Blue Ray Airplane Specifications:
Blue Ray (or Witblitz) original design pylon racer by Tim Batt. Plans may be obtained by emailing Tim Batt [tbatt@knology.net] or the Contest CD, Stan Sweet [sweet@cfu.net]
A Blue Ray kit with parts for two complete Blue Ray aircraft is available for $25 from Stan Sweet [email: sweet@cfu.net or phone: 319-277-3584]. The kit includes all the foam and wood parts, the 1/32" ply fuselage side doublers and CNC hot-wire cut solid foam wings for two Blue Ray's. Tax and shipping are included in the $25 price. Click on the "Buy Now" button to order now. All major credit cards and PayPal credit accepted.
To compete in the Blue Ray Pylon Races, the aircraft must be built as shown on the plans. The firewall must be a minimum of 1¾" x 1¾" square. Permitted modifications are:
Lay down aileron servos in the wing
Single center mounted servo driving both ailerons
Ailerons & Elevator may be foam or balsa
Wing saddle may be moved ⅜ inch (10 mm) aft
Nose may be extended by no more than 1 inch (25 mm)
Firewall must be at least 1¾" x 1¾" square
Either foam sheeted or solid foam wings allowed
Any other modifications approved by the CD, Stan Sweet [sweet@cfu.net] or by phone at 319-277-3584
Click Here for the Blue Ray Racer Kit Assembly Instructions (in Adobe Reader format)
A forum on the Blue Ray racers is on RC Groups at: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=782708.
Required Motor:
A brushless outrunner motor with a maximum stator diameter of 22 mm and a
maximum KV rating of 1800 KV. The following is a partial list of motors and sources:
Note: Firewall motor mounting is recommended for the Blue Ray.
Required Battery: A 2S Li-Po battery of any capacity up to 1700 mAh. A 1000 to 1300 mAh 20C Li-Po is recommended.
Required Prop: APC 7x5 Thin Electric (APC part number LP07050E)
Suggested Equipment:
Receiver: 4 gram (0.14 oz) receiver
ESC: 20 Amps
Servos: (Qty 3) 6 to 8 gram (0.2 to 0.3 oz) ultra-light weight servos
Aircraft Specifications:
Wing Span: 24 inches
Wing Area: 174 square inches
Wing loading: 8½ to 10¼ oz/sq ft
Airfoil: Semi Symmetrical
Total Length: 28 inches
Minimum Ready-to-Fly Weight: 310 gram (11 oz). Underweight aircraft will be required to add weight to meet the minimum specified weight.
Blue Ray Pylon Race
This is a fun-fly event, not an AMA sanctioned pylon race.
The pylons will be set-up" after 5PM on Saturday for practice flying.
Blue Ray Pylon Race Rules:
Before the race:
Aircraft must be inspected and weighed for rules compliance.
Aircraft may be repaired and batteries recharged or replaced between heats. Backup aircraft substitutions between heats are allowed provided the backup aircraft are inspected.
The competition will consist of a preannounced number of rounds of flying. There is a maximum of four planes per heat. (The automatic scoring system only accommodates 4 aircraft in a heat.)
Starting the race:
Pilots will be assigned a lane and lap counter. The job of each lap counter is to follow one aircraft, to the exclusion of all others, for the duration of the heat and to accurately record the laps completed. Ideally, the lap counter’s eyes should never leave his or her assigned aircraft between the time it is held up on the starting line for identification and the time the starter gives it the checkered flag at the end of the heat. Laps are counted each time the aircraft crosses the start/finish line.
An electronic countdown will be started one minute before the race. A recording will audibly count down from 45 seconds remaining to 'start' and initiate the timers. Races will start with a hand toss from behind the start/finish line toward the right side of the south pylon. The pilot or a helper may launch the airplane. Any plane in a heat that is not in the air before the heat leader completes two laps will be disqualified for that round of competition. Early launch is a cut.
Flying the race:
Air Pylons are spaced 75 feet apart. Laps shall be flown in a counterclockwise direction around the pylons with all turns to the left. A turn is legitimate (i.e., there is no cut) if any part of the aircraft goes outside and around the pylon. If there is any doubt about a possible cut, the pilot should be given the benefit of the doubt. Striking a pylon does not disqualify a pilot.
If a pylon is cut, that lap shall not be counted. In addition, a cut penalty shall be assessed for any flying over the designated sideline, pit, spectator area or in the “no-fly” zones clearly identified at a pre-race pilots meeting. A pilot who cuts twice in the same heat shall receive a score of zero points and, if both cuts occur before the last lap, the starter shall give that pilot the black flag.
Aircraft shall not fly lower than the tops of the pylons at any time except for takeoff and landing. A pilot flying below the top of a pylon more than once in any heat shall be warned once, during or after the heat in which the low flying occurs. Another such violation in any later heat shall be cause for a black flag. Determination of low flying shall be made by the starter and is not subject to protest.
Helpers calling turns for a pilot must stand next to the pilot. Turn Callers are not allowed at the pylons.
Downed aircraft are considered to be out of the race.
A heat race is 10 laps, but pilots should fly 11 laps in case they have a cut. After 11 laps or upon disqualification pilots shall land quickly. No victory laps.
In the event of a dead heat, where the finish order of a heat cannot be determined or a scoring equipment failure occurs and a clear-cut decision cannot be made as to the outcome of the heat, the heat shall be declared void and all the pilots in the heat shall re-fly the heat.
Scoring:
After each heat, points shall be awarded based on the order of finish.
If the matrix is set up for four-plane heats, the result is four (4) points for first place, three (3) points for second place, two (2) points for third place, and one (1) point for last place.
If the matrix is set up for three-plane heats, the winner receives three (3) points, second place two (2), and last place one (1) point.
If the matrix is set up for two-plane heats, the winner receives two (2) points and the loser receives one (1).
Zero points are awarded for a no-start (DNS), failure to complete the heat (DNF), double cut (XX) or black flag (DQ).
The contest winner is the pilot with the highest number of points. In the case of a points tie, the pilot with the lowest total race time will be declared the contest winner.
Note: This is a fun fly event, not a sanctioned pylon race. The decisions of the race officials are final. Any aggressive protests shall be considered grounds for immediate disqualification.
Click Here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Blue Ray Pylon Race
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