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Snohomish Radio Aero Club AMA #650 Bellow is some info on the "Spec - Brushless" pylon racing class we plan to fly this year. Note - these models will be roughly comparable to last years S-400 powered models in overall flight speed, but will be easier to launch and land. Also, electric models will not fly against gas models this year. How we got "electrics" where they are today... a history of SRAC / Electric Pylon evolution: At the end of the 04/05 season it was made clear to electric pilots that racing electrics vs. gas in the same class wasn't going to work for the long run. The best case solution was to get more electric flyers to show up, and run electrics in their own class. We've done that. in fact we have WAY more interested then initially thought. One of the other options was to allow brushless systems, but force electric flyers to use converted ½ glow (423 legal) airframes. We knew this would be possible, so with the help of others the GLH-E (Dave Beardsley's) came to life. He stuck a brushless power system in it, Long time 1/2A GLH Pilot Roy Stubbs flew it, and was confident it would be competitive with the glow models. However, the power system required to haul the GLH's draggy airframe around the race course at competitive speeds, is NOT what we are using in the commercially available "speed-400" models. If we did, they'd be going well over 110 MPH - not what we want. Shortly after Roy and Dave proved the GLH-E would work, it became clear that almost few would take time to build one. Mostly because converting a 1/2A glow design requires some "scratch building skills " and shop time that few of us have. Especially when you can buy a molded electric "speed-400" model for about $130.00, and there are over 20 to choices from. Bottom line, very few had time / or skills to build up a converted 1/2A model, they'd all rather blow ~$130.00 and sit in the TV room with wife and kids, then build in the shop. Once this was realized this (and reviewed with our event CD) the idea of "spec-brushless" came along. As it has in other clubs across the country - the spec brushless class has taken hold like wild fire, now we've got 15 new pilots ready to race. We're not sure that they will all show, but to grow from 2 electrics last year, to potentially 17 this year is pretty cool. It makes sense - when you consider the price, availability, and design verity of the planes, combined with the explosion of small brushless / Li-poly systems (from the park flyers) - its very easy to get involved in racing for not much money. Rules and Info: Where we fly: What we fly: Spec class power system – we will ALL be using this system. PLEASE NOTE: As you read info on these models via the web, remember the vendors are interested in selling the fastest, most bad ass version of these planes possible. Consequently, you’ll read things like “capable of speeds above 160 MPH”. You might even see a video or two of the models in flight, tearing up the sky at blistering speeds, sounding like a missile as it passes by the camera. While it’s true these models will go that fast, the spec class power system WILL NOT fly the model at those speeds. The power system we’ve selected is well suited to CLUB LEVEL racing and the AVERAGE sport pilot. You’ll need intermediate piloting skills, and should comfortable flying aileron controlled models to safely pilot these planes. PLEASE REMEMBER – using the power system we’ve selected, these models are light weight, easy to launch, and easy to land. The Pitch speed of the prop is ~70 MPH, estimated top speed of the plane in straight flight is about 85 MPH. Below I have broken down the models into 3 categories based on pilot skill required to fly safely. As a reference, Brendon flew a Sprint last year, and I flew a Stinger. The Stinger required a lot of attention and I would NOT recommend it as a “first” model. Later in the year I switched to the Voodoo. The Voodoo is significantly larger then the Stinger, and thus easier to fly and land. I had more fun flying the Voodoo because I wasn’t as drained at the end of the races. Models well suited to this class are: Beginner / easy to handle:
Mid level Skills required to fly:
Must be fighter pilot to fly these:
Radio Gear: Any RX that will fit. Popular choices include the Hi-Tech Electron Six, Berg 5, FMA M5, Sombra Labs Shadow, JR770, JR700, etc….. Servos: http://www.nesail.com/detail.php?productID=2826 Ailerons – any servo with 10oz in torque or more. Good site – for reference: Building Notes: SRAC safety is our top priority. Take your time when building your electric racer. These models are fast, and need to have accurate, stiff, slop free control surfaces. In many of these models, you must GLUE your servos in with STRONG epoxy. Rough up the matting surfaces before you glue in the servo and clean the area with alcohol.
Before the next race at SRAC all the models will go through a quick inspection just to be sure everything is safe. Spec Electric pylon, Sat 10/8/05 Testing Notes: We had a successful morning of testing at the SRAC field today. Here are some
For those of you who wish to fly AMA 423 legal airframes in the spec class, (Scott - this is you), Please see Bob at Galaxy for your gear. You system will included (* indicates limitation of the rules)
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