Other Techno Stuff

Here’s where you’ll find
things trawled from the past, the future or indeed from an old box in someone’s shed. The only qualification for appearing here is that it’s interesting and possibly useful – click HERE for photo album showing some more HOT IDEAS!!

Lap Timing

Let’s start low-tech! I remember buying this “Pegasus Speed Calculator” in the 1960s – it’s a dead-simple way of working out speed from elapsed time over a minimum of 3 laps, by dialling in the line length and time taken. Works well until you get into Carrier “slow” laps of less than 10 mph – it doesn’t realise that some people actually want to fly at less than 50 mph! Mine still has it’s plastic wallet…have you still got yours?

Flight Scoring

At the opposite end of the spectrum we now have computer-driven lap-timers, Radio Frequency Tags on the model and electronic “pingers” to count laps, times and speeds (team racing)

In the middle of all this old’n’new tech stuff sits this cute little “App” from Bill Calkins (American Navy Carrier Society). Very handy for working out “Fastest Fasts” etc!

I’m going to put together a web-based version specific to the UK rules just for fun…useful to cross-check the judges using your Smartphone at Barkston Heath next year?

CLICK HERE to download Bill’s app “as-is”

Fuel Systems

These little plastic “fuel line pinchers” are a really good idea, made by Fastrax UK for nitro car racers.

They provide a foolproof and un-losable way to shut off fuel lines when fuelling up or defuelling.

Apparently they’re unavailable in the US which explains why I’ve sent Joe Just ten or so (he saw them on pix of his Wildcat I built this year)!