April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/04
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,37,38,40,42,44
April 2006 33
BY BRIAN CLEMMONS
On the winners’ podium are Christophe Paysant-
Le Roux of France, first; Tetsuo Onda of Japan,
second; and Roland Matt of Liechtenstein, third.
2005 F3A World
Championships
St. Yan, France, hosts distinguished RC Aerobatics biennial event
THE 24TH F3A World Championships, for FAI RC Aerobatics
(Pattern), was held in St. Yan, France, August 20-27, 2005. I was
proud to be the team USA assistant manager.
This event drew 118 competitors from 43 countries; there were
one to three pilots per country. Every one of them wanted to
become the World Champion, and every country wanted to win the
team title.
However, there were only three trophy placings in each
category. Many contestants had to go home content with having
flown with the best Pattern pilots in the world in one of the most
picturesque regions of Western Europe.
In the past, US team member Chip Hyde has stood on the
platform holding the individual World Champion trophy aloft.
Many times, and as recently as 2003 (at the last World
Championships which are held every two years), Team USA has
held up the team World Champion trophy from center stage.
The US contingent consisted of Jason Shulman, Sean McMurtry,
and Chip Hyde, as well as Team Manager Bryan Hebert and myself.
The US team of pilots kneels in front of Chip Hyde’s Scandalous.
L-R: Sean McMurtry, Chip Hyde, and Jason Shulman.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Chip Hyde battles the unrelenting winds while his caller Trent
Byrd reminds his pilot of the flight sequence.
Jason Shulman’s Composite-ARF Impact powered with a Hacker
inrunner motor equipped with a 6.7:1 planetary gearbox.
Canadian pilot Chad Northeast flew his Pattern aircraft with a
Plettenburg outrunner motor system. Outrunner power systems
were the quietest.
Chip Hyde Products teamed with CAModel to bring the Genesis and Scandalous to the
marketplace. These airframes are available as ARF and Almost Ready-to-Cover packages.
Sean McMurtry (shown) and Jason
Shulman are members of Team Futaba.
Chip Hyde flies for Team Airtronics.
US Team Captain Jason Shulman won the Team Selection
competition and was the top-scoring pilot at the 2006 world
competition.
April 2006 35
The summer temperatures were unseasonably variable. US Team
Manager Bryan Hebert (L) had the forethought to have hooded
sweatshirts made for the team.
Chip Hyde assembles his CHP Scandalous. The wings break down
into four pieces. The fuselage is all-composite construction with
removable stabilizer halves.
Right: Jason Shulman’s Impact arrives over the threshold of the
runway for a picture-perfect landing. Drag provided by the
stopped motor helps control the descent.
Dave Stoddart carries Jason Shulman’s Impact out to the
flightline. Jason turns the motor up to idle speed before the model
is put down on the runway.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux prepares his ZNLine Oxalys. He used
the prototype YS 1.70DZ engine in both of his models.
Chip Hyde packs up after a good day at the practice flying
site. He uses hot battery packs to heat up a hamburger.
Photos by the author, Dean Pappas, Chistophe Paysent-Le Roux, and Sunichi Suzuki
36 MODEL AVIATION
Sean McMurtry pilots his Millennium during one of the
preliminary rounds. His father Mike has been his caller in the last
three World Championships.
Jason Shulman poses with his Impact after Round Two. The
Hacker C50XL motor turns a 22-inch propeller.
A close-up of one of Jason Shulman’s backup Hacker C50 motors
with the planetary gearbox. The system is easy to change out for
maintenance.
Team USA (standing L-R): Brian Clemmons, Sean McMurtry, Jason Shulman, Bryan Hebert, Chip Hyde (kneeling L-R), Mike McMurtry,
Dave Stoddart, and Trent Byrd.
One of Jason Shulman’s backup ESCs is this Hacker Master 90. It
runs on 10 Li-Poly cells and is programmed to slow the motor for
down-line braking.
April 2006 37
Everyone was dressed accordingly for opening ceremonies. L-R: Dave Stoddart, Jason
Shulman, Chip Hyde, Trent Byrd, Brian Clemmons, Bryan Hebert, Sean McMurtry,
and Mike McMurtry.
Electric-powered FAI models have to be registered and weighed in with the batteries
installed. Chip Hyde had nine sets of batteries to process.
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux’s Oxalys aircraft were equipped with an unusual “wing” on
top of the fuselage, just aft of the canopy. The talk was that it gave the benefit of a
biplane design without the handicap of an extra wing.
Dave Stoddart, nicknamed “Mr. GQ,”
aided the team in any capacity necessary.
He was an asset and a welcome member
of the crew.
Part of being a US team pilot is showing
your appreciation to the engineers and
manufacturers that helped get you there.
Sean McMurtry’s Millennium on knife edge
during a Snap Roll. During the whole
contest Sean best demonstrated what the
150-meter aerobatic box looks like.
The team alternate was Don Sczur. The US
judge was Don Ramsey, whose scoring held
up extremely well under TBL (Tarasov-
Bauer-Long statistical averaging scoring
system), for those of you who understand
the scoring evaluation program.
The National Society of Radio
Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA)—AMA’s
Pattern SIG—has been active in developing
a judges’ training and evaluation program;
Don Ramsey has headed that effort for the
past several years.
Don, who is a competitive Masters-class
Pattern pilot, has worked long and hard to
provide consistency to the judging base in
this country and certainly deserved to be
selected to represent the US in France. He
made us proud.
His selection was a matter of NSRCA
recommendation (one of four names sent to
AMA President Dave Brown), AMA’s
submission to the promoters in France, and
final selection by the promoters. This was a
hard-earned honor for Don and a coming of
age for the NSRCA judging program. If you
are a competition Pattern pilot, you should
consider joining the NSRCA.
Dave Stoddart called for Jason Shulman,
Sean McMurtry’s dad Mike called for him,
and Trent Byrd called for Chip Hyde. This
was a terrific bunch! It would be eyeopening
to put every trophy this group has
won on a single wall; it would have to be
big (two sides of a barn might be big
enough).
Jason won the Team Selection contest
(held in conjunction with the 2004 Nats) to
make the team, and as a result was team
captain. Sean was the next eligible pilot,
placing second in the Team Selection, and
Chip was the third eligible pilot. Highly
competitive FAI pilot and noted airplane
designer Bryan Hebert stepped up to fulfill
the duties as team manager.
St. Yan Welcomes Team USA: The St. Yan
airfield is a full-scale civil-aviation facility
and was once a military training center for
aerobatics. Two taxiways were used for
flying, and they were approximately a halfmile
apart.
The dominant weather pattern for the
week was windy and cold, not that the wind
seemed to bother these expert pilots.
Christophe managed a near shutout on his
way to winning the overall championship
for the third consecutive time.
The temperatures hovered near 60
degrees Fahrenheit. There were a few sunny
and warm days, but not many. Only the
brave wore short pants!
Team Manager Bryan Hebert arranged to
have hooded sweatshirts supplied for the US
pilots, which were welcomed in
summertime in southern France.
Temperatures were hovering at 100 degrees
Fahrenheit when Bryan and I left New
Orleans International airport; we needed
those sweatshirts.
(Al Coomber at Central Hobbies funded
the team apparel for the US. He has long
been a great friend and supplier for Pattern
pilots, the NSRCA, and AMA. Central
Hobbies is the number-one importer of YS
engines and parts. Thanks, Al!)
The first pilot Team USA encountered in
France was Paris Christodoulides of Cyprus,
who greeted us in Charles de Gaulle Airport
as if we were long-lost friends. Paris
embodied the spirit of friendship
encountered all week.
“You will remember your friend, Paris,
when you return home!” he said. And we
have.
However, he was not the only personable
competitor; I’ve always found Pattern pilots
to be a gregarious and close-knit bunch. We
often see Canada’s Manager Harry Ells,
Chad Northeast, Adam Glatt, and Dezso
Vaghy at meets in the US and even at the
Nats in Muncie, Indiana. They are great
guys.
I also need to mention Marcelo Colombo
of Argentina (site of the 2007 World
Championships), Bernd Beschorner of
Germany, Marco Benincasa of Italy,
Japanese Manager Kouji Tanaka, Assistant
Manager Shunichi Suzuki, his brother Kouji
Suzuki, Yoichiro Akiba, and Tetsuo Onda.
South African Manager Carel Germishuys
and Rattanaprarom Nuttawut of Thailand
were also wonderfully friendly throughout
the week.
The skill and dedication to F3A that ishas, in large part, forged numerous ties at
the World Championships. Many thanks to
the French team that hosted this fine event
with such a sense of tradition.
As did most competitors, Team USA
stayed in the town of Paray le Monial, which
is roughly 5 kilometers from St. Yan.
Practice fields were assigned to each team;
the US pilots drew a field that was 70
kilometers away, near the one-time Roman
stronghold of Autun.
Some Roman architecture still stands in
Autun, as it has for nearly 2,000 years. The
only other field that distance from St. Yan
was Lyon; all others were closer to the
competition site, such as the practice area
where teams France and Japan flew, within
a kilometer of Paray le Monial. Remember
that the promoters had 118 competitors to
manage!
The runway in Autun was a bit
abbreviated; Chip did a handheld, vertical
takeoff once in unfavorable winds. Landings
were just as exciting. It was fantastic to see!
FAI and the Team: You would have to see
it for yourself to understand how well Chip
can step up and fly with intensity when it’s
all on the line. He improved during every
round in St. Yan. The experience of being a
past World Champion was evident.
Some unfortunate draws led to
disadvantageous positions for the US pilots,
though. Jason flew first almost half the time.
In the Unknown-sequence selection meeting
with the 10 finals pilots, both Americans—
Jason and Chip—wound up being allowed
to choose only turnaround maneuvers. Poor
draws are not the only reason for the final
scores, but they were definitely a factor.
At one point FAI Jury Chairman Bob
Skinner was asked to investigate apparent
effects of nationalism in scoring. He found
insufficient grounds to take action and
communicated this in writing to Bryan
Hebert.
In E-mail conversations with Bob since
that time I have indicated that some work
needs to be done in the area of impartiality,
and he agreed—in principal. This is not to
point fingers at certain judges from
individual countries, but is simply to
indicate that we need to keep our eyes on
what we are doing; after all, flying model
airplanes is for fun!
The team score is a summation of the
individual points garnered by each pilot
from a country, so having one great flier
isn’t enough to win the championship. Some
countries can win with only two pilots, but
the top nations really need to have three in
the top 20—at least two in the top 10.
The team winners this year had three
competitors in the top 10. Liechtenstein
placed third with just two entries: Roland
and Wolfgang Matt. Wolfgang is a former
two-time World Champion. (The Japanese
judge for this contest—Giichi Naruke—has
also won the individual World Champion
trophy twice.)
Add 2003 individual World Champion
Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (who has won
the title three times), and there were four
former individual champions in competition:
Chip, Wolfgang, Giichi, and Christophe.
This was serious horsepower, or should I
call it some stick-hot pilots!
This year it was primarily electric-powered
models flying F3A. Two types of motors—
geared units such as the Hacker and
outrunners such as the Plettenburg—
dominated the ranks. YS dominated the
glow-fuel engines used, with a secret out:
the YS 170 putting on a good show.
Motors and glow engines fared equally
well among the winners, although the geared
motors had an advantage compared to the
outrunners in the wind. The outrunners were
eerily quiet; it was almost like flying deadstick
all the time. They really shine in calm
air. There were all brands of batteries, with
Thunder Power and Kokam representing the
lion’s share of power packs.
During official aircraft processing Chip
Hyde had nine battery packs, which was
unprecedented for the contest officials. It
takes more than one pack to compete, which
took the promoters by surprise; they had to
scramble for more stickers.
The glow-powered airplanes used fuel
provided by Morgan Fuels of Enterprise,
Alabama. Kudos to Morgan Fuels!
Team USA flew using two geared
Hackers and one YS. Team Canada flewPlettenburgs. Team Japan flew YS. No
motor had the edge this year, but electrics
are certainly coming on strong. Battery
prices are the dominating factor since power
is no longer an issue. And the battery packs
are weighed with the aircraft.
The models were limited to 2 meters in
wingspan (78.74 inches), 2 meters in length,
and five kilograms in weight (roughly 11
pounds). No automatic piloting devices were
allowed, and the power plants were
unlimited. Only two pilots flew biplanes,
which finished in the second and fourth
spots overall. Motors and glow engines were
represented equally in the top 10.
The only real surprise in equipment was
a small wing atop a pylon behind the canopy
of Christophe’s airplane, similar to the small
wing found above the cockpit of modern
Formula One race cars. He claimed it gave
the aircraft some of the benefits found in
biplanes while retaining the benefits of
flying a single wing. It beats me if it works
that way, but he did win.
Chip Hyde flew a single-wing model and
a biplane—the Genesis and the
Scandalous—which he called the
“eindecker” and “bidecker.” Both are from
Chip Hyde Products. Jason flew an Impact
and Sean flew his own-design Millennium.
It seems that ARFs are dominating all
model selections. The Builder of the Model
Rule is far behind us; these pilots come to
fly and fly only. More than that, with the
extremely high degree of proficiency
exhibited at the world level, there is
precious little time left to build models after
practice. Ask Bryan Hebert. Earl Haury (a
top pilot) once remarked, “We can beat
Hebert if we can keep him building. If he
stops building, look out.”
Futaba, JR, Graupner, and Airtronics
were the main radio brands used at the
contest. All radios are so good these days
that there is little advantage to having one or
another. It’s all about having the features
you prefer in your radio equipment.
Most pilots used fixed landing gear,
which meant they were flying throttle,
elevator, rudder, and ailerons, by and large.
Paint schemes ran the gamut from classic
Pattern designs to IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club)-looking aircraft
to a newer style that reminds me of T-shirt
airbrushing. All of them were beautiful.
The dominant flying style was big, slow,
and 200 meters out, regardless of what the
judging team discussed at the pilots’
meeting. A fair amount was said about
flying out to 150 meters, as suggested by the
FAI Sporting Code, but Sean McMurtry was
the only one to actually do it—and that
probably hurt him more than it helped. It
took several days to figure out that his 150-
meter flight pattern was a major factor in
Sean’s scores, which contributed to his
barely missing the cut for the finals.
Everybody flew as slow as they dared;
for those of us who flew Pattern in the
1980s, the old “turn and burn” days are a
faint memory. Now it’s all about
smoothness and control; speed is no longer
advantageous, but a liability. Propellers
averaged 18-22 inches in diameter and acted
as huge brakes when the throttle was down.
The US and Japanese teams have
dominated the F3A World Championships
since 1960. They have placed first and
second seven times, second and third twice,
and first and third three times. The US has
come out ahead of Japan seven times; Japan
has finished ahead of the US five times.
Team USA has won 13 times since 1960,
placed second eight times, and earned third
place once. The US team has failed to earn a
spot on the winners’ podium only three
times: in 1997 in Poland, in 1995 in Japan,
and in 1987 in France.
Individually, Americans have earned a
total of six firsts, five seconds, and eight
third-place finishes in the F3A World
Championships. Renowned competitors such
as Phil Kraft, Dave Brown, and Dave Von
Linsowe are Team USA legends.
The 2005 team members can hold their
heads up high with their second-place finish
in France along with the many great
American teams of the past.
Looking to the future, the F3A World
Championships travels to Argentina in 2007.
I’m typing right now wearing a Team
Argentina uniform shirt that was given to me
by 2005 Argentinean Team Manager Claudio
Garcia Rosa, who will be the CD for 2007.US FAI Committee Chairman Chip
Hyde is working on the format, location,
and time for the 2007 Team Selection
contest. Look for the 2005 members to be
competitive; they have flown together in the
World Championships twice now.
Several other pilots are knocking on the
door. Don Sczur has been consistently
good, while Andrew Jesky and Peter
Collinson are bright rising stars. Thrown
into the mix this coming season will be
Quique Somenzini, who will be eligible to
compete for a place on Team USA for
2007. Todd Blose and Dave Lockhart flew
exceptionally well at the Nats last year, and
we expect them to challenge the group
again.
Former team member Tony Frackowiak
was back in 2005, and it is rumored that
David Shulman, Jason’s brother, will be
returning to Pattern in 2006. David started
the rumor, by the way! In the lower classes
we will be watching Michael Hill, A.C.
Glenn, and Brett Wickizer. Last year was
good for Pattern in the US, and the future
looks even better.
Final results:
Individual
1. Christophe Paysant-Le Roux (France)
2. Tetsuo Onda (Japan)
3. Roland Matt (Liechtenstein)
4. Chip Hyde (USA)
5. Benoit Paysant-Le Roux (France)
6. Jason Shulman (USA)
7. Sean McMurtry (USA)
Team
1. Japan
2. USA
3. Liechtenstein
Please excuse the delay in reporting; Bryan
Hebert and I arrived home in the middle of
Hurricane Katrina. We drove a rental SUV
from Charlotte, North Carolina, through the
teeth of the storm to get home after all
flights were grounded.
Cell phones are still nearly useless on
many occasions, traffic is unbelievable, and
life is far from normal in southern
Louisiana. I believe Bryan got some good
video footage in central Mississippi while I
was driving at 90 mph to pace the winds
(which were at our backs since hurricanes
rotate counterclockwise). Even the police
had abandoned the roads by that time.
My own SUV was stranded in the New
Orleans airport for three weeks; fortunately
it was on the third level. My home
sustained some damage, but it should be
fully repaired by the end of this year. We
got quite a homecoming! MA
Brian Clemmons
[email protected]