World-First Aerial Spectacular

A world-first aerial spectacular will take to the skies over Maryborough, Queensland for the 2019 F3D and F5D combined Pylon Racing World Championships, held at Maryborough Model Aero Club airfield from August 6-12.

On behalf of the Model Aeronautical Association of Australia (MAAA), Model Aeronautical Association of Queensland (MAAQ), Australian Miniature Pylon Racing Association (AMPRA) and the Queensland Model Aircraft Racing Association (QMARA), Air Sport Australia Confederation (ASAC), pilots from across the country and the globe are invited to this exciting and thrilling air sport event.

Event organiser, Bruce de Chastel said it was an honour for Australia to host the first combined Radio Control Pylon Racing World Championships.

The best days for the public to attend is from Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th August with gates open from 9am to 2.30pm each day. There will be food trucks on site but bring your own blanket or chair for comfort.

Prior to this event, the World Championships were held separately. With safety and location at the forefront of the organisers’ mind, Maryborough was chosen as the World Championship host town in Australia.

“Radio control pylon racing is an adrenalin rush like few other offered in RC. The sport involves racing head-to-head against other pilots around a course, testing your flying ability and skill,” he said.

“It’s an aerial spectacular and a great event for the general public to attend.

People will be able to meet and witness the world-class flying skills of local pilots, Christopher Callow (five-time World Champion), Bruce de Chastel (Current World Air Games Champion) and Tyler Mees (Team F3D Australia Winner), Daniel Arapakis (Current World F3D Junior Champion).

“Fuel/Glow powered model aircraft are driven by a tiny 6.5cc, methanol-fuelled 36,000 rpm engine and have a wingspan of 1.80 metres- this results in an outrageous acceleration, top speed and quick turns.

“The F5D electric model aircraft are a minimum of 1kg on average. They are powered by a 5 cell Lipo battery between 200g and 400g includes wires, solder the lot. Then the limiter which stops the motor at a max of a 1000 watt/min of energy. It’s a game of match the propeller, motor, speed controller and battery to get 10 laps and 1000 watts in less than 60 seconds.”

Competing aircraft will reach speeds of up to 350km/hr over a 4km race course with a G-force of 38.

How Pylon Racing Works

The race course is defined by three pylons which form a triangle. This distance from pylon-1, at the apex of the course, to pylon 2 and pylon 3 is 180m. The start/finish line is located inside the triangle and 30m from pylon 1. Ten laps around the course equals just over 4km. Pilots fly their aircraft around the course in a counter clockwise direction left turns all the way. The course length is selected to result in 10-lap times between one minute (fast pace) and two minutes (slow pace for beginners). For the quickest aircraft, the speed around the course typically falls between 300-360kmph.

World Championship itinerary:

• Registration, Opening Ceremony and Team BBQ- Tuesday, August 6th
• Official practice for F3D and F5D- Wednesday, August 7th
• Racing days- Thursday August 8th-Sunday 11th
• Reserve day, closing ceremonies, awards and banquet- Monday, August 12th

The Maryborough Aero Model Club is located at Boonooroo Road, Maryborough.

The MAAA is the largest aeromodelling organisation in Australia and encourages and supports Australians to enjoy aeromodelling in a safe and fun environment. For more information about the Maryborough event contact the Maryborough Aero Model Club.