VIP Racer photo
 

Here is a photo of a VIP Racer with Futaba 8UA Transmitter and a Speed 400 motor test stand.

http://www.pylonworld.com/rc_electri...ed_400/vip.jpg

You can see more details about the test stand and also get more info about Speed 400 pylon planes at Speed 400 Pylon Racing

VIP Racer
 

Don,

How fast is that little thing? Also, would this be something that could be flown in a large back yard or cul-de-sac?

VIP Racer photo
 

It's got a 27" inch wingspan, and weighs about 15 oz.

It goes 75-90 mph depending on motor, prop, and battery. Up to 95-100 in a shallow dive. When I fly it in the vicinity of trainers and sport planes, they look like they are stopped.

When I bought it, I thought I would be able to fly it out of my back yard. I've flown a .46 Ugly Stick in the backyard with very little crampiness. There's a 10 acre clear common area behind my yard. The yard is 325 ft wide at the back 100 ft. Clear approach of 400 ft to the left, about 700 to the right.

I have yet to have the guts to fly it out of my yard. It is very hard to get slowed down. As soon as you point the nose downhill, it starts to pick up speed because it has such little frontal area. At the field I usually fly about a 600 ft approach, already slowed down at 50-75 ft. For comparison, I fly a shorter, steeper approach with the F3D/30 (especially now that I use spoilerons on the F3D). A better pilot than could land one in a smaller area, but when it stalls, it drops very fast.

This is a great Speed 400 plane to start with. It comes in two pieces and is all molded composite with a carbon fiber spar. The tail surfaces have airfoils and are hollow with a spar also. Even the pushrods are pre-made. One needs to have a computer radio, because the elevator pushrod is not adjustable (subtrim), and you must have low rates for launch, and high rates for landing. If you launch with high rates on elevator, it will snap. If you land on low rates, you run out of elevator for a graceful skidding landing. (otherwise cartwheel city)

These planes are raced on a 300 x 300 x 60 ft course. They are a blast.

A guy has designed a 400 pylon trainer out of coroplast. That may do well in a backyard. Ace R/C has a plane called the Simple 400 in kit form for $30 (I think) that has a thicker airfoil and slows down better, but still goes 60-70 mph.

I'm almost sure that Simple 400 racing will become an RCPRO racing class. They are very popular.

VIP Racer photo
 

A very impressive exercise in aerodynamics and race format , indeed!

VIP Racer photo
 

Glad to see you made it over again John.

They are raced on the standard 1/2A three pole course.

If you think this one is small, it has 157 sq inches of wing area. The Russian designed Stinger only has 75 sq inches of wing area and weighs 10-12 ounces. It is even faster, though it has higher piloting demands from what I've heard.

It took me a month of soft soybeans at the flying field to get where I could launch and fly it by myself. Until then I had to get someone to launch it for me. You really have to heave these things because the prop is stalled. Then you just try to keep it level until the plane catches up with the prop.

You have a Trick R/C Zagi, don't you? Have you seen the Trick R/C Razor fly? I've heard it's really zippy with it's 30" wingspan.

VIP Racer photo
 

Don been hangin out here a bit since it started but RCS is kinda home base since I asked last year for a race forum and we got it started but this one is very nice to.

Actually I have not done to much posting there lately, been making so many races lately its been tough keeping my partner and I in airplanes and have been averageing about three organized races a month somewhere for about six months now. Winterfest last week (I didn,t do so well but my teammate took first and a second in APRA on the two days good caller you know) doing a RC airshow down in Quartzite Az. tomorrow and a race at the Supulveda basin in Ca. next week. I suppose you could say we are fanatics.

We raced Zagi's in Las Vegas last year and had a ball (two poles at 200 feet). There were 19 entrys and a lot of fun. I think their doing it agine later this year. It was supposed to be for stock Zagi 400's but they let a fellow fly a razor and it was a bit faster but it didn,t do him any good as he managed to take out a pylon in all his heats:D .

The speed 400 is pretty neat and love to try its if we can find a venue and the time.


John (the tired one)

VIP Racer photo
 

Hi all,

I have flown the VIP extensively and as electric pylons go, it is fairly user-friendly... The ailerons are fairly far out for a Pylon racer (it really isn't a competitive ship), so once you get it dialed in and flip on high rates, it willroll faster than a high speed twist drill on the flat out... You can slow the VIP down quite a bitbecause it does have more wing area than a typical SP 400 Ptlon, but I don't recommend flying it in a typical back yard. The CG is very sensitive on these fast models, you'll need to be within mm of recommended positions, and do not start with it back.

My favorite, and highly competetive, SP 400 Pylon is the Sokol... check one out. With a nice, hot brushless (anything w/a KV of 3500 or more, drawing more than 23 amps), they will exceed 100 mph. Make sure your eye glass and/or contact prescription is up to date. :eek:

Dan

A Gem
 

Like Dan, I've been flying my VIP Racer (a blue and white one) on a brushless Kontronik Fun 400-23 and seven 600AE cells for some time--probably more than 100 flights now. This model is a jewel--the level of completeness and build quality is remarkable. In very short order, you can go from the bench to the field with a model that will impress and amaze people with its speed and agility.

I don't race; I enjoy models like the VIP and the Cavazos Twister as superb sport fliers. Over time and with enough experience, they can be flown in tighter surroundings than a typical club field.

Probably the biggest hurdle, as Don mentioned is the tendency to develop a case of "hot-landing-itis" on initial flights. A pilot would do well to spend several flights exploring the slow-speed envelope of models like the VIP, Sokol, Twister and others. With experience, these planes can be flown around the traffic pattern in a nose-high attitude at just above a stall. Once you learn how to do that, new venues for flying open up.

I have dual rates set on my VIP, but I find I don't use high rates anymore. My low throws are probably just slightly beyond recommendations--enough for fast, smooth rolls and other aerobatic maneuvering.

If I were racing, I would tone my throws way down. But then, it would only go fast and turn left, wouldn't it?

I've never had a problem with launching these fast 400-size ships. Just take a few steps and give it a slight nose up, wings level, hard throw. Keep the wings level as it builds speed and then climb out. You cannot girly throw these models. As Don said, the prop is stalled--the plane needs to be at flying speed as it leaves your hand.

All in all, they're a blast to fly and the VIP is one of the best fast sport fliers out there.

More on the VIP Racer here: http://www.shredair.com/news.html

VIP Racer photo
 

Yes, Dieter at Shredair is selling the V.I.P., although I don't think he has a lot left.
A quality plane and the details are first rate.
Not as fast as a Sokol, due to the wing platform and cord of the wing, but a very nice flier..quick enough, I am not knocking it.
Since a Stinger is really the fastest thing out there, everything else is just handeling, and I have been impressed with the Sokols I have.
One is a speed400, 5.5x5.5 prop, easy to launch, very stable on landing aproach, no bad habits.
With the Aveox 1005/3 and 7 500(red) cells, it goes a bit faster than the S400 version, but I only get abut 2 minutes at full power, how I always fly it.
Setting up a D99 ow with a Hacker B40 on 7-2400, since I have a bunch of those packs , zaped and matched..should be fun.
Also, trying to get people here in the Northwest to start racing s400 pylon, not having a lot of success.....

VIP Racer photo
 

That D99 will rock on a B40. My larger fast plane is a Cavazos Sailplane Designs Vortex with a Kontronik Fun 500-21 on seven CP2400s. Very fast, maneuverable, easy to land, and very precise and aerobatic to fly.

VIP Pics
 

Here are some pics of my VIP and Vortex in pre-flight and in the air. My buddy Dave shot the photos.

VIP

stinger...
 

Here's my stinger. It's actually not bad on launch so long as you have an assistant for the first few flights. I've only got two on it, but it's very fast, none of the other planes at the field were of any comparison to it. Makes a nice howling whistle that everyone loves from a hollow moldie... :eek: Very fun to fly, takes a bit of nerve on the first flight as your fingers will be twitching and your heart pounding. It launches the easiest off a CAM 5x5, but I like the 4.7x4.7 since it does go faster on that prop, you get longer flights, etc. Land on something better than a short grass runway, I've had the prop catch on landing and turn the plane into an arf again... This picture is after repair, so it survived just fine.

VIP Racer photo
 

and another...