Radio Control Pylon Racing - 2006/12

A close-up look at the Great Planes Viper 500
Also included in this column:
• Getting new blood into
Pylon Racing
• North/South Shootout notes
• Electric Pylon World
Championships report
December 2006 153
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Radio Control Pylon Racing Kurt Bozarth
Above: The author’s Great Planes Viper
500 with a Nelson engine on it. Will it hold
up? Read his column to find out!
Below: A Dago Red Q-40 designed and sold
by Lyle Larson (www.calspeedpros.com)
and painted by Kurt. Lyle also sells the
popular Proud Bird and Vendetta and his
Q-500 Bird of Prey.
Left: Bruce DeChastel’s (www.bigbrucerac
ing.com) Slingshot Q500 is a follow-up to
his popular Shotgun. It has a conventional
tail, whereas the Slingshot has a V-tail.
AS AN ALTERNATIVE to taking out a
second mortgage to purchase a painted-in-themold,
fully composite Quickie 500 (Q-500)
racer, there are several affordable Q-500 ARFs
available.
I have seen the Predator and the Viper
flown in AMA event 424 (Sport Quickie) with
sport engines, but never with a Nelson or Jett. I
have heard rumors that people have
successfully flown and raced these ARFs in
AMA 428 (Q-500), but I had never seen it
with my own eyes.
So off I went to the local hobby shop,
where I was able to pick up a Great Planes
Viper 500 ARF for $119. Being a closet
MonoKote junkie, I had most of the factoryapplied
covering removed by the time I got
home.
The next items I addressed were the sloppy
aileron torque rods. I quickly dug the existing
ones out, cut the plastic tubing away, and
reseated the rods back into the wing, bedded in
a nest of epoxy. (Yes, I remembered to coat
the rods with Vaseline first.)
12sig5.QXD 10/25/06 12:45 PM Page 153My next concerns were the thin fuselage
sides and the large servo access area. A layer
of 2-ounce fiberglass cloth along the sides of
the fuselage did the trick. I also toothpickpinned
the firewall, the landing-gear plate,
and the wing hold-down plates. The longest
part was waiting for the epoxy to dry.
Some of you may question whether or not
my efforts were needed. I feel that the torquerod
issue is the only one that must be
addressed. The others were a result of my
obsessive-compulsive behavior. Besides, it
was fun.
The final weight with a Nelson engine was
3 pounds, 10.6 ounces—not bad considering
the minimum legal weight might increase
from 3.5 to 3.75 pounds. (There’s no room to
discuss this can of worms here and now.)
The test flight was no different from that
of any of my other Q-500 airplanes. I had to
add wingtip weight to the left wing and finetune
the controls. My only complaint is that
the ailerons were small and became severely
ineffective during landing. High-rate ailerons
are a must for landing the Viper.
Overall, the Viper flew excellently with a
Nelson bolted on it. I tried several times to
bend the wings off—fortunately without
success. I went on to race the Viper in our last
two local races, competing against several
Shotguns, an old Vortex, and a strange Bob
Dible creation. I felt that it was a tad slower
than the Shotguns, but definitely not $300
slower.
My Viper will be one of my primary
airplanes for our local races. I am hoping that
the Sport Quickie racers in the area will see
that a Viper is more than adequate for local Q-
500 races and they will make the jump to that
event. While I was flying the Viper the
thought that it only cost me $120 crossed my
mind more than once, causing an inner peace
to well up inside, lowering my pulse and
relaxing my peripheral skeletal muscles.
I have since learned that Dennis Cranfill
and a group of racers in the Wichita Falls,
Texas, area have imposed an informal “Vipers
only” rule for their Q-500 races. Obviously
they have good experiences with these
affordable ARFs.
New Pylon Racers Needed! This past summer
there were many postings on the Internet
discussing how we can attract new Pylon
racers. Most agree that we are in need of new
competitors, but “how” was at the center of
the debate.
Some feel that our current rules and
classes are adequate and that new Pylon racers
will eventually join us, motivated by their
own internal need for speed and competition.
Others feel that our rules and classes deter
many sport fliers who are on the fence.
This issue is not unique to Pylon Racing.
Read Rich Lopez’s CL Combat column in the
September MA, where he discussed the many
CL Combat classes: 1/2A with Tee Dees, 1/2A
with Cyclons and Foras, Fast Combat, Slow
Combat, and 75 and 80 mph Combat, whew!
For years those of us in Colorado have
enjoyed a remote facility created specifically
for Pylon Racing. Sport flying is allowed, and
this is what you will see most. But when a
Pylon racer shows up to practice, no one
complains when he or she flies the course. We
have an excellent situation.
However, we have seen very little growth.
Competitive CL Combat flier Rich Perry and
RC Combat pilot John “J.J.” Jaugilas have
been our only recent additions. Both have
done extremely well and bring refreshing
insight with them from their other interests.
These guys are exactly what the RC Pylon
community needs.
In an attempt to find more potential Pylon
racers like Rich and J.J., we took our show on
the road. Instead of having all five of our
monthly races at our remote field, we
connected with several of the local clubs and
asked them to host a few.
We would provide the course workers, and
they would allow us the use of their field for a
day. The club could sell concessions and keep
the profits. It seemed like a good fit.
To piggyback that plan, we all decided
that we would race World Models Mach II
Sky Raiders. The idea was to connect with the
sport flier by showing him and her that we
could have a great race with sport models.
Once we hooked a few new racers, we would
help them move into the AMA classes.
Crosswinds RC Club, located
approximately 20 miles southeast of Denver,
was the first to join us in our plan. Club Vice
President Phil Helfer was instrumental in
ensuring a successful race.
By the way, Phil is an outstanding chef
and kept us fed throughout the day with
homemade breakfast burritos, sweet barbecue
chicken, and spicy pork sandwiches!
Longtime Club Treasurer Larry Falsetta
stepped up to be my assistant CD.
Although the same bunch of pilots showed
up, we were able to show off racing to sport
fliers who would not have attended if the
contest were held at our standard, remote
location. I think the Crosswinds club
members enjoyed themselves, and we have
been invited back for 2007.
Next on the list was a July race at the
Boulder Reservoir. Things were looking good
until we were informed that the Bubonic
Plague and the West Nile Virus had been
found there. After a quick volley of E-mails, it
was decided to move the race back to our
home field. Considering that our main
objective was to gain racers, it would be a
shame to lose a few to the plague.
Our last race of the year was hosted by one
of the top RC clubs in the country—the Jefco
Aeromod’lers—at Chatfield Reservoir, which
is probably the best facility in the state. Duane
Gall was the CD, and the turnout was
excellent. Several new racers competed in the
Sky Raider class, and two new pilots
competed in Sport Quickie. I hope we will
reap a few new racers next year.
North/South Shootout: This event was held
in Medford, Oregon, August 19-20. It has
become an annual event, thanks to CD and
Grand Poobah of Pylon Racing Mike Del
Ponte. Fast times, good food, and warm
weather made for a great weekend of racing.
Following are a few words from Mike.
“We all had a great time at the
North/South Pylon race. The new racecourse
made the races more fun to watch. The
weather was a little warm in the afternoon,
with 60s in the a.m. and highs in the upper
90s in the afternoon.
“Thanks to all the pilots who traveled and
to our dedicated workers. There was a
barbecue at the Del Pontes’ Friday night. Just
about everybody was there with plenty of
food and stories.
“On Saturday, after the race, there was a
steak barbecue put on by the Rogue Eagles,
and thanks to Jan Laine for the chili and
blackberry and peach cobbler. We appreciate
Judi Del Ponte working so hard with all the
announcing, and the computer matrix.
“The new course, equipment, and workers
are ready for the NMPRA Q-40 championship
race to be held in Medford on October 21-23.
We had a total of 81 entries for both days; 44
on Saturday and 37 on Sunday. It was good to
have all the racers together again. We hope to
see everyone again soon.”
James Padelt took the top spot in Sport
Quickie Saturday and Sunday and set the fast
time for the weekend with a 1:40.69. In Q-
500, Matias Salar won Saturday and Fred
Burgdorf won Sunday. Scott McAfee grabbed
the top spot in Quarter 40 Saturday, and Matt
Russell won on Sunday.
F5D Electric Pylon Racing World
Championships: This event was held in
Pitesti, Romania, August 19-26, 2006. The
US team consisted of Dan Kane, Gary
Freeman Jr., Travis Flynn, and John Jennings.
Drew Telford was the team manager.
According to Gary, it took longer than
expected for the airplanes to arrive, and
several were damaged. However, enough
parts were able to be pieced together to have
three models for each pilot. Dan’s luggage
was even later to arrive, forcing him to add
some Romanian clothes to his collection and,
even worse, to borrow from Gary.
As a warm-up event before the World
Championships, the Romanians hosted the
Pre-World Pitesti Cup. This was a great
opportunity for everyone to dial in their
equipment and test new configurations.
It sounds like the Romanians needed this
pre-World Championships race to work out
all the glitches with their racecourse
equipment. Evidently the lights and timing
system were initially sporadic. Dan Kane
placed second overall in the Pitesti Cup. The
real racing started the following day.
The Germans got off to a great start and
never let up. The US was forced to play catchup
from the beginning. The US team tried to
make up for lost time by flying as tightly as
possible, increasing the likelihood of cuts.
After 16 rounds the US team had climbed
into second place. Congratulations! And a
high five to Team Canada for its fourth-place
finish. Outstanding job by the North
Americans!
If you are ready to get serious about Pylon
Racing, join the National Miniature Pylon
Racing Association. Go to www.nmpra.org to
learn more.
I’ll be back in a couple months. MA
154 MODEL AVIATION
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