Radio Control: Pylon Racing
GOT SOME pictures again this month. That's the good news. The bad news is, I had to supply them myself. Some folks have a face made for radio; I have photographic skills made for writing. One photo shows the sideline judging/signal light system described in the race report that appeared here last month. Time/space coordinates are Longmont, Colorado June 6, 1999. Note the absence of barrier cages on the course. The only folks out there are the pilots and callers, plus the starter. Note also that one of the halogen signal lights at Pylon One has just been switched on and is clearly visible, even in broad daylight. The light appears as a bright dot in the photo, just above the arrow. The aircraft that has just turned Pylon One is visible at upper left. The four signal lights are arranged in a horizontal row, color-coded with translucent plastic and enclosed in a six-foot-long box that's perched on the small trailer we use to haul the equipment. The 110V generator and control relays are in the bed of the trailer.
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
THE 1999 NATS blossomed under a mellow summer sun, blending vestiges of the past with portents of the future. This was the year the Formula Is gathered for the last time, announcing their impending hibernation with a raucous call that echoed through the rolling Indiana hills like the late-afternoon buzz of cicadas. It was the year when four of the top places were left open by America's FAI team, who stayed in touch from half-a-world away. And it was the year in which the world champion came from the United States, while the US champion came from Mexico.
