After a brief introduction at last year’s JR Aerotow Event, Peter Goldsmith, of JR/Horizon Hobbies asked Rick Shelby, Len Buffinton and ICARE’s Etienne Dorig to host a more formal but fun GPS Racing event to run alongside the annual JR Aerotow held in Monticello IL June 2-5, 2011.
The races will be conducted without interruption to the normal flight operations at the aerotow. Because the JR Aerotow is considered by many to be the Super Bowl of scale sailplane tow events, the organizers of the GPS race are sensitive about keeping the races fun. “We’re looking to introduce more scale fliers to GPS racing, its fun, challenging and the skills you learn in just a couple flights will make you an all around better pilot” say’s California’s Rick Shelby. “You get to fly your sailplane to a performance level that you would not ordinarily achieve while fun flying. And you can do this while staying close enough to the field that you can safely come home if necessary.”
To compete in the race, a flier simply inserts a small, lightweight GPS module and transmitter into the cockpit of their plane. The unit receives power from the on-board receiver. The sailplane is then towed to an altitude that is above the invisible “Start Gate”. Since the GPS unit sends position, speed and time information to a hand held PDA device on the ground, an assistant will read the PDA and inform the pilot of any course correction needed to fly the “imaginary” triangle in the sky.
Etienne Dorig, race co-organizer and owner of Icare Sailplanes in Canada states, “It’s so easy now to organize and run an event, all you need is a few guys. The pilots of the other planes can act as assistants until it’s their turn to fly”.
As the sport becomes more popular the cost of equipment, which now stands at about 700 US dollars for a good used GPS and PDA setup, will continue to decrease.
This style of GPS racing is proving to be very popular in Europe, and appears to be gaining momentum in the United States. Len Buffinton, co-founder of rcAerotowing.com adds, “GPS racing is the perfect event to be held with an aerotow. If properly run, I think it adds a great deal of fun to an already enjoyable event.”
For more information on the event and GPS racing, click here.
by Len Buffinton, rcAerotowing.com
February, 2011
