Radio Control: Pylon Racing
HIBERNATING? For most of you the winter months are a good time to rebuild your fleet of Pylon Racers. Don't forget to take proper care of your radio gear! Don't just throw it in a corner. Now would be a good time to check all of the wiring, connectors, etc. Yes, take the radio out and go through it completely. If it needs servicing that you can't do, send it back to the dealer (or whomever you use) for service. Don't wait till springtime when everyone else sends their radios in, too. You will not only get faster service, but you might-due to the fact that the service people won't be rushed-just get a better job. Oh, yeah. Don't neglect your batteries. Always charge them up at least once a month. If you have one of the battery cyclers, use it. I've seen my share of people come out in the spring with new planes, only to crash them due to bad batteries.
Formula I NMPRA Champs
THE FALL SEASON means many things to different people. For most fliers it means rebuilding time, maybe more hours at home with the family, or an opportunity to do some badly needed repairs on the house. For the Pylon Race flier, fall means championship race time. For the Formula I enthusiast in particular, the NMPRA Championship Race is the highlight of the year. To qualify to participate in the NMPRA Formula I Championships, the fliers must finish in the top 20% of his NMPRA district, be an NMPRA officer, finish in the top 10 at the AMA Nats, or be a past NMPRA champion. Whichever way the fliers qualified, they earned it.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
IT'S 1988 ALREADY. This year's Nats will be held at Tidewater, VA July 23-28. Q500 will start it off on Sunday (July 24) and continue on Monday. QM will be on Tuesday, FAI on Wednesday, and Formula I will cap it off on Thursday and Friday. Guess what's new this year? Assigned RC frequencies. This is just a start, and by my observation it may be a few years before we can really see a benefit from this system. Anyway, this year's Nats should be well-attended. There'll be plenty of competition. Don't miss it. Start getting ready now. Please note that I've got a new address! It's listed up there in the logo at the head of my column. Also, at the end of the column, I've got a list of sources where you can buy all those good Pylon kits and engines.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
LEGAL ENGINES? For many years now, the Formula One Racer has been racing some equipment which is technically illegal. A group of us tried to get some changes into the last (1986-87) AMA rule book, but we had no luck. But wait! It's never too late! The following is a reprint from the latest NMPRA (National Miniature Pylon Racing Association) newsletter: "Each year, we have progressed farther into the `gray zone' of engine rework. Finally, at last year's Nats, it appeared that it was all coming to a head. As a result, comments were solicited from several outstanding senior NMPRA members and engine builders. The result of their comments plus some common sense and some head-scratching produced the following interpretation of our engine rules which does align them with how we have been running our F-1 engines. The following is presented for your vote: "Formula I Engine Parts Manufacturing Rule: Various engine parts may be manufactured as look-alike parts in quantities of less than 500 units, provided they meet the following criteria: "A look-alike part shall be defined as an engine component which has been manufactured to look just like the factory-original part, including the exact dimension and type of material used (e.g., an original factory-supplied brass part must be manufactured as a brass part). No manufactured part will be allowed if it is not manufactured to a look-like configuration.
