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What are the
Classes? |
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Dominator ClassOfficial Specifications and Rules for the Dominator Class OK so this is not a scale Reno class. It has come about only recently as an "unofficial" class in an effort to entice new racers into the realm of Giant Scale racing.The USRA says that it is "to provide a low cost "entry level" Reno Style racing event for new pilots. First, it is nothing like Reno Style. It uses the same two-Pylon course that the models do. The races are 6 laps instead of 10 at Reno They use the same Countdown timer start system as the models. Reno uses a pace plane. And the planes resemble NOTHING like a Reno Style airplane. It does allow someone to learn to build using larger dimensional airframes and associated linkages. It has basically the same radio requirements in regards to Servo strength and range requirements as the other USRA classes. It also allows a new racer to race on the same size course as all the other classes using the same set of caller and helpers that would be needed in one of the scale classes. The procedures are exactly the same so that when a pilot transitions to one of the Scale classes, he is not tasked with learning the mechanics and procedures of the USRA race while he is getting use to racing against the more seasoned racers. The rules are pretty simple:
One Design
– Lanier Dominator 1500
One of two
engines – Moki 2.10 or Super Tigre 3250 STOCK!
Event
provides the prop and fuel so that everyone flys the same speed. Prescribed wheel and shaping dimensions and a couple motor mount stipulations.
No Money
prizes. Basically it has all the attractions
that the first AT-6
class had except that it is intended for the
“newcomer” and so the rules state
that it is only for newcomers or anyone that has not raced in one of
the Scale
classes in the last two years. This
rule has been overlooked lately in the interest of keeping a viable
quantity of
participation. Advantages:
Kit price is around $300 and engine is
also around $300. As opposed to the $600-$2,000
scale kits and $700 - $3500 scale class race engines. Servos are not stresses in this size
airplane so your radio can still be used in a Scale class if you decide
to stay with Giant Scale racing. Can be flown at any regular local club
field. Even
organized races are possible although
there have not been any that I know of. Not a bad sport plane if you loose
interest in racing. Disadvantages: It’s a Kit.
Requiring all the building including sheeting foam cores
and actually
building the tail planes from tiny ribs and sheeting.
Fuselage is made from door skin plywood. It
would be
better if it was available as an Almost Ready to Fly (ARF) since they
are trying to make it easy to get started in racing. Some
have
decided not to build the Dominator because it would
only be
good for two years and that equates to only two races out on the West
Coast. Glow engines.
Messy
oil from the exhaust. |
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Biplane ClassOfficial
USRA Biplane Rules and Specifications The Biplane Class was added simply to round out the same number of classes that were offered at Reno. Some say it was unnecessary and served to only “thin out” the number of entries in the other classes contributing to the decline in purse money for the other classes. They are a unique looking race airplane and bring a certain “entertainment” value to the races. They are also the lightest weight scale class requiring only 20 lbs minimum with a maximum of 30 lbs allowed ready to race. In the early days, the engine size was determined by the size of the airplane. Today, they have a simple maximum engine displacement of 81cc but the manufacturer is not specified. This makes it perfect for the Zenoah GT80 engine which is also the designated engine for the F1GT class. Since the biplane engines cannot be modified, there should be a plentiful supply of stock engines available from both the Biplane and F1GT classes. The rules do not specify the fuel or prop so a racer can experiment with his own fuel and prop to suit the airplane design he has chosen. Tuned pipes are not allowed and exhaust header lengths are limited. There is always interest in the unique designs of the Sorceress, Sundancer and Mong style biplanes but it is still a small entry level class and often questioned as to whether there will be enough entries to actually hold a race. If you like building wings or need a small airplane to fit in your car, you might consider this class as the one for you. They do need special attention to the wing mounting structures to withstand the stresses that are placed on them in the two-pylon race course. Part of the entertainment value displayed in the early days was watching the wings separate from the fuselage while flying full speed down the back stretch. Recently
a commercially available Almost Ready to Fly
Biplane has been entered in this class.
It is a Great Planes 1/3 scale Christian Eagle II but was
entered to race
as a Pitts Special S-2. I
don’t know
how this is done but they allowed it at 2005 Ashtabula, Ohio race. http://www.usrainfo.org/forums/topic.cgi?forum=1&topic=240 Also it is mentioned that you can straighten your crankshaft twice according to the Rules. This class had NO entries in 2004 or at Rantoul-2005 but came back with 4 entries at Ashtabula-2005 and 3 at Parker-2005. |
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AT-6 ClassOfficial USRA AT-6 Class Rules
and Specifications This class was adopted into Giant Scale Air Racing as an answer to a need. The Unlimited Class was taking off like wildfire and it was determined that there was a wide range of directions to go to make the aircraft go faster. It all depends on how much money you want to spend for speed. At the same time, it was shown that there was a lot of pilot talent that was not aligned with “speed money”. The Reno AT-6 Class was the answer to the “low cost” highly controlled "sport type" racing need. An AT-6 class would be the answer to Giant Scale Racing’s need for more participation at less cost. The response came loud and clear. By 1993, the pre-entry numbers had to be limited to 60 registrants due to time constraints just to run the races. There was even a waiting list above 60 just in case someone dropped out prior to the event. Everyone wanted to race AT-6s and everyone thought they had a chance at winning. There were 5+ model manufacturers that offered AT-6s that were legal to race at Madera: Byron’s Ralph Saxton David Lane Designs RacePro Bridi The intent and flavor of the class got lost in the “quest for speed” as some kit makers pushed the poorly written rules and “met the minimums” while changing the shape of the actual AT-6. This resulted in a super fast composite airplane that cost $2000. You either paid the “piper” or you settled for last place no matter how good you were or you went home. Remember, you had to “Qualify” before you could get into a heat race back then. Owners of the “scale” AT-6s were turned off by the rules and many of their planes got hung up at local hobby shops on display. Most, if not all, the giant AT-6 aircraft are no longer being produced. There may still be a few “composite” look-alikes around but the class is struggling to get enough of them to make a race. It generally takes at least 6 pre-registered entries in order for the event to conduct a racing class. The irony is that the class has evolved back into a “one design” class where all the aircraft are pretty much the same (though not scale). Except that the cost skyrocketed beyond the desires of the targeted contestant base. And you now have to be an engine specialist to make the “Stock” Zenoah G62 run anywhere close to the top 5 contestants. It never was an “Entry Level” class although it was promoted as such in the early years causing many would-be racers to become disenchanted with the cost and technicalities of the “go-fast” racing community. The fact is the AT-6 airplane is a challenge to land smoothly. The retractable landing gear take the brunt of a slight misjudgment or lack of finesse during landing and the cost to replace a strut just adds to the cost of racing. It can be done though and the top 5 or 6 flyers (now only 3) do beautiful landings every time confirming the notion that it is a “Pilot’s Race Class”. This class had 7 entries during 2004 but NO entries in Rantoul-2005 or Astabula-2005 and only 3 entries at Parker-2005 |
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F1GT ClassOfficial USRA F1GT Class Rules
and Specifications Today, commonly thought of as “the” entry level class. F1GT has many of the attributes that are desirable to the new racer. 1) A variety of designs to choose from as long as they are 42% scale of Reno racers. 2) Fixed gear to eliminate the added complexity and cost of retracts. 3) Stock, low cost, readily available, dependable engine 4) Event-provided fuel and standardized prop. 5) Blazing speeds 6) Low cost Entry fees although this results in NO money prizes. This event is generously sponsored by Zenoah engines and is probably the single most significant contribution to the promotion of Giant Scale Air Racing. It is not just for entry level racers
or beginners. The
beauty is that if you get tired of going
just 160 MPH, you can take the same airplane, modify your engine and
move into
the F-1 class. Heck,
you don’t even
have to change anything! Just
move up
with what you’ve got! You are legal! Take
your chances by “just being there” in F-1 and
gather points for starting
and finishing. The aircraft selection is plentiful. Just about every maker of Giant Scale Racing kits, sells one or more F1 aircraft designs. Click here: http://www.usrainfo.org/kitmfg.htm To look at the ones that the USRA knows about. The
rules require a minimum weight of 27lbs
dry which is 2 lbs more than the F1 class just to make it easier for
everybody
to make the minimum weight. The engine must be purely stock. You cannot even remove the choke from the carburetor however you can remove the spring starter that sometimes comes with the engine. When you remove the spring starter you will be left with a bare shaft sticking out of the rear of the engine. You cannot remove that either. The stock motor mount will stand the engine off of the firewall just fine so that is no problem. There is one statement in the Rules
that baffles me. Actually
it demonstrates that the rules have
not been read or reviewed for many years.
And they have never been read with a discerning eye. The
statement is: “If
the engine cylinder does
not fit in the cowl when side mounted, the natural lines of the cowl
will not
be altered to cover any such projection of the engine or its
components”. This is most likely due to the fact that the rules were cut and pasted from the F1 rules since the F1GT mandates the Zenoah GT-80 which is a twin cylinder engine and would have no reason to be mounted “sideways”. |
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Formula 1 ClassOfficial USRA F1 Class Rules and Specifications This class was brought into the Giant Scale arena to answer the need for someone that has a combination of flying skills and engine skills. The aircraft are 42% scale replicas of the Formula-1 aircraft that race at Reno or Cleveland. These same aircraft are raced in the F1GT but are allowed to be 2 lbs lighter at 25 lbs minimum. These are pretty large aircraft with wing spans exceeding 11 feet on some and as short as 7 feet on others. They have fixed landing gear which takes away the cost and complexity of retractable landing gear. It fits into the budget a little better than an Unlimited racer so the participation has stayed strong over the years. However, the rules allow you to play with the engine and propeller to make it go faster including the use of alcohol and fuel injection. You cannot use “tuned” pipes. The rules strictly restrict the length of the exhaust so as not to augment the power of the engine in that way. Any engine manufacture can be used and there are several twin and single cylinder engines that approach the 81cc limit or 4.88 Cu In. Currently the most popular engine of choice is the Zenoah GT-80 converted to burn injected alcohol.It is also possible to race a F1GT racer in this class. Stock engines and regular gas are not prohibited. |
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Unlimited ClassOfficial USRA Unlimited Racing
Class Rules and Specifications Besides the size requirements for the airframe, the engines are limited by only their weight. Maximum 14 lbs for a single engine and 9.5 lbs each for a twin engine aircraft. This has allowed a displacement as large as 300cc+. These engines in their stock form would never fit the weight limits so the fins are significantly milled down to reduce weight. Over the years, there have been controversies over what the weight includes so the rules get more specific as to what is included. It has been determined that the weight of the engine includes the prop extension but does not include the prop nut. It also does not include the ignition system or exhaust system. The exhaust system can be anything you want including tuned pipes. However the tuned pipe cannot extend out of the fuselage more than 30% of it’s entire length. If the exhaust is no more than 8” then all of it can extend out of the fuselage. Fuel and props are completely open to selection by the competitor. There are currently engines running gasoline with spark ignition as well as Alcohol on spark ignition. There is also Alcohol running on Glow ignition. There is venturi induction systems as well as throttle body and piston port fuel injection systems. You cannot use Oxidizers in the fuel such as Nitrous Oxide as well as Hydrazine, Nitrobenzene or tetranitromethane additives. These aircraft often exceed 200MPH and the record is currently 242MPH. This class had 12 entries during the 2005 Season with 8 of them making it to the Finals in Parker, Arizona in October. The final Trophy Race consisted of the only 5 aircraft that were remaining flyable. One of them (the second fastest one during the heat races) did not start. This still gave him 5th place and $200. The 4th place position in the Trophy Race missed the first two Heat Rounds because the airplane was still in the process of being test flown. Just getting in 2- 4th places and a 2nd place got him into the “Gold” Trophy Race and made him $300 prize money. Let’s see . . . $300 for 1 minute and 57 seconds (slower than any of the Formula 1 or GT class raw times). Call it 2 minutes so that is an hourly rate of $9,000. This really is a professional sport. |
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Experimental ClassOfficial USRA Experimental Racing Class Rules and Specifications This class was devised in answer to the membership when a detail in the rules was used to create an airplane that gave the Warbirds a run for their money. The rule says that “any airplane that qualified to race at Reno” was eligible. The Lancair 360 fit this detail although it did not actually “race” at Reno, it did "qualify" to race in the Unlimited class. This aircraft came on the scene at Madera and stormed the Unlimited class and made the Warbirds look like they were standing still. Initially it had some structural problems and a few wings folded and a windshield or two blew off in flight causing concern among the Warbird racers that the design could not be made structurally safe. The contrast was so great that the membership voted to put the Lancair and other “non-warbirds” into a class of its own - Experimental. It still allows any normal Unlimited class racer to join into the Experimental class but the Lancairs cannot race in the Unlimited class (previously designated the "Warbird Class"). There are still a few Lancairs laying around in someone's garage but not enough show up for a race to create a class so it may be just a matter of time before the USRA drops the class or re-writes the rules to better follow the current Reno Sportsman class.In my opinion, this could be a viable class if they could find a way to include the “Thunder Mustang” as it is in the Reno Sportsman class. They could use the currently available 20% (5th Scale) Mustangs that are already on the market and limit the engine size to 80cc so that they could further proliferate the use of Zenoah GT-80 engines that are already being used in the F1 and Biplane classes. This size aircraft with these power restrictions would garner a lot of interest in the R/C community and put the budget back within reach of hundreds of upper level modelers. It would also be possible to size the Questair Venture and Lancair to run the same size engine. Then change the class name to “Sportsman Class” to further re-align our classes with the current Reno Class designations. This class had no entries during 2004 or 2005 |
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Thompson Trophy Class (Golden Age)Official USRA Thompson Trophy Racing Class Rules and Specifications The engine size has been standardized to the 80cc standard that is used in the F1 and Biplane classes however no single engine manufacturer has been mandated. Stock engines must be used without removing the choke in the carburetor. This class did not have any participation during 2004 or 2005. |
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