AUGUST 2008 NEWS LETTER By Jon Perdue
Hello fellow flyers, this will be my first real news letter to go out in a long while but I would like to talk about some of what’s going on in the club, and by that I mean events we just had our night fly which was a success, I wont get too into that I’ll let Beverly talk about it since it was her project and her dedication to it that made it a success. I’ll start talking about our pylon race were going to be having our regular local race coming up in September. So as usual we will need our workers to show up and help. Remember these events pylon, jet, big bird, scale, fun fly’s, night fly’s and any other event are what gets you those raffle prizes at meetings and allows us loads of free food so please make an effort to pitch in even if its only one day. Plus there’s a lot to be learned working events like this it might even get you hooked into trying to fly these things. That’s how I got into racing....I just didn’t want to work any more. But seriously there is a lot to do in this hobby and clubs make a lot of that possible. As usual there are certain people who do more than there fair share and we all know who they are and trust me they don’t want a pat on the back there not doing this to get their name in lights there doing this for the good of the club. The best "thank you" is to roll up your sleeves and dig in right next to them and help these guys out. With ought them we can’t play.
So any way back to racing I’ll give you guys a brief update on some of the latest and greatest in pylon racing. I just returned from the nationals in Muncie Indiana which was a great race as it usually is we had excellent weather and some of the toughest competition I've seen in a long time. These guys were so intense they wouldn’t leave if they were on a stretcher. To be brief on the winners. In quickie 500 (Q-500) class Gino Delponte won it hands down racing a new design called a ninja which really layed down some serious speed. And in quarter midget (Q40) class Mr. APC Fred Burgdorf squeezed out a win with his proud bird. Overall champ was Gino Delponte, and the fast time trophies in BOTH classes went to the current world champ Randy Bridge out of Orlando Florida. By the way these guys our some of the best pilots you can pick to put behind the sticks and they come to our races which just shows we know how to run a race if we can pull in this caliber of pilot.
And any one who wants to try their hand at racing the guys from mulberry Florida are putting on a training day race august 24th. Some of the pilots will be at the FAI team trials in California but there will still be plenty of experts there to help with any questions or set ups. If you want to learn there is a reason there called experts don’t hesitate to ask. Getting into 424 quickie is not expensive and the class is designed around beginners no one will be in there beating you guys up. Then our race is September 20th and 21st where 424 will be flown both days and 428 quickie and 422 quarter midget will be flown as well.
To those of you unfamiliar with these numbers it’s very simple the AMA designates classes and rules to keep things fair and level. 424 for example was designed around a basic balsa constructed quickie airframe so no composites to drive the price of racing up also the engines are stock thunder tiger pro 40s easy engine to pick up at your local shop. So for around 200 bucks you can have your first racing plane. A lot of guys I see at the field both here and Delray are into this speed phase now. Guys, start racing! You all race each other and smack talk each other now its time to make it official come out and don’t just "check it out" get in there and mix it up. I’ve done a lot in this hobby I’ve flown just about everything and the camaraderie and level of competition isn’t comparable to anything I’ve ever seen. A lot of what you see is looks. You’ll see a lot of "I spent more on my toy than you" and that kind of attitude you can see all over this hobby. With racing you win or you don’t...pretty cut and dry. The main goal in racing is to be as well rounded as you can make yourself. Its not just flying skill but building skill and engineering skill EVERYTHING is in play and every little bit counts. But to me that’s what makes it fun, the rivalries going and the constant need for speed keep you trying to out do the other guy. That’s what competition is about. So any way I hope you guys enjoyed my article I will try to get you guys 1 a month.
NIGHT FLY REPORT
By Bev Cole CD
Gentlemen (and Ladies),
For those of you who missed it, our "Night Fly' was a blast! It did monsoon right around PM just before we started to set up for the evening, but a constant eye on the Accuweather Radar on my laptop under the FBO assured us that it was passing through.. Sure enough, the rain gods smiled on us, and the event went off without a hitch (except that hot curling my hair before I came out and got drenched was a waste of time....so much for the glamour shots of me running the event)
David Storer brought out a new trainer and buddy box again for anyone who wanted to give it a try....nice knife edges David!
Our fabulous club members and families ran the food booth, the gate, the flight line, set up the tent, picked up the food, and overall kept the event running like a top!
John Logan took the photos and set up our PA system...... Anyone who took photos of the event.....please let John and I know (Judy, I think you have a bunch) so that we can put them all together. ( I would like to have them for myself as well)
We had great prizes thanks to the generosity of RC Hobbies, Mike Fallon, and Warrick's Custom Hobbies! In fact, John Logan won the grand prize donated by Mike Fallon!
I should also point out that Cliff is only responsible for ONE of his crashed planes of the evening that won him the "OOPS" award! (hopefully the "Chucky Bucks" that came with the award will buy enough CA to put it back together)
Also, David's trainer didn't survive the night.....as it was "drilled" into the ground around 2 AM....way to go Jon....that was totally COOL....but did you really have to crash so far across the field...huge trek for the group of us to slog in the dark to find the carcass!!!!
Happy Hour was celebrated out at my pit table after cleanup for those diehards who wished to celebrate the conclusion of festivities with "The Captain" and I, and we finally all rolled out of the park at about 3 AM Sunday morning! (look closely at the pictures and you may figure out how the Greek Comedy/Tragedy photo taken by John Logan was created)
As for me, I am
proud to announce that "Son of Sky Raider, the Amphibious" survived the
night...... I took off, flew, landed ON the runway, and taxied back to the
pits..... my first SOLO at a Night Fly!!!!! Most fun and excitement I've had
yet in the hobby!!!
I want thank everyone who volunteered and helped me (especially while I was dealing with Mom in the hospital) You guys (and gals) are the best! Thanks to the Officers and the B.O.D. (especially Jim Perdue) for letting me CD this event.
WELCOME TO THE TWILIGHT ZONE SUPER DECATHLON Lights on!
CLIFF: YOU CAN DO IT (All Night Long!)
ALEX (First timer) Ready for takeoff!
Photos By Camilo "Gus" Posada
THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER By Bill Millam
May 2008
Our May club meeting was held on Wednesday, May 28 at the Flamingo Park clubhouse. We discussed several items of interest including the Night Fly that MPPA will be hosting on July 5th. The Night Fly will start around 9:00PM and go until we get tired or 1:00AM, whichever comes first. We will have submarine sandwiches, lots of interesting planes and at least a few fantastic crashes, so come on out!
We also discussed the possibility of other local clubs hosting some Pylon Racing events, but those are all still in the discussion/planning stages, so nothing definite just yet.
Dave Kruger brought in an electric Extra 330L to show us, and Beverly demonstrated a Stinger that Joel scratch built. Thanks, you two!
The meeting ended with a free raffle where many members won some neat prizes and free pizza and drinks for all attendees. So, if you find yourself hungry or thirsty, with nothing interesting to do on June 28, come on out to the Markham Park airfield as we will be holding our June meeting there.
