There has ALWAYS been a slightly elitist attitude espoused by certain members of the pylon racing fraternity. In their minds, if you can’t achieve the skills to carve props, then buy them at unreasonable prices. How does that help grow the event? In the end, I think that this attitude hasten the demise of the Formula One event, since these few were determined to keep the bar high for entry into the club. However when the high performance racing engines for quickie became available, suddenly another fast event arrived and the elitists lost a bit of power because a fun event that was just as fast arrived, and people were no longer filling the ranks in F1. Now there were forward looking racers like Dub Jett that tried to save Formula One with a few well reasoned changes, but the elitists would have nothing to do with it. “You will ruin the event by making it easier for newcomers” they said. So instead it died, which is what happens when an event stagnates instead of grows.

So in an era when nearly no one is building their own airplanes, buying engines that just bolt in and race, and really have no skill level what so ever other than flying, why do we require that you have to carve a prop or buy a carved prop from a hired gun. It’s insane. Why not just place a minimum length on Q40 props, and let Fred do what Fred does so well? It certainly won’t hurt the event, it will make it easier for more racers to compete. What a concept, more people racing.

Bob