RADIO CONTROL PYLON RACING - 2004/12

110 MODEL AVIATION December 2004 110
Kurt Bozarth, 18699 E. Ida Ave., Aurora CO 80015
RADIO CONTROL PYLON RACING
North-South Shootout Q-500 winners (L-R): Bruce DeChastel, third;
caller Linda DeChastel; caller Patt Nalley; Tom Strom, first; caller
Sonja Leavengood; Barry Leavengood, second. Dan Nalley photo.
Airpark Elite’s season finale Q-40 winners (L-R): Clu Colvin,
third; Alan Thovson, first; and Brian Seaholm, second.
Airpark Elite’s season finale Q-500 winners (L-R): Kurt Bozarth,
third; John Williams, first; and A.J. Seaholm, second.
NORTH-SOUTH SHOOTOUT: The Rogue Eagles RC Club of
Medford, Oregon, hosted this year’s North-South Shootout Pylon
race August 21-22, 2004. This is the home club of Quarter 40
Nationals Pylon champion Gino Del Ponte and his father Mike.
Mike, the Grand Pooh-Bah of Pylon Racing, CDed the two-day
event. He cordially invited me to make the drive from Colorado,
assuring me that it would not take more than “a few” hours. After
driving 19 hours and nearly wiping out a family of Sasquatch just
outside of Klamath Falls, I made it safe and sound to Medford.
The drive was well worth it. More than 40 racers attended to
compete in Sport Quickie (event 424), Quickie 500 (event 428),
and Quarter 40 (event 422). Racing was fast and furious, and
carnage was minimal.
Ken Busse took the top spot in Sport Quickie, and Tom Strom
took first in Quickie 500. Fast but not forgotten, Richard Verano
posted the fast time and field record in Quarter 40 with a 1:02.
However, Dave Presta came out on top in that class.
It was a grand time, thanks to Mike and his team of club
volunteers. The Saturday-night cookout was terrific, and the
socializing was as fun as the racing.
We woke up to gray skies and drizzle Sunday. The skies
cleared at approximately 10 a.m. for a brief period, allowing us to
complete only one heat of Sport Quickie. Then the rains returned,
and we called it a day at roughly noon. Mike has promised that
next year’s race will be even bigger and better.
Ford Vs. Chevy: The choice of which servo to use where has
always generated good discussion. Some swear by Chevy; some
swear by Ford. Besides the name brand, there are some other
things to look for. The 2002-2004 AMA rule book states:
“Servos controlling the pitch and roll functions shall be of
adequate strength for the weight and speed of the aircraft. Except
in 1⁄2A, whenever a single servo is used to control one of these
functions, it shall be designed and built to accommodate at least
four mounting screws. When two or more servos are used together
to control the same function, as in the case of dual aileron servos
or the movable tail surfaces on a ‘V’-tailed aircraft, each of such
servos may be of the two-screw variety.”
Notice that the rule book does not give a minimum torque
requirement, as it has in years past. Finding servos to meet the
minimum AMA requirements is not an issue. Finding ones that
will withstand the severe vibration encountered in race airplanes
and will accurately and consistently return to center after a
deflection is another story.
Digital servos are a great solution. However, some may
question their higher cost. I am sure that the top Pattern, IMAC
(International Miniature Aerobatic Club), and helicopter pilots
would agree that one should use the best servos one’s money can
buy.
In the past I have attempted to take the most economical route,
only to find myself replacing cheap, poor-quality servos with
more expensive, higher-quality servos, costing me even more in
the end.
The foremost indication of a poor-quality servo is its inability
to accurately return to center after a control deflection (i.e., poor
centering resolution). How will you detect this? It’s easy. Your
model will need constant trimming and retrimming!
Say you take off and get safely airborne with your new racer
equipped with the bargain servos for which you bid and won the
12sig4.QXD 10/25/04 8:55 am Page 110
right to buy on your favorite online auction
site. After trimming the airplane, you feel
you are ready to test it out on the course.
You bring it down and fly to Pylon #1.
After pulling hard around #1, the model
seems to need a little down-trim. After
retrimming, you get it back on the course
and try it again. This time you overpull a
bit around #1, forcing you to correct by
pushing down a tad. When you release the
controls, the airplane pitches down, forcing
you to add a few clicks of up-trim.
This cycle lasts the entire flight, causing
you to question your interest in Pylon
Racing, your job, your credit card bill, your
mortgage, argh! Sloppy linkages or binding
surfaces can be the problem, but in most
cases it is the servo’s poor centering
resolution. Get the best servos your money
can buy, and hopefully you will avoid the
preceding situation.
Airpark Elite: A small group of isolated
yet determined Pylon racers who live in
and around Denver, Colorado, have
managed to create a club dedicated to
Pylon Racing. The pylons are always up,
and the sport fliers have to deal with
them—but in a friendly manner. The
runway is paved with a large circle in the
middle, allowing for takeoffs in any
direction.
The Airpark Elite R/C Club has held
monthly races during the spring and
summer months for the past few years and
has seen a slow but steady increase in the
number of participants, especially in
Quickie 500.
In addition to Sport Quickie, Quickie
500, and the occasional Quarter 40 race,
five-lap trainer races are held. The trainer
races allow individuals to get a taste of
racing without having to purchase racespecific
equipment. This idea has been
successful, with several of the trainer-race
participants moving up to the Sport
Quickie class.
If you are within a day’s drive of
Denver and would like to enjoy some good
racing, put it on your calendar to attend
some of the races next season. The 2005
dates will be posted soon at www.airpark
elite.net. MA
112 MODEL AVIATION
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INFO?
See your hobby retailer or send a #10 S.A.S.E. to
229 E. Rollins Rd. Round Lake Beach, IL 60073
847-740-8726 Fax 847-740-8727
www.RamRCandRamTrack.com
• W h i t e L E D ’ s
•Br i g h t e r • Tougher
• 5 X B a t t e r y L i f e
Flashing Navigation, (3) Lites,
Adj. rate, to 96”, 9V.......................RAM 121 $44.95
“Strobe” Lite, Adj. rate, 9V...............RAM 122 29.95
Landing Lites, (2) w/switch, 9V.......RAM 123 29.95
Giant Scale Nav., (3) to 168”, 9V...RAM 124 39.95
Non Flash Nav., (3) to 96”, 9V.......RAM 125 34.95
Park Flyer Nav., (3) to 48”,
6 grams, 5-8 cells .........................RAM 132 24.95
12sig4.QXD 10/25/04 8:55 am Page 112