The Winterfest event in Phoenix lived up to expectations with another great time of racing action and a welcome departure from the winter blues. Q-500 AMA Event 426 drew 37 registered entries, up three from 2014, and Electric Formula 1 (EF1) had 16 registered pilots.
Dub Jett took home top honors in EF1 at the January 17-18 contest. Jim Allen won Q-500 and performed his usual contest director (CD) duties. Roy Andrassy and Dan Kane Jr. took Fast Time honors in Q-500 and EF1, respectively.
EF1
Name Time Points
1. Dub Jett 1:26.21 34
2. Dan Kane Jr. 1:23.80 31
3. Tony Lopez 1:24.85 29
Fast Time: Dan Kane Jr. 1:23.80
Q-500
Name Time Points
1. Jim Allen 1:00.40 33
2. Gino Del Ponte 1:03.26 33
3. Mario Salazar 1:03.80 33
4. Matt Fehling 1:02.87 32
5. Roy Andrassy 1:00.35 29
Fast Time: Roy Andrassy 1:00.35
Congratulations to all of the top finishers at the 2015 Phoenix Winterfest race.
Servo Tray Installation
Servo tray installation is one of the most important steps in the building process. I have seen a loose servo tray end someone’s race day countless times. Without a rock-solid bond to the fuselage, three of your four channels—including elevator—are impacted or rendered useless.
Here are the steps I use to secure a servo tray in a fiberglass fuselage racer (Q-500 or Q-40). This method has proven robust throughout my years of racing:
1. Use a piece of heavy paper to cut out and fit a template for the servo tray.
2. Transfer to a piece of 1/8-inch thick aircraft plywood (not light plywood) and cut out the servo tray.
3. Slightly taper the edge of the tray where it will contact the fuselage side for more surface area.
4. Mount the servos and switch to the servo tray.
5. Use a Velcro cable strap to keep wires together and out of your way during installation.
6. Gently set the servo tray into the fuselage. Do not bulge the fuselage sides.
7. Using a pencil, mark the fuselage sides along the top edge of the servo tray.
8. Sand the inside of the fuselage with 100-grit sandpaper at the pencil marks.
9. Blow off any dust with an air compressor (do not use alcohol or acetone because it could damage the paint).
10. Cut a Popsicle stick in half and to a length approximately 1/4 inch longer than the servo tray.
11. Liberally rub Zap-A-Dap-A-Goo or Shoe Goo adhesive onto fuselage sides at the pencil marks.
12. Glue Popsicle stick halves to the fuselage sides with adhesive and let it cure.
13. Apply a bead of glue to the top of the Popsicle stick ledge.
14. Set the servo tray into position.
15. Apply a generous bead of adhesive along the joint of the servo tray and fuselage.
16. Use a full Popsicle stick or your finger to create fillet between the servo tray and fuselage side.
17. Set it aside to dry overnight. Full strength will be reached in 24 to 36 hours.
Know Your Rules: National Records
I recently had the privilege of joining the AMA Pylon Contest Board to represent District IX. I replaced longtime board member Lyle Larson, who stepped down after many years of service. Thank you for your efforts, Lyle.
I will keep MA readers updated on rules changes from the two-year AMA rules cycle. This month, there are two changes to highlight related to national records.
First, the requirement for documentation has been revised to require that lap data is supplied to confirm a 10-lap time. The data is available from the Judgeman scoring system. The CD will need to print that data for both the record flight and the backup (see 15.5).
The backup requirement was changed from 2% to 5%. This rule shows that the pilot recorded a heat within roughly a half lap of the record time. This rule provides another piece of evidence for record legitimacy without being overly restrictive (see 15.4).
The CD must complete Form 309, the Pylon Record Application. This form includes verification of the course dimensions, engine, and airframe inspection for rule compliance, etc. The application must be sent to the AMA “within fourteen (14 days) of the record attempt flight.” This form was once included in the paper sanction packet, but now must be printed from the Internet.
You can learn more about AMA’s Pylon Racing regulations by visiting the website listed in “Sources” and clicking on Competition Regulations.
• 15.4 Record backup: If a pilot achieves a time better than the current national record, that pilot must complete a second attempt within 5% of the new best time and this second time must be produced during the same contest as the new best time.
• 15.5 Record performance data documentation: For a record to be considered for a national record performance, documentation of the lap times must accompany the record performance application to show that there were no timing errors and that the times for all 10 laps of the record flight, as well as the backup, are legitimate. This data must be obtained from a computer program linked to a course light and timing system that collects the data for all heats of the contest. This data is required in addition to all of the data collected on the Application for AMA Record Performance, RC Pylon form.
