CL Racing
IT'S HISTORY. The 1989 AMA Nationals held in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State is over. This Nats will certainly go down as a memorable event for many competitors who traveled from the East Coast area to the great Northwest to pursue national competition. I made the drive with my son averaging approximately 700-800 miles per day across the Midwest through the semi-arid areas of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. These regions definitely show a change in scenery from our typical Midwestern landscape. The Control Line site, which was located at a small airport in Richland, WA, provided an excellent surface for all CL events. The area selected was somewhat remote, but the restroom and food facilities were adequate.
Control Line: Racing
BETTER Racing performance from the K&B 6.5cc racing engine: As the contest season winds down in the Midwest area, I receive many requests concerning improving the performance of various Racing engines. Some modifications can be done without expensive tools and will result in rather substantial improvements in engine performance. After several hours spent testing various propellers and exhaust pipe lengths, I utilized a little tip given me by Bob Kerr. By carefully removing the excess meat in the exhaust extractor in the K&B 6.5, a 200-400 rpm increase was forthcoming. In observing the exhaust port and the exhaust stack, I saw an excess of metal. Thinning the walls of the bolted-on exhaust manifold definitely improves performance.
Control Line: Racing
FOXBERG Racing in southern California will soon be off to a big start. Contest organizers Kenn Smith (CD) and Bill Noyes (Assistant CD) are promulgating the 1990 Southern California Foxberg Championship Series, an annual series of six contests spaced approximately two months apart. Kenn sent me the rules and regulations booklet (12 pages long), and I am reprinting the General Rules section (23/4 pages), which concern the concept for the event and the specifications for the airplane, and specific rules for the Racing portion of the event (about one page).
Control Line: Racing
GOOD NEWS on glow plugs: I just received some samples of the new products offered by Twinn-K, Inc. (Glo Bee). One is a reintroduction, while the other is a totally new product for Racing and Speed enthusiasts. Mr. Jim J. Massa has sent me some of the reintroduced GB-5R glow plugs, which are specifically designed for high-nitro fuels in the 1/2A Racing engines. If you will recall, a few years back these plugs were discontinued, and there was a scurry by both Speed and Racing enthusiasts to corner all remaining stocks.
Control Line: Racing
IMPROVED wing construction procedure: During the 1991 Nationals, the Shahan/Fogg and Ballard/Lambert teams compared Rossi .15 engine performance and prop selection. Identical engine and prop combinations were compared for airspeed and off-ground acceleration. The engine rpms and power were very close; however, the aircraft flown by the Fogg/Shahan team had superior airspeed. Obviously, lighter materials and more precise interior wing construction were necessary. The first step was the purchase of a complete vacuum-bagging system from Composite Structures Technology (CST). Using information from an article in MA on foam wing construction, we located double-density lightweight foam.
