RC Pylon Racing
Duane Gall 1267 S. Beeler Ct., Denver CO 80231 E-mail: [email protected]
NEWCOMERS: Ah, where to begin?
Those who check in here regularly know it's my policy to always have something helpful for new or "wanna-be" racing pilots—never to leave you behind completely, even when I'm reporting on the most elite contests or critiquing the latest application of Unobtanium to our purposes.
But how to cover, in a mere 1,500 words, the basic things you need to know to get into Radio Control (RC) Pylon Racing?
I want to dispel some of the myths that keep people away.
The Top Myths About RC Pylon Racing
- Myth 1: It's all about speed.
If that was true, we might as well not run races at all; we might as well just hold timed speed runs and hand the trophy to the person with the highest-pitch propeller.
Fortunately the task involves more than that and is much more entertaining.
Yes, speed is an essential part of racing and without it you won't put many points on the board, but our rules favor consistency more than speed.
AMA racing is a game of accumulating points. It doesn't matter who you're flying against: you still have to go out to the starting line, start your model's engine, make a good takeoff, go around the pylons 10 times without cutting inside the course, and land in one piece so you're ready to go the next time without having to frantically repair something in between.
I wish I had a nickel for each time I have seen the slowest pilot at a contest go home with first place because he or she didn't make any mistakes, and the others did.
Conversely, the racing world is full of brash young Turks who look great in practice, but never seem to do well on contest day.
Their goal seems to be to scare you off with the priciest airplane, the screamingest engine and the hottest practice laps, so you will quickly tuck your tail between your legs and disappear.
Despite such awesome displays, these fliers usually manage to come to grief somehow—most often when two of them end up in the same heat, and in a burst of testosterone they collide or double-cut (resulting in a zero) as they try to elbow each other out.
So my advice to all you newbies is not to try to throw a touchdown pass on your first play. Get a decent, reliable airplane and engine that are fast enough to do the job, then practice with them until you can start, fly well, and land under any conditions.
You will be surprised at how quickly you find yourself in the winner's circle.
- Myth 2: Racing airplanes are hard to fly.
For AMA rule-book racing in most of the US you have a choice between two types of airframes: the Quickie 500 (Q-500), with its 500-square-inch rectangular wing, box fuselage, exposed engine, and 3.5-pound minimum weight, and the Quarter 40 (Q-40)—a more scale-like model, with 400 square inches of wing and a 4-pound minimum weight.
The newcomer class in most areas involves a Q-500 airframe powered by a mild two-stroke .40 engine selected from a local list of approved brands.
The Q-500 and Q-40 airframes are user-friendly. In fact, the Quickie is an absolute pussycat. Its wing loading is only 16 ounces per square foot—lighter than most sport models and even lighter than some sailplanes.
Quickies take off easily from grass, they glide well, and they land gently. And they are fully aerobatic, which makes them among the best sport airplanes you will find.
For those who prefer a scale-like appearance, the Q-40s are almost as easy to fly. But because of their heavier wing loadings, they generally want to take off from pavement and they land a bit faster.
As do the Quickies, the Q-40s fly just fine with street-legal sport .40s in place of the all-out racing power plants.
In either case, the fore-and-aft balance (center of gravity) and proper throws are important. Most newcomers make the mistake of setting up their racers far too sensitive on the controls.
All you need is enough elevator for a smooth 75-foot-diameter loop, and enough aileron to do a complete 360° roll in roughly two seconds.
Top-end racers' .40 engines go for $250–$350 each, and they will generally survive all but the worst straight-in crash. Compare this to the average four-stroker on any sport airplane at the fun-fly, and you come out even.
Engines for newbie racing (even .42) run from $60 to $110, and they double as sport engines because they have functional throttles—quite a bargain when you think about it.
Ditto for the airplanes. A top-end, ready-to-fly composite Q-500 or Q-40 airframe will set you back $300–$500, or approximately half the cost of a giant scale or turbine model—and you don't have to assemble it!
If you're willing to spend a few evenings gluing Part A to Part B, you can be ready to go for less than $100.
- Myth 4: Racing airplanes crash.
Again, not a myth; all RC models crash. But compared to other activities, the attrition rate in racing is roughly par.
Think back to the Limbo or Bomb Drop event at the last club fun-fly you attended, and that's approximately how many crashes you are likely to see at a race.
- Myth 5: You have to be an engine expert to do well.
See Myth 1; speed isn't everything. Many of the "tricks" people do in an effort to gain a little extra power actually do more harm than good, or reduce the useful life of the engine.
As a newcomer, your best bet is to learn what engines are being used locally, buy one, fly it slightly rich with the recommended propeller until you've gone through a gallon of fuel then enter a contest and see how you do.
Dub Jett, who produces Jett engines, has a marvelous Web site featuring how-tos for engine care and a series of articles he calls "The Crap Trap." If you have any problems or questions, fire up the computer, go to www.jettnengineering.com, and click on Tech Tips.
- Myth 6: Racing is dangerous.
Racing airplanes are fast. They aren't very quiet. And racing involves flying around yourself, four airplanes at a time. All of this makes it look to the casual observer that pandemonium has broken loose and disaster is inevitable.
However, the apparent danger is mostly an illusion.
First of all, the pilots and callers are positioned in the infield, where "centrifugal force" (I know there's no such thing, but work with me here) protects them from any falling bits or errant aircraft except in the most unusual cases.
Second, AMA rules require a separation of at least 300 feet between the racecourse and the top-of-field spectator line. This buffer, combined with restrained flying practices and the orientation of the course, greatly reduces the risk to spectators.
- Myth 10: You need to be a fanatic.
That's possible, but it's not as if they couldn't — especially with a little help from you.
The first stop should be your local hobby emporium. Ask if they have any flyers for upcoming races or if they've sold anything for .40 events recently. That will be your first clue.
If that approach doesn't pan out, log on to www.nmpra.net for the National Miniature Pylon Racing Association's list of maps, addresses, and how-tos.
For a great list of sources for hard-to-find racing hardware and supplies, visit Dave Blum's site at http://home.att.net/~davewages. Follow the links to action photos, personal Web pages of other luminaries, notices of upcoming contests, et cetera.
I guarantee that after one or two e-mail messages or telephone calls, you need never be lonely again.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
