Australian Pylon Innovators:

I am actually very proud of what we have done in Australia - as far as Pylon Racing is concerned. We have really developed from nothing at a very remote part of the world. Gaining information has not been easy. We must thank those people from overseas for their advice. I know that many of the top performers have spent many hours speaking to remote experts to gain knowledge - specially from America.

I know it is easy to gain advice but when it is all said and done you end up eventually having to do the job yourself. Just like the problems I originally had setting up this web site - now it is relatively simple. It is easy to speak over the phone, and hope to learn - it is much easier to have someone site beside you and show you how to do it.

I believe that "Necessity is the Mother of Invention". When you are as far removed as Australia you do have a "Necessity" so you must "Invent".

We have a number of people who have done great things some details of which I have included in other pages so I will not repeat they are:-

• Ranjit Phelan for the creation of his very competitive and reliable 40 racing engine. (Click Here)
• Stu Sherlock for his Racing Propeller Developments (Click to Visit his Web Site)
• Les Bollenhagen for his Racing Propeller Developments. (Click to Visit his Web Site)

Winfoil Aerodynamic and Plotting System:

Malcolm Hardy from New South Wales he is an Aeronautical Engineer and also an excellent programmer.

He has developed an excellent system that I use whenever I design one of my aircraft.

This is a must for those who want to be competive, and not make mistakes when contemplating an OD model.

I think one of the thrills I get out of modelling is to see my own creation fly well.

WINFOIL WILL ASSIST YOU WITH THIS:

Click to CONTACT Malcolm at his Web Site:

The Matthew Pylon Racing System:

Glen is the President of the Victorian chapter of AMPRA called the VMPRA. He is an Electronics Engineer. He first built a telemetary system to enable him to read RPM and airspeed on a continuous basis. The results of which can be read out on a digital display whilst the aircraft is actually flying. This has assisted him to a large extent and is possibly one of the major reasons why he has been so successful in World Championships - being on the winning Australian Team and also coming third in the individual.

He has developed a pylon system that:-

• Pylon models are started by lights flashing on the start line - not by a flag fall.
• As each color light flashes it starts the competitors timing clock.
• The lap counter officials press a button at the end of the ten laps to record the total time for that competitor.
• The lap times for each individual is displayed on the console.
• Adjustments are then made to the score for a cut (FAI rules 10% per Cut - a score of 200 for >= 2 cuts)
• The scores are then sent by radio link to a Lap Top computer which does every thing else:-
  • Totals each persons score.
  • Throws away the heats that do not count
  • Does a redraw of the heats when required
  • Groups heats according to the skill index of competitors
  • Produce listings at any stage displaying the placings as they exist at that point of time
  • Does the complete draw at the beginning of the day - from a data base of Competitors and their Callers and Frequencies etc.

He has further modified the above system so that we completely do away with those people in the Timing Cage ( So we save 4 people)

I do not know what it is like in other countries but in Australia we quite often get invited to compete at great sites, but when we arrive there there are practically no helpers - In this case we can modify the system whereby all the actual timing in recorded at Number One Pylon. In the following manner:-

• Each competitor launches his model when his colour stating light flashes - Starting the Clock.
• The pylon official (Flag Man) presses the light button when the model reaches the No1 Pylon.
• After 11 presses of the button the competitor's clock stops and a race time is recorded.
• This give a competitor an inflated time of 10 laps plus the time to get to number one pylon after the initial take off.
• The calculations of the scores are conducted in the same manner as above.

Well you end up with an inflated time which is usually between 2 and 3 seconds - anyhow who cares we get in racing and it certainly makes it easy -

It is very hard to both fly and man cages.

None of the above is commercially available - I have spoken to Glen and he tells me that it took him ages to put this all together and he would not like to go through that again.

Jim Orenshaw's Answer to Nelson Mufflers:

In Australia it costs plenty to stay in Pylon Racing.  The Magic Mufflers that come with the QM40 Nelson and other similar makes do not last for ever. This is understandable -  having a wave length pipe that canter levers from an end point suspension must vibrate considerably - and eventually come loose or break.  There are ways of fixing this pipe but eventually - after a couple of repairs - you will have to buy a new one.

For those who may be interested Ranjit Phelan and Barry Clarke  from Australia were the first to market this Magic Muffler concept - I understand that it was the brainchild of another Australian Ian McCaughey who used it as a muffler in FAI.  This was the first time that a tuned system was used in the F3D event.  Previously they were all free breathers -  Mufflers with massive exhaust holes.

Anyhow Jim in his idle hours put this muffler together - it is entirely made from  Carbon Fiber tube and strands - High Temperature Polyester Resin.

The Muffler is very much quieter that the normal metal variety.  He has made the inner pipe about 8 mm longer - that makes it easier to get on the pipe with the FAI fuel that we use in our F400 class.