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We want to start racing at our club, how? - 4/8/2006 5:06:03 PM   
hvac


 

Posts: 230
Joined: 9/27/2003
From: brownsburg, IN, USA
Status: offline 		We have several people at our club that want to start pylon racing. there is no organized pylon racing in our area(Indianapolis, racing capitol of the world, whats up with that?). Where do I begin? I want it to be affordable and fun. I have lots of experience in other forms of racing (karts, rc cars, etc.) and they all suffered from the new hot piece of the week syndrome. If you didnt buy the latest and greatest new equipment that seemed to come out every week you had no chance of running up front or winning. As a result your core racers quit and the series and events went away. I want a totally spec class and maybe a unlimited class for all the rich guys. Im thinking the spec class would be Viper or Predator only and the engine would be TT 40 only. Unlimited Class is self explanatory, no rules. I know nothing about semi organized airplane pylon racing and I am not interested in anything that has to do with the AMA. This will be local only and just for fun, althought I thought about charging a $5 entry fee and giving all the entry fee money back to the top 3 finishers. I think there are some guys at other local clubs that want to do this also. We could maybe race at a few other local clubs as a series. I want to use the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks.
       Post #: 1

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 4/8/2006 5:18:54 PM   
hvac


 

Posts: 230
Joined: 9/27/2003
From: brownsburg, IN, USA
Status: offline 		just noticed another post asking the same thing i am. I like the idea of skyraiders and os la's. i had a skyraider and it was a great little plane. World Models Skyraider, OS LA 40, 9x6 prop, stock muffler, $20 servos only, engine claim rule and 10% fuel, no after market add-ons of anykind. Any other kind of plane goes in the unlimited class.

(in reply to hvac)
       Post #: 2

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 4/8/2006 5:19:20 PM   
HighPlains


 

Posts: 2664
Joined: 3/2/2003
From: Over da rainbow, KS, USA
Status: offline 		If no racing in your area, your idea for a spec class is dead on. I would keep it close to the AMA 424 event just to limit arguments later, plus if you find other clubs in the area to start a circuit. The TT.40 seems to be the currently best engine for this anyway. You might consider raising the minimum weight to 3 3/4 lbs or even 4 lbs., so people aren't trying to buy more performance with micro radios and servos.

Also if you can, use your entry money to buy stuff to give out to the workers. Racing takes a number of people to run, and if they can win fuel, covering, glue, etc., it makes it a lot easier to a). get workers, and b). have the club loan you the field for a race. Racers will understand this if you explain it, after all they want to race.

Also, you might make the first race more of a warm up session with practice heats. Get the transmitters into as many hands as possible.

Finally, let us know how it turns out.

< Message edited by HighPlains -- 4/8/2006 5:20:47 PM >

_____________________________

In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman - Margaret Thatcher

(in reply to hvac)
       Post #: 3

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 4/8/2006 6:25:06 PM   
Lifes a Drag



Posts: 957
Joined: 1/10/2003
From: La Habra, CA, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Yakmonoff

We have several people at our club that want to start pylon racing. I have lots of experience in other forms of racing (karts, rc cars, etc.) and they all suffered from the new hot piece of the week syndrome. If you didn't buy the latest and greatest new equipment that seemed to come out every week you had no chance of running up front or winning. As a result your core racers quit and the series and events went away. I want a totally spec class and maybe a unlimited class for all the rich guys. Im thinking the spec class would be Viper or Predator only and the engine would be TT 40 only. Thanks.



Yak, Just as a suggestion, I like a spec class idea where everyone runs the same thing too, so there's no technology advantage, Just talent or luck! To me it seems that will make the most fun events.

My idea is for all the racers to go ahead and run a stock Viper or Predator or whatever plane you all agree on. Make sure to stipulate that the planes must all be stock and absolutely no changes can be made unless agreed upon by everyone in your official rules- (If it ain't in here, it ain't allowed!) Color of the wing skins would be allowable to be able to identify them in the air. Use the TT 40 or whatever motor you all decide on, then have your club buy a few spare motors. Then what you do is everytime someone wins an even they forfeit their motor to the cd and the cd gives them one from the club inventory. After a couple dozen events you've got all these motors playing musical chairs with the pilots, the pilots know this and accept it and it keeps everything fair and simple. The only other way I can think of is for the club to keep & own all the planes and distribute them to pilots each event by drawing numbers out of a hat each event, but this is neither practical, cost inducive, and the other method give pilots a chance to design the looks of their plane to their own tastes.

It is a great idea to give the helpers or turn marshalls a little something for their efforts also. They blow a whole day sometimes and often you get helpers that just want to help & don't even fly. Gift certificates to movies or Home Depot or all other kinds of ideas would be neat.

FWIW hope some of these ideas help.

It's supposed to be all about fun, and to stay that way.



Ron.

(in reply to hvac)
       Post #: 4

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 4/8/2006 6:47:18 PM   
js3



Posts: 1142
Joined: 1/30/2002
From: Arvada, CO, USA
Status: offline 		Yakmonoff,

For your KISS unlimited class you must have rules. If not it is doomed to failure. It's a pylon race right? If you don't have any rules then what's to say that cutting a pylon isn't allowed? Not to mention the fact that you need rules for the safety and liability aspects.

quote:

I am not interested in anything that has to do with the AMA


What is your gripe with the AMA and the established classes? I'm not trying to antagonize you; I'm really interested in what you think is wrong with AMA rule book racing.

_____________________________

John
I feel a lot more like I do now than I did earlier!

(in reply to Lifes a Drag)
       Post #: 5

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 4/10/2006 3:50:56 AM   
hvac


 

Posts: 230
Joined: 9/27/2003
From: brownsburg, IN, USA
Status: offline
I was at our field all day today, finally had some great weather. found 4 more guys that want to race. i am going to stick to the Skyraider, OS LA 40 theme for the spec class. $70 for the plane, $55 for the motor, cant beat that. Unlimited class will have the same rules for the racing, just no rules on the airplanes themselves, run what you brung. everybody seems to agree so far and they all seem pretty excited about it. club official has no problem with racing at our new field, that we move to next month, much bigger than current field. I ordered a Skyraider from LHS and will put it together to take to our May club meeting. i dont really have anything against the AMA. i just dont want this to be full of silly rules. i downloaded their pylon rules for reference and will play it by ear as we progress. we just want to have fun. i am a competitive person, but i am going to try to keep this as simple and fun as possible. if it gets out of hand or doesnt work, oh well, i tried. thanks for the input, i will keep you posted, if your interested. thanks.

(in reply to js3)
       Post #: 6

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 4/10/2006 5:07:36 AM   
js3



Posts: 1142
Joined: 1/30/2002
From: Arvada, CO, USA
Status: offline 		Yes, please keep us posted as to the success of your efforts!

_____________________________

John
I feel a lot more like I do now than I did earlier!

(in reply to hvac)
       Post #: 7

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 4/10/2006 4:12:26 PM   
PJ_TankPilot



Posts: 396
Joined: 1/16/2002
From: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Status: offline 		The biggest decision is 2 pole or the AMA 3 pole course. I can tell from experience that it is a LOT easier to get newbies to try 2 pole than 3 pole. It also takes fewer workers to run a two pole race.

However, if you want to race AMA classes some day or you want pilots to migrate to the AMA classes, you should use a 3 pole course.

_____________________________

Warbird racing exercises your adrenal glands.
PJ Herman

(in reply to js3)
       Post #: 8

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 5/26/2006 1:57:19 PM   
speedster 1919



Posts: 1467
Joined: 12/17/2004
From: Martinsville, IN, USA
Status: offline 		You must fly Danville... Forget the unlimited class for now. To get started and keep it fair and see If members have staying power. Pick a plane like sonic 500 , Mach II or say sport stik. The OS 40 LA is good but you will go thur alot of remote needles. Some clubs adopted the Super Tigre GS 40 at $49 and ball bearing and will take a crash better. Limit fuel to club supplied 10% lots of oil and one choice of prop and brand . No engine mods you can see. You now have a even racing field that will be competative. I think ST LOUIS area clubs run ST40 and Skyraiders so you can challenge them down the road. TT40 is too expensive .

_____________________________

Hey Buddy -That was the most spectacular crash I've ever seen , That rolling cart wheel with parts slinging out was cool...

(in reply to hvac)
       Post #: 9

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 5/26/2006 6:56:27 PM   
Ken Erickson



Posts: 307
Joined: 12/17/2005
From: Columbus, IN, USA
Status: offline 		Just some pieces of info.

The TT.40 Pro fits in the mounting holes of the OS .40 LA. And vice Versa. We are using Skyraiders and two classes of engines, LAs & TT .40 Pros

We found it takes a long time to do 660 foot course with the Skyraiders. Are using 400-foot. 10 laps takes about 2:00 to 2:30. That 's about 1/2 the speed of 1/2 A racers.

If and when you move up to Quickies, you are going to want the longer course.

Racing is racing. Slow is fun. Fast is exhilarating!!

We are using the AMA Sport Quickie Rules, but substituted for everything that goes in the air. This leaves only the procedures, not rules.

In order to keep the Landlord happy, we stay within the parameters of the AMA Safety Code. For /40's that is 495 feet from pylons to non-flying and non-officiating people. If you need to keep your landlord happy . . . . . There is a posibility of a Safety Code Waiver.

Good luck, Have Fun, Be safe.

Ken, AMA 19352



< Message edited by Mr Foamie -- 5/26/2006 7:03:48 PM >

(in reply to hvac)
       Post #: 10

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 5/30/2006 3:14:00 AM   
dbruening80


 

Posts: 250
Joined: 10/30/2004
From: o'fallon, MO, USA
Status: offline 		I experienced pylon racing for the first time this weekend. A club in my area (www.spiritsofstl.com) runs 4 star 40 races. All planes are built stock and everyone runs Super Tiger GS40's, 10 by 6 master airscrew props and 15% fuel. I have to tell you I had a blast and will definately be racing again in the near future. The Spirits also run warbird races on the same day, so now I'm looking for a nice .40 size warbird.

(in reply to hvac)
       Post #: 11

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 5/31/2006 7:52:02 PM   
Mikey D


 

Posts: 31
Joined: 10/7/2003
From: Carmel, IN, USA
Status: offline 		Hi
I live in Indianapolis, have been racing for a long time. I like the fact there are others in the area willing to give pylon a try. It might seem to make sense to try and come up with a local agenda for your club, many have, and many do. Most that I know of have not been able to sustain the momentum for various reasons. I would submit that the rules or lack of rules only pertained to the local club. Very hard to keep the blood and new blood flowing for a long period of time with a niche set of rules and planes. I would reconsider the AMA 424 rulebook event. The advantage here is that you can get a Quickee at your LHS, pretty cheap. You might be surprised at all the people in the area who already have a Quickee 424 planes built that would be willing to come to a local race me included.

Last year we hosted a race in Muncie and had a nice turnout of 424 flyers. I think they had a better time racing than the expert and qtrmidget pilots. Perhaps some of them can chime in for thier testomonial. We are again having a race in Muncie 9/9 - 9/10. I invite you and your buddies to come on out and fly. All you need is a Quickee (Predator, Viper easily available) and a TT.40 I promise you if you take us up on the offer you will have the time of your life.

www.capsracing.com for details.

In the meantime, anyone else in the Indiana surrounding counties interested in learning about Pylon racing, we have an active schedule at our website. I am here in Carmel not to far from Muncie, if anyone desires to practice (depending on AMA schedule) or at your site as well. Bottom line CAPS and NMPRA are chartered to help those who are interersted in Pylon Racing.

Mike DeNeve, Indianapolis

(in reply to dbruening80)
       Post #: 12

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 6/10/2006 12:00:52 AM   
Rcpilot


 

Posts: 6555
Joined: 3/20/2002
From: Arvada, CO, USA
Status: offline 		I totally agree with simple if your just starting out and trying to get interest in the club.

Your first idea was spot on IMO. Predators or Vipers. TT Pro 40. 9x6 APC and 10% fuel. Standard servos. Go tear it up!!

Then, when you guys get bored-- (like thats gonna happen) --put .46 engines on them and run faster pitch props.

I wish I could get some guys interested in pylon at our club. Nothing but a bunch of old fuddy duddies who like scale warbirds, the guys who like aerobatic gassers (thats me), and the guys who just fly sport 40 and 60 planes. None of these groups of guys are interested in pylon. I've asked. They are all just stuck on their own little niche of the hobby, and have no interest in anything new. I LOVE stuff that goes fast and would really like to get a few guys interested in pylon, but no one wants to even talk about it. Not much fun boring holes in the sky all by yourself.

I have a Viper and a .46 engine, but not much point in flying it by myself.

_____________________________

Airplanes have expiration dates. It''s just not printed anywhere on them.
I''m not really an airplane pilot; but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

(in reply to Mikey D)
       Post #: 13

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 6/10/2006 12:36:24 AM   
HighPlains


 

Posts: 2664
Joined: 3/2/2003
From: Over da rainbow, KS, USA
Status: offline 		RCpilot,

Why don't you go up to Denver for the races there? It's only half the distance for you than what I drive to race with them.

_____________________________

In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman - Margaret Thatcher

(in reply to Rcpilot)
       Post #: 14

RE: We want to start racing at our club, how? - 6/10/2006 5:46:45 AM   
Rcpilot


 

Posts: 6555
Joined: 3/20/2002
From: Arvada, CO, USA
Status: offline 		They run the TT 40. I don't have a TT .40 and don't want to race competetively. I have a Tower .46 and they won't let me run up there.

_____________________________

Airplanes have expiration dates. It''s just not printed anywhere on them.
I''m not really an airplane pilot; but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. <