AMA News: Focus on Competition - 2013/02
Clearing up some questions pertaining to Class C events
by Greg Hahn, Technical Director
History
In the early days of AMA, model aviation was built around competition of all types. It was not considered a Sunday-afternoon social affair. Model aviation was created to mirror full-scale aviation, for which pushing the envelope was the name of the game; in reality, many early theories of flight and improvements were first tested as models.
Two world wars and several other high-level conflicts later, there isn’t much of an envelope left for aviation to push. Granted, there’s always something new to learn, but the environment is different from what it was in the 1940s and 1950s. Over the past 20 years model aviation has evolved from a contest-dominated endeavor to more of a Sunday flier or social gathering event. This transition increased the need for the Class C event classification (the non-rulebook type event).
Class C does not mean an event can’t be a contest, but it does mean the event will not be run strictly according to the official AMA rule book.
Sanctioning and rule deviations
In the sanctioning process, the decision of event class is straightforward—you either use the AMA rule book or you don’t.
If you sanction a rule-book event:
- You should follow the AMA rule book.
- Deviations from the rule book are permitted, but the changes must be listed on the sanction form.
- Deviations must be approved by the Technical Director before the meet.
- Deviations must be advertised early so all who plan to attend are aware and can be prepared.
Nature of Class C events
The Class C event is an entirely different animal. Most Class C events are social gatherings, but some can also be contests, such as fun-flys or mock Scale. Combat and club Pylon Racing have also become popular.
- These events may have rules, and some may borrow from the AMA rule book, but they are not required to.
- Contest directors (CDs) of Class C events are urged to advertise or post the rules they will use well in advance of the event, though this is not a requirement.
Protections and Traditional Event status
Class C events receive the same protections and options as A and AA events:
- They are given the same 100-mile-radius protection area as A and AA events.
- They can have Traditional Event status, provided the event is sanctioned at least six months in advance of the event date.
These provisions are found in the Competitions section of the AMA Membership Manual.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that when you attend a Class C contest you are generally attending a social gathering that may include a bit of friendly competition. The rules might be quite arbitrary—keep it in perspective and have fun.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
