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RC Pylon Racing: Turn Left – And Fly Fast!

Recently, I attended a radio-controlled model-aircraft pylon race. I was not prepared for the excitement of the event. Both during and after the event, I wanted to know more about RC pylon racing. I talked with pilots, callers, and course workers. To learn even more, I decided to dig into the Academy of Model Aeronautics(AMA) rules and regulations for pylon racing.

A pylon race course is defined by three pylons. Each pylon is between 15-20 feet high. Pylon-1 is positioned at one end of the course near a signal board. The start/finish line is positioned 508 feet from Pylon #1 down the center of the course and 100 feet from a line connecting pylons #2 and #3. Pylons #2 and #3 were separated by 100 feet and formed the end of a triangular course.

Ten laps around the course equals 2.5 miles. The actual distance flown around the course probably varies between about 3 to 3.5 miles. This is so because the aircraft fly in loops around the pylons, have to fly around and pass traffic, and change altitude for one reason or another. The pilots fly their aircraft around the course in a counterclockwise direction, making sharp, left-hand turns only.

The course length was selected to result in 10-lap times between one minute (fast pace) and two minutes (slow pace for beginners). For the quickest aircraft, the speed around the course is typically between 180-200mph.

The signal board is equipped with red lights to signal when a pilot’s aircraft “breaks the gate.” The “gate” is a line from pylon-1 to the “flaggers” position not less than 300 feet away. As an aircraft passes this line, a flagger activates a light for pilot’s assigned lane. A pilot seeing his signal knew that he could make his turn at pylon-1 without “cutting.” There are also two white lights on the board for each of the four lanes. These are used to indicate a “cut” (a turn on the inside of a pylon). The cut lights are also controlled by the flaggers.

The start/finish line for the race has four lanes: a maximum of four pilots can participate at once. The lanes are designated according to where, on an aircraft, an identifying red or green decal is applied.

If you visualize an aircraft in front of you during a sharp left-hand bank away from you and around a pylon, one end of the wing will be higher than the other. Aircraft in Lane 1 or 2 have a decal on the low end of the wing; aircraft in Lane 3 or 4 have a decal on the high end of the wing.

Pilots apply a decal according to their assigned starting-lane position for a heat as follows:

Lane-1, green decal on the low end of the wing,
Lane-2, red decal on the low end of the wing,
Lane-3, green decal on the high end of the wing, and
Lane-4, red decal on the high end of the wing

A matching color scheme is used to indicate the lanes on the signal board.

Course judges use the decals to identify each aircraft. For example, a “Cut Judge” might report a cut like this, “Cut on high red.”

Before the races begin, the pilots perform last minute checks on their aircraft, fuel them, and apply the colored decal.

The Contest Director (CD) conducts short informational meetings for both course workers and pilots. The course workers include cut judges, fueling supervisor, flaggers, and timers/lap counters.

After the meetings, the course workers occupy their stations around the course and the pilots for the first heat are driven to the start/finish line.

Everyone on the course is required to wear a hard hat for safety. Also, for safety, all course-worker stations are a minimum of 300 feet from the race course.

When the pilots are positioned at the start/finish line, a 60-second timer is started. Pilots have just one minute to start their engines and prepare for takeoff.

Pilots are prepared for takeoff when their aircraft engines are started and they are facing pylon #1 with both hands on the radio transmitter. Pilots not prepared for takeoff before the timer runs out are disqualified for the heat. As soon as all pilots are in position and ready to control their aircraft, the starter gives the signal to launch, and the heat begins.

From the start of a heat until the end, the aircraft run “flat-out.” There is no remote-throttle control to vary the engine’s speed

During the race, the pilot’s partner, the caller, is of critical assistance to the pilot. In addition to launching the aircraft, and because the pilot’s attention is so focused on controlling the aircraft, the caller determines when the pilot should commence a turn around a pylon and calls this out to the pilot. Pilot and caller teams typically have long-time associations, and are often family members.

Cut judges are assigned to each pylon in order to insure that the aircraft turn outside the pylons instead of “cutting” inside a pylon during a turn. One “cut” requires an extra lap around the course for a pilot’s aircraft; two “cuts” disqualifies the pilot’s aircraft from the heat. Cuts are indicated to pilots by the white lights on the signal board. When a pilot or pilot’s caller sees a cut light for the assigned lane, they know that the point at which the turn commences must be adjusted.

After each heat, the winning aircraft is weighed to insure that it is not lighter than the AMA’s minimum weight requirements.

Winners for the race are determined on the basis of several heats.

After the last race, both pilots and course workers return from the field for awards and prize drawings.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and the rainy season has begun. The pylon-racing season is over for the year–but you can bet I’ll be at the next event held in my area.

I hope you enjoyed this article,

Royce Tivel

About the Author

Royce Tivel is learning to fly a radio controlled airplane. He now has the opportunity to combine his interest in digital photography with his new interest in RC aircraft. For an extended version of this article, complete with numerious images showing what an RC pylon race is all about, please visit the Radio Controlled Model Aircraft section at
http://www.selectdigitals.com

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