By Bruce Brown
The World Championship for F5D (electric pylon) was held in Lugo Italy at Lugo di Romagna airfield, Aeroclub Francesco Baracca from Aug. 15 thru 18 2016.
Flyers interested in competing at the W/C need to finish top three in a team selection event. The USA team selection was held at the Champaign County Radio Control Club in Sept. 2015. Top three from this event to make up the U.S. team were 1st place Jim Nikodem, 2nd place Tim Lampe, and 3rd Charles “Bruce” Brown.
The Lugo Cup is the opening event, a two day eight round contest that is open to anyone. Important for time on the course with officials and plane set-up. Next is the World Championships, a four day event with four heats each day, best thirteen of sixteen flights count toward the final result. F5D pylon racing is a ten lap race around a triangular course with lengths of 180m x 180m x 40m for a total of 4 Kilometers race distance. The race is judged by time, your score being the number of seconds to finish ten laps, one pylon cut adds 10% to the score, two pylon cuts you receive a score of 200. Each plane has a required watt limiter, this was the first time that all contestants had to use the same brand official provided limiters in an effort to improve the racing and fair play.
The #1 far pylon has a light system operated by officials, flashing as each plane passes #1 . The flyer has a caller to launch and then call the turn distance, difficult job because if you wait for the light you’ve then gone to far. A cadence or count works best, hopefully the light flashes in the middle of the turn each time. My caller was team member Tim Lampe, his launching and turn calling were excellent, only two cuts in sixteen heats, both my fault. Tim’s team work helped me to an eleventh place finish, Jim Nikodem finished 12th and Tim Lampe was 19th after some struggle. Weather was sunny and hot, light breeze at most.
Of interest was the Czech Republic single blade prop, the Australian single blade prop and a single blade folding prop with spring loaded adjustable pitch flown by Russian team member Aleksandr Anisimov.
The town of Lugo is very proud of their WW1 flying ace Francesco Baracca credited with 34 victories before being killed by ground fire in 1918. He started his military service in the cavalry in Italy 1912, with the start of war he went to France to fly with the allies, missing his horse he wrote to the cavalry commander to check. The commander wrote back saying his horse was fine but reared up everytime he tried to get close, the commander drew a picture to illustrate. Baracca amused, went on to use the insignia for his squadron throughout the war. In 1929 Francescos’ mother presented the emblem to Enzo Ferrari for good luck in a local road race with his Alfa Romeo that he went on to win. Enzo would then decide to build his own cars and forever use the emblem, now known as the prancing horse.
Contest Report USA team trial http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=32741438&postcount=77
Final Results Lugo Cup open http://www.f5wcitaly.it//images/doc/LugoCupFinalResF5D.pdf
Contest Report W/C 2016 http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2714963-2016-F5D-WorldChampionships-Lugo-Italy
Final Results W/C 2016 http://www.f5wcitaly.it//images/doc/WChF5D_FinalClassification.pdf
Czech Republic single blade prop http://www.zoomport.eu/shop/RC-Kits-and-Accessories/Hotliners-F5D-and-Accessories-063130000.aspx
Australian single blade prop http://www.bigbruceracing.com