vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Yep, he was waaaaayyyy overdue! I always like racing with him and Marshall. Gotta get my wing fixed for Jullian.[8D]

g.hodgesrc

Congratulations Maurice!

It's always great to get another Q-25 pylon racer on board. Thank you Bob for your post and keeping the rest of us informed.

Gene

g.hodgesrc

Gary,

I'm glad to hear you got your Buckshot ready to race. Richardson Radio Control Club has a Q-25 pylon race Sunday October 4, 2009. I have a feeling it will be canceled due to our current rainy conditions in North Texas. Remember our next Q-25 pylon race is October 18th at Fort Worth Thunderbirds Club Field. Hope to see you there and bring on that Buckshot!

Gene

Knife Liddle

Hey Gene, Lee Liddle here. I`m that electric combat/edf guy. Chuck W introduced us at a meet at the GSW field, and we spoke at the T-Bird E meet last year.

I finally decided to come over and read up on what you guys have been up to this year. Sounds like the weather has been giving you guys fits, but I`m sure you`ll work around it.

Question... has there been any thought or development in the way of incorporating E power into the Q-25 series, either mixed in with IC or as a separate class?

Chuck gave me a Viper kit last year and I`ve decided to get it airborne with some of the same equipment that I use in our .25 sized combat classes where the OS .25 is the main engine being used.

I don`t want to upset the apple cart. I just thought it might be fun to see what`s possible on a simple low budget conversion. Maybe bring it out to a race and do a few laps around the pylons to let folks see it.

What kind of rpms are normal for your OS .25s on the spec prop? I`ve found that with current equipment, gas props at IC type rpms can be duplicated with E power. It`s not the most efficient use of electrons, but it can be a way for and E and IC to compete together if there is a spec prop and a spec rpm.

Thanks, Lee

Knife Liddle

Here are a few pics of my Viper. I`ve decided to flip it over so that I can make a hatch above the wing for easy battery replacement. Also just for a super fast sport plane, I may fit it with retracts just for fun.

GSJames

Geez Lee.... Now you are going to come and kick my butt in Pylon too All seriousness aside, the NMPRA and Jerry Small are working on a scale electric racing event. The airplanes are going to be ARF's built in Vietnam by SeaGull models. I saw Jerry fly one of the prototypes a couple of months ago and it goes really well. It's about .15 ic size.

Don Stegall and the RCPRO group are working on "Club Wingman" another electric event and several people including Archie Adamisin (grandson of Big Art) have electrified Vipers, etc with good results.

It's improbable that we will get an electric-only Q-25 type event going around here because Pylon, like Combat only appeals to a limited number of fliers and we are attracting about the same number as we get in SSC. The rest of RC'ers prefer to fly "stunt" and sport, just like C/L. Some people are competitive by nature but most are not.

It would however be interesting to put up a race and see what happens. If you come to the Q-25 race at T-bird this month, we'll give it a go and see how they match up.

My OS 25 FX's turn between 16,500 and 17,200 on a MAS 8-6 S2 prop.

See ya at the North Dallas contest next week.

Duane-RCU

My Feedback: (5)

Hey Gene, you mentioned running a Sport Pylon race at the next Q25 event. Can I bring my Rookie with a TT .40 Pro? Or is it a demo by other pilots? I think this class would be popular!

GSJames

Duane, I'll bring my Club 40 (LA 40 Racer) with a TT 40 Pro engine. If Gene will give us some pylon time, we'll give it a go and see what happens.

g.hodgesrc

Hello Lee

Yes, I do remember you from our meeting at GSW. Great hearing from you again and glad to see your are putting the Viper together. ? upside down, you always seem to do things a little different. As Gary mentioned in his post about electric pylon racing, I spoke with Jerry several months ago about what we were doing in Q-25 and what he was trying to get started with his newly designed electric pylon racer. I have had a few guys approach me about an electric class, but I'm a nitro guy and know very little about electric planes. Hope to see you at FW T-Birds October 18th.

Gene

g.hodgesrc

Hello Daune and Gary

I have gotten very little response from the local club guys about a sport plane type pylon class. I have mentioned it at both of the clubs I belong to. I thought it would be a hit, but again no one had any questions or comments. I did have one guy ask if I had considered having a warbird pylon class using the already available .20 to .36 size ARF warbirds from Great Planes, World Models, Model Tech, and others. I told him the only problem with his suggestion is the same problem I already have with Q-25 in that most club guys don't want to buy/build a special engine and plane just to pylon race. That is why I posted the club sport plane pylon racing information. I have guys come up to me that claim they want to pylon race, but don't want to make the investment in a one event only plane. Where are they now when I need them and trying to give them what the want? You and Gary bring your Rookies and LA Racers or other .40-.46 size sport/warbird planes and we will give you some time to demonstrate them on the pylon course. Maybe seeing is believing or trying!

Gene

Duane-RCU

My Feedback: (5)

Joe will bring a Rookie too, and we may have another member from the club come out, Bruce. He has a Viper, I'm not sure if it's finished, but I think he also has a Rookie he could bring out. We all still have our bushing Rookies, and I have a Wingman II but I think those would be a little slow. Our club need to revise things a bit and I think the Sport Pylon will be the way to go. We can't get much interest in Q25 at our club, no one wants that "specific" plane.

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

The Wingman II is a great airplane and a real good sport flyer.  It is rated for a .40 but as light as it is I think a .25 is the right size for most folks.  On the East Coast we at RCPRO are trying to get the "Club Wingman" racing stared using Electric power.  Check out the site and give your comments off this thread.  Gene I am not trying to hijack your thread.  The Wingman II fly very similar to the Sky Raider Mk II but is more nimble.  JMNSHO.

Duane-RCU

My Feedback: (5)

My Wingman has a GP.42 on it for our club racing. I would be afraid to put a ball bearing .40 on it! Hardware is on the "light" side, and the airframe is built light too. Mine is right at 3 1/2 pounds. Very nice plane for the price, E power would be great.

BarryReade

My Feedback: (1)

I have a GP-42 on a SRMII and I have been really impressed with the power.  It is about 1500 rpm below my PRO 40's which makes it about 15K peak on a 9x6 apc and 15%.

g.hodgesrc

To All:

October 18, 2009: Q-25 Pylon Series Race #6 at FW T-Birds - (12 of 14) Pilots raced - (5) Clubs
Congratulations to the winners: (1st) Joe Sudduth - STRCC, (2nd) Blake Arnold - FW Thunderbirds, (3rd) Gene Hodges - TxWings.

We finally got a break in the weather and got to race our Q-25 Pylon Race. The day was a beautiful one with mild temperatures in the mid 70's, sunny skies, and 12-15 MPH winds. We were all rusty from the long layoff and weather canceled races, but everybody had a great time racing. Our pilot turnout was a bit lite due to several of them being away at other events.

A Special Thank You to Michelle & Gene Lord (Registration & Race Central), David Darcy (South Pylon Judge) and Clifford McCord (North Pylon Judge) and the the race pilots that helped run the races. We couldn't have gone it without all of you!

*** Special Thanks to Jerry Small for coming to our races and demonstrating his new electric pylon racer he designed. This ARF racer should be available after the first of the year. It's a great looking pylon racer that flew solid and very fast. Here is one for all you electric flyers.

Also, Special Thanks to Joe Sudduth, Duane Riedel, and Gary James for bring their Club 40 pylon racers and demonstrating them for us.

Link to Q-25 Series Race #6 Event Standings: http://www.txwings.com/?q=node/346

Link to Q-25 Series Overall Standings to date: http://www.txwings.com/?q=node/307

Link to Race Photos (click Race #6 album to open): http://txwings.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=9598

Hope to see you at the next Q-25 Pylon Races - November 8, 2009 at Texas Wings Club Field.

Gene

g.hodgesrc

To All: Sorry about the double post.


Gene

g.hodgesrc

November 8, 2009: Q-25 Pylon Series Race #7 at TxWings Club Field, Newark, TX. 1:00PM-4:30PM. This is the seventh of eight races for the 2009 series. Pylons up & practice starts by 11:30AM. Pilots should arrive by 12:00PM to get their aircraft ready, inspected, and registered. Pilots Meeting starts at 1:00PM, 1st heat race starts at 1:30PM sharp. CD - Gene Hodges & Gary Alphin. Q-25 Racing Series Rules on Events Page & Directions at www.txwings.com

* GPS Coordinates:
Latitude 32 deg 59 min 39 sec North or 32º59'39"N
Longitude 97 deg 28 min 20 sec West or 97º28'20"W

Hope to see you at the races!

Gene H.

Ken Erickson

Congratulations, gus, on haviong a beautiful day for your race. Here in Indiana, it is so wet, we can only mow about half of the runway, and probably should not have done that. Making it worse is that this old landfill has a clay cap and the water does not soak in.

We all seem to need two things, less rain and a sparkplug guy actually, some sparkplug guys) to get the racing going again next year. Having racers is fine and needed, but if you do not have the promoter, who does the work of putting on the races, no races. And sometines, no most of the time, that guy winds up being so busy that he does not actually get a chance to race.

This is Q-25 forum, so I won't spend a lot of time on Sky Raiders, but I read that folks do not want to have a "one purpose" plane. Theat is not what the Sky Raider is. It is a great sport plane.

When Gene says that his next event, (it was Gene wasn't it?) will be 424, that is the logical move, Q=25 has the plane and you just add the new engine. In the same way, C-40 has the engine, and you just change the airframe. Both Club 40 advanced and Q-25 are logical intros to racing 424. they are about the same speed, give or take 50 feet of course. I will extol the great benefits of Club 40 Sport on the C-40 forum, as this is the Q-25 forum.

About the people who say they would race, if only . . . . They probably won't.

Ken Erickson

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

We will be holding a Q25 race around two poles the last weekend in January. I will be sending off the sanction soon.

g.hodgesrc

Hello Ken,

Thank you for your post. Sorry to hear about your terrible weather. For the month of October we had only (6) days of sunshine, the fewest on record for our area and were 5 inches of rainfall over for the month. As you probably noticed I offered to the "I would race if crowd" two different did types of pylon racing demonstrations at our Q-25 races in October. Since we don't race Club 40 in North Texas our Club 40 demo had Sky Raider and also a couple of Rookie 40 planes that the Seven Towers Radio Control Club races with. Since a couple of their club members dad had a hobby shop and kitted the Rookies it became their club pylon racer. We had several of the Texas Wings members fly the Rookie 20 with .25 engines on them when we first started our club 25 pylon racing in 2002 before going to our current 424 airframes in 2007. The biggest disappointment was that hardly any of our spectators came up to talk about getting started in pylon racing. We hope to do our demo races again at TxWings November 8th race and see what happens this time. Like Jerry Small told me you can't get everyone to race, but if you can get them to try it you usually will get them hooked. I agree with your sparkplug comment, it seems there are guys that give more than their share so that others can race. Congratulations to you and your Club 40 group, keep up the great job you are all doing.

Gene

g.hodgesrc

Vicman,

Good Luck with your Q-25 race. Maybe next year we can come race with your group. Likewise if any of you end up in the North Texas area come join us. We have three Q-25 races left in the FT. Worth / Dallas area.

Gene

GSJames

Today at our Q-25 race in Ft Worth, some unidentified person approached the CD and challenged whether I was "cheating" since my engine was noticeably higher RPM than most of the other competitors. It is true that my engines were noticeably faster than most others, by as much as 1000 RPM, but of course this didn't help me win... To his credit, our illustrious CD Gene Hodges, handled the "protest" with tact and diplomacy by taching several engines at the end of the race. Thanks, Gene for all the hard work that you put in.

On the other hand, I am rather offended at being suspected of cheating. After landing on an aircraft carrier 427 times, in many different airplanes including the F-14 TomCat, I really don't feel the need to cheat in a toy airplane contest. I am a grown man who plays with TOY airplanes... Ok, I'm done venting.

NOW, in the interest of full disclosure, I reveal my "secrets" so that ANYONE who actually will take the time to read will have the benefit of the work that I have done. No more whining.

I took the engine apart and cleaned it in lacquer thinner before I turned it over so that there was no chance of a a piece of metal left over from the machining process scoring the piston/liner. I broke in the engine using an APC 7-4 prop on 25% nitro fuel running REALLY rich so that it would get hot and run at high RPM's but still have lots of lubricant. After breaking the engine in, I ran a test of MANY different glow plugs and found that there was a significant difference between the slowest and the fastest. Needless to say, I chose to use the fastest for racing purposes. duh. I replaced the head gasket. I used fresh, new fuel. I use a OS brand remote needle valve with fine threads, bought at the LHS, so that I can adjust the mixture correctly without having to worry about a leaky needle valve or going "one click" too lean. I BALANCE my PROPS using a Top Flight magnetic balancer. End of "SECRETS". See, that's not so hard, is it?

Attached is the ACTUAL chart that I made several months ago when doing my plug tests, along with a few selected excerpts from the current AMA RC Pylon Rules.

Good luck, see ya in the winners circle.

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Gary, you forgot to list the other "Cheating" things you've done!!! Like assemble your aircraft to make sure it is straight and true, check all control surfaces and components for looseness and warps that could cause drag thus slowing your airplane down. TRIM your model for straight flight. Now for the number one worst cheating item you can do..... go out and practice, practice, pratice until you fly a smooth straight course every lap!!!! Now that's cheating!!![sm=spinnyeyes.gif] Over here we call it prepared!!!![sm=wink_smile.gif]

Congrads on a good race!! Cheater!!!

Bob Harris

GSJames

Yeah, I do most of those things too, but I gotta do a LOT more of that "practice" thing that you mentioned... I practically KILLED our starter (and 1st place winner) Gary Alphin today on a bad launch. I've never seen Gary move that fast before Sorry Gary, I'll be more careful with my rudder input on launch.

daven

My Feedback: (1)

Congratz!

Gary, nothing is more satisfying than to be labeled a cheater when you know without doubt that you are flying a plane within legal limits. Especially after being challenged and torn apart and found to be above board.

Proper break in and setup is far more beneficial than trying to cheat out a few extra 100 rpm.

Nice job.