Model Airplane News: USRA World Championships

Last fall, just outside Las Vegas in Jean, NV, 88 R/C pilots from 32 teams hoped to win big at the Unlimited Scale Racing Association (USRA) World Championship Air Race.

Airplane pylon racing nas been a gamble since the 1920s, when pilots of fullsize airplanes climbed into their cockpits at the first National Air Races, and racing giant-scale models today is no different. No matter how sweetly the engine purrs in the pit area or how quickly the plane turns the pylons in practice, all bets are off when the clock counts down. The competition is close, and one miscalculation on the sticks can mean the difference between winning the heat and crossing the finish line a few seconds later with second, or even third, place.

At the start of the races, everyone knew that some pilots would leave Jean with world championship titles, more would win cash and other prizes and an unlucky few would take home models that needed repairs. Only one thing was certain: the racers, pit crew and their families had all come to Jean looking for action, exhilaration and a good time, and no one would go home disappointed.

Race promoter Archie Snider and his staff made a sure bet when they chose this event site. With the Gold Strike Hotel and Gambling Hall just across the road from Jean Airport, the evening activities were almost as exciting as the rivalries on the flightline (if you don't beat 'em around the pylons, you may beat 'em at the blackjack table!). The hotel also hosted a banquet for 200 racing fans to celebrate the successful conclusion of another giant-scale racing season. As USRA president Ron Eisner noted, "The racing just keeps getting better and better. Some veterans are coming back, and some new faces are starting to show up. We seem to be going in the right direction; 1999 is going to be a very exciting year!"

THE APLANES

There are six classes in USRA racing: Experimental, Unlimited, AT-6, Formula One, Thompson Trophy and Biplane. All models must be scale representations of full-size aircraft that are qualified to compete at Reno or in other Unlimited races. Each class has its own specifications and weight and engine limitations. In the 1998 season, the Unlimited Warbird class was renamed, "Unlimited," and the Formula One class standardized its engine size at 4.6ci (in 1997, Formula One racers were divided into 4.6 and 6ci engine classes).

The popular AT-6 class, in which the models are powered by stock Zenoah G62s and use identical propellers and fuel, attracts the largest field of competitors and is truly a test of pilot skill. At the other end of the spectrum, the Unlimited and Experimental classes are as much a battle of engine and airframe as they are of quick reflexes and racer savvy. The maximum aircraft and engine weights are the same for the Experimental and Unlimited classes, but warbird racers compete in Unlimited, and the Experimental class is dominated by Lancairs. In the Unlimited Trophy race, Scott Manning set a new giant-scale racing world record of 77.76 seconds with his Homdog Super Corsair powered by a Herbrandson engine.

R/C'ers who insist that their airplanes have two wings make up the Biplane class, and all five Trophy Race qualifiers at Jean raced KT Aviation Mong models. The Thompson Trophy racers provide a taste of the Golden Age of airplane racing and some of the more uncommon aircraft subjects. In one race, Cal Orr's Byron Gee Bee captivated the crowd and then landed in true Gee Bee style.

Go FAST, TMI LEFT

The course consists of two pylons that are 3/4 mile apart, and the start/finish line is in the middle. The planes race around the pylons counterclockwise for a total of six laps, and turn judges stationed at each end of the course switch colored lights on in the pylon to let pilots know they passed it.

Each heat sees four or five models race, and all were extremely well-organized and executed. After the planes have been staged on the runway, the teams have 2 minutes to start the models' engines and get them into the air. Nothing comes close to the roar of five, giant-scale powerplants; even if you aren't a pilot, that sound is sure to get your adrenaline pumping. The planes take off one at a time and circle for 1 minute as the clock counts down to the start, when each pilot wants his plane to be the first to cross the start line. During the race, each pilot is assisted by a turn caller who stands behind him and lets him know when to turn. The airplanes race for less than 3 minutes and incur time penalties for jumping the start and cutting pylons. To win a race, everyone on the team must work together as smoothly as the parts of ... well ... a well-tuned engine.

In the heat races, every winner earned some cash, thanks to a Sl,000 purse from Airtronics. An additional $10,000 was divided among the Trophy Race winners, and Rookie of the Year, Gary Hyde, who competes in the Biplane class, took home $500.

AIR RACE OF CHAMPIONS

During the 1999 racing season, the 1998 world championship pilots will compete in three heats at each of the three USRAsanctioned races to determine the overall world champion, who will win more than $10,000 in cash and prizes. Because the pilots will race identically prepared AT-6 models, the Air Race of Champions series will be an exciting test of nerve and talent.

The 1999 USRA World Championship Air Race Series, including the AROC series, will be held on June 3 through June 6 in Rialto, CA, at Oshkosh, WI, from August 4 through 7 and at Jean, NV, from October 20 through 24. If you'd like to attend or to learn more about giant-scale racing, check out the USRA website at www.usra-racers.org, or contact USRA, P.O. Box 819, Brea, CA 92822; (714) 256-7822.