Radio Control: Pylon Racing
CONGRATULATIONS are in order to Ron Schoor, reelected as NMPRA president for a second term. Boy, some guys are really a glutton for punishment! Good luck for 1977, Ron, and to all the area V.P.s. Rumor has it that Glenn Spickler will come out of retirement and run the Pylon event at the Nationals this year. All you QM and F-1 fliers that are planning to enter this year should have some great racing. The weather at March AFB in August will be hot, dry, smoggy and usually a 10 to 15 Kt. wind in the afternoon. The sun will be over the back straightaway between number one and number two pylons. The field elevation is 1533 ft. above sea level and the main runway is 13,300 ft. long. The secondary runway is about 7500 ft. long, so you should have enough space to set that hot machine down.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
BY THE TIME you read this article, you should have one or two races under your belt for the 1977 season and you should be aware of the fact that Ron Shorr is president of the NMPRA for one more year. Whit Stockwell is the new secretary and has asked me to encourage you pylon racers to support the NMPRA in 1977. The $10.00 for membership includes the monthly newsletter, membership card, patch and decals. Considering the price of patches and decals these days, $10.00 is a bargain. If the NMPRA is to survive and be the spokesman for all pylon fliers to the AMA, we need to support the organization 100 percent.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
FOR YOU pylon types that plan on flying 1/4 midgets at the Nats, Bob Root gave me the following information: 1) The long course will be used with flagmen at Pylon #1. 2) The scoring method will be per Formula 1. 3) Idle check will be accomplished before takeoff. Not each round, but one or two rounds only! 4) Deadstick landings-1/2 point loss. 5) Profile check canopy-William Brothers pilot head 1.5-in. scale must fit inside to a point where he would have proper clearance to see out and fly aircraft. Only questionable canopies will be checked.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
RECEIVED A LETTER from a fellow in the New York area who would like to see 1/2A racing as an "anything goes" event. I think that instead of stimulating interest as he thinks, the event would end up like FAI. When the guys started to come up with the exotic aircraft and engines in FAI, the event died. The FAI event has been dropped at the Nats. Another letter concerns Quickie 500. As you know, there are several areas allowing "anything goes" in the engine aspect of Q-500's. The suggestion was to make Q-500 a beginner's class-which was the original idea. This would be done by limiting the engine to an RC .35 (K&B Torpedo or Stallion), engines to be provided by the hosting club. If an individual clobbered an engine during a contest, he would pay the contest management the replacement price of the engine.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
THE BAKERSFIELD Formula I race was advertised this year as the "Bakersfield International Pylon Races." It was truly an international affair, with entries from Japan, Mexico, and Canada. There were four entries in Expert from Japan and three from Mexico. Standard class had one from Japan, three from Mexico and 15 from Canada! The U.S. accounted for the rest of the 108 entries. There were nine states represented in Expert and four states in Standard. This race is getting bigger every year. I hope the Barks, Inc. of Bakersfield are able to maintain their outstanding effort in the future. The Bakersfield race is to the world of modeling as the Cleveland Air Races were to the world of full-scale air racing.
