Flying for Fun D.B. Mathews | [email protected]
Does your homeowner’s insurance cover your models if they are stolen?
Also included in this column:
• Design/Build/Fly competition a
success
A big group of Design/Build/Fly spectators near flightline. More were along the pit row to
the right. Most members of this group were interested engineers from a large area.
Cessna emptied a hangar for the contestants’ use. This scene of much socializing and
sharing ideas is reminiscent of old Navy Nats, on a smaller scale.
THE RESPONSE to the report of the theft
of my “modeling goodies” from a storage
unit brought a surprising number of letters
and E-mails. All were of the condolence
variety, and many related stories of similar
experiences.
Apparently model aircraft and associated
support equipment are popular with thieves.
One can only wonder why. Could it be the
relative ease with which such merchandise
can be sold illicitly? Frankly, who of us
bothers to write down serial numbers?
A letter that deserves comment came
from Rod Noll of Myerstown, Pennsylvania.
He wrote:
“Several years ago on a Saturday evening
I packed up my pickup truck with five
airplanes and related field equipment so I
could get an early start Sunday morning for
our club fun-fly. When I came out of the
house at daybreak, the lock on the door of
the cab was broken. The inside of the truck
looked like it had been steam cleaned, not
even a speck of balsa dust!
“All the stuff I figured had a replacement
value of over $4,000. When I tried to collect
for my loss from my insurance company,
they balked because my homeowner’s policy
didn’t cover ‘losses due to incidents
involving aircraft.’ If I would have had
model trains or model cars in the truck they
would have paid, but these were ‘airplanes.’
“Took me six months, two lawyers, one
hearing, and nearly $1,000 in legal fees
before the insurance company finally
settled.”
Years ago I got curious about a similar
rider in my homeowner’s policy and wrote
the company (not the agent) for an
interpretation of the “incidents involving
aircraft.” I wanted to clearly understand that
they would cover property damage and/or
liability claims arising from my flying model
airplanes away from home.
The answer was complex, as insurance
language always is, but boiled down and
distilled the answer was that I was not
covered for accidents involving flying model
airplanes under the aviation clause in my
policy. I shopped around for a homeowner’s
policy that did cover model airplanes.
I’ve related these experiences as a way to
warn you to check your homeowner’s policy
and get in writing from your underwriter that
you and your model airplanes are covered for
theft or liability. Otherwise, your AMA
insurance will have to be primary rather than
supplemental.
Don’t presume anything unless you have
it in writing! Additionally, don’t be
comfortable flying with someone who is not
an AMA member but is covered by his or her
homeowner’s policy.
Design/Build/Fly Revisited: Several years
ago I wrote a column about the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AIAA) annual model-airplane event for
university engineering students from around
the world.
The 10th annual event—the 2005/2006
edition—was sponsored locally by Cessna
Aircraft, staffed by volunteer aeronautical
engineers from the various local aircraft
factories, and held in Wichita, Kansas. On
alternate years the event is hosted at an
Office of Naval Research facility in
Maryland.
The event is moved around the country
each year, and the mission and design
August 2006 97
08sig4.QXD 6/23/06 10:09 AM Page 9798 MODEL AVIATION
objectives are altered each year to encourage
innovation. These students design electricpowered
radio-controlled models around a
challenging set of rules and parameters, and
they meet those challenges with some
original aircraft designs.
My previous write-up emphasized the
charming intermixing of these bright young
people and the marvelous social interplay
that resulted. This time I was again struck by
the quality of young men and women this
event attracts.
The appeal of this activity seems to grow
and grow. This year’s event saw teams
entered from Greece, Israel, and Canada, and
two from Turkey. From the US there were
teams from Alabama, Arizona, California,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New
York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Several states were represented by teams
from multiple universities.
For reasons of liability and crowd
control, the Design/Build/Fly event, held
April 21-23, was not publicized in any way
in the local newspaper other media, or even
in the local club newsletters. Much as the last
time I covered the event, I learned by
accident that it was going on.
The Turkish team’s model suffered some
shipping damage, and the team ended up in
George Knapple’s “Hanger” hobby shop to
take advantage of his well-equipped
backroom shop and the huge selection of
supplies. I hang out in George’s for many
reasons, not the least of which is to try to
stay up to date and connected with the group
that prefers ARFs.
While in the shop on Friday the staff
related how much fun they had with these
Turkish modelers and how wondrously
friendly they were. This alerted me to the
presence of the AIAA Design/Build/Fly
event and sent me scurrying out to the old
Cessna Delivery Center just east of the
Pawnee plant.
A large crowd was present for the
contest, yet as I walked through the parking
lot I saw very few local car tags. I reached
the conclusion that inside the studentengineer
set, this event attracts lots of
attention nationwide and must be of some
considerable importance to the young
students. This was also evidenced in the
cheering and loud applause heard following
successful flights.
Many years ago the AIAA hosted the
flying portion of a predecessor to this event
at the Sunflower Aerodrome in nearby
Hutchinson, Kansas. It is interesting to
compare those old events to the current,
highly refined regulations.
The old event did involve payload lifting,
but it used K&B .60 glow power plants. The
majority of the models had not been flown
previously, and RC pilots had to be recruited
locally. The flying portion of the event was
an adventure.
Now pilots are part of the university
teams, but they are not necessarily enrolled
students. The event is run to meet AMA
guidelines regarding total weight (less than
55 pounds), pilots must be AMA members,
and the AMA Safety Code is enforced.
Aircraft must have been flown; flight photos
are a requirement for processing the model.
These modifications have resulted in vastly
improved flying.
Safety is a major emphasis in this event.
The receiver and servos must be run off a
battery pack that is separate from the motor
pack. Models must be lifted at the wingtips
on the balance point with the model upright
and inverted; this is to check structural
integrity in positive and negative “G”
conditions.
Fail-safe must be demonstrated by
turning off the transmitter with the flight
pack still on. Fail-safe must produce low
throttle, full up, full left rudder, and full right
aileron. I’ve never seen that as part of a
safety check, but it seems to be a good idea.
All models are required to use only
commercial propellers. The only allowed
modification is to add paint to the light blade
to obtain balance. No material can be
removed from the propeller.
The battery packs must be fused at 40
Haifa University’s Sting Ray with Kontronics 515 motor, 17 x 8 APC
propeller. The wing is covered in heat-shrink nylon kite material.
Istanbul (Turkey) Tech’s model was damaged in shipment and
repaired in a local hobby shop. The team spoke perfect English!
Oklahoma University’s unusual trimotor entry has three AXI 4130
motors, APC 15 x 8 propellers, composite construction.
USC’s large flying wing built from conventional balsa and carbon
fiber, with MonoKote covering, flew very well.
08sig4.QXD 6/23/06 10:36 AM Page 98amps maximum draw with an ATO or
blade-type automobile fuse. Ni-Cd or NiMH
battery packs must be over-the-counter units
with all electrical connectors and the pack
shrink-wrapped. No exposed battery poles!
The arming fuse (switch) must be accessible
from the rear of the model; no reaching over
the propeller arc.
Battery packs must not weigh more than
3 pounds. Most packs I observed were
apparently model-car types. I have no idea
why Li-Poly packs are not allowed; perhaps
the fact that teams already have Ni-Cds left
over from previous years’ projects is a
factor. Or perhaps the fact that the cost of
components is part of the scoring process is
significant.
To add to the challenges of this event, all
models must be designed to fit inside a 4-
foot by 2-foot by 15-inch box. Wing panels
and fuselage must be sectional. Consider the
challenge of stuffing a 96-inch-span model
into such a small box. These bright
youngsters came up with ways to do it.
Other rules include no rotary-wing or
lighter-than-air designs permitted, no parts
dropping, and no winches or hi-starts.
Motors must be over-the-counter
unmodified units, geared or direct-drive,
brushed or brushless.
Five flight attempts for two best missions
are permitted. Takeoff is from inside a 100-
foot box marked on runway. The course
consists of a 500-foot upwind leg, a 90°
turn, a 1,000-foot downwind leg with a 360°
turn at two-thirds of its length, a 90° turn
into the wind, and a landing inside the
takeoff box. If the model lands outside the
box or off the runway, the crew must
retrieve it and return it to the start/finish line.
The cycle requires unloading the cargo,
placing it off the runway in a designated
“pit” area, and installing the next cargo to
repeat the cycle. These young people
running to retrieve their models, running the
old cargo to the pits, and running back with
the new cargo adds considerable excitement
and athleticism to the whole proceeding. It’s
little wonder the crowd gets involved in the
excitement.
The cargo consists of a provided 4 x 4 x
24-inch wood block weighing 8 pounds,
followed by as many as five 2-liter plastic
bottles of water, and 48 loose tennis balls.
Each cargo load must be flown from the
previously described runway block, the
model must complete the prescribed flight
maneuvers, and it must stay in the air a
minimum of two minutes. How’s that for a
challenge?
Cargos must be secured structurally—not
with tape or Velcro. No external pods can be
used for the loads.
Judging is based on an engineeringdesign
report, a rated aircraft-cost study, and
the flight scoring. The number of pop bottles
successfully flown has a great impact on the
flight score, and everything else is equal.
The official results were unavailable at
the time this was written, and I’m not too
sure they had much impact on the levels of
fun and fellowship these young aeronautical
engineering students experienced. I do know
that the University of Southern California
flying wing successfully lifted five 2-liter
bottles of water.
As I mentioned in previous columns
about this event, it is a wonderful experience
to be around these bright young men and
women, to observe their creative minds at
work, and to listen to them excitedly interact
with students from around the world with
whom they share a common bond in
aeronautical engineering. The aviation
industry is going to be in wonderful hands in
the future. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/09
Page Numbers: 97,98,100
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/09
Page Numbers: 97,98,100
Flying for Fun D.B. Mathews | [email protected]
Does your homeowner’s insurance cover your models if they are stolen?
Also included in this column:
• Design/Build/Fly competition a
success
A big group of Design/Build/Fly spectators near flightline. More were along the pit row to
the right. Most members of this group were interested engineers from a large area.
Cessna emptied a hangar for the contestants’ use. This scene of much socializing and
sharing ideas is reminiscent of old Navy Nats, on a smaller scale.
THE RESPONSE to the report of the theft
of my “modeling goodies” from a storage
unit brought a surprising number of letters
and E-mails. All were of the condolence
variety, and many related stories of similar
experiences.
Apparently model aircraft and associated
support equipment are popular with thieves.
One can only wonder why. Could it be the
relative ease with which such merchandise
can be sold illicitly? Frankly, who of us
bothers to write down serial numbers?
A letter that deserves comment came
from Rod Noll of Myerstown, Pennsylvania.
He wrote:
“Several years ago on a Saturday evening
I packed up my pickup truck with five
airplanes and related field equipment so I
could get an early start Sunday morning for
our club fun-fly. When I came out of the
house at daybreak, the lock on the door of
the cab was broken. The inside of the truck
looked like it had been steam cleaned, not
even a speck of balsa dust!
“All the stuff I figured had a replacement
value of over $4,000. When I tried to collect
for my loss from my insurance company,
they balked because my homeowner’s policy
didn’t cover ‘losses due to incidents
involving aircraft.’ If I would have had
model trains or model cars in the truck they
would have paid, but these were ‘airplanes.’
“Took me six months, two lawyers, one
hearing, and nearly $1,000 in legal fees
before the insurance company finally
settled.”
Years ago I got curious about a similar
rider in my homeowner’s policy and wrote
the company (not the agent) for an
interpretation of the “incidents involving
aircraft.” I wanted to clearly understand that
they would cover property damage and/or
liability claims arising from my flying model
airplanes away from home.
The answer was complex, as insurance
language always is, but boiled down and
distilled the answer was that I was not
covered for accidents involving flying model
airplanes under the aviation clause in my
policy. I shopped around for a homeowner’s
policy that did cover model airplanes.
I’ve related these experiences as a way to
warn you to check your homeowner’s policy
and get in writing from your underwriter that
you and your model airplanes are covered for
theft or liability. Otherwise, your AMA
insurance will have to be primary rather than
supplemental.
Don’t presume anything unless you have
it in writing! Additionally, don’t be
comfortable flying with someone who is not
an AMA member but is covered by his or her
homeowner’s policy.
Design/Build/Fly Revisited: Several years
ago I wrote a column about the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AIAA) annual model-airplane event for
university engineering students from around
the world.
The 10th annual event—the 2005/2006
edition—was sponsored locally by Cessna
Aircraft, staffed by volunteer aeronautical
engineers from the various local aircraft
factories, and held in Wichita, Kansas. On
alternate years the event is hosted at an
Office of Naval Research facility in
Maryland.
The event is moved around the country
each year, and the mission and design
August 2006 97
08sig4.QXD 6/23/06 10:09 AM Page 9798 MODEL AVIATION
objectives are altered each year to encourage
innovation. These students design electricpowered
radio-controlled models around a
challenging set of rules and parameters, and
they meet those challenges with some
original aircraft designs.
My previous write-up emphasized the
charming intermixing of these bright young
people and the marvelous social interplay
that resulted. This time I was again struck by
the quality of young men and women this
event attracts.
The appeal of this activity seems to grow
and grow. This year’s event saw teams
entered from Greece, Israel, and Canada, and
two from Turkey. From the US there were
teams from Alabama, Arizona, California,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New
York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Several states were represented by teams
from multiple universities.
For reasons of liability and crowd
control, the Design/Build/Fly event, held
April 21-23, was not publicized in any way
in the local newspaper other media, or even
in the local club newsletters. Much as the last
time I covered the event, I learned by
accident that it was going on.
The Turkish team’s model suffered some
shipping damage, and the team ended up in
George Knapple’s “Hanger” hobby shop to
take advantage of his well-equipped
backroom shop and the huge selection of
supplies. I hang out in George’s for many
reasons, not the least of which is to try to
stay up to date and connected with the group
that prefers ARFs.
While in the shop on Friday the staff
related how much fun they had with these
Turkish modelers and how wondrously
friendly they were. This alerted me to the
presence of the AIAA Design/Build/Fly
event and sent me scurrying out to the old
Cessna Delivery Center just east of the
Pawnee plant.
A large crowd was present for the
contest, yet as I walked through the parking
lot I saw very few local car tags. I reached
the conclusion that inside the studentengineer
set, this event attracts lots of
attention nationwide and must be of some
considerable importance to the young
students. This was also evidenced in the
cheering and loud applause heard following
successful flights.
Many years ago the AIAA hosted the
flying portion of a predecessor to this event
at the Sunflower Aerodrome in nearby
Hutchinson, Kansas. It is interesting to
compare those old events to the current,
highly refined regulations.
The old event did involve payload lifting,
but it used K&B .60 glow power plants. The
majority of the models had not been flown
previously, and RC pilots had to be recruited
locally. The flying portion of the event was
an adventure.
Now pilots are part of the university
teams, but they are not necessarily enrolled
students. The event is run to meet AMA
guidelines regarding total weight (less than
55 pounds), pilots must be AMA members,
and the AMA Safety Code is enforced.
Aircraft must have been flown; flight photos
are a requirement for processing the model.
These modifications have resulted in vastly
improved flying.
Safety is a major emphasis in this event.
The receiver and servos must be run off a
battery pack that is separate from the motor
pack. Models must be lifted at the wingtips
on the balance point with the model upright
and inverted; this is to check structural
integrity in positive and negative “G”
conditions.
Fail-safe must be demonstrated by
turning off the transmitter with the flight
pack still on. Fail-safe must produce low
throttle, full up, full left rudder, and full right
aileron. I’ve never seen that as part of a
safety check, but it seems to be a good idea.
All models are required to use only
commercial propellers. The only allowed
modification is to add paint to the light blade
to obtain balance. No material can be
removed from the propeller.
The battery packs must be fused at 40
Haifa University’s Sting Ray with Kontronics 515 motor, 17 x 8 APC
propeller. The wing is covered in heat-shrink nylon kite material.
Istanbul (Turkey) Tech’s model was damaged in shipment and
repaired in a local hobby shop. The team spoke perfect English!
Oklahoma University’s unusual trimotor entry has three AXI 4130
motors, APC 15 x 8 propellers, composite construction.
USC’s large flying wing built from conventional balsa and carbon
fiber, with MonoKote covering, flew very well.
08sig4.QXD 6/23/06 10:36 AM Page 98amps maximum draw with an ATO or
blade-type automobile fuse. Ni-Cd or NiMH
battery packs must be over-the-counter units
with all electrical connectors and the pack
shrink-wrapped. No exposed battery poles!
The arming fuse (switch) must be accessible
from the rear of the model; no reaching over
the propeller arc.
Battery packs must not weigh more than
3 pounds. Most packs I observed were
apparently model-car types. I have no idea
why Li-Poly packs are not allowed; perhaps
the fact that teams already have Ni-Cds left
over from previous years’ projects is a
factor. Or perhaps the fact that the cost of
components is part of the scoring process is
significant.
To add to the challenges of this event, all
models must be designed to fit inside a 4-
foot by 2-foot by 15-inch box. Wing panels
and fuselage must be sectional. Consider the
challenge of stuffing a 96-inch-span model
into such a small box. These bright
youngsters came up with ways to do it.
Other rules include no rotary-wing or
lighter-than-air designs permitted, no parts
dropping, and no winches or hi-starts.
Motors must be over-the-counter
unmodified units, geared or direct-drive,
brushed or brushless.
Five flight attempts for two best missions
are permitted. Takeoff is from inside a 100-
foot box marked on runway. The course
consists of a 500-foot upwind leg, a 90°
turn, a 1,000-foot downwind leg with a 360°
turn at two-thirds of its length, a 90° turn
into the wind, and a landing inside the
takeoff box. If the model lands outside the
box or off the runway, the crew must
retrieve it and return it to the start/finish line.
The cycle requires unloading the cargo,
placing it off the runway in a designated
“pit” area, and installing the next cargo to
repeat the cycle. These young people
running to retrieve their models, running the
old cargo to the pits, and running back with
the new cargo adds considerable excitement
and athleticism to the whole proceeding. It’s
little wonder the crowd gets involved in the
excitement.
The cargo consists of a provided 4 x 4 x
24-inch wood block weighing 8 pounds,
followed by as many as five 2-liter plastic
bottles of water, and 48 loose tennis balls.
Each cargo load must be flown from the
previously described runway block, the
model must complete the prescribed flight
maneuvers, and it must stay in the air a
minimum of two minutes. How’s that for a
challenge?
Cargos must be secured structurally—not
with tape or Velcro. No external pods can be
used for the loads.
Judging is based on an engineeringdesign
report, a rated aircraft-cost study, and
the flight scoring. The number of pop bottles
successfully flown has a great impact on the
flight score, and everything else is equal.
The official results were unavailable at
the time this was written, and I’m not too
sure they had much impact on the levels of
fun and fellowship these young aeronautical
engineering students experienced. I do know
that the University of Southern California
flying wing successfully lifted five 2-liter
bottles of water.
As I mentioned in previous columns
about this event, it is a wonderful experience
to be around these bright young men and
women, to observe their creative minds at
work, and to listen to them excitedly interact
with students from around the world with
whom they share a common bond in
aeronautical engineering. The aviation
industry is going to be in wonderful hands in
the future. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/09
Page Numbers: 97,98,100
Flying for Fun D.B. Mathews | [email protected]
Does your homeowner’s insurance cover your models if they are stolen?
Also included in this column:
• Design/Build/Fly competition a
success
A big group of Design/Build/Fly spectators near flightline. More were along the pit row to
the right. Most members of this group were interested engineers from a large area.
Cessna emptied a hangar for the contestants’ use. This scene of much socializing and
sharing ideas is reminiscent of old Navy Nats, on a smaller scale.
THE RESPONSE to the report of the theft
of my “modeling goodies” from a storage
unit brought a surprising number of letters
and E-mails. All were of the condolence
variety, and many related stories of similar
experiences.
Apparently model aircraft and associated
support equipment are popular with thieves.
One can only wonder why. Could it be the
relative ease with which such merchandise
can be sold illicitly? Frankly, who of us
bothers to write down serial numbers?
A letter that deserves comment came
from Rod Noll of Myerstown, Pennsylvania.
He wrote:
“Several years ago on a Saturday evening
I packed up my pickup truck with five
airplanes and related field equipment so I
could get an early start Sunday morning for
our club fun-fly. When I came out of the
house at daybreak, the lock on the door of
the cab was broken. The inside of the truck
looked like it had been steam cleaned, not
even a speck of balsa dust!
“All the stuff I figured had a replacement
value of over $4,000. When I tried to collect
for my loss from my insurance company,
they balked because my homeowner’s policy
didn’t cover ‘losses due to incidents
involving aircraft.’ If I would have had
model trains or model cars in the truck they
would have paid, but these were ‘airplanes.’
“Took me six months, two lawyers, one
hearing, and nearly $1,000 in legal fees
before the insurance company finally
settled.”
Years ago I got curious about a similar
rider in my homeowner’s policy and wrote
the company (not the agent) for an
interpretation of the “incidents involving
aircraft.” I wanted to clearly understand that
they would cover property damage and/or
liability claims arising from my flying model
airplanes away from home.
The answer was complex, as insurance
language always is, but boiled down and
distilled the answer was that I was not
covered for accidents involving flying model
airplanes under the aviation clause in my
policy. I shopped around for a homeowner’s
policy that did cover model airplanes.
I’ve related these experiences as a way to
warn you to check your homeowner’s policy
and get in writing from your underwriter that
you and your model airplanes are covered for
theft or liability. Otherwise, your AMA
insurance will have to be primary rather than
supplemental.
Don’t presume anything unless you have
it in writing! Additionally, don’t be
comfortable flying with someone who is not
an AMA member but is covered by his or her
homeowner’s policy.
Design/Build/Fly Revisited: Several years
ago I wrote a column about the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AIAA) annual model-airplane event for
university engineering students from around
the world.
The 10th annual event—the 2005/2006
edition—was sponsored locally by Cessna
Aircraft, staffed by volunteer aeronautical
engineers from the various local aircraft
factories, and held in Wichita, Kansas. On
alternate years the event is hosted at an
Office of Naval Research facility in
Maryland.
The event is moved around the country
each year, and the mission and design
August 2006 97
08sig4.QXD 6/23/06 10:09 AM Page 9798 MODEL AVIATION
objectives are altered each year to encourage
innovation. These students design electricpowered
radio-controlled models around a
challenging set of rules and parameters, and
they meet those challenges with some
original aircraft designs.
My previous write-up emphasized the
charming intermixing of these bright young
people and the marvelous social interplay
that resulted. This time I was again struck by
the quality of young men and women this
event attracts.
The appeal of this activity seems to grow
and grow. This year’s event saw teams
entered from Greece, Israel, and Canada, and
two from Turkey. From the US there were
teams from Alabama, Arizona, California,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New
York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Several states were represented by teams
from multiple universities.
For reasons of liability and crowd
control, the Design/Build/Fly event, held
April 21-23, was not publicized in any way
in the local newspaper other media, or even
in the local club newsletters. Much as the last
time I covered the event, I learned by
accident that it was going on.
The Turkish team’s model suffered some
shipping damage, and the team ended up in
George Knapple’s “Hanger” hobby shop to
take advantage of his well-equipped
backroom shop and the huge selection of
supplies. I hang out in George’s for many
reasons, not the least of which is to try to
stay up to date and connected with the group
that prefers ARFs.
While in the shop on Friday the staff
related how much fun they had with these
Turkish modelers and how wondrously
friendly they were. This alerted me to the
presence of the AIAA Design/Build/Fly
event and sent me scurrying out to the old
Cessna Delivery Center just east of the
Pawnee plant.
A large crowd was present for the
contest, yet as I walked through the parking
lot I saw very few local car tags. I reached
the conclusion that inside the studentengineer
set, this event attracts lots of
attention nationwide and must be of some
considerable importance to the young
students. This was also evidenced in the
cheering and loud applause heard following
successful flights.
Many years ago the AIAA hosted the
flying portion of a predecessor to this event
at the Sunflower Aerodrome in nearby
Hutchinson, Kansas. It is interesting to
compare those old events to the current,
highly refined regulations.
The old event did involve payload lifting,
but it used K&B .60 glow power plants. The
majority of the models had not been flown
previously, and RC pilots had to be recruited
locally. The flying portion of the event was
an adventure.
Now pilots are part of the university
teams, but they are not necessarily enrolled
students. The event is run to meet AMA
guidelines regarding total weight (less than
55 pounds), pilots must be AMA members,
and the AMA Safety Code is enforced.
Aircraft must have been flown; flight photos
are a requirement for processing the model.
These modifications have resulted in vastly
improved flying.
Safety is a major emphasis in this event.
The receiver and servos must be run off a
battery pack that is separate from the motor
pack. Models must be lifted at the wingtips
on the balance point with the model upright
and inverted; this is to check structural
integrity in positive and negative “G”
conditions.
Fail-safe must be demonstrated by
turning off the transmitter with the flight
pack still on. Fail-safe must produce low
throttle, full up, full left rudder, and full right
aileron. I’ve never seen that as part of a
safety check, but it seems to be a good idea.
All models are required to use only
commercial propellers. The only allowed
modification is to add paint to the light blade
to obtain balance. No material can be
removed from the propeller.
The battery packs must be fused at 40
Haifa University’s Sting Ray with Kontronics 515 motor, 17 x 8 APC
propeller. The wing is covered in heat-shrink nylon kite material.
Istanbul (Turkey) Tech’s model was damaged in shipment and
repaired in a local hobby shop. The team spoke perfect English!
Oklahoma University’s unusual trimotor entry has three AXI 4130
motors, APC 15 x 8 propellers, composite construction.
USC’s large flying wing built from conventional balsa and carbon
fiber, with MonoKote covering, flew very well.
08sig4.QXD 6/23/06 10:36 AM Page 98amps maximum draw with an ATO or
blade-type automobile fuse. Ni-Cd or NiMH
battery packs must be over-the-counter units
with all electrical connectors and the pack
shrink-wrapped. No exposed battery poles!
The arming fuse (switch) must be accessible
from the rear of the model; no reaching over
the propeller arc.
Battery packs must not weigh more than
3 pounds. Most packs I observed were
apparently model-car types. I have no idea
why Li-Poly packs are not allowed; perhaps
the fact that teams already have Ni-Cds left
over from previous years’ projects is a
factor. Or perhaps the fact that the cost of
components is part of the scoring process is
significant.
To add to the challenges of this event, all
models must be designed to fit inside a 4-
foot by 2-foot by 15-inch box. Wing panels
and fuselage must be sectional. Consider the
challenge of stuffing a 96-inch-span model
into such a small box. These bright
youngsters came up with ways to do it.
Other rules include no rotary-wing or
lighter-than-air designs permitted, no parts
dropping, and no winches or hi-starts.
Motors must be over-the-counter
unmodified units, geared or direct-drive,
brushed or brushless.
Five flight attempts for two best missions
are permitted. Takeoff is from inside a 100-
foot box marked on runway. The course
consists of a 500-foot upwind leg, a 90°
turn, a 1,000-foot downwind leg with a 360°
turn at two-thirds of its length, a 90° turn
into the wind, and a landing inside the
takeoff box. If the model lands outside the
box or off the runway, the crew must
retrieve it and return it to the start/finish line.
The cycle requires unloading the cargo,
placing it off the runway in a designated
“pit” area, and installing the next cargo to
repeat the cycle. These young people
running to retrieve their models, running the
old cargo to the pits, and running back with
the new cargo adds considerable excitement
and athleticism to the whole proceeding. It’s
little wonder the crowd gets involved in the
excitement.
The cargo consists of a provided 4 x 4 x
24-inch wood block weighing 8 pounds,
followed by as many as five 2-liter plastic
bottles of water, and 48 loose tennis balls.
Each cargo load must be flown from the
previously described runway block, the
model must complete the prescribed flight
maneuvers, and it must stay in the air a
minimum of two minutes. How’s that for a
challenge?
Cargos must be secured structurally—not
with tape or Velcro. No external pods can be
used for the loads.
Judging is based on an engineeringdesign
report, a rated aircraft-cost study, and
the flight scoring. The number of pop bottles
successfully flown has a great impact on the
flight score, and everything else is equal.
The official results were unavailable at
the time this was written, and I’m not too
sure they had much impact on the levels of
fun and fellowship these young aeronautical
engineering students experienced. I do know
that the University of Southern California
flying wing successfully lifted five 2-liter
bottles of water.
As I mentioned in previous columns
about this event, it is a wonderful experience
to be around these bright young men and
women, to observe their creative minds at
work, and to listen to them excitedly interact
with students from around the world with
whom they share a common bond in
aeronautical engineering. The aviation
industry is going to be in wonderful hands in
the future. MA