T28 Contest Results

We had a good turnout for the August edition of long running T28 racing series with 10 planes and pilots entering—sadly not all would exit alive. The was a epic midair in the silver  race group with Cory and Jeff being involved in a mid air collision that resulted in Cory’s T28 being reduced to a cloud of scrap foam bits floating down on to the runway and Jeff’s plane making a controlled landing on the runway with little damage other than a broken prop and cracked cowl. John had to fly the rest of the race solo to claim first in the silver class. The Gold class winner started out with a SteveM crossing the finish line first only to be knocked out by  ”excessive cuts”  giving the win to Otto.

On the availability question for the T28s I got  e-mail notice  from FMS on Monday the 17th that they were back in stock with “limited availability” —unfortunately two days later they were again sold out with no indication if more would be available in the future. It looks as if we will soon be seeing the 800mm A1D Skyraider and Tempest in the racing line up! You can get a look at them on the Motion RC web site: 

A1D Skyraider: https://motionrc.com/products/skynetic-a1-skyraider-800mm-31-5-wingspan-pnp-sky1064-001

Tempest: https://motionrc.com/products/skynetic-tempest-800mm-31-4-wingspan-pnp-sky1065-001 

Now to the results:

Bronze class:

1) George
2) Paul

Silver class:

1) John
2) Jeff (midair)
3) Cory (midair)

Gold Class:

1) Otto
2) Max
3) SteveN
4) SteveM

Next race is scheduled for Sept 12th @ 10am

We had a nice turnout of 10 pilots for our July edition of the long running T28 racing series inspire of several of the regulars being unable to attend. Jovie did a great job keeping things  running smoothly and efficiently. 

Following the usual excitement of the hard fought preliminary rounds the flight orders for the 10 lap finals was set with the following results:

Bronze class:

1st : Carl
2nd: George
3rd: Paul
4th: Brad

Silver class:

1st: Glen
2nd: John
3rd: SteveM

Gold class:

1st:  Max
2nd: SteveN
3rd: Otto

As some of you have discovered the FMS 800mm T28 has become a rare bird —we have been told by several sources that FMS has exited  the model plane market all together. We are looking at expanding the range of planes allowed to be used in addition to the FMS T28. We have found  several similar planes from Motion RC that are the same size  and weight and use the same battery as the FMS T28. SteveM and I bought a couple to see how they compare—we have had a few head to head races between my T28 and Steve’s Tempest. So far it looks like they are close in speed and turning ability. There are 3 different planes available in this “War Bird” series ( Tempest, A1 Skyraider and the Corsair) We will do many more flights before making any decisions. To be clear we are not replacing the T28s—just increasing the options for new pilots who want to join the fun racing.

The next T28 race is on the schedule for August 8th starting at 10am.

Steve Neu

The turnout for the May 9th T28 races was light( 6 pilots) due to a truck event that was scheduled to be run on Fiesta Island that morning causing  massive traffic delays on the surface streets and the highway off ramps. Several would be pilots were stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours before giving up and going home. 

Those that made it had some fun racing. Jim B kept things moving along quickly  with little drama. After the dust lifted and the scores totaled the results were as follows:

Bronze:

1)Brad

Silver:

1) Steve M
2) George

Gold:

1) Artie
2) Steve N

The next T28 races will be on June 13th @10am.  Jim B has a special event  called “Propchella” set  for June 27 and wants T28s to be included—so please keep an eye out for this event and plan on attending it.

I was expecting a lighter than normal turnout for the February T28 races due to a number of regular fliers not being able to attend—boy was I wrong! Rather than a light  attendance we had an all time record of 16 pilots completely filling up our premade race matrix forms—one entrant more and we would had to do some improvisation! Next time we will be better prepared with a race matrix that can support up to 20 pilots! 

The preliminary rounds resulted in a lot of tight races with the results setting the groupings for the finals with the following results—because of the large number of pilots we invented a new award group—the “Pewter” cup.

Pewter:
1) Carl
2) John
3) Panos

Bronze:
1) Corey
2) SteveM
3) Dave
4) Tim

Silver:
1) Brad
2) Alex
3) Jeramy
4)George

Gold:
1) Keith
2) SteveN
3) Otto
4) Glen

I urge pilots to make sure they have their pilot numbers displayed on their planes as per the rules—if you need a number please e-mail me and we will get you one. In addition decorating planes is encouraged as it helps the turn judges to identify which plane is which. Get creative with colors! 

For those who want to learn more about out race series please  follow this link for the  rules and “tips and tricks” for getting your T28  race ready: https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/  

Steve Neu

We started the first race of the year with a great turnout of 14 pilots and planes. It is quite a sight to have up to 5 planes racing around the tight course near eye level. 

We flew our usual format with a three round qualifier followed by ranked groups for the finals. The racing was closer than ever making it tough to determine who won. In the end it all got sorted out and the results were as follows:

Bronze:

1) Larry
2) George
3) Davis
4) Brad)
5) Otto

Silver:

1) Max
2) Steve
3) Steve
4) John
5) Carl

Gold:

1) David
2) Artie
3) Glen
4) Alex

We need to all get  your assigned  race numbers on our planes. If you have not got a number assigned email me( sneu@mac.com) with your top 3 preferences between 1 and 99—most of the low numbers have already been taken. 

For those new to our races please review the rules: https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/ Please take note that the planes are to be stock with no special “speed mods”. All the landing gear plastic bits and stock tires are to be used——no filling or smoothing of the surfaces allowed ——only paint and stickers allowed. The intent is to have a level playing field for everyone.

A special to Jovie our race master and the turn judges Jim and Dennis.

Finally it was brought to my attention that in the future non club members will not be eligible for the raffle prizes at the end event.  Our next race will be February 14th @ 10am.

Steve Neu

The November monthly T-28 races were held as usual on the second Saturday of the month @10am. We had a reasonable turnout of 9 pilots even several regulars were absent.

Before the racing started we held a brief meeting to discuss how the starting countdown and judging is done so as to reduce confusion. The main takeaway is that you don’t want to cross the starting line BEFORE  the bell starts to sound. If the CD says you jumped the start the you should loop back around or your first lap won’t be counted. Being a few tenths of a second late to the start line is much better than getting called on the start and having to aerobatics to loop back around. 

Under Jovi’s watchful eyes the racers were called to the runway in groups of 3 for the preliminary rounds. After some fast and furious flying the groupings for the finals were set after which the  finals results were as follows:

Bronze:

1) George
2) John
3) Larry

Silver:

1) Carl
2) Glen
3) SteveM

Gold:

1) Otto
2) SteveN
3) Brad

We have one more race on the calendar for this year December 13th at the usual time and place. For any new comers to our racing please check the rules here:  https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/ Planes should have your assigned pilot number on both the top and bottom of the wing so  the turn judges can easily identify which plane is which. Being creative with painting and decorations is also encouraged so as to differentiate one plane from another. If you don’t have a pilot number send me a email and we will get you one assigned. My email is sneu@mac.com

Remember—go fast and turn left!

Steve Neu

We had 7 pilots brave the near perfect racing weather  on October 11th to race T28s. The format was the usual 3 rounds of 5 lap preliminary heats, the results of which were used to determine the groupings for the finals 10 lap races. We were missing a number of it’s regulars—with several out of town on  vacation travel—the smaller field did make for a very fast paced contest leaving little time between flights—which is actually a good thing!

Artie had some bad luck early on in his first flight when he clipped( maybe slammed is a better description) the west pylon early in the race—taking himself out of action for the day. Not to be out done Quan tried to take off in the finals with a busted nose wheel strut which did not go well—he ran out picked it up and tossed it into the air with a now busted and vibrating prop which resulted in his motor quitting part way through the flight when a motor connector came undone due to extreme vibration —talk about bad luck.

After the  planes and dust settled to the ground the results were as follows:

Bronze:

1) John
2) Quan

Silver:

1)Brad
2) George

Gold:

1) Steve
2) Corey

All and all a good day of racing. I want to thank those club members that come out to help run the event—with a special shout out to Jovi and Jim for being the race marshals every month.

For those that want to learn more or get involved in our races please check out this link: https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/ .  Next race will be November 8th.

We had a smaller than usual group for the September edition of T28 racing  with 8 pilots. A number of our usual were absent for a variety of reasons. The result of a smaller group of  8 fliers is we had 2–4 plane heats per round which made for a fast moving contest. The preliminary rounds plus the finals were finished in less than a hour after starting.

The preliminary rounds set the grouping for the finals—here is how things ended up:

Bronze:
1) John
2) Larry

Silver:
1) SteveM
2) Glenn

Gold:
1) Corey
2) SteveN
3) Quan

It is note worthy that Quan —our president— went from “hero to zero” by collecting 3 penalty cuts in 4 races! A single cut drops you 2 places in your group—2 cuts in a single race cost you the number of pilots in heat +1. Moral of the story is—go “around” the pylons—or risk getting tagged by our eagle eyed turn judges!

To refresh everyone on some of the basic rules—(Quan please note rule 1) 🙂

1) stock airframe—no mods to shape or area of wings tail or fuselage—no filling or smoothing of the exterior surfaces allowed.

2) motor and speed control must be the one supplied with the kit or approved substitute—no mods or rewinding allowed.

3) battery will be a 3S LiPo between 800 and 1300mah capacity—HV type cells(4.35V) are not allowed( battery voltage checks may be made prior to flight by CD).

4) prop must be same as supplied with the kit by FMS or the APC 7×6 E 2 bladed prop—I suggest buying spares as they do break if you pick up a rock. Other replacement props may be approved by CD in the future. No mods to props other than balancing by removing small amounts of material on 1 blade or on 2 blades if a 3 bladed prop.

5) landing gear, wheels and associated plastic doors and strut parts must all be in place when racing—if they break glue them back on!

6) It is highly recommended to personalize the planes with different colors than stock to make them easier to keep track of when racing.

Thanks to the helpers and callers and especially JimB our efficient MC who kept the event moving along efficiently.  The next race will be the second Saturday (October 11th) at 10am. For those looking for more info on our racing series please visit here: https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/

This months T28 racing came off without a hitch —we managed to dodge the rain storms that have been arriving this month on a regular basis. The newly rolled field was very welcome news for our small wheeled T28s.  We had a nice turn out in-spite of having to compete with the Weedwackers annual swap meet drawing away a number of our regulars. We had 9 pilots going for the gold.

Racing got under way shortly after 10am  with the regular format where we fly 3 preliminary 5 lap rounds with the rankings used to create groupings for the 10 lap finals. There were several very exciting races where two planes looked to be flying in close formation lap after lap right to the finish line. After the races were over and the placings totaled and cuts counted the results were as follows:

Bronze:
1) George
2) SteveM

Silver:
1) Otto
2) Brad
3)John

Gold:
1) Quan
2) SteveN
3) Artie

The next T28 race is scheduled for April 12th at 10am. Be ready to go fast and turn left. If you re new to racing please contact me to get a race number for your plane.

On a different note—-

I have lately noticed a rise in careless behavior in the pit area with members working on their models with batteries installed an plugged in. Electric motors can start nearly instantly producing lots of torque at high RPMs—perfect to propel a prop blade into some part of your body that happens to be in the way. Treat your plane with a battery installed with care and respect and make sure others stay clear of the front of your model when it is armed with a battery.

Thank You
Steve Neu
sneu@mac.com

We had nine pilots brave bitter a cold winter day (70 degrees) to fly their T28s in exciting head to head racing. The usual format was followed with three preliminary 5 lap rounds followed by the bronze, silver and gold cup 10 lap races. The racing was very tight with several ending with planes crossing the finish line nearly simultaneously. In this months racing the final placings determined not by finish orders across the line but by how many cuts  were committed. Out of the 9 pilots flying only 3 didn’t get a cut recorded against them at some point in the day. 

After the dust settled and the cuts counted and applied the final rounds were set and run with the following results:

Bronze:

1. Otto
2. Quan
3. Artie

Silver:

1. John
2. Cory
3. Brad

Gold:

1. George
2. SteveN
3. SteveM

Some setup tips and tricks:

• Trim elevator for level or slightly nose down flight at full speed—it is easier to pull back a bit to control height then having to nudge down elevator in the straight and level.
• Use 2 flight modes—one for “racing” with just enough aileron and elevator to have a nice tight turn at full speed but not so much as to go “off the reservation” with an mistaken control input and the second for landing.
• Use expo! I have 40-50% in the race setup which makes it easier to fly a tight straight course.
• Practice makes perfect—fly the plane along with your others just for fun

That it for this month—our next race is March 8th according to to my calendar.

Steve Neu

The first T28 races of the year went well with eight intrepid pilots going for the glory and gold. There were a number of very closely contested races with even some planes touching without causing any issues. Several of the regulars were not in attendance due to being sick or schedule conflicts—but still a good group  of hard core racers.

Flying started at the usual 10am with good weather with light wind out of the southwest. The preliminary rounds all had four plane heats making for a lot of excitement. After the dust settled, the points and cuts were totaled with the results giving the follow groupings for the finals races:

Bronze:
1st) SteveM
2nd) Otto
3rd) George

Silver:
1st) Alex
2nd) Corey

Gold:
1st) SteveN
2nd) Glen
3rd) Quan

As is often the case in our races the finish order across the line is often not the same as what gets recorded after our eagle eyed turn judges get their say in whether the plane made it  past the pylon or not. In the finals Quan found out that “going for the gold” sometimes results in going from hero to 3rd place due to two cuts. Not to be out done Otto collected the “better luck next time” medal for his 4 cuts!

Everyone had a great time. Special thanks to our turn judges and to Jovi for being our “race master”.  See you at the next race on February 8th.

Steve Neu

Click the Pic for all the Pics

We had a great turnout for our last T28 race of the year as well as the last club event of the year. Given that we are so close to the holidays I was expecting lighter turnout but was pleasantly surprised that we had 12 pilots which included a couple of newbies to racing series.

The preliminary rounds all had incredibly close finishes with several being determined by just a few feet. After the dust settled the groupings for the finals were set and the results were as follows:

Bronze (now known as “dirty gold”):

1) Ian
2) Carl
3) George
4) John

Silver:

1) Brad
2) Otto
3) SteveM
4) Artie

Gold:

1) Max
2) SteveN
3) Glen
4) Larry

Next year we will continue the series with first race scheduled for Jan 11 2025. For those new to our T28 racing series the rules can be found here:  https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/ 

All planes need to have their racing numbers clearly displayed on both the top and bottom of the wing. The numbers are assigned—send me a email with a list of your favorite 3 numbers between 0 and 99and I will check the list and let you know if it is open. Most of the numbers under 25 are taken so keep that in mind when picking numbers.

Given that a number of pilots are new to the racing series I think it would be helpful to reprint the “tips and tricks” advice:

For those looking for “tips and tricks” for racing T28s a good starting place is this guide:

Setting up your T28 to race.

The most important thing that many people miss when starting to race RC planes is that going fast is nothing without control! The FMS T28 is a small plane and setting it up to race IS very different than for your basic sport flying. Getting the CG and control throws dialed in are key to getting the plane to “go fast and turn left” and keep in control. As a racer running at full throttle— the elevator and aileron travels needed are minimal . A properly setup T28 will actually be easy to fly with only small control deflections.

The control throws suggested in the FMS instructions are intended for a plane flying much slower on a 2S battery. We are flying much faster with 3S. Here are the control deflections I have on my plane:
Ailerons: 6mm up 6mm down
Elevator: 3mm up, 3mm down
Rudder: 6mm left, 6mm right
CG measured from edge of wing at fuselage opening 71-72 mm

I like about 30-40% expo on both aileron and elevator—helps make the plane less sensitive around center making it easier to do fine adjustments to the planes track. A little nose heavy help make the plane positively stable in pitch which and the elevator less sensitivity but the recommended CG in the FMS instructions is too nose heavy for my tastes. Too rearward CG locations will make the plane neutral in pitch stability or even negative which will make it more difficult to find a stable track down the course. The trade offs in moving the GC is stability vs turning ability with the aft CG setup being able to turn more quickly. You need to be careful with the CG and elevator throws in that if you get too aggressive the plane will tend to snap roll in tight turns.

If you find the racing setting a little too  mild for take off/landing and general sport flying I suggest setting up a dual rate switch so you can easily swap from one control rate to another.

Some of you did not read my previous article regarding the “AD” for the nose wheel strut—I learned the hard way that on our rough field the stock strut puts the nose wheel too close to the prop which will result in props getting busted when the blade hits the nose wheel rubber. fix is easy—just turn the nose wheel around (be sure to put a flat on the shaft on the opposite side!).

Happy Holidays —see you at the races!

We had a 8 fliers show up for the September edition of SEFSD’s T28 racing series and everyone having fun. As usual there were lots of close races.

The final round produced the following results:

Bronze:

1) Bob Simon
2) George
3) Larry

Silver:

1) SteveN
2) Brad

Gold:

1) Cory
2) Artie
3) SteveM

The Gold cup race was between Cory, Artie and SteveM with the final results being determined by who had the fewest cuts. To be clear everyone in the Gold class was guilty of cutting with SteveM cutting at least 5 times in a 10 lap race. Artie cut twice and the winner -Cory once.  Brad and I went head to head in the Silver class—I had a modest lead for much of the 10 lap race only to have Brad light off his secret booster rockets to edge past me on the final turn—only to nose plant his plane a couple feet shy of the finish line—oops!

As usual I want to thank everyone that helped with making these races possible. I will be out of town for the next scheduled T28 race date –we might reschedule for a later Saturday in Nov or just skip one race and have one in Dec. A email will be sent out letting people know what is going to happen.

A fun time was had by all.

Steve Neu

We had a 7 fliers show up for the September edition of T28 racing everyone had a fun. There were a couple on instances where pilots managed to switch planes inflight resulting in some home work in glueing foam bits back together. There were a lot of close races in the preliminary rounds which included Cory passing yours truly on the last turn of the 10th lap to cross the finish line less than 5 feet ahead of me. Oh well—my revenge came in the finals:)

The final rounds produced the following results:

Bronze:
1) Carl
2) George

Silver:

1)Brad
2) SteveM
3) Bob

Gold:

1) SteveN
2) Cory

The gold cup race was between Cory and myself—it was very close until about mid race when Cory made a bad turn on the east end resulting loosing nearly a full lap—which he could not recover from. 

As usual I want to thank everyone that helped with making these races possible—with special thanks to Jim for being the “race master” that kept the pace going so we were done in < an hour. 

A fun time was had by all.

Seems as if the is a new lower cost version of the FMS T28s available for as little as $119—its is painted yellow—USAF colors.  It does not come with the “reflex” stability box but it seems as if few people actually use them. 

Next races is October 12th @ 10am

Steve Neu

We had another great Saturday turnout for our T28 racing with 12 pilots “going for the gold”. The first round started shortly after 10am  with Jim B  acting as the flight marshal —cracking the whip to make sure things  moved along quickly with the preliminary rounds plus the  finals complete in less than one hour. Thanks to JimB, all the helpers and turn marshals for making the event go smoothly.

As usual there were many wing tip to wing tip duels with several finishes separated by just a few feet. It is worth noting that the general skill levels of the pilots racing have been improving with the distances between planes at the finish getting much closer. People are getting better at judging where the pylons and cutting ever closer to them—with a couple  getting a little too close to the pylon flags—a couple pilots learned that planes can’t fly through nylon cloth or aluminum poles. In both cases the damage was not serious.

After the dust settled from the preliminary rounds the field was set for the finals with the final results as follows:

Bronze:

1) SteveM
2) Corey
3) George
4) Artie

Silver:

1)Brad
2)Bruce
3)Jeff
4)Otto

Gold:

1)SteveN
2)Glen
3)Quan

A couple things to please keep in mind—all the parts that came with the T28 need to be installed on the plane—this includes the plastic bits and on the landing gear. Also sanding, filling and then painting the foam surface to make it more slick is not in the sprit if the class—so when decorating your plane keep this in mind. While on the subject of rules—if you are using the new “HV” packs be sure to limit the charge voltage to 12.6 volts to keep the playing field level for all. Be sure to put your racing numbers on both the top and bottom of the wings with at least 4 inch high numbers. If you need a number email me and we will get you one assigned. 

The medals for August will be handed out to the winners at the next club meeting—I forgot to bring them to the field. 

Next T28 racing date is Sept 14th @ 10am.

That is all!

Steve Neu

July 13 2024 T28 Race Report by Steve Neu

We had a great turn out for the July T28 races with 13 pilots going for the gold. After some hard fought preliminary races and finals the results were as follows:

Bronze:

1) Glen
2) Artie
3) Bruce

Silver:

1) Cory
2) Quan
3) Fredrich

Gold:

1) Max
2) Otto
3) Carl
4) Steve

Most cuts and the “better luck next time” award went to Steve M!

After the races there was some talk about the use of “HV” batteries in our T28 racers—the short answer is you can fly them in the races but don’t charge them past 12.6 volts( 4.2 volts per cell).  Random checks may be made if abuse of the honor system is suspected!  

Click for More Pics

By Steve Neu

We had a near record turnout for our June T28 races with 13 pilots signing up to race! With such a large group  many of the preliminary heats had groups of 4 pilots which resulted in some close racing.

With such a large group we tried to work out way to accommodate everyone in the finals which resulted in 5 pilots in the gold race.

Our T28 races are “spec” races which means the planes must be completely stock with all the plastic bits that come with the plane present when you place the plane on the runway. So please review what is and is not allowed —the planes and motors must be the ones that came with the planes. You can change out the controller and use a APC 7x6E prop—see me for the prop adapter bits if you want to change to the APC prop. No modifications to the airframe are allowed. The compete rules can be found here: https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/

The results:

Bronze:

1) SteveM
2) Artie
3) Larry

Silver:

1) Max
2) Brad
3) George

Gold:

1) Corey
2) Jeff
3) Glen
4) Fredrick
5) SteveN

Many thanks to all the people who helped as turn judges and callers and a special thanks to Jim for being the one to crack the whip to have racing done as efficiently as possible. Our next race will be July 13th!  As usual if you need a racing number assigned let me know by email ( sneu@mac.com) Your racing numbers should be easily readable on both the top and bottom of the wing.

Click the pic for more racing pics

by Steve Neu

We had a great turnout on May 11th with 13 pilots turning out to battle for the top spots. There was a lot of very close races with  a couple planes  touching without any damage. The results of the three preliminary rounds set the standings for the finals  with the results as follows:

Bronze:
1) Jeff
2) Fritz
3) Artie
4) Rockie

Silver:
1) Max
2) SteveN
3) Fredrick
4) SteveM
5) Larry

Gold:
1) Corey
2) Brad
3) Glen
4) George

A special thanks for Jovi for being the race master , Dennis , Jim for being turn judges and Frank as our photographer!

Three tips for winning races:

1) It pays to practice  flying the course on non race days

2) Most people have too much control travel for elevator and ailerons—you are racing not doing 3D!

3) Fly “smoothly”! Large rapid control inputs lead to scrubbing speed.

The June races will be as usual on the 2nd Saturday the 8th at 10am. 

Click the pic for the entire album of T28 pics

This month’s T28 racing report is somewhat abbreviated because a number of the regulars were not able to attend because of other commitments—myself included. Thank you Jim Bonnardel  for stepping up at the last minute to take the helm and run the races.

The smaller field of planes had lots of good close races with Corry and Brad both going into the finals with first places in all the preliminary rounds.  Cory grabbed the gold when after Brad reportedly cut one of the turns. Second and third went to Artie and Larry.

The next T28 races will be on Saturday the 13th of April at 10am.

It was brought to my attention that some people seem to think it is OK to fly over the roads to the south —let me make it perfectly it is not OK to fly over Sea World Drive or South Shores Drive. The simple thing to do is just extend the fence lines to both the west and to the east and keep your plane north of it. Gliders are no exception to this rule—I don’t care if the “lift is better” over there or not—just don’t go there…..

Thats it for this month—have fun and fly safe!

Steve Neu

There was no T28 racing this month due to the heavy rains we had which made the pit area and runway just too wet for people and planes. Assuming the weather gods smile on us we will be back to our regular schedule with the next race on March 9th starting at 10am. 

A few tips for going fast in no particular order:

1) Practice flying the course!

2) Check the CG—with a 1000mAh battery or larger the planes often are nose heavy. They will turn better with at least a nickel for weight added to the tail. 

3) Reduce your control throw on the elevator and ailerons ! You are racing—not doing 3D aerobatics—you want to fly smoothly.

4) If you have a stability equipped radio consider using it to help keep the track straight between pylons .

5) Warm batteries hold a higher voltage—put the packs on the dashboard to warm them up before racing.

You can find more details on T28 racing here: https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/

Click the pic for all the racing pics

We held the final T28 race of the year on December 9th. We had a strong turnout with 12 pilots battling it out . Several of the races were very tight with less than 5 feet between first and second places at the finish line.  After the battles of the preliminary round matchups and results for the finals were  as follows:

Bronze:

1) Jeff
2) Larry

Silver:

1) SteveM
2) Corry
3) Carl
4) Fritz

Gold:

1) Max
2) SteveN
3) Glen
4) Brad

Next year we will be continuing with the same successful rules and format. For those new to our T28 racing please read about the rules here: https://www.sefsd.org/club-contests/t28-racing/t28-rules-information/

All planes should display their 2 digit number as per the rules—if you need a number please contact me at sneu@mac.com and we will get one assigned to you.

Also if you have any questions about setting up or trimming your T28 feel free to see me at the field( most Sundays) or by email at the above address. There is no secret tuning or tweaks to the T28 planes, motors/props or controllers that make much difference in speed—all planes are very close. The differences have to do with trimming and practice. Settings for sport flying usually result in a plane that is difficult to fly smoothly 10 feet off the ground—spend some time on setup!

For those looking to acquire a T28 there will be 4 given away at the annual party in January!

The January T28 races will be followed by the return of Pop Wing racing. Be sure to bring lots of charged batteries!

Repeat after me “ go fast and turn left” !

Steve Neu