Racing with the Giants!

[TheTank]

The staff here at FlyingGiants love all aspects and styles of flying around the world and although a large majority of the traffic and content here in the site tends to be aerobatic in nature, there are many more facets of this great hobby that we are involved with! From IMAC and 3D to gliders and soaring, between the staff, we just about do it all when it comes to aviation!

As a quick change of pace prior to our amazing Tucson Shootout Coverage, we wanted to bring you something a little different. A quick little segmant we would like to bring your attention to, called "Racing with the Giants!"

Several FG staff and FG members attended a AMA 424 Q500 (Sport Pylon) race hosted by the RC Propbusters in Salem Connecticut this Sunday! While for some of us, it was a completely new experience, for others, it was a trip back to memory lane and a reunion with a lot of flying buddies from the past!

Prior to giant scale aerobatics, FG Staff member Craig Korsen (CBK07) used to be thoroughly involved in the world of pylon racing and the many different classes that it offered. He was bitten by the giant scale bug quite a few years back and as his interests changed, pylon racing fell by the wayside. My local club in Salem CT had been hosting a few pylon races over the past year or so and while I had the interest to try it, I just never seemed to have the time to get my equipment ready and practice. After a short discussion about possibly racing at this weekends Salem Race, Craig and I decided we were going to give it a go, as well as gather up some other FG staffers and members to take part in what we knew would be a great time. Craig rounded up Elie "SnapaSaurus" and got him setup with a model while I hounded FG member Bernie "Barney Liftoff" Liskov to get his airplane togethor so we could practice and hopefully race!

After getting my "first" model togther, and then promptly re-kitting it on the first flight because I didnt know everything that I thought I did, Craig bailed me out and got me back in the air with a model (Barbershop I) he had in the basement as a loner. With the help of some good friends Calvin Stewart and Rob Burris, I actually set the "second" model up properly to ensure that it would actually last more than a couple of laps!

With a day or so of practice for each of us. We headed out to the race this morning! We were socked in with fog right off the bat but that gave us all the chance to shoot the breeze and connect with a group of modelers that many of us hadnt met before. Soon, the fog lifted and racing was on! Snapasaurus and Barney Liftoff flew in the sportsman class of 424, which is the entry level class that is offered much around the country as a way to try it out for the first time without having to have a Q500 racer. Snap and Barney were outfitted both with race planes, so they were pretty much sandbagging in the class (just kidding, all others in the class were also running race planes, although they didnt have to be). Craig and I decided to run the mid-level class "standard" as Craig had tons of previous race experience, and my "coach" Calvin Stewart told me I wasnt allowed to race in sportsman or he would put his foot where the sun didnt shine if you catch my drift!

As I fired my motor for my first heat, my hands were shaking!!! Years and years of IMAC competition couldnt keep my nerves down in this new facet of flying! The start flag dropped and we were racing!!! That entire first heat my heart was pounding out of my chest! I was to run the course low and fast and ended up winning the heat! I was absolutely shocked! The adrenaline was rushing and my heart was pounding for a period of time well after the heat was over! I knew immediately I was hooked! Throughout the day, there were some amazing races within all the classes with several very close heats involving myseld, Craig, and FG member Dino Spaddacini. While Craig and Dino actually mid-aired in one heat, I cant believe we went home with any airplanes because each time we flew togethor, it was close, and low!!!!! Craig unfortunately did a "pole dance" with his backup model "Barbershop II" and was out for the rest of the day. At the end of the day, I was able to secure second place overall and fastest heat of the day @ 1:28!

Snap and Barney Liftoff battled if out in the Sportsman class along with the other pilots with both guys flipping back and forth between first and 2nd all day! Snap was able to pull it out in the end and win the class when Barney got a little happy on the elevator and "cut out", getting zero points for the round. It was a nail biter to the end!

As you can probably tell, we all had an absolute blast this Sunday. While it was a competition, it was laid back to the point where you would have had to be dead to not have had fun! The NEPRO crew is an awesome group of guys that put on one hell of an event along with the Salem RC Propbusters. I can definitely promise you that I know all of us will be hitting more events next year and were bummed to have only tried this at the end of the season here in the Northeast! I highly recommend to anyone to look up their local chapter of AMA 424 "Sport" Pylon and give it a try! I promise you wont regret it!

[TheTank]

Pictures from the event!

[TheTank]

More Pictures!

[Bunky F. Knuckle]

Brings back memories for me!!!! I used to race back here in Ohio SEVERAL years ago!!!! It was fun then, but GSA is more fun!!!

[Dino69]

glad to see everyone had a great time today, Mr snap Ready and PULL great work to everyone thanks Dino

[SleepyC]

AWESOME!

[cbk07]

Great write up John and what a great day!!! Excellent to see so many old friends.....I had forgotten about the adrenaline rush. I have to say, totalling 2 planes ( sorry about your plane and motor Dino) in my first 3 rounds kind of reminded me why I quite racing in the first place.....but I have been bitten by the bug again. I guess I was looking for a winter project anyways. The crew at Salem did a remarkable Job running the race, what a great crew you guys have down there. Congrats to Snap, Tank and Barney for their great finishes (Barney, Snap was YOURS). You guys are all naturals. After the race a handful of us stopped off for some dinner and beers (OK, Lloyd drank Merlot) at the Marlborogh Inn...lots of laughs remembering the highlights of the day. Definitely looks like we will have a Norhteast FG Pylon showing on the circuit next year. Days like this remind me how great our hobby is......ALL aspects of it

[cbk07]

Oh yea Snap, here is the picture of the plane you won for placing first in Sportsman. Sorry you had to leave early....my hands were full....you may want to wash it prior to using......I'm Leakkkkkiiiiinnnnnnggggg

[snap a saurus]

Perfect description John, I had a lot of fun, a big thanks to Craig CBK07 for setting me up with the slowest airplane of the day yet I still won, I am hooked, should have few of these racers ready for next year and Craig, another thanks for picking up my trophy and airplane, I know you didn't leak on my plane on purpose, no you wouldn't do that, not only will I clean that plane but I will sanitize it.
I haven't seen so many crashes and midairs in a long time, what stands out in my mind was the midair between Dino and Craig, spectacular.

[pinky panky]

Memories.....takes me back to flying combat Ukis as a teenager. We'd build Combat Cats or T Squares...would not even take the time to paint 'em. Slap on the McCoy Red Head, grab the Ureeley, a can of fuel and head for the school yard. There was nothing quite so fulfilling as burning the crashed planes after a few hours of fun. Wasn't racing, but it was tanglin' and rasslin' in the air. Combat Cats came two in a box for about $7.50.

[Bunky F. Knuckle]

Just wanna know..........

Did Elie do a SNAP on take off and yell BADDASS???

[MODE 1]

What engines they using for those 500's I used the old Super Tigre GS40 I think it was. What a blast

[TheTank]

	Quote: Originally Posted by MODE 1
	What engines they using for those 500's I used the old Super Tigre GS40 I think it was. What a blast

Running ThunderTiger .40 Pros.

[Boulder]

Looks like you guys had a blast!! I had a couple of "not so legal" Q500's, what a flippin' rush!

[Dino69]

The two videos are from hadely mass earlier this year, just to show how serious about our racing we can be ya right just having a good day keeping things lite.

YouTube - Hadley 2

YouTube - Hadley 5 3 2009