Some History
As most of you know, Pylon Racing was not a great success last year.
In spite of a lot of work by Brian Campbell, a combination of
bad weather, challenging logistics and an overall low level of interest
combined to suspend racing after only two days of competition. Obviously,
a new approach was needed.
A New Beginning
The February 2011 issue of Model Aviation provided a fresh perspective.
The Chino Valley (Arizona) Model Aviators club has been racing
Parkzone T-28 Trojans
for two years and reports great success. Aron "AJ" Seaholm wrote an article for
Model Aviation that quoted Randy Meathrell regarding their methodology.
If it works for them, why not give it a try? So, we will.
The basic idea is to have a single type of rugged yet affordable airplane that
everyone can race on equal footing. The all-foam Parkzone T-28 certainly meets
these requirements. It's simple construction, availabilty of parts, and relatively
low speed coupled with high maneuverability make it a great competitor.
Restricting modifications keeps the costs down
and places the emphasis on pilot skill and tactics. To bring the cost down further,
the club has negotiated a discount on the Trojan with Hobby Town in Tacoma.
The proposed racing rules are shown at right. Give them a read-through and if this
seems like something you might be interested in, come on out to the field and join in
on the fun. The first competition isn't until May 14th, so there's plenty of time to get
a plane and get some practice flying under your belt before racing begins. For more
information, contact Rob Showman.
Schedule
May 14, 1 pm
June 11, 11 am
July 9, 11 am
August 13, 11 am
Sept. 10, 11 am
T-28 Pylon Racing Rules
The following proposed Pylon Racing Rules will be discussed, ammended as necessary,
and agreed to by all participants prior to the beginning of racing.
- All competitors will fly identical
ParkZone T-28 Trojans.
Except as provided in 3 through 5 below, the aircraft must be left
completely stock with no changes to the airframe, motor or propeller.
- The battery must meet the following criteria:
(a) Lithium Polymer (LiPo), 3S1P (11.1 volts)
(b) 1,800 - 2,200 mAHr capacity
(c) 25-amp maximum continuous discharge
(d) 50-amp maximum surge discharge
- Use of landing gear is optional. However, if landing gear is used,
it must be the original gear supplied with the aircraft.
- Minor changes (screws, fasteners, etc.) are permitted if they do not
affect the performance of the aircraft. Any modification which noticeably reduces the
airplane's weight, with the exception of removal of the landing gear, is not permitted.
- Alteration of colors is permissible. However, keep in mind that paint adds weight.
Re-coloring the wing tips and/or the vertical tail should suffice for identification
by the spotter and pilot.
- Two pylons will be spaced 300' apart with the start and finish line placed somewhere
near the middle of the course. The pylons are to be placed in a location to the west of
the runway between the tree line and a safe distance beyond the runway.
- There will be 4 rounds of heats, each heat consisting of 7 laps around the course.
Each heat will consist of up to 4 planes.
Heats 1a, 1b, etc. will be flown according to the number of entries.
Participants of heats will be chosen by lot before each round.
- There will be a 10 second countdown for the air start for each heat.
Racers crossing the starting line before the start of a heat must circle around
and re-cross the starting line.
- Each race day, one pilot will be selected as Contest Director.
(a) In the event of a possible rule infraction or a pilots' dispute,
the decision of the Contest Director shall be final.
(b) If the Contest Director is a party to a dispute, a vote of
the pilots present shall determine the dispute's resolution.
(c) Pilots who have previously held the position may elect not
to repeat in the role.
- There will be a pylon judge for each pylon who will be stationed safely on the
east side of the runway.
(a) One cut will result in the racer receiving one point for the heat.
(b) Two cuts will result in the racer receiving no points for the heat.
- Four points will be awarded for 1st place, three points for 2nd place,
two points for 3rd place and one point for 4th place.
Any racer who does not complete all seven laps will receive no points
- The racer with the most points will be the winner for that day.
- The racer with the most accumulated points for the season will receive an award at
the annual Club Banquet.
Race Scoreboard