On May 28-29, the VMPRA headed off to Barry Murphy’s fantastic purpose-built pylon racing field at Munro. On arrival on Saturday morning, I was struck by how many people were camping out at the field with a plethora of vans, trailers and tents all set up.
We couldn’t have picked a better weekend for the weather. It was mostly clear skies, mild temperatures (once the sun was up) and light breezes. There was a good amount of entries with 7 x Q500, 7 x F3T & 5 x F3D entries, plus a good amount of spectators. It was a pleasure not having trouble getting helpers; hence all racing was carried out with a full complement of pylon judges.
We carried out 8 rounds of each class and there was some excellent racing, particularly at the top of the tables. The race results pretty much tell the story of the racing for the weekend.
Other than that, it was an enjoyable and social weekend and although I wasn’t there on the night, I believe there was a great feed put on, as usual, by Andrew Arapakis and Matt Noonan’s band was a big hit. This is something new to pylon racing for us. Good one Matt.
At this stage, it looks like these are the final positions for this season’s championship as we would be holding our AGM at the next event, Cohuna making that event the start of the new 2022-2023 season.
FA1
After Beau’s win this weekend, he’s popped up from 3rd position into 1st place pushing both Brian and Tom down a place into 2nd and 3rd respectively.
1st – Beau Murphy 2nd – Brian Steele 3rd – Tom Wetherill
F3T
Jim has remained at the top 10 points ahead of Barry who has jumped up into 2nd place from 5th and Brian has moved up into 3rd place from 4th.
1st – Jim Orenshaw 2nd – Barry Murphy 3rd – Brian Steele
Q500
There was no change in places since the last race at Echuca with Jim strengthening his lead, 8 points ahead of John.
1st – Jim Orenshaw 2nd – John Schmidli 3rd – Gary Whitbourn
Report – John Schmidli Photos – Sarah Doyle, Andrew Arapakis & John Schmidli
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The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event. Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits. If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me, provided it is fair and reasonable.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.
Back on the weekend of June 9-11, the AMPRA Championships where held in Victoria at Barry Murphy’s pylon racing field at Munro about 3 hours east of Melbourne.
This event was also the first of the Australian F3D team select for the 2019 World Championships to be held in Queensland.
Just in the last event for the Season Championship, Leigh Hocken popped up into the winning position, Pushing Brian Steele down into 2nd place and Glenn Matthews remained in 3rd position
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.
We had another wonderful pylon racing event down at Barry Murphy’s purpose built pylon racing field. There was a good turn out for the weekend with many camping out at the field. Andrew Arapakis did another of his beautiful spit roast dinners that has become synonymous with racing at Munro. On a somber note, we held a minute’s silence out of respect for the very recent passing of Marvin Dunsmuir who owns the farm that the filed is built on. It was also good to see Barry’s new F3D model performing so well with Beau at the controls.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.
Back on November 18 – 19 after a weeks postponement, the VMPRA ran the Victorian State Championships down at Barry Murphy’s beautifully prepared, purpose built pylon racing facility.
Unfortunately I was not able to attend and an event report hasn’t been provided so I’ll get stuck into the results.
Brian Steele and Glenn Matthews have moved up a position each into 1st & 2nd positions respectively and Andrew Davies has dropped from 1st to 3rd position.
1st – Brian Steele
2nd – Glenn Matthews
3rd – Andrew Davies
That was the last full 3 class event for the year. We have a Q500 & Sports event scheduled for Crib Point on December 10.
The first event for 2018 is at Camperdown on February 3-4. This event is the VMPRA Trophy. Pencil that one into the diary.
Also worth considering is the Nats that are being held in West Wylong (NSW) on April 28-29, 2018. Entries close on January 31, 2018 so you can register to compete by visiting the below link.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.
The next event is AMPRA on June 10 & 11 to be held at Monarto Model Flying Field in South Australia. More information >>>
The next VMPRA event is scheduled for July 8 & 9. Details of what and where this event is to be staged are still to be confirmed.
The F3D World Championships are on in Sweden from July 25 to 29.
Note: The Bendigo event that was to be held on July 29 – 30 has been cancelled due to low numbers partly because of the World Champs. An alternate time and venue for the AGM is TBA.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.
Back in March, the VMPRA had a race event back at Barry Murphy’s beautifully prepared pylon racing field down at Munro. It was a great event and the weather was kind to us.
It was great seeing father and son Q500 team, Matt and Xavier Noonan making their first race appearance at Munro as well as seeing Frank Cassella & Tom Prosser putting in really strong performances over the weekend.
Jim Orenshaw remained at the top position 20 points ahead of John Schmidli in 2nd who move up from 3rd with Gary Whitbourn moving down 1 place to 3rd position.
1st – Jim Orenshaw
2nd – John Schmidli
3rd – Gary Whitbourn
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.
VMPRA’s last event for 2016 was in December back down at Munro.
Unfortunately there was no report written up for the event so, this post contains the basic results & championship standings.
The first race for 2017 is a Sports & Q500 event to be held on Jan 22 at the Westernport Model Aircraft Club. Looks like we’ll have a really good turn-out. There is always a good amount on Sport flyers there and the Q500 pilots look to be coming out in force.
Only 2 weeks later and we have our first full 3 class event at Camperdown on Feb 4th – 5th. So it all starting up for another year with the F3D world champs thrown in as well.
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my/our perspective and reflects how I/we have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable.
The Annual John Hughan Memorial Event was held at Munro for our monthly Pylon Race.
John Hughan was at the forefront promoting pylon racing in the 70’s and was instrumental in the formation of AMPRA itself. John greatly assisted the pylon flyers and helped instigate several F3D rule changes as well as the plane dimensions that we now all enjoy. Hughan was remembered by all as a pylon racing enthusiast who loved the hobby and pylon racing. For many years John also was a column writer for Airborne Magazine with his regular article, “Pylon Round-Up’, which included great stories and technical information for precision aeromodelling and hence the significance of this weekend flying for all pilots.
The Munro field after the peak of summer was in impeccable condition with the grass, perfect as always and now with a facility upgrade of a substantial roof structure for all competitors to use. Gippsland’s local pylon pilot David Chippendale, together with the assistance of Ian Rickard, championed the construction that will no doubt stand the test of time (and a tornado or two)!
Pilots from far and wide arrived on Friday for model set up and engine testing for an exciting weekend ahead of racing. The weather Gods were kind to use yet again, with a forecast for perfect conditions for all to enjoy during this fantastic weekend racing.
As per previous events the weekends racing schedule was for F400 then Q500 followed by F3D.
Scores for the Saturday were very impressive until we discovered a computer glitch which left many pilots discussing this around the dinner table that Saturday night.
Formula 400 - Ready for the 60 second count down to start. Ranjit Phelan and his Polecat held by his caller, Jim Orenshaw.
The F400 class yet again was very competitive with 10 pilots challenging themselves round after round. Baz Murphy recording the best time for the event of 66.26 seconds. Our very own man of steel, Brain Steele with help from his good mate Andrew Davies, took out top prize with Baz second and Ranji in third. Only 10 seconds between the top 3 place getters and the rest of the field flying really well too!
Q500 saw 8 pilots compete with a mix of beginners through to experienced pilots. A variety of hand crafted and precision molded planes enjoyed the conditions and fun was had by all. Apart from a mid-air and various unfortunate terra-firma incidences, fun was had by all. Jimmy and John battled it out for first and second place and Andrew (Dannmann’s Dad) finishing in solid 3rd. Jimmy recorded the best time of the event of 95.44 seconds with a very special mention to both Ian Rickard and David Chippendale for their PB’s.
Mark French was very happy after racing his Minute Master F3D model at its first event.
F3D witnessed Mark French returning to F3D with a Minute Master fuz from Leigh Hocken and wing from Dannmann. Quite a colourful combo for this model as the engine was also a first for Dannmann setting it up for his good mate Frenchy.
Racing was at its best with Baz Murphy and Frank Cassella full throttle dueling it out lap after lap resulting in what some say was one of the most spectacular mid-air crashes of all time! Even after collecting confetti, both pilots still had huge smiles on their faces as I am sure the adrenaline of action and a great sense of comradry being the winner.
• Daniel Arapakis with his winner's "John Hughan Trophy" for first place in F3D with his mentor, Barry Murphy beside him.
After 8 rounds of F3D Steely and Ranji finished with second and third place respectively for the weekend but the 1st place trophy went to Dannmann flying out of a swivel chair which he self propelled with his left foot (his right foot in plaster after nasty ankle surgery for a reoccurring tendon issue flew). A huge sense of achievement for Dannmann with the ever reliable Baz set up saw Dannmann fly at his best with ripper times and also recording the fastest time of the weekend of 58.28 seconds.
The big race for the annual VMPRA Season Championship trophy’s is almost over with season leaders remaining unchanged with Dannmann now on 55 points further extending his lead in F3D, Brain Steel 1st place with an aggregate score of 56 points in F400. Jim Orenshaw is currently running in 1st place in Q500 with 56 points with John Schmidli only a few points behind.
We have a Q500, Scanner and Sports 40 pylon race on at the Westernport Model Aircraft Club down at Crib Point on Sunday April 3. There are a number of us going down on Saturday to practice, share a spit roast dinner and stay over night ready for racing on the Sunday.
2 weeks later (April 16-17), we will be down at Warrnambool for one of our regular 3 class races.
Event Report – Anonymous
Additional information: John Schmidli
Photos – John Schmidli & Andrew Arapakis
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my perspective and reflects how I have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable
Gippsland as a region is famous for its agricultural development and has become Melbourne’s largest supplying region of dairy and vegetables.
Munro pylon field has also grown to what most racers would consider one of the best fields of its kind in the country.
As always, the grounds were meticulously prepared by a local fishing tackle sales rep, Ian Rickard who devotes nearly every weekend at the strip working on a list of odd jobs and manicuring the bowling green run way!
Race preparation began on Friday where several pilots took to the course for fine tuning in preparation of the last pylon event for the calendar year.
The day saw Master Murphy’s and Dannmann with their Minute Master’s out circulating in the 20 knotter and Beau rippen into his new Miss Dara F400 running in a fresh motor. The Miss Dara model was designed by Dan Kane who also designed the Polecat and Loki both also being extraordinary models.
Ranjit and Tricky Ricky test flew Ricks Veyron and all went well. Rick due to extended family commitments with the safe arrival of baby boy #2 Albert couldn’t stay for the weekend show down. Unfortunately Phelans’ new V Tail models came to grief with more development required.
The day ended with good spirits and plenty of Crownies with many pilots arriving setting up camp with a feast prepared by the Axons.
The fist race day plan was for 4 rounds of F400, Q500 then followed by F3D.
Willy Weather forecast for the weekend was for fine weather and Saturday morning was perfect for racing start at 9:45am of the F400 class. 10 entrants at his event with the podium hotly contested every month. Brain Steele and Andrew Davies the dynamic duo flew well all weekend proving out consistency was the recipe. Beau recorded the fastest time of the day and weekend with a 64.96sec. Jim and John managed to keep clear of each other as sometimes it seems an unfortunate magnetism exists between some models and pilots, Hmmmm.
John Schmidli got all his times and Dannmann cutting him self out of the race after setting himself a target and pushing really hard for a record time! Great too see Frank back with the shiniest models ever unfortunately hitting terra firma after take off in his first heat. Pity as his plane was a ripper in practice but an upside for Father Christmas would be a new model order! An unexpected mid air between Barry Murphy and Andrew Davies saw both models return to ground with a broken prop on the Baz model and repair required on Batman’s model.
After 4 rounds of F400, the Quickie pilots were fueled up and ready to race. With 12 entrants and a variety of skills saw fantastic racing with a veteran Tom Prosser returning to Munro for his second Q500 event. Tom must have had fun at the last event at Munro with his custom built plane which is a master piece and scratch built. Unfortunately the Prosser and Axon models had a mid air but both pilots returning into the comp for the next round. Also a special mention to Tom Allen returning to the pylon scene after a stint of car racing with only his second event back, well in the mix with his best time of 100.50 sec only 0.57 sec of the fastest time of the event by Jim Orenshaw….no doubt Tom is on it and will be going real fast in the near future.
F3D up next albeit weather proving a little slow, Beau opened up with a respectable 59.8 sec which proved to be the quickest time of the event. Dannmann recorded 61.2 in first heat which was also his best time for the weekend. Mix results with all other pilots with Frank flying great but plug problems in resulting in a few 200’s.
Day 1 ended with a very familiar garlic scent of charcoal grilling lamb, chicken and pork gyros followed by Narida’s tiramisu and Toni’s Christmas pudding. Camaraderie with all pilots attending the dinner was defiantly one for the record books and now the Saturday night event is almost part of the event calendar for most race weekends. All entrants this weekend stayed for the feast and many thanks to all helpers and to all cooks!
Late afternoon and evening affairs started with old timers, speed gliders and foamies. George Angelov certainly has his rocket master gold wings complemented the sky with rockets all landing safely with parachutes. Much fun by all.
After a dusty start to Sunday, the weather God’s rolled up for the second day with perfect conditions and the F400’s were on their way. The competitiveness of this class was very exciting to watch and well done to all competitors and place getters. John Schmidli again getting all his times with no cuts for the weekend will surely keep the ranks on their toes in months to come.
With Q500 scores very close after day 1, a number of pilots were well positioned to commence the days racing. Jim Orenshaw, Tom Allen and John Schmidli taking out the top three places this time round with many pilots in all placing all recording excellent times and PB’s. Racing this class was great to watch as the very affordable models flown by entry level pilots had a great time and were also very competitive!
Grand finale premier F3D class was again a mixed bag something similar to a fishing trip in Western Port Bay! Again the weather a little slow with Beau recording the fastest time of the day of 61.76 sec, Baz flying very consistent this weekend and Andrew Davis holding it together to complete 8 rounds. Brian Steele alias Robin landed his F3D in a tree which took a mastermind of construction materials, Tarzan and luck to get his model back. Onya Brian!
Dannmann got all his times in for the weekend bar 2 cuts for the event ended up with the best average score to take out 1st place, 2nd Barry Murphy and 3rd Andrew Davies. Great to see Gary back in the air for 4th place and Beau in 5th due his last run a little rich resulting in a 200.
The next event will be Camperdown on February 6-7, 2016. Make sure you have this and all the currently listed events marked in your calendar.
Another date to remember is the Sandown F1 Air Race to be on January 31, 2016 which includes a general remote control hobbies expo. The VMPRA will have a stand there and we will also have some members involved in flying displays throughout the day. There will be a number of us manning the stand and promoting the pylon racing special interest group. http://www.sandownairrace.com.au/
On a final note for the year, I wish everybody all the best for the Christmas and New Year break and that we all return to racing again next year refreshed, ready for some great competition and good times.
Event Report and Photos– Anonymous
Additional information: John Schmidli Photos – John Schmidli & Andrew Arapakis
The written content in this post is accurate to the best of my/our knowledge at the time of publishing. It is written from my perspective and reflects how I have experienced this event.
Photos published as feature images are selected purely for their quality, general interest or topicality. They are chosen from a pool of photos taken by myself and others when time permits.
If a perspective is not being represented, I am more than happy to publish any written content or photos that are supplied to me provided it is fair and reasonable
