Well guys on the field have been telling me to post this here so here ya go. Our local club has started a GWS warbird pylon series this spring and it has been growing. Here is the format:

The Course:
From pylon to pylon the distance is 300 feet (or 100 yards).
The heat consists of 7 laps and with an air start and countdown to the startline.
If a pylon is cut, a line judge calls out the plane and the pilot must immediatly recircle the cut pylon.
4 planes max to a heat.

The Planes:
Must be a GWS WWII Warbird.
No major modifications to the airframe such as fiberglassing or streamlining.
Must land and takeoff on landing gear.
Max speed is 40mph static. (rpm X pitch divided by 1056)


Our official meets are the last Sunday of the month. We currently have about 8 pilots in active status with about 2 to 3 in current construction of their racers. In December we will end the 2007 season and begin anew around April or May. The 40mph speed seems to be perfect for getting new pilots interested and involved. Our club is having a blast with it and it is really becoming organized and gaining more leverage with the club. Below are some of the pics from the program.

I started this thread to see if other clubs/organizations would want to pursue such a program, or if they already have one, they can post their info here. This would be a good way to discuss Pylon racing programs, motor/battery configurations and just to see what other clubs are doing out there. This is a fun and easy way to get introduced to the world of pylon racing, so post what you got and what you know.

sure looks like alot of fun. guess i need to get another corsair

does it have to be a GWS motor?

any thoughts into a "unlimited" series of GWS birds?

You can use any motor you want as long as the combination does not exceed 40mph. We had an unlimited class before, but for the venue the planes were too fast (70+ mph), and too many people were intimidated. It is not that fun when only 3 racers are on the field. Now we have 4 times the racers and it is just as fun. Maybe we will have an unlimited class in the future, but for now it just did not work out.

Here is a photo of some of our pylon racing members at our last official meet. I came in second (red 109), while the brown 109 came in first. I have some video of the race that I will post on here later. This is some fun stuff guys.

Looks like a total blast for sure!

Great idea,
I want to get something like that going at my feild. No modifications to the airframe but hand launchiing is ok. I have my GWS mustang ready for racing. Boy does she go .

Neil

Thanks!

Glad to see you guy enjoy to fly with GWS!

Originally Posted by neil waterman

Great idea,
I want to get something like that going at my feild. No modifications to the airframe but hand launchiing is ok. I have my GWS mustang ready for racing. Boy does she go .

Neil

It takes a little work at the beginning, but once you start doing it others get interested and involved. When we started doing it we only had 3 racers, now we have about 10 with more getting interested. The key is to keep it easy and cheap for new pilots to get into it.

Originally Posted by Jake Williams

It takes a little work at the beginning, but once you start doing it others get interested and involved. When we started doing it we only had 3 racers, now we have about 10 with more getting interested. The key is to keep it easy and cheap for new pilots to get into it.

I agree, Keeping it cheap and fun is the key. Otherwise the guys with deep pockets will be the only ones having fun. I was thinking of having a course set up for time trial flying with people based at each turn to deduct time for cutting the corners. NO aero's , just Four laps with the fasteset overall time. Initial start timing is made from a level flight pass. Leveling out from a dive before the start would be OK. Hand launch would be OK.
Having a time trial race I think might bring people in who are a bit worried of a mid flight contact as destroying even a cheap plane hurts the wallet.

Neil

Originally Posted by neil waterman

I agree, Keeping it cheap and fun is the key. Otherwise the guys with deep pockets will be the only ones having fun. I was thinking of having a course set up for time trial flying with people based at each turn to deduct time for cutting the corners. NO aero's , just Four laps with the fasteset overall time. Initial start timing is made from a level flight pass. Leveling out from a dive before the start would be OK. Hand launch would be OK.
Having a time trial race I think might bring people in who are a bit worried of a mid flight contact as destroying even a cheap plane hurts the wallet.

Neil

That sounds like a great idea. I know in the gas world of racing, some have a breakout time that they cannot go under. This makes it a bit interesting because you have a set time to complete your laps...say like 1 minute and 30 second to complete 4 laps. The idea is to get as close to 1 minute and 30 seconds, but not to go below it. If you complete the laps at say.. 1 minute and 28 seconds your disqualified, which is called a breakout. They do this for the different classes of racing, such as Bronze, Silver and Gold. Bronze has the highest time and Gold has the shortest. When I saw the Bronze racing I thought it was fast, until I saw the Gold, Oh My God! Give it a try and post back and let us know how it is going.

Here is the video link that I "Youtubed." It is the final heat for our official meet in November. In the race is me and two other pilots. I came in second. The light was a little tough on the left pylon, but it was worse in the video than in real life. Check it out.

November Electric Pylon Meet 2007 (1 min 54 sec)

Great stuff!
What do you use for pylons?

Phil

Originally Posted by Smokin' Beaver

Great stuff!
What do you use for pylons?

Phil

Great Question Phil!

We made our own pylon out of foam, and electricial conduit (metal piping). They are about 20 feet tall. We got the foam for free from a place in one of the nearby towns that makes jacuzzi tops. They have tons of this stuff and give the scraps away for free, and they are huge scraps. It is pretty durable foam and easy to repair if you smash a plane into it . Here are some pics to show you. In the video they are hard to see, but they are there. In real life they are easy to see in your peripheral vision with the red and white markings on them. Check out the pics.

That's great Jake, cheers for that.
Where I fly at the local park with a few mates, we are just starting to try things other than plain solo stuff.


thanks for sharing the fun around - Phil

great pics too btw.
I have a GWS Me109 exact same as the one near the pylon!
small world this....