How does someone get started in pylon racing? Are there any places where I can get more information about the classes for these planes? Where can I find races in my local area (Tampa, Florida)?

Thanks

Your best bet would be to find a racing club locally and get in contact with them, maybe even attend an event.. I'm sure one of the FL guys will chime in and get you some contact info..

Welcome to the addiction

Warnberg;

Go to this section of the AMA website where you will find the radio control pylon Racing rules.

http://www.modelaircraft.org/events/...C%20Racing.pdf

The slowest of these classes is 424 Quickee, which is about 110-120 mph. The faster class of Quickee, 428, is about 150-160 mph. The fastest of the AMA classes, Q-40 (422), is about 170 mph. Of these three classes, 424 would be the best entry level class.

There is some good AMA racing in the Tampa/Orlando areas. Contact Scott Smith [email protected] in the Lake Wales FL area. He is in the thick of racing in your area. There is a 424/428/422 race near Orlando early in December '08. Scott will know the details. I've had some really good times racing with these guys.

Also there is a good bit of Club 40 racing in the North/Central Florida area. I've also raced with these guys a lot before I moved to near Nashville. Contact Lyman Slack [email protected] for their rules and schedule of races. They have about one race per month. The Club 40 class is a slower, inexpensive, one- design, entry-level class you may find interesting if you are just starting out in racing. Some people find AMA 424 a little too much for their very first time.

Doug Bebensee

You first have to decide if you are cut out for pylon racing.

Do you like to struggle against difficult odds?

Can you deal with losing, and keep coming back for more?

Do you hate model airplanes?

If you answered yes three times, then it's time for the next test.

Go to the bank and take out three stacks of One, Five, and Twenty dollar bills.

All stacks should be at least an inch high.

Club 40 is represented by the stack of One dollar bills.

424 by the stack of five dollar bills.

428 and Q40 by the stack of twenty dollar bills.

Look carefully at all the stacks.

Decide which one to douce with gas and light on fire.

Welcome to racing.

and what ever you do,,, don t fall in love with your quickees [sm=shades_smile.gif]


BV

HP it's more like $10's, $20's and $50's

Warnberg, the Club 40 is a great place to start, it's low cost, a little slower, and most of the equipment will go right into a 424 plane. Plus if you find racing isn't your thing, you'll have a great little sport plane to play with. The Viper and such are really kinda "One trick pony's, go fast and turn."

Chump change compared to other competitive venues in RC..

Warnberg... Contact Scott Smith as suggested, they do some excellent races in Mulberry. We just raced there two weekends ago. Also we have the Tangerine coming up on Dec 19 (pracitce day), 20-21... Get yourself a 424 plane, get it ready and come to the Tangerine in December. Come find me (Randy Bridge), and I'll help you with what ever is needed. Or you can shoot me an email at [email protected] to chat.

Our 424 class is growing pretty well right now. It's the perfect time to get your feet wet and learn with the other newer guys.

Randy Bridge (WC)

Awwww, if he wasn't interested in racing, he would be asking about a ARF piper cub with floats!! Warnberg, you just missed a pylon workshop in August, a race in Sunrise in September and my race in Mulberry 2 weeks ago! The next race is in Apopka on December 20 ~ 21 with a practice day on Friday the 19. That will be it until March and April with a race in each month. Feel free to e-mail me as Doug Bebensee said and I will be glad to help you out. I will give you my number when you email me, in case you have any questions or would like to get together to test and run some laps. Rick and I set up the course in Mulberry on the weekend periodically to test, so you are welcome to join in if you want to.

Let me know!

Thanks all for the replies... I defiantly will be coming to an event and checking it out. In the mean time there is one or two guy's I know of in our club that races so I'll be getting with him to pick his brain a bit...

So a 424 plane.... any suggestions?

Reading through these rules, interesting part (16.3.3.1) Claiming Rule....

Warnberg;

424 plane - - Great Planes Viper with the TT Pro 40 engine and APC 9-6 C2 prop. There are modifications to improve the durability and reliability of this plane posted on these forums. Do a search.

It looks like you've been really diving into the rules! That's great.

As to the claiming rule, I've never seen or heard of anyone invoking that rule. Has anyone else?

I don't think it's anything to worry about in any case.

Doug Bebensee

The Great Planes Viper or out of production Lanier Preditiors are a popular choice, and are fine for learning with. There are some kits available too, if you had rather build it. The Thunder Tiger Pro40 ABC is the only approved engine, but it is the best choice of them all anyways.

The $100 claiming rule, huh? Yeah, but buying a used $80 engine for $100 may not be the best idea!! I can show you how to make your engine run like a champ, and it will be legal anywhere. Our district only allows 16,500 RPM with an APC 9x6 prop ready to launch. I can send you some information I put together for the pylon workshop/clinic which will tell you how as well as a bunch of tips to racing. Randy Bridge and a lot of others helped and reviewed the documents and will give you all the dirt on racing. Do I have any proof? You should have seen how tight the 424 class was after the workshop!! I think I might have messed up giving out all my tricks...[]

Let me know if I can help you

Ok, question time...... someone said a "Club-40" may be a good place to start.... just so I have this straight.... speed wise
Event 422: Q-40 is the slowest and is also known as Club 40?
Event 424: Sport Quickie is a little faster

And either of these would be a good place to start?

Thanks

Hey HighPlains;

Don't scare the poor guy right off the bat. Let him discover the money thing by himself. Once he gets "hooked" then the money thing won't matter any more.

As to your reference to burning money; isn't that illegal? If everyone were to go around burning money, then the government would lose track of how much was out there. That's why they have made it illegal. Otherwise, first this guy would start burning it and then the next guy would do it and on and on and on, ending in financial disaster - - oh, wait a minute . . . [:@]

And yes, you must have a competitive spirit.

Doug Bebensee

ok
Club-40 80-90 MPH
424 110-120 MPH
428 160 to 170 MPH
422 (Q-40) 180-190 MPH

the faster you want to go the more money. but 424 could be really cheap and very fun with all the people flying them right now

Warnberg;

OH NO - - Q-40 /422 and Club 40 are ENTIRELY different classes. Don't confuse the "Q" in Q-40 with the "C" in C-40 (Club 40). There is a galaxy of difference between the two classes.

Club 40 is the slowest class (65-85 mph) raced in your area. Club 40 is not an AMA class, but is raced quite a bit around the country. The Club 40 planes raced in your area are all World Models Skyraider Mk II's ARF with the ST GS 40 engine.

Q-40/422 is an AMA class and is the fastest at around 170 mph. These planes are beautiful semi-scale fiberglass/carbon fiber/composite planes using very powerful race engines of various makes. I suppose it's possible, but could anyone actually start their racing "career" in Q-40?

As mentioned before, there is a geometric progression in expense as you go up the classes from Club 40 to 424 to 428 to 422.

Club 40 or 424 would be the logical places to start.

Doug Bebensee

Club 40 - local club sport class type racing (with groups all over!) - 80~95 mph.

AMA 424 - Sport Quickie class - 110~120 mph.
AMA 428 - Quickie 500 class - 150~170 mph.
AMA 422 - Quarter midget class - 170~190 mph.

424 is entry level for pylon racing classes in the USA, the club 40 is basically a sport plane that guys use to race with. A club 40 plane can be used as a sunday flier, where the Quickies are better left for racing.

Thanks for the clairification....

I got lots of reading to do

First, I take exception to the description of Q40's as beautiful. They're not. They are only slightly better looking than a quickie, and that's a small step up from a cardboard packing box.

If you are only getting 150 mph out of a 428 quickie, then you are doing something seriously wrong. Same with the Q40, if it is topping out at 170 - then it is time to take up knitting.

The club 40 event reminds me of the original quickie event, when Scat Cats and Spickler Quickie 500's duked it out every month at the club's monthly winter race at the old Pioneer field in Santa Clara. Big innovation then was building the Spickler upside down with the wing on top. With the awesome power from a K&B 40 combined with the latest in flow-thru muffler technology, speeds were a sedate 90'ish. Half the race was just diss'n the guy next to you, as you revolved in soggy shoes (it always rained during the quickie season in northern California).

Great fun, close racing, and cheap enough to have big entries.

Stick with the C40 or 424 quickie until you are winning all the time, mid-airing all the time, or hitting pylons all the time. When you have achieve that, then it's time to move up.

Warnberg - I hope this helps you compare some of the different designs of some popular racing classes discussed above. I'm guessing in the right air the 422 class (Q40) will reach close to 195 mph...under optimum conditions.

Q40's may not be scale, but they are anything but ugly

I am thinking at this point to start off with a 424 plane or two or three and getting some practice in before I go out and completely embarrass myself the first time out.

Does anyone know of a field in my area where I can get some practice in? I could practice at my local field but it's a little tight (tree's at one end and short field) and I would have to use the throttle there. So maybe setup three planes, one with the throttle setup and two without and just the fuel cutoff.....

Any thoughts or idea's?

Also I do not mind building so an ARF is not necessary. Any kits out there to consider?

Thanks

Don't worry about embarrassing yourself the first time out, everyone started that way.. Knowing how to fly the plane is fine but it's a whole other deal when you get on the coarse with 3 other planes. The only way to get better is to race..

With the TT .40 you will have throttle so don't worry about that..

There are a number of kits out there and plans also.. You can check SuperT.com or www.matneymodels.com (make sure specify 424).. If you are into building you can build your own from plans with out much trouble..

Marcus Blanchard sells the 424 version of the Vortex as well, laser cut fuse, wing is sheeted and built strong enough to handle 428..which makes it easier to move up to the fatster 428 class without changing planes.... [email protected]

In the 424 class, I think everyone has a working throttle. So go ahead and hook up a throttle cable. Save the "shutoff" ideas for 428 and 422..

WC

Warnberg, I have a Vortex, it's a first class ship, far, far better than a Viper. There are some others out there too, be sure to look at Super T, too.

Believe it or not, you have some of the best racers in the U.S., and one in the world, writing to this thread, so your in the right spot. You might also check out the NMPRA web site.

Thanks everyone, you have all been very very helpful. It's good to see a bunch of racers willing to help out like this.... I have looked over and have been reading through several sites, one of which is the NMPRA site.

I tried to find the Super T but am having no luck locating it.