CL Scale
Bill Boss, 77-06 269th St., New Hyde Park NY 11040
FAI WORKSHOPS REPORT: During the months of March and April, the 2005 FAI Scale Workshops were held in Wittman, Arizona, and Huntersville, North Carolina. The Wittman session took place March 11-13 and was hosted by the SpeedWorld R/C Flyers. The Huntersville session was held April 8-10 and was hosted by the Metrolina Control Line Society.
Scale Team Manager Lloyd Roberts ran both sessions, and he was assisted by ex-team member and manager George Buso. Others who helped bring both sessions to successful conclusions were SpeedWorld R/C Flyers President Randy Dauer and Metrolina Control Line Society President Sonny Williams and member Dale Campbell.
During the Wittman session, George Buso served as the static and RC (F4C) flight judge, and Darlene Frederick served as the head CL (F4B) judge. At the Huntersville site, Richard Schneider led the judging for F4B and Stan Alexander led the F4C judging, assisted by Chauncey Dance.
These clinics were intended to provide guidance to those who might have wanted to enter the Team Trials at this year’s Nats. Each workshop session began with an overview of what was expected to be accomplished.
It was noted in the overview that judging from past World Championships experience, US modelers are at a significant disadvantage if they compete by FAI rules in that contest with no prior experience in FAI competition. Therefore, the workshops were an attempt to bring those who might try FAI Scale up to speed.
The judges thoroughly covered the FAI rules for static and flight judging and, in particular, the need for a good understanding of what is required according to FAI rules for model documentation.
The information I will present in this column will be published after this year’s Team Trials, but it will be helpful to those who are looking to future Team Trials and Scale World Championships.
The Rules: One of the most important things any serious competitor must do is obtain and understand the rules for the event in which he or she wants to compete. For FAI Scale, a contestant needs the latest version (currently 2005) of the FAI Sporting Code.
To get a copy of these rules, contact Lisa Johnson in the AMA Competition Department (765) 287-1256, extension 231 or download it from the National Association of Scale Aeromodellers (NASA) Web site (www.nasascale.org). The Sporting Code is a PDF file that is roughly 80 pages long. If you download it, read it and print only the portion that applies to your particular event (F4C or F4B).
One of the most important points made during the presentation and discussion of the rules was that if you don’t abide by the Sporting Code, you may get zero scores in static and flight judging. It appears that FAI judges are sticklers in their manner of judging and interpretation of the Sporting Code.
Static Documentation: The 8 1/2 x 11-inch loose-leaf form of documentation kept in a three-ring binder used for AMA judging is considered cumbersome for FAI, in which all judges look at the same material at the same time. The preferred format for FAI is 17 x 24-inch boards with a central perspective of the three-view surrounded by supporting photos. The pictures are
CL Scale
Bill Boss
connected with lines to the areas on the three-view that they represent.
Most text will not be read. Do not cover the views or photos with plastic. Supporting color chips should be provided in a detachable form.
There is no limit to the number of boards you present. However, one should be used for each perspective of the three- or four-view, one should be used for color-and-markings, and one should be used for detailed photos supporting elements of craftsmanship. Be careful not to show or highlight anything not included on the model.
You must have three photographs of the complete full-scale aircraft, one of which must be the actual individual prototype aircraft you are modeling. It was emphasized at the workshop that a photo of the aircraft with a wingtip cropped off at the edge will not count and could zero your entire outline score. Accurate three-view scale drawings of the full-scale airplane and three photos of the complete aircraft must be submitted in triplicate.
Flight Routines: The manner and sequence in which flight maneuvers are to be performed are detailed in diagrams within the Sporting Code. In CL you can choose only four options from the prescribed listing, and those options must be done as shown in the code diagrams.
If your model is aerobatic, do not choose a nonaerobatic option. To do so will earn you a zero score for the maneuver. The same applies to a nonaerobatic airplane; don’t choose aerobatic maneuvers as flight options.
Placement of maneuvers must be as they are shown in the code diagrams in relation to the placement of the judges on the flight circle. The diagrams show and explain in great detail the part of the circle in which the maneuver is to be performed.
Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of CL flight is the FAI requirement of “Normal Flight,” which is specified as 6 meters, or approximately 19 feet. This is different from what we are used to being level flight in AMA competitions. It is suggested that anyone who wants to practice at the FAI height should erect a pole outside the circle.
Another of the get-used-to items is the need, when required, to call the start and finish of a maneuver by announcing “Now” for the start and “Finish” when it is completed.
It is obvious from the preceding that much more is required of the contestant who enters FAI Scale competition. And, as I have pointed out many times in this column, there is no substitute for knowing and understanding the rules for the event you enter. One of the reasons why competitors from other countries have been so dominant in world competitions may be that they have always built and flown their models according to FAI rules.
It is hoped that the FAI workshop sessions helped those who entered this year’s Team Trials, aiming for a spot on the US team that will compete in the 19th Scale World Championships. The contest will be held in Norrköping, Sweden, next year.
Thanks to Team Manager Lloyd Roberts, George Buso, the clubs, and the many modelers who made the FAI Scale Workshop sessions a complete success. And congratulations to those who made the 2006 team.
Contest Activity: Mark your calendars for the Carolina Criterium CL contest, to be held October 21-22 at the Waymer Flying Field in Huntersville, North Carolina. F4B will be among the events held. The F4B entries will not be static judged, but they will be flight judged using the current rules. The event is an effort to expose new and experienced modelers to FAI flight rules. ARFs and true competition-level models are welcome.
Dale Campbell will be directing the Scale event and should be contacted for the FAI rules. He can be reached at 1216 Wise Rd., Vale NC 28168, or at (704) 458-1058.
Please send ideas, notice of upcoming CL Scale events, contest reports, and especially photos of CL Scale activity to me at the address at the top of this column. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
