DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

Dave,

The issue is that I have to have 3 separate race files because of the names of the races. And if you open 3 copies of the race program and make a pilot change, it corrupts the Pilots file. So you have to only run one copy of the race program at a time. Which means opening and closing races. Which means dealing with the printer prompts all of the time. Plus the recent files list only keeps 2 files.

We have the source code to the program and Stan Douglas has made some small changes, but I don't want to run un-tested software when what we have works. Even with limitations.

The next race will be easier, but I wouldn't put running the program on a lesser experienced person. I will let someone else put the heat finishes in, but I'm going to do the rest, even if it means I don't get to race.

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

Nice pictures Barry. The Slideshow feature is cool once you get the settings right.

Thanks for coming to the race.

And thanks for your input during the race. The issues you mentioned around mid-day were timely and hopefully have been addressed.

I hope you will come back and I hope you had a good time.

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

Bryan,

It's great to see a new second generation pylon racer. You're off to a great start.

I'm glad you came over to my house on Friday for a pre-race inspection and we corrected the problem with the [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD925&P=7]E/Z Connectors[/link] you had used on your control surfaces.

We may have lost a few competitors because of the announcement about tech inspections, but many sport modelers use these on control surfaces and aren't aware that they aren't allowed on racing planes except on throttle.

While it took a few hours of my time on Friday, it was worth it to see the smiles on your face as you enjoyed the day.

And thanks for helping work the course. Look forward to seeing you at future races.

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

Dave,

Thanks for all of your encouragement and your great attitude. It is a real pleasure having people like you racing and just having a good time.

Congratulations on your win in Club 40 Sport. I forgot to announce that. I did get heat times and I will send them to you.

Too bad the "Menacing Molar II" bit the dust. Good thing you had a backup. [8D]

Laura had a big smile on her face every time I saw her and it made my day.

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

The [link=http://flyingacesrc.com/]Flying Aces Pilot Association[/link] is really getting behind the races because of the success of the first race.

We will have food and a push is being made for course workers. The link to the flier has been put on the front page of the web site. I have to update the flier today.

One of the club members who is in the hunt for the season points championship is really into the rules compliance and now it looks like I have a tech inspector.

With Humpy Wheeler on the FAPA Board of Directors, things look bright for the future of club pylon racing in the Charlotte area.

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

The [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXBY42&P=ML]O.S. 25FX ABL 20D Carburetor 892 Muffler[/link] is being discontinued and as soon as Tower / Hobbico sells out, they will no longer be available. The [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&P=9&I=LXXEG2]O.S. 25AX ABL w/Muffler[/link] will PROBABLY be allowed in the remaining Summer Pylon Series 2009 Quickie 25 races.

I have tested the O.S. 25AX on the test stand and it does not appear to be any stronger, if as strong, than the O.S. 25FX with our required APC 8x6 Sport prop. I will get a plane in the air by this weekend to find out for sure. Now that the new engine is out we may get some more entries in Quickie 25.

It fits the 25FX backplate mount that I sell.

PylonDave

Don, you can have separate classes within one race file , so you don't have to open and close the program to enter results or add or deactivate a pilot before you run the matrix. The names of the classes may be wrong but that really doesnt matter.

j.gibson

Just wanted to put my 2cents worth in on the Lowes race. We had a good crowd with many new pilots.The field was in good
shape ,grass was short with no Q-25 takeoff probs. The new pylons were MUCH easier to see, and the new light system
worked perfectly and was very visible.The only suggestion there is to have colored lenses (red,yel., grn. & white to help
with the ident. The race was organized and went off pretty much without a hitch. Don Stegall did a great job and we had
some REALLY good racing. We did have a lot of midairs, but that was a testament to the really close and tight racing.
I had a chance to fly the Wingman elec. plane and that thing is really COOL! It flys so good and it is very quick. I was
surprised at how long it maintained it's speed . More than enough to race a 10 lap race.
Also, a VERY BIG thankyou should go to the people that helped with the race. I wish I knew their names so that we could
thank them properly. They stood out in the hot sun all day just to help us out. WE ALL owe them a big thankyou.
We should also thank the Flying Aces for their help and support. They are a very good club with kind members who, by the
way, offered the Charlotte Aeromodelers their flying sites when we lost ours earlier this year ,ALL AT NO CHARGE!
Well........the next race is on 7/25. Hope everyone is back in the air. I'm sure we will have a good time.


THANKS DON FOR THE GREAT RACING! ! !

john g.

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks John. Congratulations on your win in Club 40 Advanced. And thanks for all of your efforts to get people involved in racing in the Carolinas. We are making a lot of progress between all of our efforts. People are having fun.

I'm glad you are on the Club 40 train now. It is good to have expert competitors like you in the game. It just goes to show that old 3 polers can have fun with slower planes on a 2 pole course.

Here are the heat results from Club 40.

[link=http://www.rcpro.org/net/uploads/attachments/t829_m3_n1.html]Club 40 Advanced Heat Results[/link]

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

Overall I would rate the 7/11 races good enough to return in two weeks for the next round. For me that involves a 250 mi run one way and at least a one nights stay in a motel. (I wouldn't come back for a junk race)

j.gibson

A big Thanks to Barry for the GREAT pictures. Hope to see you in 9 days.

john g.

glasscock

Beware all!! The "Menacing Molar III" is ready, modified with a secret nitrous tank. Let's hope it does not cause another cavity in the dirt. For those brave enough to take her on, she drills into competitors without novocaine!![X(] Looking forward to the July 25th races at Lowes.

Dave G.

twitte1

Dave,

Are you going to race in the novice class again? I think I will have a approved engine by then?

Trey

glasscock

Trey,

I'll race in both "novice" and "advanced" again. The novice category is a lot of fun. Slower speeds and a great warm up to the next class of racing. My "novice" plane has an OS40LA and 10x6 prop. Any R/C pilot that can solo would have a blast in the "novice" category.

Dave G.

Ken Erickson

Other than the fact he calls it "novice" instead of "Sport", I believe that Dave Glasscock has become one of my favorite people.

"Any R/C pilot that can solo would have a blast in the "novice" category." - Dave Glasscock

The problem we ran into in Texas was that 2 or 3 would show up to run in Club 40 Sport, as we now try to call it, feel a lack of racing, and buy a BB .40. Next race, they would be in Club 40, as we now call it, and there would be only 2 participants in Club 40 Sport, awnci.

Club 40 is relatively new. There are a lot of fliers who "know that they would like to race" and can jump right in with a TT Pro and keep the plane in the air. As time goes on, we will need to encourage those "who do not yet know that they want to race" to try Club 40 Sport. Then, when they know . . . .

Ken Erickson

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

Ken,

I typed a long message and lost it ... so I'm trying again ... It won't be the same though.

I think that Club 40 Novice is more descriptive of what the class is. I think we need to reconsider the name change. At the club meeting on Sunday, the FAPA club officers were enthusiastic about the race. And they said that "ANYONE CAN RACE IN THE NOVICE CLASS". That is huge.

One thing a lot of people didn't realize was that running Club 40 Sport/Novice first gave me time to get prepared for Club 40 Advanced. While Club 40 Sport/Novice was being run, I went into the crowd and recruited people to work the course for Club 40 Advanced. It gave me time to get the matrix ready for the 14 pilots in Club 40 Advanced and made the race run smoother.

We are moving the start time up to 9:00 am from 10:00 and I think that will work better.

I might even get to fly in Club 40 Sport/Novice.

glasscock

Ken,

Thanks for the clarification of "Club 40 Sport". I'll try and not use the term "Novice". This class of flying seems to be the way to get some long time sport/fun flyers into pylon racing. The speed and timing is much easier on the nerves and twitchy thumbs for those transitioning into low altitude WOT flying. It makes sense to me that this class better prepares a pilot for "Club 40" or "Club 40 Advanced". I enjoy and will continue to fly in both classes.

Today at the Lowes Motor Speedway field, I debuted, maidened and trimmed the Menacing Molar III(Club 40 Advanced). A nice 11mph crosswind. The speed is b!^chin'! She's ready for the July 25th races. I think I'll put the Tarheel Terror in the pits as a back-up, in case the Molar chips a tooth, or worse, needs to be extracted from terra firma. The Blue Racer(Club 40 Sport) is a prima donna and only comes out on race days.

Here's a great website for wx/winds:
http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/laun...=KJQF&state=NC

Enjoy!

Dave G.

Ken Erickson

Guess we need to do "Market Research". What say we start in the Club 40 Forum, asking for those who do not race, or race The slower class of Club 40, which word is preferable?

Seeing as there are not any racers in this area, I will conduct personal research at a couple of clubs in the next few weeks.

Ken

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

Barry Reade created this [link=http://www.lowesrc.com/uploads/TechnicalInspectionClub40.pdf]Club 40 Technical Inspection Checklist[/link].

Please let us know if you see anything that needs to be changed or added before it is emailed out to the mailing lists in a day or so.

The DOC file will be available for other groups that may want to use and/or modify it.

twitte1

Don,

Here are my questions about the tech inspection for Club 40:
-Why is the minimum weight lighter for Sport? These are flyers new to racing, they will not be so anal about weight. Give them some room to play.
-The Sky Raider and LA Racer both come with the "L" bend and keeper. Do we have to go buy clevises or use "Z" bends?
-The GMS .40 ABC BB w/Muffler is not on the approved list on RCPRO. Is this a new approved engine?

Trey

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

Trey,

Thanks for the questions. If we aren't clear, we need to make it clear.

The stock hardware is fine. L bends and keepers meet the requirements

The minimum weight for Club 40 Sport/Novice was lowered because I had a Sky Raider Mach II with all standard gear and a SuperTigre GS-40. I changed the engine to an OS 40LA and it only weighed 4 pounds and 4 ounces. The bushing engines only weigh about 12 ounces while the BB engines weigh about 16 ounces. We don't want guys to have to add 4 ounces of lead to their planes.

The GMS has always been on the RCPRO Club 40 rules list. If it was missing somewhere, it was a mistake. Note that the SPRA does not allow anything but the TT Pro 40, however. The GMS is a lesser expensive alternative with a true ABC liner/piston. I recommend getting the Remote Needle Valve version because you can turn it into a non-remote version easily and you get the bonus of the remote bracket.

Electric Delta

My Feedback: (13)

I also had the question whether the user can "legally" modify the cowl cheeks on an older Sky Raider Mach II (straight parallel sides) to be like the newer Sky Raiders that have the cowl cheeks pinched in and joined/braced with the rectangular metal plate up front? That might be considered "modifying for speed enhancement" on the one hand, but on the other hand, owners of the older Sky Raiders could be at a disadvantage. Seems fair to me to allow this mod to be done, to help keep the playing field level, whether that is perception or reality is another thing.

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

The modifying of the old cheeks is authorized by the allowable modifications for the SRMII. I am running two of the older ones and they are both modified. I made it real easy by removing the triangle balsa gussets at the firewall and then cutting the cheeks partway through so they will bend in. Pinch them till they are only 2 3/8" wide on the outer sides of the cheeks. I then make a small plywood spacer and add it to the inside of the cheek so they touch the motor mount. I then drill the motor mount and tap for a 4/40 screw and take a large washer and tighten them into the mount place new triangular gusset on the firewall and glue together. Works great.

I went to club 40 to find the authorization and can't find it. I will query RCPRO and get a ruling.

Ken Erickson

Way back when, we added the use of a 1/4-inch piece to tie the cheeks together at the front. Pehaps it was assume, when the metal nose piece came out that the cheeks could be pulled together on older models to match.

Actually, I remember posts to that effect. Seems logical. Will have to re-check the printed rules and consult with Don.

At one time we did not think the reinforcement was necessary on the Sport/Novice planes, but over time, I have learned that it is.

Ken Erickson

DonStegall

My Feedback: (1)

The committee approved this and I did not get it online. I will try to find it and get it online.