Pylon Racing is so cool!!!

[gofastclint]

I love Pylon Racing, I can sit for hours and watch youtube videos and documentaries on it and its the only motorsport my wife enjoys. We have already decided on going to Perth for the next one in 2010. she prefers the Red Bull style and I like Reno stye racing, both are great.

 

Just like in motorcross, if you cant race you do freestyle (Travis Pastrana excluded as he is a freak) its the same with aerobatics BORING! sure, a well executed maneuver is great to watch, and each time someone pushes the envelope with something new its great, but I can watch 1000s of laps at Reno as each one is different and exciting but with aerobatics the same move gets boring after 5 times.

 

The ultimate test of man and machine is racing, and in my opinion Air Racing is at the top of the list for cool.

 

I would love to see more of it here in Australia,

 

It would be cool to have a racing class called Aussie-F1, with planes like the Cassutt, Sonerai, GR7, AR-6 and so on powered by a stock Jabiru 3300 to keep it Aussie and a little bit faster, racing around a Reno style 2 mile oval.

 

I would make sure I was at a fly in if there was a feature race. the start up cost of a Cassutt with a Jab 3300 is just under $50k, much cheaper than any profesional motor sport.

 

1 round per state so no one has to travel too far, knowing a local event would be happening once a year.

 

I really value the coments of the members of this forum and as of yet I have not met any ding bats like most other forums. So what do you think of Aussie-F1 fellas?

 

 

[Barefootpilot]

It was tried in Tassie in the early 90's (I think) It was reasonably popular but those lovely people at CASA deemed it to unsafe and stoped it happening again. They had CT-4's, Beech and a few others. (I think it was called air race tasmania)

 

I have often wondered about it myself and though that the RAA side may have a shot at getting it going as our Regs state that we can do not have to 500' restriction if we have the property owners approval. So we could have our Drifters/Jabs/Technams down in the grass doing laps but then I think it would struggle to get public interest unfortunatly but count me in if you do!

 

Adam.

 

 

[Barefootpilot]

And I forgot the mention try a search for "Project Top Secret" it was an Aussie entry from Bankstown in Reno last year. It was a highly modified Lanceair although I didn't hear how they went.

 

 

[gofastclint]

Maybe if it started out as time trials and worked its way up to racing and those breakable pylons add to the safety too.

 

Only need around 8 plans to have a race series, once that happens it will snow ball.

 

 

[Tomo]

I would like to see the hight to at least 500ft, if I was a participant (I like the idea myself) I wouldn't like flying around a course at no less than 500ft...It would be fun doing it at that height, but not safe.

 

The height level wasn't put there to be annoying, it is the height for which you should be able to get yourself out of any serious problems.

 

Just my 2 cents ( + GST )

 

 

[gofastclint]

It would be cool at 500', have the viewing for spectators on the side of a hill so they can see better.

 

 

[Barefootpilot]

The problem is at 500' you end up cutting corners as its hard to judge going around the pylons thats why they end up down bellow 200'. Flying at reno requires a fair bit of training everyone there has advanced low level plus formation and aerobatics and then they can try and go to race school if reno will let them!

 

There is a video on youtube of 2 Xairs running around pylons which looks great it would be possible and very cheap to do. One on one races in this type of aircraft they would be reasonably matched so close races and have a nice open area where you can land anywhere if something goes wrong.

 

I have actaully thought about this a fair bit in the past but just don't see the regulators letting us do it. I've even found a very nice spot to do it for those of you near canberra just to the north west there is a big dry lake bed with hills all around it which would work very well. But I just don't see it happening unforntualy (legally and in the public eye that is ) And no I'm not suggesting that we do it illegally out of the public eye!!!!

 

Adam

 

 

[gofastclint]

The problem is at 500' you end up cutting corners as its hard to judge going around the pylons thats why they end up down bellow 200'. Flying at reno requires a fair bit of training everyone there has advanced low level plus formation and aerobatics and then they can try and go to race school if reno will let them! There is a video on youtube of 2 Xairs running around pylons which looks great it would be possible and very cheap to do. One on one races in this type of aircraft they would be reasonably matched so close races and have a nice open area where you can land anywhere if something goes wrong.

 

I have actaully thought about this a fair bit in the past but just don't see the regulators letting us do it. I've even found a very nice spot to do it for those of you near canberra just to the north west there is a big dry lake bed with hills all around it which would work very well. But I just don't see it happening unforntualy (legally and in the public eye that is ) And no I'm not suggesting that we do it illegally out of the public eye!!!!

 

Adam

I cant believe you mentioned that dry lake, Its my favorite place on earth, I told my wife last time we drove past there I want to build a house on the hill overlooking that place.

 

 

[slartibartfast]

I used to windsurf on that dry lake bed. It wasn't always dry.

 

Dodging the fence posts was the only tough bit.

 

Otherwise, miles of open water.

 

Made for smooth ridge soaring on the western side in an easterly too.

 

Don't forget we have a time trial at Old Bar in 2 weeks.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Back in the bad ol days (sigh) we had a course around the old st marys strip. the lower the better. occasionally some dirt bikes would join in. all safe fun at 30mph. would not attempt it that low in the new types now flying.

 

Thomo, get a sense of adventure.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[Tomo]

Thomo, get a sense of adventure.

Ozzie

Haha, Yeah It would be great fun... but I don't want to end up killing myself in the process...

 

500ft would be easy to cut corners, but I think there is a way around that some how...i_dunno

 

 

[gofastclint]

Not naming any names as most drifter guys will know him, that mad cowboy from Lismore "King Drifter" I remember sitting in the front of his drifter at about 40knots clipping weeds at full yaw side to side fish tailing and bunny hopping wire fences. It was so much fun. Low flying is great. I think a drifter class world be great, it would be fun to get a heap of mustering pilots in on the action.

 

 

[Tomo]

I was thinking (while in the shower..!) what would be fun, safe, and at the same time, competitive... and I had this thought, what if you had two landing fields reasonably close by... (private one's, or somewhere you could regulate traffic), and have time trails flying from one field, then over to the next one, land and taxi around a set marker, take off and land back at the starting point...

 

That way you can fly at what ever height you want, test out your taxiing skills and take off and landing distances as well (times starts when the plane starts moving, to when it stops)

 

What do you all reckon about that...not pylon racing as such, but still would be a bunch of fun...

 

 

[gofastclint]

I was thinking (while in the shower..!) what would be fun, safe, and at the same time, competitive... and I had this thought, what if you had two landing fields reasonably close by... (private one's, or somewhere you could regulate traffic), and have time trails flying from one field, then over to the next one, land and taxi around a set marker, take off and land back at the starting point...That way you can fly at what ever height you want, test out your taxiing skills and take off and landing distances as well (times starts when the plane starts moving, to when it stops)

 

What do you all reckon about that...not pylon racing as such, but still would be a bunch of fun...

Air Racing in general is great.

 

Taking off from one point and flying to another one would be great. Point to point. You wouldn't be able to have landing as part of the racing as people would come in too hot and get messed up.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Attended an event in 1984 in Arizonia called "The great Arizonia Air race". I still have the poster. It was only the second UL event I had ever attended. A whole bunch of us packed into a motorhome with a Glider trailer full of Planes behind, and drove from California to Pheonix.

 

It was an amazing weekend with about the same number of ULs that you see at Narromine now. The "air race" was about a 12 mile course, about 50 laps around the desert, and started with around 120 entrants. Only around 20-30 were there at the end, such was the engine reliability then. One pilot was killed during the race, when a tip rudder control cable broke. One of our gang crashed his aircraft also, so we had to cart the wreckage all the way back to CA. The "race" was actually flown at about 200 ft most of the time, and was more a 'Bathurst' style endurance race, as not much had any real speed back then.

 

I had not yet learnt to fly, and although very helpfull all weekend, I definitly felt that I was the only person there who couldn't fly, or was lucky enough to actually own an aircraft.

 

Other memorable memories of that weekend other than the amazing 'race' were:......

 

The prototype Sadler Vampire being presented (not flyable)

 

The prototype American Aerolight Falcon Cunard being present ,flying, and racing.

 

A chance meeting with Bryan Allan who peddaled the 'Gossermer Albatros' across the English channel just a few years earlier.

 

My first sight of a Lazair.

 

Watching the amazing 'Kasperwing ' do it's thing.

 

Witnessing an inflight demo of a ballistic parachute deployment. Failed 1st time!.(connection with aircraft broke)

 

Witnessing the 2nd successfull attempt, with a descent all the way to the ground.

 

Seeing several 'new' UL designs that were never ever seen again !.

 

As far as I can remember there was never another "Great Arizonia Air Race"

 

 

[gofastclint]

Attended an event in 1984 in Arizonia called "The great Arizonia Air race". I still have the poster. It was only the second UL event I had ever attended. A whole bunch of us packed into a motorhome with a Glider trailer full of Planes behind, and drove from California to Pheonix.It was an amazing weekend with about the same number of ULs that you see at Narromine now. The "air race" was about a 12 mile course, about 50 laps around the desert, and started with around 120 entrants. Only around 20-30 were there at the end, such was the engine reliability then. One pilot was killed during the race, when a tip rudder control cable broke. One of our gang crashed his aircraft also, so we had to cart the wreckage all the way back to CA. The "race" was actually flown at about 200 ft most of the time, and was more a 'Bathurst' style endurance race, as not much had any real speed back then.

 

I had not yet learnt to fly, and although very helpfull all weekend, I definitly felt that I was the only person there who couldn't fly, or was lucky enough to actually own an aircraft.

 

Other memorable memories of that weekend other than the amazing 'race' were:......

 

The prototype Sadler Vampire being presented (not flyable)

 

The prototype American Aerolight Falcon Cunard being present ,flying, and racing.

 

A chance meeting with Bryan Allan who peddaled the 'Gossermer Albatros' across the English channel just a few years earlier.

 

My first sight of a Lazair.

 

Watching the amazing 'Kasperwing ' do it's thing.

 

Witnessing an inflight demo of a ballistic parachute deployment. Failed 1st time!.

 

Witnessing the 2nd successfull attempt, with a descent all the way to the ground.

 

Seeing several 'new' UL designs that were never ever seen again !.

 

As far as I can remember there was never another "Great Arizonia Air Race"

great, so while I'm getting potty trained the Major is off witnessing an great happening in aviation lol.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Gofastclint, Sorry that I am a '51 model, but one of the joys of getting old, by flying safe I suppose.......or being lucky ???

 

 

[gofastclint]

Has anyone seen the movie "On Any Sunday" in the desert racing scene 5000 motorcycle riders take of in a line, great scene. If you could get say 10 or more planes flying in a row at a fixed rate of speed, then a call over the radio, when all the planes are lined up "GO" with no warning so no one jumps the gun. Race from one poing to another. Break it into class and have some fun.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

keep it legal

 

Uh oh it's the police.

 

 

 

[pylon500]

Looks like I'll have to be more active on the site, lest I get forgotten!

 

Have a look at my older website (haven't figured out how to drive my new one), then have a look at my avatar.

 

You could also checkout my building log at this site.

 

Kits are still a while off as I'm doing many things at once..

 

I should point out that I only intend to sell kits as a 'Sporting Recreational Plane', and that all comments in my old site are suggestive only.

 

I doubt that we will ever really have control over our sport, so I doubt that we will ever race, but if you want something faster and with more room than a Sapphire, this may be the plane you want.

 

Arthur.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Ozzie those coppers aren't going to catch much in a Lazair, unless they fit a couple of those little turbines to it. They would have the fuel burn to loiter a bit though. Would there need to be a little donut warmer in there somewhere ?...........