Author: Mike Mosbrooker
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/09
Page Numbers: 141

District X — Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah

Vice President

The 2012 season of Giant Scale Pylon Racing has officially ended with another nail-biting three-race season coming down to the last race of the year to crown the new series champions. Some of the closest racing heats ever recorded were witnessed during this 17th season.

If you have not yet been to one of these events, you owe it to yourself to load up the car with the family or flying buddies and go check out these pilots. Airplanes flying in excess of 200 mph and costing anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 race on two 1,600-foot-long pylon courses. With five airplanes in the air at a time, the action is both loud and crazy. Exciting and spectacular is all that can be said to describe it.

2011 Series Champions

  • Formula 1 GT: Marty Treat (Arizona)
  • Formula 1 Pro: Randy Ritch (Texas)
  • Unlimited: Tom Easterday (California)

Races were held in:

  • Hearne, Texas
  • El Dorado, Kansas
  • Victorville, California

As you read this, the 2012 season is underway. The finale will once again be right here in District X at Rabbit Dry Lake bed near Victorville, California, October 26–28. Check the Unlimited Scale Racing Association website at www.usrainfo.org for details, and make plans to attend.

Davis, California — Weekend of June 23

Two events were held the weekend of June 23 in Davis, California, that were close together geographically, but worlds apart in terms of aeromodeling.

  • Woodland Davis Aeromodelers Annual Jet Fly-In

The event was run professionally, and thanks to some preplanning, the local NBC affiliate covered the event on its evening news. Both EDF (electric ducted fan) and turbines tore up the sky, pleasing everyone in attendance.

  • Sacramento Valley Soaring Society (SVSS) Summer Soaring Challenge

This was a thermal duration competition in which each round had a time that had to be flown, and a targeted landing area. There were both winches to launch traditional sailplanes and electric motors for the Altitude Limited Electric Soaring (ALES) models. SVSS members enjoy ALES, which has an onboard unit that limits both motor run time and altitude, cutting off power when either of the limits is reached. Maximum score is awarded to the pilot who touches down at the exact end of the time and at the bull’s-eye, with deductions per second and inch from the target.

Please remember to check out our District X website (www.ama10.org) to see many more photos from these three events and other exciting district news.

Until next month, may you have nothing but happy landings.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.