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Speed,Combat,Scale,Racing => Rat Racing and Team Racing => Topic started by: Les Akre on March 08, 2007, 04:15:01 PM
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Hello everyone
Further to the efforts of enticing any newcomer to racing, fuel shutoffs have often been touted as too difficult for the newcomer to make. Experienced racers know the value of a fuel shutoff, both for safety and ease of pitstops, as well as shortening the amount of time needed to get needle settings. Well, now there is no need for the uninitiated to try and make one.
Brodak manufacturing has a fuel shutoff kit available under Item# BH-936. The shutoff sells for $24.99 and includes all of the hardware neccessary for installation.
This shutoff would be suitable for all of our "Sport" racing events, and possibly some of the others.
If you wish to find the shutoff kit on the brodak web site, simply navigate to the online catalog, select the "Fuel" button from the catalog menu, then select from the menu "fuel shutoff".
It is nice to see some of the "Special" items peculiar to racing offered again by a Major manufacturer.
Included is a pic of the shutoff kit.
Les
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Les the old DOC here, if I had my way every racing event would be required to have a shut off. Not only for safety, but, also ease in setting engine. Looks very much like Keven Seaton's shut off minus the cable, horn and the little odd things. Later, DOC Holliday
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"Required" is a bit on the strong side.
But I would like to see them universally permitted.
I have made my own shutoffs and my own fuel tanks.
It's a lot easier to make a shutoff than it is to make a fuel tank that functions properly without one.
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Shutoffs are not complicated "black box" technology...we routinely made them from mousetrap springs or music wire torsion bars, with "bang the 'down'" trip mechanisms. They can be made just about foolproof with one moving part and the extra pushrod extension to trigger it. Wheel collar on the extension for fine tuning to the pilot's taste. The simpler the better.
--Ray
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At SCAR we have the rule that shutoffs are "suggested" for all racing classes for safety purposes. The proviso being that if it one is used during a race in a class barring them, for other than catastrophic circumstances, the racer is DQ'd. If nothing else it's peace of mind for the entrant.
don Burke
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I have to agree with Paul. making a shutoff is much easier than making a fuel tank that cuts out cleanly when empty.
I think having a major manufacturer producing a fuel shutoff for control line airplanes is a very positive step towards commercially supplying the products neccessary for racers to compete. For years we've had to depend on the "cottage industry" for parts and pieces relative to our interests.
Having a major manufacturer producing fuel shutoffs adds legitimacy to possibility of permitting them to be used in all racing events. They are now available to everyone through the regular channels.
For those that still resist allowing Fuel shutoffs in all racing events, I wonder what the excuse will be now?
Les
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I think having a shutoff makes racing much more interesting. I made crude but effective rubber-band loaded pivoting wire shutoffs which cost about 10 cents for materials. I agree that making a shutoff, and getting it to work properly every time is not all that simple for the novice.