lloyd Burnham for this Pylon Racing report.
AMA Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
AMA has more than 20 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) engaged in many different aspects of aeromodeling. If you belong to a SIG and want to promote your area of the sport, send five or more digital photos (750 KB up to 1 MB in size) and a written description of the event or activity (300–700 words) for publication in this column.
District I is all about friendship, flying, and fun.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
