Control Line: Racing
GOOD NEWS on glow plugs: I just received some samples of the new products offered by Twinn-K, Inc. (Glo Bee). One is a reintroduction, while the other is a totally new product for Racing and Speed enthusiasts. Mr. Jim J. Massa has sent me some of the reintroduced GB-5R glow plugs, which are specifically designed for high-nitro fuels in the 1/2A Racing engines. If you will recall, a few years back these plugs were discontinued, and there was a scurry by both Speed and Racing enthusiasts to corner all remaining stocks.
Control Line: Racing
THE CONTEST SEASON in the Midwest area is in full swing, and the first major Midwestern Regionals was held outside Chicago in Sugar Grove, IL. The typical Racing events-Rat, Scale, Slow Rat-had a minimum of 12 to 15 entries in each event. Over the relatively mild winter, several of the competitors had certainly done their homework. Larry Dziak showed up with a new, heavily modified Nelson "long stack" .15 which ran 14.5 to 14.9 in traffic. The winning time in Scale was 5:50, and second place was 6:01, which made for some excellent racing. Rat Race was certainly a mixed bag, in that several competitors were trying the new AAC piston and liner setups with the high-compression Nelson "funny head" which has the one-piece Nelson plug. The Nelson plug seems to be quite satisfactory in almost all Racing applications as long as the proper head clearance is maintained.
AMA Nats: CL Racing
HEARTLAND OF AMERICA. Sunny and warm summer days with cool breezes. Nothing could have been further from that cheerful picture when I arrived at Lincoln Municipal Airport on Sunday, July 12, 1987. The temperature was approximately 50º; there was a stiff 25-35 mph wind blowing with intermittent showers. Fortunately, as far as the weather goes, this was the worst day of the entire week. Generally the early morning temperatures were in the low 80s; from noon on, low 90s was the norm. The stiffest wind that I have had the unfortunate experience of flying in was prevalent on two days of Racing competition. One particular day the velocity was so high that the officials' tent had to be attached to a van to avoid being blown from the area. On Thursday, the wind gusted on several occasions to above 40 mph.
Control Line: Racing
ALMOST OVER. Yes, the 1987 Racing season is drawing to a close. The leaves have fallen, and the blustery winter winds have silenced the Racing circles for another year. One of the high points of the year is always the 700-lap Sport Race put on by the Chicago Tree-Town Club. Entry level this year was extremely high, with over 20 entries in Sport Racing. In addition, Al Kelley ran several Speed events in conjunction with this Racing meet.
Control Line: Racing
"FAST-FILL" maintenance and mounting: I have had several inquiries concerning an improper seal on the KK (Kustom Kraftmanship) black rubber quick-fill fuel tank fitting universally used by almost all Control Line Racing competitors. In many cases, the condition in which the product is being received is such that a sharp X-Acto blade should be used on the corners of the slot in the quick-fill to allow easy access by the tube from the filler bulb. It is not unusual to have a filler bulb tube 3/16 to 1/4 in. wide; and, if the slot is not enlarged, it is quite conceivable that the quick-fill will be pulled inside out when the fuel bulb is removed.
