Hello RCPRO Members,
March is here and R/C pylon racing action is heating up. A lot of people are still building for this year though, and the RCPRO Building forum (http://www.rcpro.org/net/Forums.aspx?forumid=4003) has seen some activity. Ed Smith has created some nice article threads in the RCPRO forums. His Firewall Installation article (http://www.rcpro.org/net/ThreadView.aspx?threadid=380) details the installation of a firewall in a Quarter 40 fiberglass fuselage plane. The Q40 servo tray installation article (http://www.rcpro.org/net/ThreadView.aspx?threadid=391) gives some good tips for installing servo trays and pushrods for the tail control surfaces. Broken fuselages happen on those awkward landings and Ed shows how he repairs them at Repairing a broken glass fuselage (http://www.rcpro.org/net/ThreadView.aspx?threadid=405).
The first phases of RCPRO involved an early membership drive. Then we established a Board of Directors and got the RCPRO forums online. The Board had a lot of discussions and some of the concepts are being implemented.
SpeedWorld in Phoenix held the first RCPRO Warbird Race last year. There are two Warbird races scheduled for March 26 and October 22 at SpeedWorld (http://speedworldrcf.com) in 2005. If you are in Arizona and surrounding areas, check out the rules for RCPRO Warbird Racing (http://www.rcpro.org/html/rules/warbird_racing/warbird_racing.htm) and get ready to have some warbird racing fun. Three performance levels of racing are available to you, and just about any Warbird is a candidate for a good time and getting your feet wet in 2 pole racing.
The Quickie Cup is a concept the Board had talked about that is starting to become a reality. See the Quickie Cup page at http://www.rcpro.org/html/quickie/default.htm for more information. Quickie 500 racing has become the choice of many groups for entry level pylon racing, and Quickie racing is happening all over the world. RCPRO is going to sponsor this entry level racing, and work toward helping the growth of R/C pylon racing through Quickie racing. We will provide a meeting place for all forms of Quickie racing. We will take an active role in sponsoring and obtaining sponsorship for entry level Quickie racing events.
The Thunder Tiger Pro .40 (TT Pro 40) is currently the only engine on the AMA Approved Engine List for AMA 424 Sport Quickie. The committee that is responsible for the engine list is committed to maintaining the "sport" nature of the AMA 424 event. The majority of groups racing 424 have settled on this engine. If your group is starting Quickie racing, please consider using the official AMA 424 rules and the Approved Engine List for your events. The parity in plane performance is very even when "stock" engines are used. The committee has done a lot of work with engines, and at this time, a single engine list seems to be the best answer.
If you live in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and surrounding areas, there is good news for pylon racers and pylon racing newbies. The CAPS organization is putting on some races in your area. See the CAPS web site (http://www.capsracing.org) for the schedule.
RCPRO is sponsoring the 424 Sport Quickie events at the CAPS Indy Shootout (http://www.capsracing.org/indyshootout.html) with prizes and trophies. Several kits have already been pledged for drawings to be held for the 424 participants. The race will be held at the AMA Headquarters site in Muncie, Indiana on May 21 and 22. Even if you have never raced in an organized 3 pole racing event, try to make it to the Indy Shootout. The facility is a great place to fly racing planes with 2 crisscrossed and long paved runways. Although the Thunder Tiger Pro .40 is currently the only engine on the 424 Approved Engine List, other engines may be allowed at the Contest Director's discretion. If you or your group is using an engine such as the O.S. .40 LA or other less powerful engines, contact the event organizer Mike DeNeve. Note that there are frequency restrictions at the AMA site due to the multi-purpose use of the facility. Pylons up practice will start at noon on May 20.
Another race just added to the Quickie Cup schedule is the CAPS Spring Classic in Lucasville, Ohio on April 30 and May 1. AMA 424 will be raced at the Spring Classic, and RCPRO will also be sponsoring the 424 racing. Engines other than the Thunder Tiger Pro .40 will be allowed at the CD's discretion, but they must not exceed the TT Pro 40 in performance. Contact Terry Frazer for information about alternative engines.
If you are in the North East US, check out the racing schedule on the NEPRO web site (http://www.nepro.org). NEPRO had a booth at the WRAM show and results were very positive. Check out the NEPRO forum on RCPRO at http://www.rcpro.org/net/Forums.aspx?forumid=10401. RCPRO provided some "AMA Racing Action" DVD's for handout at the show and the demand exceeded the supply.
The Quickie Cup schedule will be updated as events are added, so check it out at http://www.rcpro.org/html/quickie/schedule.htm on a regular basis.
Please tell all of your R/C friends that have any interest in pylon racing to join RCPRO. Our web address is really easy to remember: RCPYLON.COM
Go Fast and Turn Left,
Don Stegall
RCPRO - Chairman of the Board
http://www.PylonWorld.com
http://www.rcpro.org
704-968-2881