Hello and Background Information

Welcome to my blog for the 2010 F5D world championships for electric pylon racing.

Roy and I are driving from Calgary to Muncie, Indiana departing Friday, August 13th after work.  This is a road trip 2/3 of the way across North America that lasts 2 1/2 days. You really have to like corn fields and Roy's Shania Twain CD's to survive this drive. I bring my MacBook and iPod stocked with a sufficient amount of good old rock 'n roll and standup comedy tracks to overcome the Shania.  Delbert couldn't stomach the thought of the drive so he chose to fly.  We will pick up Delbert at the airport in Indianapolis, which is about two hours drive from Muncie, and then carry on from there.

There are 11 countries and 30 competitors registered for the official world championship competition.  The competition consists of a total of 14 rounds where each competitor puts up an official flight in each round.  Three pilots fly on the race course at the same time.  Each model is timed for the amount of time (in seconds) it takes to complete ten laps of the course.  If a pilot cuts inside of any pylon during the race, he is penalized by adding 10% of his ten lap time to make his total time for the race.  If a pilot cuts inside two or more pylons during the race, he is disqualified from the race and is given a score of 200 seconds. Scoring is the competitor's total time in seconds for each race.  The winner of the competition is the pilot with the lowest overall score after the end of 14 rounds.  Like golf, low score wins.  If nine or more rounds are completed, each pilot may discard his two highest scores.  A typical ten lap time is 55 to 58 seconds, so a score of 200 is a huge penalty.  Below is a diagram of the race course layout.

F5D RC Pylon Race Course Layout

The models are highly technical in their design, assembly, and operation.  Their flying speed is well over 200 mph so every detail is critical.  The models are precision molded from carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass composite construction.  The wing span is about 1.3 meters and they weigh 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) in total weight including the power system, battery pack, and control system.  Each competitor will be running a high speed electric motor and propellor of their choice that will provide him with sufficient power to complete ten laps of the race course.  The battery packs used are of lithium polymer chemistry consisting of five cells that provide 20 nominal volts. The pack capacity is about 2.2 amp-hours.

Each model is fitted with an energy limiter.  This device is essentially an "electron gas tank".  The energy limiter allows only a finite amount of power to be supplied to the motor over a period of time.  The rules allow the consumption of 1000 watts in one minute of motor run time.  After 1000 watt-minutes of energy is consumed the limiter shuts down power to the motor.  If the pilot has not finished the race before the motor shuts off, he will attempt to glide across the finish line.  This, of course results in a slower time than if he finished the race under power.  So the objective of each race is to select a propellor for the power system and fly the model as close to the pylons as possible resulting in the energy limiter shutting down the motor just as the pilot crosses the finish line. This is the optimum flight with no energy left over, but enough motor run time to complete ten laps.  After the race is completed, landing is achieved with the motor off by gliding the model in for a safe landing in the grass.

The competition, held in Muncie Indiana, begins during the week of August 16th.  Before the official competition begins on August 21st,  there is a series of preliminary activities.  One of these is the NeuCastle Cup.  This is an international open competition prior to the world championships.  It is a nine round race using the same aircraft, competing on the same race course as the official competition.  The intent is to allow official competitors a chance to test their models and equipment in actual race conditions prior to the official competition, and to allow other modellers a chance to race among friends.

Following the NeuCastle Cup will be the official processing of each competitor's models to ensure their equipment and models meet the requirements of the rules. There is also an official opening ceremony, welcome reception, and official practice session for each country that will be competing.

The world championships are being held at the international aeromodeling center of the American Modeling Association.  It is a 1000 acre facility that is specifically setup for all types of model aircraft competition.  It is literally the Mecca of model aircraft flying.  Photos of the facility can be seen here:   http://www.modelaircraft.org/aboutiac.aspx

Check my blog daily after August 16th.   I'll try to post the daily news and highlights almost every night ~ 10pm EST.   This may vary depending on how the day went and how tired I am.  Thanks for following my blog.
Go Canada Go !!!

Randy, Roy, and Delbert