RE: Alvin Club 40 reults from 14th Nov 09
Thank you Alvin RC for a great race, and thanks to the Central Texas Group for driving 3+ hrs and giving us good competition. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks again and looking forward to races there next year! Mike Walther
Posted on: 11/18/2009 12:37 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9262842

RE: Q-25 Tank size
4 oz. tank is more than enough. I use 4 oz. tanks for quickies with Thunder Tiger 40s with no problem making 11 to 12 laps or more.
Posted on: 10/21/2009 7:53 AM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9190317

RE: 428 motors
Question #2, is that just a flat confomance mount with a just a rear engine backplate sandwitched between the main casing and the mount?
Posted on: 10/19/2009 9:29 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Q-500 Racing"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9186657

RE: 428 motors
Cool looking engine. Did you insist on the front needle mount? Does Dub still offer the rear needle mount with no affect on performance? Mike W
Posted on: 10/19/2009 9:05 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Q-500 Racing"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9186571

RE: Club 40 race at Georgetown TX Oct 17 2009
Bob, Thanks for a great race. The site was good, the food good and the racing very eventful! Although I couldn't get on the course to save my rear end, I still had a great time. Congratulations to all the winners, and especially to Skully who posted his first fast time of 1:21. I believe Skull owes me something after telling him how to set his plane up!! All jokes aside, Skully definitely deseved fast time for his efforts, as well as all the winners. I look forward to the race in Alvin, November 14th. Put it on your calendar. Thanks, Mike Walther
Posted on: 10/19/2009 7:22 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9186272

RE: Breaking In Thunder Tiger 40s
Don, Did you use Ritch's fuel with no castor to break in you engines? Mike W
Posted on: 10/15/2009 9:21 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9176650

RE: Breaking In Thunder Tiger 40s
Wow Don, Is this how you beat up on all us old timers in pylon racing with research and development? Your a newcomer and you did this? Congratulations, and you won first prize on both events at Texas City!!! You never told me you went thru all this break in and to admit, I am very impressed!!! I look forward to being your caller and vice versa at Georgetown Texas this weekend!!! Mike Walther
Posted on: 10/15/2009 9:18 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9176641

Breaking In Thunder Tiger 40s
I've got a general question. How do you properly break in a TT40, or any other regular comercial massed produced 2 stroke engine? I have always just mounted the engine on the plane out of the box and flew the thing a few clicks rich and just kept leaning out a few flights more. Not really a good quality break in, but it was fast and efficient. You can read the instructions in the box on break in, but I have found those somewhat counter intuitive from what I have heard. What I know on bench break in is to run the engine with a small prop, like a 9 x5 or 8 x 6 on TT40, and to let it rev up real rich. My specific questions are: Will fuel that only has synthetic oil like Klotz, and no castor oil, allow an engine to break in properly? Is using a smaller prop for break in for higher revs good? If so, what size for a TT 40 destined to be pylon raced? How many ounces of fuel should one run thru the engine before it is considered broken in? What do other experts recommend? Can anyone comment on this to help all of us novices and beginners out? Thanks, Mike W
Posted on: 10/15/2009 7:37 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9176379

RE: 428 motors
You are entitled to your opinion, but there is a lot more to the story for the rule changes then I think you may not know. Just a little of history, a short time ago, Nelson introduced is long stroke engines for both Q40 and Q500. The engine was a little creative, longer stroke with a smaller bore, but still met all the current rules. It pretty much obsoleted all the other Nelson SS engines, Jett engines and Profi. Jett followed suit with his long stroke engines and pretty well matched with Nelsons. An even shorter time ago, Nelson decided not to make any more cases. He would still offer replacement parts to existing engines of which he had many of. Now, I believe that Jett is struggling to keep up with demand and their really is no other alternatives. If a person has a LS Nelson, then the other would have to buy the Jett LS to be competitive, but he would have to wait a long time for his engine. The argument for a rules change is that if a person has a LS Nelson, then the other should be able to get one too, but he can't unless he finds a used one. There are a few other arguments for a rules change, but this seems to be the most predominant one. Anyway, there has not been a significant engine rules change to 428 in a long time. There has been many proposals, but no changes. It has just finally caught up with 428, with Nelson essentially retiring from the business. So there you go, that's why the fuss over the engines now. If anyone else has a correction to my explanation, or a better explanation, please help me out here. Thanks, Mike W
Posted on: 10/15/2009 8:03 AM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Q-500 Racing"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9174812

RE: Club 40 race at Alvin RC (TX)
No problem. Mike W
Posted on: 10/13/2009 1:15 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9169802

RE: Club 40 race at Alvin RC (TX)
Great going guys. You are the next step to opening up a Club 40 series in Houston. With your race this November, perhaps next year will open up other surronding clubs to this event. With that in mind, maybe we can have a route from club to club and add points for the season and have an overall points champion. I am avaialable to make the matrix for you if you need me. I do it mostly in hand with just a simple MS excel spreadsheet. I use the rules in AMA pylon racing for making up the matrix. Thanks again, Mike W
Posted on: 10/11/2009 11:15 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9165423

RE: TEXAS CITY CLUB 40 & AMA 424 RACE
Many thanks goes to Jett Engineering for vouluntering race goodies to the prize winners and Ritchs Brew for their supply of their great Pylon Fuel. Also, our Texas City RC Club volunteers for judging this race. Thanks everyone! Mike W
Posted on: 10/3/2009 9:44 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9144500

RE: TEXAS CITY CLUB 40 & AMA 424 RACE
I am not to good at this guys, but now is attached the picture of all contestants. The guy holding a Viper only held it because his Club 40 plane was put up. Anyway here it is, all 15 contestants, or so I hope:
Posted on: 10/3/2009 9:32 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9144476

RE: TEXAS CITY CLUB 40 & AMA 424 RACE
Attached are some pictures of the winners and all the contestants. The first picture is of the winners of the event. Off ot the right is Steve Leslie from the Alvin Club. I believe this is his second race and he is third place. Off to the left is the Mark Martin of pylon racing and that is Bob Petrinic. Excellent competititor and he did it with a GMS 40 against all the other TT 40s. In the center is the first place contestant. His name is Don Roccaforte. He has won both Texas City RC Club 40 races this year, which happens to be his only two official races to enter. He is a newcomer to this and he is extremely competitive with an LA Racer and TT 40.
Posted on: 10/3/2009 9:27 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9144459

RE: TEXAS CITY CLUB 40 & AMA 424 RACE
Ted, I can appreciate your nervousness during a race versus practice, but practice will take that away. Hell, I even caught myself shaking on the sticks a little during this race. You have got to practice as if you are racing. I think the biggest thing for beginners to overcome is the start line time that you have. To eliminate your fears, check your glow plug and your reciever battery before you go out. Invest in one of those glow igniters that indicate that your plug is good without taking your plug out. Make sure you are full of fuel before going out. I bet if you have someone time you while you are starting your plane during practice, you would be surprised how little time it actually takes. Another word of advise when starting is go ahead and give it full throttle before starting. I take it you use an electric starter, right? If someone is holding your plane, with the tail down, let them know you are full throttle on start. That's how they do it in the for the big league 428 and 422 racing - - they have no low throttle, it's either WOT or not at all. Third word of advise is throws. Do not, and I repeat, do not race with the aileron and elevator throws as recommended in the building instructions. These are for sport flying only! Good starting point is about 1/4" up and down for the elevator and ailerons. You want to be using your whole stick on your radio to bank (aileron throw) and yank (elevator throw). This is what makes you consistent. In fact, when setting up your elevator and aileron servos, always use the inner most hole on the shortest arm provided for the servos. This should be your low rate at 1/4" thow, or maybe less. 3/8" at the most should be your high throw for landing, but you will probably never need it. Last word of advise, balance the plane a little tail heavy then recommended by at least an 1/8" to 1/4" back from the plans optimum. This allows you to have smaller elevator throw to whip the plane around the pylons. Instead of a 1/4", maybe now with this aft CG it is only 3/16" of throw. Less throw on the control surfaces to achieve the same radius turn means less drag thru the corners and more speed coming out. Word of warning though, don't make it so tail heavy that it snaps on full throws! I have got a couple of more easy items to help you out, (no they do not include cheating). Write to me by email and I will tell you. My email was on the flyer. Thanks, Mike W
Posted on: 10/3/2009 8:20 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9144311

RE: TEXAS CITY CLUB 40 & AMA 424 RACE
Sorry for the delay folks. Here are the results: For four rounds Roccaforte, Don - 16 points - 1:33.00 Walther, Mike - 14 points - 1:32.00 Leslie, Steve - 14 points - 1:33.93 Brown, Randy - 12 points - 1:30.66 Petrinic, Bob - 12 points - 1:29.87 Fast Time for the day Buckalew, Mike - 12 points - 1:49.75 Dziedzic, Ted - 11 points - 1:41.53 Desardi, Eric - 9 points - 1:37.81 Weiss, Mark - 8 points - 1:54.40 Hopson, Ken - 6 points - 1:46.72 Currie, Larry - 4 points - 1:35.31 Vance, Phil - 3 points - 1:42.87 Fisher, Gary - 3 points - 1:53.10 Rehwald, Richard - 2 points 2:11.22 Reynolds, Pat - 0 After the elimination rounds, the final places were as follows: 1. Roccaforte 2. Petrinic 3. Leslie 4. Walther 5. Brown 6. Desardi 7. Buckalew 8. Dziedzic 9. Currie 10. Weiss 11. Hopson 12. Vance 13. Fisher 14. Rehwald 15. Reynolds There was quite a bit of attrition. I can think of at least 4 lost during the races. One spectacular midair resulted in one plane demolished and the other with just a broken prop. Pretty amazing. Apparently the plane that survived center punched the other thru its fuse. Another crashed straight in and buried the fuse up to the wing. It took a shovel to dig it out. The field was pretty soft from the recent rains. The racing was tight and competitive, especially during the later rounds and during the elimination rounds. Anyway, thanks to all that came and we are looking forward to another race soon. Mike W.
Posted on: 10/1/2009 10:59 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9140212

RE: BATERY
Yep, I mis stated an item in my last post. I agree two cell 7.4 volt lipo needs a regulator. That's why I personally like the 5 cell NiMh packs for quickees because it doesn't need a regulator. That's what I meant to say.
Posted on: 10/1/2009 10:12 AM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Q-500 Racing"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9138358

RE: BATERY
In addition to my battery recommendation, I ask the question, why do you need to add a regulator for a 2 cell lipo for your Viper? It is over kill in my opinion to even have Lipo in your Quickee Vipor. I have got to thinking about total flight time for a Quikee racer, 424, during an event. Lets say you have a total of 1 minute on the ground while running before launch. Lets say you have 30 seconds before that while the radio is on. Flight time during racing is no longer than 2 minutes at worst. To land, we are looking at max 1:30 minutes. This makes for a total radio/transmitter time of 5 minutes for each round or flight. Keep in mind, the average .40 to .60 size sport plane flier is up in the air about 10 minutes at most with 500 mah battery. Lets say he is really good at 3d with this plane, so he is operating all four channels including throttle and rudder for at least four flights or so on a given day. That is about 40 minutes of flying. Now, lets look at a Quickee. First of all, rudder and throttle are rarely use. Second, flight times per round are 5 minutes only. The sport flier has 40 minutes for a 500 mah battery, operating all four servos continously, while the Pylon racer has a total of 25 minutes for a five round race that does not include excessive operation of the the rudder and throttle. In conclusion, I think your Lipo with regulator is overkill. Keep in mind, when racing, KISS applies very strongly, (Keep it Simple Stupid), and a regulator is just adding to another thing that can go wrong. Another item I add on my racers is an external Earnst charge jack/battery checker. This allows you to recharge and check the batteries externally without taking the wing off. I always check my fuel, glow plug and battery before coming out to the line before every race. Even the best batteries can go bad if the wire between the cells is bad between flights for whatever reason. It is something that can happen. This is just what I do and has worked pretty well. I have only lost pylon racers due to midairs and only a few times during a bad take off. That's racing. You just got to eliminate the items within your control that can take you out of winning a race, each and every time,and then you will start to win - - eventually. Mike W
Posted on: 9/30/2009 10:08 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Q-500 Racing"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9137328

RE: rule proposals
As far as the 424 rules proposed, I don't see any problem with this. The main item I liked was leaving the $100 with the CD, that way the contestant in question has no idea who challengend him. It is somewhat of a sham that we have to resort to these kind of rules for this class, or any class for that matters. Afterall, this is not NASCAR where 100s of 1000s of $'s are involved. This is strictly for flying skill and determination, to recognize that the best man wins for that day. From what I experienced, it is often the best pilots win, but sometimes the best get beat out. That is only because someone was on top of their game that weekend, and the expert racer was not. In 424, I wouldn't think that you could cheat that much, without being obvious, to make that much of a difference. I am not opposed to this rule, I just question why we need it, and I may be ignorant of a lot of injustice at other races. Just my opinion, and take no offense. Thanks, Mike W
Posted on: 9/30/2009 9:16 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9137178

RE: BATERY
Does the image show? It is supposed be a 400 NiMh 5 cell 2/3 AA pack from www.radicalrc.com. Works great in Quickies and QMs. Not a lot of room taken and very reliable, and enough mah for 5 flights at least.
Posted on: 9/30/2009 1:56 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Q-500 Racing"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9136132

RE: rule proposals
It seems to me that this guy who proposed 11-2 it has somewhat of an agenda. I am in favor of slowing 428 down, but to limit it to a .47 engine for a $100 is ridiculous. It just does not make sense to me. I especially take offense to the statement that "the dominant 428 engine is no longer available". Yeah so what Nelson is done in 428 and 422. What about Jett? I think his engines were just as competitive with the Nelsons. So this rule would totally exclude Jett out of the deal when he has done so much to promote pylon racing and provide an alternative to Nelson. Again, I am in favor of slowing 428 down, but to do so with .47 $100 engine is ludicrous. I should not make a big deal about it because I believe the voting comittee would never vote for this.
Posted on: 9/29/2009 7:08 AM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9131681

RE: rule proposals
Skull, Good points on all counts. I see where you are coming from. Personally, I don't think there should be a 424 class if 428 was slow enough for entry level, as it was 20 years ago. However, back then, people would buy several motors, whether it be Super Tiger, K&B, Rossi, etc. and bench test each one of them, and/or combine parts from each of the half dozen engines they bought to make a select few killer engines. As you are aware, this is called blue printing an engine in the hot rod industry. The advantage of the Nelson/Jett engines was they did that for you in one engine for $300+ bucks instead of buying several $75 engines and spending the time to get the equivalent to one of theirs. I think a well made hand crafted .40 engine for 428 with no tuned muffler, and a wooden fuselage no better than the Revolutions you used to be able to get is about right for Q-500. The speeds would be a little better than 424, probably around 140 to 150 mph. Again, as you know, I would like to see the speeds slow enough to where the old Scat Cat air frame would be competitive, at it once was several years ago. The Scat Cats look more like a real plane than the NemiQs, Vortexs, etc. Maybe that is what this author of 11-2 is after, I just don't think it is the right approach. Mike W
Posted on: 9/28/2009 11:11 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9131877

RE: Club 40 race at Georgetown TX Oct 17 2009
Bob, Thanks for you and your fellow flyers from the Central Texas area for participating in our event at Texas City RC Club. I plan on participating in your event as well this October 17th. I will write to you by email to give my preregristration info. Thanks, Mike W
Posted on: 9/26/2009 10:24 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9126388

RE: TEXAS CITY CLUB 40 & AMA 424 RACE
Mark, Is the 424 race on a 2 pole 575' long course like we had talked about previously? Mike
Posted on: 9/12/2009 2:45 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "General Racing Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9089732

RE: Starting clock for Club 40 Race Horse Starts
[quote]ORIGINAL: Big Jim63265 Thanks I thought I had missed out on something. I could not figure out what you meant by Race horse start. I thought you meant that all planes were taking off at the same time. [/quote] As long as I have been flying pylon racing as far back as ten years ago, we have always had a staggered start on the start/finish line. The stagger was no more than 1/2 second or less. The flagman waved the flag down for lanes 1 and 3 and immediately up for lanes 2 and 4. Like I said before, between 1 and 3, and then 2 and 4, there was no more than a fuse length in distance on takeoff. It was just enough to spread out the planes for a decent ROG takeoff and really did not matter much on the final time and place. The next round, lanes 2 and 4 took off a "1/2 second" first. So everyone had equal chances on taking off a 1/2 second or less off. So when I say a race horse start, I mean that within a flag drop and up stagger. NMPRA does this the same way at Phoenix and even the NATS in Muncie. Mike W
Posted on: 9/9/2009 10:26 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9083026

RE: Starting clock for Club 40 Race Horse Starts
I misused some terminology here. I should have said staggered ROG, or rise off ground, start. Sorry about that.
Posted on: 9/5/2009 8:41 AM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9071310

RE: Starting clock for Club 40 Race Horse Starts
[quote]ORIGINAL: still4given Ok, one more question, you sat that the planes take off toward pylon one. What if that is down wind? Forgive me if I am asking stupid questions, I have not seen a race where the race horse start was used. Maybe if I had I would not be asking these things. What is the main reason for using a race horse start? More exciting, takes less time? Thanks, Terry [/quote] If it is down wind you can do three things. Ignore it and still take off down wind if the wind is not that strong. If the plane is held and at wide open throttle before the flag drops, it's not much of an issue. Even the Club 40 planes will lift off the ground within 20 ft. or less. If the wind is stronger you can either reverse the course if the club field layout will allow it to be feasible, or takeoff towards pylon 2 at a slight angle. Just have to inform the lap counters that the visual start finish line is on the backside of the course as the planes are headed toward pylon 2. Usually, the wind direction is not much of a problem as the layout is made, and most club fields are layed out that the predominant takeoff direction is towards the right into the prevailing winds of the geographical area. Main reason for race horse starts is that is how NMPRA was developed from way back when. The fullout Q500 and Q40 planes only run at WOT, or not at all. They have no throttle. Club 40 and sport Q500 are off shoots of these rule book events. Even though these planes have throttle, they never really use it. These slower classes were meant to develop the pilot to the all out Q500 and Q40 classes. I have never been to a warbird or other race where they use the flying start, so I can not say whether they take less time or are more exciting. Mike W
Posted on: 9/4/2009 9:33 AM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9069015

RE: Starting clock for Club 40 Race Horse Starts
[quote]ORIGINAL: still4given How do you determine the order of a staggered start? You don't have a staggered finish do you? Trying to get my head wrapped around this and wondering how this can be better than a flying start. [/quote] When you stagger the starts, the first round lanes 1 and 3 take off first, the second round lanes 2 and 4 take off first. And the process is repeated every other round. Everyone stays in the same lane thru out the rounds so everyone gets equal first starts. As far as the stagger, it is only maybe a slit second, just enough time to get the planes seperated by a fuse length. As far as the 60 second clock thing, maybe that's too short. 90 seconds may be about right for beginners. However, if all the pilots are ready to go before that time, I usually instruct the flag man to wave them off. It makes no sense to have all 4 planes running on the ground for a full minute if everyone is started and in their pilots box ready to go after 30 seconds of clock time. Another solution to making it easier on the pilots is to have the start line just to the right of the pilots boxes. This also keeps people from being in front of the planes when they are taking off to the right (referring to Don's map here for left and right). With this distance, the pilot in lane 1 has the furthest to run, probably no more than 75'. This is shorter than the three pole course where people have to go at least 100' from the start line to between 2 and 3 pylon where everyone prefers to be at.
Posted on: 9/3/2009 7:46 AM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9065993

RE: Starting clock for Club 40 Race Horse Starts
Don, I am not familiar with your site and this may be a stupid question, but if you kept the start line and pilot call area in the "middle" so to speak and just shifted the 1 and 2 pylon over to the left, wouldn't it accomplish the same offset. Basically, the way Chuck Waller and Jim Duda set it up is to have #2 pylon at a 0' datum line, start finish and pilots station anywhere from 250' to 300' datum line witn #1 being at a 400' datum line. Even with the offset from #2 pylon, we did not use turn lights. 300' is close enough for the caller to just "eyeball it" and judge when to call "ready, turn". Sure, people overshoot #2 at the beginning of an event, but it gets tighter and tighter as the day wears on, then when people start cutting, they know they pushed the limit.
Posted on: 8/31/2009 12:18 PM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9058835

RE: Starting clock for Club 40 Race Horse Starts
Don, In the Texas area, we have shifted the start finish line over to the right too. This puts it just in front of the pilots. Yes, you will have almost immediately start your turn after takeoff to go around #1 pylon, but that does not seem to be an issue with us. This gives the pilots less than 75' or so to get to there places after start up and if you shift the start finish line just a bit more to the right, you can have all the pilot stations behind the planes, by 5 ot 10'.
Posted on: 8/31/2009 7:57 AM by Author "mdwpylonracer42h" in the forum "Club 40"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9058274