Control Line: Racing
PROPELLER BALANCING (continued): In the May issue we discussed prop balancers, pitch gauges, and the two types of balancing. Now we get into cleaning and preliminary shaping. The following may seem like a lot of trouble at first. However, the more times you properly prepare your racing propellers and see the advantage it has, you'll realize how important and beneficial the process is. By cleaning I don't mean getting out the soap and water. Most high-performance props need major surgery to get them even close to the proper shape. A few "high performance" prop manufacturers (APC and Bolly) provide props that are nearly ready to use; they require only a bit of cleaning. These are very good props, but are a compromise product due to manufacturing restraints. Most of the high-performance specialty props are hand laid up in garage shop facilities in highly developed one-prop-at-a-time molds. They are made from masters that have been perfected for a specific event. They need a lot of cleanup.
Control Line: Racing
THE TRI-CITIES area of Washington (Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick) is located along the Columbia River, where it ceases to form the boundary between Oregon and Washington and turns north to split the state in two. It is a beautiful, lush, green valley close to the river. Not far from the mighty Columbia, this area is high desert: yellow, rolling hills. Upon arriving at the Nats the morning of the first day of Racing, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of contestants and the site, which was located beside the river in a public marina parking lot. There was ample room for the Racing circle (adjacent to the Speed circle) and parking. The lot was surrounded by a carpet of green grass.
