RC Pylon Racing
ART, SCIENCE, AND TRUTH come together in RC Pylon as in few other sports. There is art in the aircraft, especially the beautifully finished Formula I models. There is science in the crafting of propellers and adjusting of engines. And the pilot who guides a plane around the course with grace and precision, executing 30 flawless turns in a row despite the pressure of head-to-head competition, attains a moment of perfect truth. For a week this past July, some 91 racing pilots met in Richland to test their mastery of these pursuits.
RC: Pylon Racing
THE QUESTION was, "Are we having fun yet?" These words, first uttered by Zippy the Pinhead circa 1978, were echoed by scores of RC Pylon contestants at the 1990 Nats. Entries at record or near-record levels in all events demanded serious hustle from both pilots and officials. And hustle they did! Wayne and Karen Yeager, Bob Brown, and the rest of the highly professional Pylon crew managed to move 'em through at an average rate of one heat every six minutes, starting at dawn and going until 1:00 p.m. (or maybe even 2:00 p.m.) each day. Although there were inevitably a couple of glitches, it was still a first-rate contest. Out of 356 heats, only nine had to be reflown. Hats off to the officials!
'91 All American Nationals: RC Pylon Racing
HO HUM. Once again, modeldom's own little Brigadoon appeared out of the mists of a midwestern summer. Once again, magic touched those who chose to believe in it; while just over the hill, ordinary folk went about their ordinary lives in the ordinary way, oblivious to what they were missing and no doubt happier for not having taken the trouble to find out. It's always that way with the Nationals. To describe it adequately would take volumes. To recreate the spirit of the thing through mere words and photos is impossible.
Shillelagh 500
Shillelagh (pronounced "shi·lay·lee") is an Irish word meaning cudgel. What better way to get into "club" racing? In the years since this article was first written, the boom-and-bust world of racing has gone through an entire cycle. The former entry-level event, Quickie 500, now features $300 engines and 160-mph airplanes. The low end of the cost/speed continuum is now occupied by a new event, Q500 Sport (event 424 in the AMA rule
Radio Control: Pylon Racing
ALLOW ME TO introduce myself: Duane Gall, age 41, a lawyer by trade, married and divorced once, with a four-year-old daughter who helps me carve propellers. I'm originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and now reside in Denver. I flew with Bill Hager in Ohio when the beginner event was Quarter Midget - the original Quarter Midget, with SuperTigre .15s. At that time there was some guy in California named Glen Spickler investigating the notion of using bigger, simpler airplanes for this purpose. His proposed new class was called Quickie 500. That'll give you an idea how long I've been at this silly game.
