Frightfully Fast Bash - 2009/05

by Michael Ramsey
Bountiful racing thrills and sportsmanship in the Mojave Desert
LONG AGO, BEFORE anyone knew what the letters in
NASCAR stood for, people with hot-rod machines met on
secluded tracks to see whose home-brewed V8 could set the
pace. These drivers used cars that were more than likely the
same ones driven to work or to the grocery store.
Since the keys were handed to them, tweaks here and there
began a relationship that created a racecar and a racecar driver. It
was a man vs. machine challenge, and to do well meant going
faster and driving better, and at the top it meant doing both.
The story of the full-scale race airplane isn’t all that much
different, except the pockets might be a little deeper. The thrill to go
fast dominates, and the adrenaline rush of the race and the addiction
Rick Davis enforces his line boss authority on Terry Williams’
Formula 1 GT Shoestring. Hey, Halloween is supposed to be fun!
Dennis Friesel (L) and Tim Sparks travel cross-country in a
Town & Country loaded down with as many models as
possible. They help friends with airplane delivery.
Bill Adams pilots his Kelly F-10
for a landing after the third
heat in the Formula 1 GT class.
May 2009 75
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:21 AM Page 75
Above: Tim Sparks’ Pole Cat is frightening, with its raptorlike
markings.
Top right: Model Airplane News West Coast Editor John Reid hooked
up with Jerry Bradley, Ray Thompson, and Bobby Slaughter to fly
this beautiful Kelly in the GT class.
Right: The Sundowner class was the most popular event, with 23
participants. The entry-class ARF is available from Hangar 9.
Photos by the author
76 MODEL AVIATION
Above: Flying fast means biting a lot of
air. This Unlimited racer is using a 21 x
23 propeller.
Left: Kenny McSpadden completes the
engine-cover installation on his GR-7. He
custom-built the totally composite kit.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 76
May 2009 77
The man with the checkered flag—C.J. “Holly” Hollingsworth—diligently coordinated
the safety inspections and every race.
Don Corum’s Bearcat was flown in the
Unlimited class. A 250cc engine is buried
underneath all that carefully sculpted
carbon-fiber ducting.
Neatness counts. John Creagh’s Formula 1
GR-7 is powered by a Zenoah GT-80 engine
that has been converted to run on alcohol.
Tucker Buschbaum (L) borrowed a Sundowner from Dan Egelhoff.
Tucker’s father, holding the model, encouraged him to because of their
success in RCPRO club racing.
Joe Silva’s GR-7 breaks ground during a morning Formula 1 GT race—
before the sky really got dark.
Mark Taylor maintains a firm grip on Peter Goldsmith’s Stiletto. The Mouse-powered
model reached speeds of close to 200 mph.
With “pickles” in hand, judges followed models around
the course and accounted for each time their assigned
racers passed center and one of the two poles.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 77
Don Nash piloted his Kelly around the
Formula 1 GT course to claim the sixth spot
in the USRA 2008 season series standings.
Terry Raymond’s GR-7 climbs out onto the
course. The kit is available from Craig Greening.
Craig Grunkemeyer was the man to beat in the
Formula 1 GT class in 2008, but no one rose to the
challenge. His GR-7 performed flawlessly.
Kazuhiko Yamazaki and his team traveled from Japan to compete
in every racing class. They’re honorable sportsmen.
Craig Greening, Peter Goldsmith, and Travis Flynn teamed up for the
weekend.
A Pole Cat (low) and a GR-7 round Pylon Two. The lights on the
pole confirm that they have navigated around the benchmark.
78 MODEL AVIATION
Unlimited-class racers out on practice day. The El Mirage Dry Lake is ideal; check
out all that landing area!
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 78
May 2009 79
The gear is down and locked on Don Corum’s Bearcat.
There is plenty of room in that cowling for a large engine.
2 0 0 8 U S R A S t a n d i n g s *
Pilot Ohio California Total
Formula 1 GT
1. Craig Grunkemeyer 90 80 170
2. Michael C. Friesel 90 52 142
3. Mark A. Zeal 72 66 138
4. Dennis Friesel 60 50 110
5. Marty Flood 62 48 110
Formula 1
1. Eric Hunter 62 68 130
2. Dave Smith 48 45 93
3. Jeff Powell 85 0 85
4. Ken McSpadden 0 75 75
5. John Creagh 0 60 60
Unlimited
1. Tom Keating 90 55 145
2. Don Corum 69 41 110
3. Fred Sargent 61 47 108
4. Fred French 91 0 91
5. Tim Sparks 76 0 76
Sundowner
1. Auggie Haupt 60 58 118
2. Nathan Collmar 53 56 109
3. Tom Scott 100 0 100
4. Rick Maida 0 80 80
5. Craig Grunkemeyer 71 0 71
* Source: http://usrainfo.org
The handful of people who dedicated five days to running the event
deserved much of the credit, so they received a good chunk of the prizes!
The Friday of the contest was Halloween, so pumpkins were
carved to create ghoulish reflections. The author gives a hand
scooping the goop.
Frank Noll pilots his Miss Ashley back home.
It’s powered by the popular Desert Aircraft
DA-150 “Mouse” engine.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:04 AM Page 79
that follows after that first taste is the only
payoff that matters. Rarely does anyone
compete for a living; a real competitor does it
for the love of racing.
Step it sideways one lick. RC racing is
chock full of thrills and that same adrenaline
rush, only the risk of one’s well-being is
reduced to a small decimal point in the
equation. There is an investment; but what if
you could taste the thrill of Madera- or Renostyle
racing and do it with a fantastic ARF
model that is readily available, if not already
in your hangar?
The Unlimited Scale Racing Association
(USRA) is an AMA SIG that was born from
the spirit of the Reno Air Races: a full-scale
event that is held once a year in Reno,
Nevada. The aircraft used in that competition
are modified warbirds, home-built Formula
One aircraft, and other classes that pit civilian
aircraft against each other in an entry-level
form of two-pole competition.
In 2007, the USRA modified its entrylevel
class to incorporate Hangar 9’s 1/4-scale
Sundowner ARF. It’s a great-flying scale
model with an 80-inch wingspan. As of 2008,
the rules were adjusted to allow Sundowners
to be powered by any engine, as long as the
displacement was within the manufacturer’s
recommendations.
With that change, it was as if the
competitor floodgates opened; the Sundowner
class exploded with new entries. With a glowpowered
engine, the lightweight model
corners extremely well and handles the 1,800-
foot course at a modest speed of between 115
and 140 mph.
Serious Racing: During the 2008 Halloween
weekend, the USRA’s Frightfully Fast Bash
(FFB) took place at the El Mirage Dry Lake in
California, which is the home of numerous
world land-speed records. This was the
third—and last—race of the season, thus it
was dubbed the “National Championships.”
The turnout for the FFB was stupendous,
with more than 65 registered competitors.
Twenty-three of those entered the Sundowner
class alone, and I was one of them.
I live in the Midwest, and I flew out to the
contest on a commercial airliner. Some of the
behind-the-scenes magic that takes place at
the FFB is the network of members with
trailers and campers who regularly travel
across the country.
With handshakes and secret barter
agreements, they transport models, including
mine, which is a benefit of being a member of
such a fine association of people. They take
racing more seriously than breathing, so the
care and feeding of model aircraft, including
those in their care, goes without question.
I thank Peter Goldsmith, Craig Greening,
and Kenny McSpadden for delivering my
precious Sundowner to the rugged high
desert. Upon my arrival, they and other good
people met with me and welcomed me into
the USRA group.
Dave Wiseman was especially helpful, in
introducing me, as was the president of the
association, Eric Hunter, who fielded several
of my phone calls prior to the event. I must
have asked him every conceivable question
about preparing for the race, except for what I
should wear. But they have that covered too.
I wasn’t the only one who forgot clothing
basics, and they have a means of fulfillment;
thank you, Stacey Hanbury, for making those
Wal-Mart runs. This USRA group is like
family.
Scott Baker was the FFB organizer and
event director. This event also hosted
competitors from Canada and Japan. All the
preparation and organization of such an event
must take teamwork and favor spending.
One of the great tools employed (and
favors spent, I’m sure) was the lap-timer
system that Martin Treat designed and built.
It wasn’t the prettiest thing to look at, unless
you’re a fan of Tupperware containers.
The part of the timer setup I liked the
most was that communication between the
pole-judging groups was coordinated on a 2.4
GHz radio system that was linked by two
Spektrum DX6i transmitters. Some might call
the setup hokey, but it seemed ingenious and
worked phenomenally well.
Since this was my first time flying one of
my favorite models in a high-speed racing
competition, I needed veterans to help me
through; I had two. First and foremost was
my longtime friend, Chuck Hebestriet.
He is not only an RC Pylon Racing
veteran, but is also a 1982 land-speed record
holder at El Mirage in the Formula One Sport
Class E division. To hang out with him was
worth the trip alone, and we got to fly model
airplanes. What could be better?
Craig Grunkemeyer, who was attending
the FFB to seal his National Championship,
lent a hand whenever he could. Watching him
fly was impressive, and it has me looking at
moving up in the future.
Craig and Chuck were the calm voices
next to me while I flew my Sundowner
against the three to four other models that
were in the air at the same time. This really is
a team sport.
The dry lake bed at El Mirage is a
challenging venue, but the vastness of the
landing area made up for the sometimes-dirty
conditions. We were glad that the weather
was mostly overcast; that kept the sunblockapplication
ritual down to just twice daily.
This is a stick-together kind of crowd,
which meant that the campers and tents were
huddled together. When nightfall came, we
had a blast—and why not? It was Halloween.
We handed out candy to the kids, dressed
up like ghouls (or wore our oil- and sootcoated
clothes), and carved pumpkins. It
seems that serious racers are also serious
about having fun.
My view and experience of the racing at El
Mirage is personal. Throughout the race
classes, other teams and racers were just as
personally involved.
Three higher classes were offered at this
event: Formula 1 GT, Formula 1, and
Unlimited. In that order, the speed increases in
unison with the complexity of the airframes
and components. In Formula 1 GT, the next
class up from Sundowner, 1/3-scale models are
flown with the Zenoah GT-80 engine on
gasoline.
All of the larger models are easy to fly.
They go fast, but their light wing loadings
make them friendlier. Of course, setup is
critical. These airplanes are sleek and have
stiff undercarriage components, so landing
them smoothly is typically a bigger challenge
than flying them.
The same models flown in GT are used in
the Formula 1 class, except that the engines are
modified, or substituted, to run on alcohol.
These models fly 160-180 mph, which is 20-
30 mph faster than those in the GT class.
The Unlimited class is what people pay
money to see. The models look like warbirds
but have a sleeker look, with streamlined
canopies and sometimes modified wings and
tail surfaces. “Unlimited” means just that; the
builders can do almost anything to make these
models go as fast as possible, and they often
do it with engines in the 150cc-250cc
displacement range.
Safety is of the utmost concern with the
USRA. Not a single airplane gets to the
flightline without a stringent safety check and
inspection. If a model is repaired during the
race, it visits the inspection team again. Way to
be on the ball!
The three-day competition saw the four
classes race twice on Friday and twice on
Saturday. The plan was to get three races in on
Saturday, hold the final races in the morning
on Sunday, then hold the Gold finals.
Wouldn’t you know it? Our time in the
high desert was one of those rare occasions
when unseasonable rains doused the
surrounding area and eventually the “dry” lake
bed.
Our event was cut short because of the
ranger’s orders to evacuate the area. Even
though it was for me already, the FFB was
turning into an adventure. We had to “bug
out,” as they say in the military, so the
makeshift mechanics’ tents, campers, E-Z UP
canopies, golf carts, and picnic tables had to be
stowed and hauled off of the 8-mile-long
facility in less than an hour.
Thanks to the well-organized machine that
was the crew of volunteers running the event,
the FFB was called official, and awards were
given at the El Mirage Welcome Station. This
is also where the 2009 USRA national records
were tallied and winners were honored.
A New Year for Racing: The USRA currently
has two events scheduled for the 2009 flying
season. The first is in Ashtabula, Ohio, in the
middle of June, and the second is in California
in mid-October. There is a chance that a third
event may be added in roughly August in
Rantoul, Illinois.
Anyone can enjoy racing, even if you’re
not participating. As a spectator, the first race
is just as nail-biting as the last. Sometimes the
advanced skills of those involved is hard to
notice; just a few thousandths of a second is all
that will fit between them. But that doesn’t
stop the crowd members from getting on their
feet and cheering.
I’m looking forward to racing my
Sundowner with these good people again the
first chance I get. MA
Michael Ramsey
[email protected]
Sources:
USRA
http://usrainfo.org

by Michael Ramsey
Bountiful racing thrills and sportsmanship in the Mojave Desert
LONG AGO, BEFORE anyone knew what the letters in
NASCAR stood for, people with hot-rod machines met on
secluded tracks to see whose home-brewed V8 could set the
pace. These drivers used cars that were more than likely the
same ones driven to work or to the grocery store.
Since the keys were handed to them, tweaks here and there
began a relationship that created a racecar and a racecar driver. It
was a man vs. machine challenge, and to do well meant going
faster and driving better, and at the top it meant doing both.
The story of the full-scale race airplane isn’t all that much
different, except the pockets might be a little deeper. The thrill to go
fast dominates, and the adrenaline rush of the race and the addiction
Rick Davis enforces his line boss authority on Terry Williams’
Formula 1 GT Shoestring. Hey, Halloween is supposed to be fun!
Dennis Friesel (L) and Tim Sparks travel cross-country in a
Town & Country loaded down with as many models as
possible. They help friends with airplane delivery.
Bill Adams pilots his Kelly F-10
for a landing after the third
heat in the Formula 1 GT class.
May 2009 75
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:21 AM Page 75
Above: Tim Sparks’ Pole Cat is frightening, with its raptorlike
markings.
Top right: Model Airplane News West Coast Editor John Reid hooked
up with Jerry Bradley, Ray Thompson, and Bobby Slaughter to fly
this beautiful Kelly in the GT class.
Right: The Sundowner class was the most popular event, with 23
participants. The entry-class ARF is available from Hangar 9.
Photos by the author
76 MODEL AVIATION
Above: Flying fast means biting a lot of
air. This Unlimited racer is using a 21 x
23 propeller.
Left: Kenny McSpadden completes the
engine-cover installation on his GR-7. He
custom-built the totally composite kit.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 76
May 2009 77
The man with the checkered flag—C.J. “Holly” Hollingsworth—diligently coordinated
the safety inspections and every race.
Don Corum’s Bearcat was flown in the
Unlimited class. A 250cc engine is buried
underneath all that carefully sculpted
carbon-fiber ducting.
Neatness counts. John Creagh’s Formula 1
GR-7 is powered by a Zenoah GT-80 engine
that has been converted to run on alcohol.
Tucker Buschbaum (L) borrowed a Sundowner from Dan Egelhoff.
Tucker’s father, holding the model, encouraged him to because of their
success in RCPRO club racing.
Joe Silva’s GR-7 breaks ground during a morning Formula 1 GT race—
before the sky really got dark.
Mark Taylor maintains a firm grip on Peter Goldsmith’s Stiletto. The Mouse-powered
model reached speeds of close to 200 mph.
With “pickles” in hand, judges followed models around
the course and accounted for each time their assigned
racers passed center and one of the two poles.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 77
Don Nash piloted his Kelly around the
Formula 1 GT course to claim the sixth spot
in the USRA 2008 season series standings.
Terry Raymond’s GR-7 climbs out onto the
course. The kit is available from Craig Greening.
Craig Grunkemeyer was the man to beat in the
Formula 1 GT class in 2008, but no one rose to the
challenge. His GR-7 performed flawlessly.
Kazuhiko Yamazaki and his team traveled from Japan to compete
in every racing class. They’re honorable sportsmen.
Craig Greening, Peter Goldsmith, and Travis Flynn teamed up for the
weekend.
A Pole Cat (low) and a GR-7 round Pylon Two. The lights on the
pole confirm that they have navigated around the benchmark.
78 MODEL AVIATION
Unlimited-class racers out on practice day. The El Mirage Dry Lake is ideal; check
out all that landing area!
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 78
May 2009 79
The gear is down and locked on Don Corum’s Bearcat.
There is plenty of room in that cowling for a large engine.
2 0 0 8 U S R A S t a n d i n g s *
Pilot Ohio California Total
Formula 1 GT
1. Craig Grunkemeyer 90 80 170
2. Michael C. Friesel 90 52 142
3. Mark A. Zeal 72 66 138
4. Dennis Friesel 60 50 110
5. Marty Flood 62 48 110
Formula 1
1. Eric Hunter 62 68 130
2. Dave Smith 48 45 93
3. Jeff Powell 85 0 85
4. Ken McSpadden 0 75 75
5. John Creagh 0 60 60
Unlimited
1. Tom Keating 90 55 145
2. Don Corum 69 41 110
3. Fred Sargent 61 47 108
4. Fred French 91 0 91
5. Tim Sparks 76 0 76
Sundowner
1. Auggie Haupt 60 58 118
2. Nathan Collmar 53 56 109
3. Tom Scott 100 0 100
4. Rick Maida 0 80 80
5. Craig Grunkemeyer 71 0 71
* Source: http://usrainfo.org
The handful of people who dedicated five days to running the event
deserved much of the credit, so they received a good chunk of the prizes!
The Friday of the contest was Halloween, so pumpkins were
carved to create ghoulish reflections. The author gives a hand
scooping the goop.
Frank Noll pilots his Miss Ashley back home.
It’s powered by the popular Desert Aircraft
DA-150 “Mouse” engine.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:04 AM Page 79
that follows after that first taste is the only
payoff that matters. Rarely does anyone
compete for a living; a real competitor does it
for the love of racing.
Step it sideways one lick. RC racing is
chock full of thrills and that same adrenaline
rush, only the risk of one’s well-being is
reduced to a small decimal point in the
equation. There is an investment; but what if
you could taste the thrill of Madera- or Renostyle
racing and do it with a fantastic ARF
model that is readily available, if not already
in your hangar?
The Unlimited Scale Racing Association
(USRA) is an AMA SIG that was born from
the spirit of the Reno Air Races: a full-scale
event that is held once a year in Reno,
Nevada. The aircraft used in that competition
are modified warbirds, home-built Formula
One aircraft, and other classes that pit civilian
aircraft against each other in an entry-level
form of two-pole competition.
In 2007, the USRA modified its entrylevel
class to incorporate Hangar 9’s 1/4-scale
Sundowner ARF. It’s a great-flying scale
model with an 80-inch wingspan. As of 2008,
the rules were adjusted to allow Sundowners
to be powered by any engine, as long as the
displacement was within the manufacturer’s
recommendations.
With that change, it was as if the
competitor floodgates opened; the Sundowner
class exploded with new entries. With a glowpowered
engine, the lightweight model
corners extremely well and handles the 1,800-
foot course at a modest speed of between 115
and 140 mph.
Serious Racing: During the 2008 Halloween
weekend, the USRA’s Frightfully Fast Bash
(FFB) took place at the El Mirage Dry Lake in
California, which is the home of numerous
world land-speed records. This was the
third—and last—race of the season, thus it
was dubbed the “National Championships.”
The turnout for the FFB was stupendous,
with more than 65 registered competitors.
Twenty-three of those entered the Sundowner
class alone, and I was one of them.
I live in the Midwest, and I flew out to the
contest on a commercial airliner. Some of the
behind-the-scenes magic that takes place at
the FFB is the network of members with
trailers and campers who regularly travel
across the country.
With handshakes and secret barter
agreements, they transport models, including
mine, which is a benefit of being a member of
such a fine association of people. They take
racing more seriously than breathing, so the
care and feeding of model aircraft, including
those in their care, goes without question.
I thank Peter Goldsmith, Craig Greening,
and Kenny McSpadden for delivering my
precious Sundowner to the rugged high
desert. Upon my arrival, they and other good
people met with me and welcomed me into
the USRA group.
Dave Wiseman was especially helpful, in
introducing me, as was the president of the
association, Eric Hunter, who fielded several
of my phone calls prior to the event. I must
have asked him every conceivable question
about preparing for the race, except for what I
should wear. But they have that covered too.
I wasn’t the only one who forgot clothing
basics, and they have a means of fulfillment;
thank you, Stacey Hanbury, for making those
Wal-Mart runs. This USRA group is like
family.
Scott Baker was the FFB organizer and
event director. This event also hosted
competitors from Canada and Japan. All the
preparation and organization of such an event
must take teamwork and favor spending.
One of the great tools employed (and
favors spent, I’m sure) was the lap-timer
system that Martin Treat designed and built.
It wasn’t the prettiest thing to look at, unless
you’re a fan of Tupperware containers.
The part of the timer setup I liked the
most was that communication between the
pole-judging groups was coordinated on a 2.4
GHz radio system that was linked by two
Spektrum DX6i transmitters. Some might call
the setup hokey, but it seemed ingenious and
worked phenomenally well.
Since this was my first time flying one of
my favorite models in a high-speed racing
competition, I needed veterans to help me
through; I had two. First and foremost was
my longtime friend, Chuck Hebestriet.
He is not only an RC Pylon Racing
veteran, but is also a 1982 land-speed record
holder at El Mirage in the Formula One Sport
Class E division. To hang out with him was
worth the trip alone, and we got to fly model
airplanes. What could be better?
Craig Grunkemeyer, who was attending
the FFB to seal his National Championship,
lent a hand whenever he could. Watching him
fly was impressive, and it has me looking at
moving up in the future.
Craig and Chuck were the calm voices
next to me while I flew my Sundowner
against the three to four other models that
were in the air at the same time. This really is
a team sport.
The dry lake bed at El Mirage is a
challenging venue, but the vastness of the
landing area made up for the sometimes-dirty
conditions. We were glad that the weather
was mostly overcast; that kept the sunblockapplication
ritual down to just twice daily.
This is a stick-together kind of crowd,
which meant that the campers and tents were
huddled together. When nightfall came, we
had a blast—and why not? It was Halloween.
We handed out candy to the kids, dressed
up like ghouls (or wore our oil- and sootcoated
clothes), and carved pumpkins. It
seems that serious racers are also serious
about having fun.
My view and experience of the racing at El
Mirage is personal. Throughout the race
classes, other teams and racers were just as
personally involved.
Three higher classes were offered at this
event: Formula 1 GT, Formula 1, and
Unlimited. In that order, the speed increases in
unison with the complexity of the airframes
and components. In Formula 1 GT, the next
class up from Sundowner, 1/3-scale models are
flown with the Zenoah GT-80 engine on
gasoline.
All of the larger models are easy to fly.
They go fast, but their light wing loadings
make them friendlier. Of course, setup is
critical. These airplanes are sleek and have
stiff undercarriage components, so landing
them smoothly is typically a bigger challenge
than flying them.
The same models flown in GT are used in
the Formula 1 class, except that the engines are
modified, or substituted, to run on alcohol.
These models fly 160-180 mph, which is 20-
30 mph faster than those in the GT class.
The Unlimited class is what people pay
money to see. The models look like warbirds
but have a sleeker look, with streamlined
canopies and sometimes modified wings and
tail surfaces. “Unlimited” means just that; the
builders can do almost anything to make these
models go as fast as possible, and they often
do it with engines in the 150cc-250cc
displacement range.
Safety is of the utmost concern with the
USRA. Not a single airplane gets to the
flightline without a stringent safety check and
inspection. If a model is repaired during the
race, it visits the inspection team again. Way to
be on the ball!
The three-day competition saw the four
classes race twice on Friday and twice on
Saturday. The plan was to get three races in on
Saturday, hold the final races in the morning
on Sunday, then hold the Gold finals.
Wouldn’t you know it? Our time in the
high desert was one of those rare occasions
when unseasonable rains doused the
surrounding area and eventually the “dry” lake
bed.
Our event was cut short because of the
ranger’s orders to evacuate the area. Even
though it was for me already, the FFB was
turning into an adventure. We had to “bug
out,” as they say in the military, so the
makeshift mechanics’ tents, campers, E-Z UP
canopies, golf carts, and picnic tables had to be
stowed and hauled off of the 8-mile-long
facility in less than an hour.
Thanks to the well-organized machine that
was the crew of volunteers running the event,
the FFB was called official, and awards were
given at the El Mirage Welcome Station. This
is also where the 2009 USRA national records
were tallied and winners were honored.
A New Year for Racing: The USRA currently
has two events scheduled for the 2009 flying
season. The first is in Ashtabula, Ohio, in the
middle of June, and the second is in California
in mid-October. There is a chance that a third
event may be added in roughly August in
Rantoul, Illinois.
Anyone can enjoy racing, even if you’re
not participating. As a spectator, the first race
is just as nail-biting as the last. Sometimes the
advanced skills of those involved is hard to
notice; just a few thousandths of a second is all
that will fit between them. But that doesn’t
stop the crowd members from getting on their
feet and cheering.
I’m looking forward to racing my
Sundowner with these good people again the
first chance I get. MA
Michael Ramsey
[email protected]
Sources:
USRA
http://usrainfo.org

by Michael Ramsey
Bountiful racing thrills and sportsmanship in the Mojave Desert
LONG AGO, BEFORE anyone knew what the letters in
NASCAR stood for, people with hot-rod machines met on
secluded tracks to see whose home-brewed V8 could set the
pace. These drivers used cars that were more than likely the
same ones driven to work or to the grocery store.
Since the keys were handed to them, tweaks here and there
began a relationship that created a racecar and a racecar driver. It
was a man vs. machine challenge, and to do well meant going
faster and driving better, and at the top it meant doing both.
The story of the full-scale race airplane isn’t all that much
different, except the pockets might be a little deeper. The thrill to go
fast dominates, and the adrenaline rush of the race and the addiction
Rick Davis enforces his line boss authority on Terry Williams’
Formula 1 GT Shoestring. Hey, Halloween is supposed to be fun!
Dennis Friesel (L) and Tim Sparks travel cross-country in a
Town & Country loaded down with as many models as
possible. They help friends with airplane delivery.
Bill Adams pilots his Kelly F-10
for a landing after the third
heat in the Formula 1 GT class.
May 2009 75
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:21 AM Page 75
Above: Tim Sparks’ Pole Cat is frightening, with its raptorlike
markings.
Top right: Model Airplane News West Coast Editor John Reid hooked
up with Jerry Bradley, Ray Thompson, and Bobby Slaughter to fly
this beautiful Kelly in the GT class.
Right: The Sundowner class was the most popular event, with 23
participants. The entry-class ARF is available from Hangar 9.
Photos by the author
76 MODEL AVIATION
Above: Flying fast means biting a lot of
air. This Unlimited racer is using a 21 x
23 propeller.
Left: Kenny McSpadden completes the
engine-cover installation on his GR-7. He
custom-built the totally composite kit.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 76
May 2009 77
The man with the checkered flag—C.J. “Holly” Hollingsworth—diligently coordinated
the safety inspections and every race.
Don Corum’s Bearcat was flown in the
Unlimited class. A 250cc engine is buried
underneath all that carefully sculpted
carbon-fiber ducting.
Neatness counts. John Creagh’s Formula 1
GR-7 is powered by a Zenoah GT-80 engine
that has been converted to run on alcohol.
Tucker Buschbaum (L) borrowed a Sundowner from Dan Egelhoff.
Tucker’s father, holding the model, encouraged him to because of their
success in RCPRO club racing.
Joe Silva’s GR-7 breaks ground during a morning Formula 1 GT race—
before the sky really got dark.
Mark Taylor maintains a firm grip on Peter Goldsmith’s Stiletto. The Mouse-powered
model reached speeds of close to 200 mph.
With “pickles” in hand, judges followed models around
the course and accounted for each time their assigned
racers passed center and one of the two poles.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 77
Don Nash piloted his Kelly around the
Formula 1 GT course to claim the sixth spot
in the USRA 2008 season series standings.
Terry Raymond’s GR-7 climbs out onto the
course. The kit is available from Craig Greening.
Craig Grunkemeyer was the man to beat in the
Formula 1 GT class in 2008, but no one rose to the
challenge. His GR-7 performed flawlessly.
Kazuhiko Yamazaki and his team traveled from Japan to compete
in every racing class. They’re honorable sportsmen.
Craig Greening, Peter Goldsmith, and Travis Flynn teamed up for the
weekend.
A Pole Cat (low) and a GR-7 round Pylon Two. The lights on the
pole confirm that they have navigated around the benchmark.
78 MODEL AVIATION
Unlimited-class racers out on practice day. The El Mirage Dry Lake is ideal; check
out all that landing area!
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:02 AM Page 78
May 2009 79
The gear is down and locked on Don Corum’s Bearcat.
There is plenty of room in that cowling for a large engine.
2 0 0 8 U S R A S t a n d i n g s *
Pilot Ohio California Total
Formula 1 GT
1. Craig Grunkemeyer 90 80 170
2. Michael C. Friesel 90 52 142
3. Mark A. Zeal 72 66 138
4. Dennis Friesel 60 50 110
5. Marty Flood 62 48 110
Formula 1
1. Eric Hunter 62 68 130
2. Dave Smith 48 45 93
3. Jeff Powell 85 0 85
4. Ken McSpadden 0 75 75
5. John Creagh 0 60 60
Unlimited
1. Tom Keating 90 55 145
2. Don Corum 69 41 110
3. Fred Sargent 61 47 108
4. Fred French 91 0 91
5. Tim Sparks 76 0 76
Sundowner
1. Auggie Haupt 60 58 118
2. Nathan Collmar 53 56 109
3. Tom Scott 100 0 100
4. Rick Maida 0 80 80
5. Craig Grunkemeyer 71 0 71
* Source: http://usrainfo.org
The handful of people who dedicated five days to running the event
deserved much of the credit, so they received a good chunk of the prizes!
The Friday of the contest was Halloween, so pumpkins were
carved to create ghoulish reflections. The author gives a hand
scooping the goop.
Frank Noll pilots his Miss Ashley back home.
It’s powered by the popular Desert Aircraft
DA-150 “Mouse” engine.
05sig3.QXD 3/25/09 9:04 AM Page 79
that follows after that first taste is the only
payoff that matters. Rarely does anyone
compete for a living; a real competitor does it
for the love of racing.
Step it sideways one lick. RC racing is
chock full of thrills and that same adrenaline
rush, only the risk of one’s well-being is
reduced to a small decimal point in the
equation. There is an investment; but what if
you could taste the thrill of Madera- or Renostyle
racing and do it with a fantastic ARF
model that is readily available, if not already
in your hangar?
The Unlimited Scale Racing Association
(USRA) is an AMA SIG that was born from
the spirit of the Reno Air Races: a full-scale
event that is held once a year in Reno,
Nevada. The aircraft used in that competition
are modified warbirds, home-built Formula
One aircraft, and other classes that pit civilian
aircraft against each other in an entry-level
form of two-pole competition.
In 2007, the USRA modified its entrylevel
class to incorporate Hangar 9’s 1/4-scale
Sundowner ARF. It’s a great-flying scale
model with an 80-inch wingspan. As of 2008,
the rules were adjusted to allow Sundowners
to be powered by any engine, as long as the
displacement was within the manufacturer’s
recommendations.
With that change, it was as if the
competitor floodgates opened; the Sundowner
class exploded with new entries. With a glowpowered
engine, the lightweight model
corners extremely well and handles the 1,800-
foot course at a modest speed of between 115
and 140 mph.
Serious Racing: During the 2008 Halloween
weekend, the USRA’s Frightfully Fast Bash
(FFB) took place at the El Mirage Dry Lake in
California, which is the home of numerous
world land-speed records. This was the
third—and last—race of the season, thus it
was dubbed the “National Championships.”
The turnout for the FFB was stupendous,
with more than 65 registered competitors.
Twenty-three of those entered the Sundowner
class alone, and I was one of them.
I live in the Midwest, and I flew out to the
contest on a commercial airliner. Some of the
behind-the-scenes magic that takes place at
the FFB is the network of members with
trailers and campers who regularly travel
across the country.
With handshakes and secret barter
agreements, they transport models, including
mine, which is a benefit of being a member of
such a fine association of people. They take
racing more seriously than breathing, so the
care and feeding of model aircraft, including
those in their care, goes without question.
I thank Peter Goldsmith, Craig Greening,
and Kenny McSpadden for delivering my
precious Sundowner to the rugged high
desert. Upon my arrival, they and other good
people met with me and welcomed me into
the USRA group.
Dave Wiseman was especially helpful, in
introducing me, as was the president of the
association, Eric Hunter, who fielded several
of my phone calls prior to the event. I must
have asked him every conceivable question
about preparing for the race, except for what I
should wear. But they have that covered too.
I wasn’t the only one who forgot clothing
basics, and they have a means of fulfillment;
thank you, Stacey Hanbury, for making those
Wal-Mart runs. This USRA group is like
family.
Scott Baker was the FFB organizer and
event director. This event also hosted
competitors from Canada and Japan. All the
preparation and organization of such an event
must take teamwork and favor spending.
One of the great tools employed (and
favors spent, I’m sure) was the lap-timer
system that Martin Treat designed and built.
It wasn’t the prettiest thing to look at, unless
you’re a fan of Tupperware containers.
The part of the timer setup I liked the
most was that communication between the
pole-judging groups was coordinated on a 2.4
GHz radio system that was linked by two
Spektrum DX6i transmitters. Some might call
the setup hokey, but it seemed ingenious and
worked phenomenally well.
Since this was my first time flying one of
my favorite models in a high-speed racing
competition, I needed veterans to help me
through; I had two. First and foremost was
my longtime friend, Chuck Hebestriet.
He is not only an RC Pylon Racing
veteran, but is also a 1982 land-speed record
holder at El Mirage in the Formula One Sport
Class E division. To hang out with him was
worth the trip alone, and we got to fly model
airplanes. What could be better?
Craig Grunkemeyer, who was attending
the FFB to seal his National Championship,
lent a hand whenever he could. Watching him
fly was impressive, and it has me looking at
moving up in the future.
Craig and Chuck were the calm voices
next to me while I flew my Sundowner
against the three to four other models that
were in the air at the same time. This really is
a team sport.
The dry lake bed at El Mirage is a
challenging venue, but the vastness of the
landing area made up for the sometimes-dirty
conditions. We were glad that the weather
was mostly overcast; that kept the sunblockapplication
ritual down to just twice daily.
This is a stick-together kind of crowd,
which meant that the campers and tents were
huddled together. When nightfall came, we
had a blast—and why not? It was Halloween.
We handed out candy to the kids, dressed
up like ghouls (or wore our oil- and sootcoated
clothes), and carved pumpkins. It
seems that serious racers are also serious
about having fun.
My view and experience of the racing at El
Mirage is personal. Throughout the race
classes, other teams and racers were just as
personally involved.
Three higher classes were offered at this
event: Formula 1 GT, Formula 1, and
Unlimited. In that order, the speed increases in
unison with the complexity of the airframes
and components. In Formula 1 GT, the next
class up from Sundowner, 1/3-scale models are
flown with the Zenoah GT-80 engine on
gasoline.
All of the larger models are easy to fly.
They go fast, but their light wing loadings
make them friendlier. Of course, setup is
critical. These airplanes are sleek and have
stiff undercarriage components, so landing
them smoothly is typically a bigger challenge
than flying them.
The same models flown in GT are used in
the Formula 1 class, except that the engines are
modified, or substituted, to run on alcohol.
These models fly 160-180 mph, which is 20-
30 mph faster than those in the GT class.
The Unlimited class is what people pay
money to see. The models look like warbirds
but have a sleeker look, with streamlined
canopies and sometimes modified wings and
tail surfaces. “Unlimited” means just that; the
builders can do almost anything to make these
models go as fast as possible, and they often
do it with engines in the 150cc-250cc
displacement range.
Safety is of the utmost concern with the
USRA. Not a single airplane gets to the
flightline without a stringent safety check and
inspection. If a model is repaired during the
race, it visits the inspection team again. Way to
be on the ball!
The three-day competition saw the four
classes race twice on Friday and twice on
Saturday. The plan was to get three races in on
Saturday, hold the final races in the morning
on Sunday, then hold the Gold finals.
Wouldn’t you know it? Our time in the
high desert was one of those rare occasions
when unseasonable rains doused the
surrounding area and eventually the “dry” lake
bed.
Our event was cut short because of the
ranger’s orders to evacuate the area. Even
though it was for me already, the FFB was
turning into an adventure. We had to “bug
out,” as they say in the military, so the
makeshift mechanics’ tents, campers, E-Z UP
canopies, golf carts, and picnic tables had to be
stowed and hauled off of the 8-mile-long
facility in less than an hour.
Thanks to the well-organized machine that
was the crew of volunteers running the event,
the FFB was called official, and awards were
given at the El Mirage Welcome Station. This
is also where the 2009 USRA national records
were tallied and winners were honored.
A New Year for Racing: The USRA currently
has two events scheduled for the 2009 flying
season. The first is in Ashtabula, Ohio, in the
middle of June, and the second is in California
in mid-October. There is a chance that a third
event may be added in roughly August in
Rantoul, Illinois.
Anyone can enjoy racing, even if you’re
not participating. As a spectator, the first race
is just as nail-biting as the last. Sometimes the
advanced skills of those involved is hard to
notice; just a few thousandths of a second is all
that will fit between them. But that doesn’t
stop the crowd members from getting on their
feet and cheering.
I’m looking forward to racing my
Sundowner with these good people again the
first chance I get. MA
Michael Ramsey
[email protected]
Sources:
USRA
http://usrainfo.org