Control Line Navy Carrier
Dick Perry [[email protected]]
AMA rules cycle
We are in the middle of the AMA rules cycle. Proposals that passed the initial voting in December are now subject to cross proposals. Contest Boards must vote (by April 15) on which versions of the proposals will go to final ballot.
Lead time for this column means I don't know which cross proposals, if any, have been submitted. For the latest information, check the AMA website. If you want to comment to your Contest Board member, do so promptly because of the impending ballot deadline.
In the Navy Carrier events there is a proposal to restore the multiengine bonus criteria to its original requirements. That is the only potential change this year, and the CL Navy Carrier Contest Board members would appreciate your comments on the proposed change.
Unofficial events and the Navy Carrier Society (NCS)
The NCS has been working to develop and ratify a set of rules to guide Carrier competition using electric power. Voting was not complete at the time this column was prepared, but the results and final rules will be published in the NCS Hi-Low Landings newsletter. If you haven't seen them, send me a request and I can send you a copy of the rules.
Carrier at the Nats
There are a few changes for this year’s Nats CL Navy Carrier competition.
Schedule
- Events will be held Wednesday through Friday (July 16–18), with processing the evening before each event.
- AMA Profile Carrier and Sportsman Profile Carrier (sponsored by the NCS) will be flown Wednesday.
- AMA Class I and Class II will be flown Thursday.
- Unofficial events will be flown Friday.
Events and additions
The Carrier Nats has been expanded to include electric-power events. Competition opportunities will be offered in:
- Three classes of Nostalgia Carrier
- .15 Carrier (including electric-powered and glow models)
- Skyray Carrier (which already allows electric power)
- Three classes of Electric Carrier using the new NCS rules
I’ll list the unofficial events’ sponsors in the July column. We are still looking for officials for the Nats. If you’d like a front-row seat for the action (and the undying gratitude of your fellow Carrier modelers), volunteer by contacting me or any NCS officer.
Carrier X (Phoenix, AZ)
Ted Kraver’s Carrier contest in Phoenix completed its 10th consecutive year and continues to improve. Carrier was flown over two days in late October 2007 with nearly perfect weather: light wind, sunny skies, and daytime highs in the mid-90s. There were 12 contestants and 25 total entries with official flights.
This month’s photographs are from the Carrier X event. Tony Naccarato brought a full carrier wing’s worth of models, including some older aircraft and a new electric-powered Skyray. Burt Brokaw has clearly been practicing; after his first year in Carrier competition, he made significant advances with advice from Eric Conley and a lot of practice, and will be moving out of the Sportsman class after posting a 313 in Sportsman Profile.
Ron Duly flew his mini MO for Nostalgia and AMA Class I and won both events. The model is a copy of Don Gerber’s original 29-inch-span MO-1 from 1969 and looks tiny on the flight line among larger aircraft.
There were three electric-power entries: Pete Mazur and Tony Naccarato entered two in the Skyray event, and Bob Frogner flew an electric-powered .15 Carrier model. Tony was the only pilot to complete a full flight; the others either touched down or lost forward motion during slow flight.
Electric power development and cautions
Development of electric power for Carrier models continues, and I look forward to reporting more as we gain information. A potential limitation was observed in hot, sunny conditions: an ESC can reach temperatures close to its thermal cutoff simply from ambient heat.
Recommendations:
- Avoid extended exposure of dark-blue airplanes, black batteries, or ESCs to direct sunlight on hot days.
- Provide adequate ventilation during flight, especially in slow flight, to prevent current draw from pushing an already-hot ESC past its thermal limit.
Sources
- AMA, (765) 287-1256, www.modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
