Author: Bill Boss
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 150,151
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Control Line Scale

A look at the US 2006 FAI CL Scale team

Bill Boss [[email protected]]

CL Scale at the 2005 Nats was a great success, with entries up from past years. The weather was cooperative with clear skies and light winds, making for a fine day of scale-model flying.

Entrants

The number of entrants in the classes offered were:

  • Sport Scale: 10
  • Team Scale: 2
  • Profile Scale: 9
  • Fun Scale: 7
  • F4B (FAI CL Scale): 10 (event held to determine the US F4B team for the 2006 Scale World Championships, Norrköping, Sweden)

F4B (FAI CL Scale) team selection

Based on final standings, the US F4B team members selected were:

  • Chuck Snyder
  • Dale Campbell
  • Ralph Burnstine

Alternates:

  • Dick Byron
  • Steve Sauger

Chuck Snyder flew a well-tested Henschel Hs 129 and posted an impressive 5,345.50 points. Dale Campbell flew his Spacewalker and scored 5,302.00 points.

Dale Campbell noted in a recent e-mail that FAI workshops run by Lloyd Roberts and George Buso had a positive impact on the event. Attendees learned the flying requirements for FAI models and how to present documentation in the 16 x 23-inch board format required by FAI rules. The workshops contributed to improved static scores (many models scored over 2,200.00 points) and strong flight scores (most exceeded 2,300.00 points). No crashes were reported.

Also included in this column:

  • Junior CL Scale participants
  • A scale-documentation website

Thanks to Lloyd Roberts and George Buso for their untiring efforts in improving the skills of those who try FAI Scale competition. Congratulations to Chuck, Dale, and Ralph on making the 2006 F4B team. Lloyd Roberts will again serve as Scale team manager.

Events removed from the Nats

Two regular CL Scale events—Precision and Designer—were not offered at the 2005 Nats. AMA Headquarters apparently asked SIGs to eliminate events with low participation; these two categories had drawn only two or three entries in recent years.

Questions for the community:

  • Has F4B, with its reasonably good participation, taken the place of Designer and Precision Scale?
  • Have CL Scale modelers decided that the less challenging Sport, Profile, and Fun Scale events are sufficient at the national level?

If you’re inclined, I would like to hear your opinions.

Junior Event

The Nats standings showed several juniors in competition for the first time in quite a while, which is encouraging. The Junior event had seven entries. Top results:

  1. Mindy Alberty — Profile P-40 — 138.250 points
  2. Aaron Bauer — RV-6A — 120.875 points
  3. Victor Monfroy — RV-6A — 99.500 points

Fun Scale

Four of the seven Fun Scale competitors were members of the Bauer family (Charlie, Kathy, Mark, and Matthew). Two were members of the Monfroy family (David and Paula).

Fun Scale results:

  1. Ron Peterson — OV-10A Bronco — 94.375 points
  2. Kathy Bauer — Shoestring — 88.500 points
  3. Paula Monfroy — Volksplane — 80.000 points

During the Nats the Bauer family gathered to help celebrate Charlie Bauer’s 75th birthday. Sixteen family members flew 18 airplanes in the competition — a fine tribute to Charlie, who has served as a competitor and as vice president of District VI on the AMA Executive Council.

Sport Scale

Chuck Snyder won Sport Scale flying a Hawker Typhoon with 189.875 points, edging out Allen Goff (Stearman PT-17) with 182.125 points. Chuck’s aircraft had a near-perfect static score of 98.200 and flight scores exceeding 90.000 points. Allen was only one point behind Chuck in flight scores; the main difference was Chuck’s seven-point static advantage.

Third and fourth place were close:

  • Jack Sheeks — Val — 169.875 points
  • Frank Beatty — Berliner Joyce — 169.375 points

Profile Scale

Profile results:

  1. Ron Peterson — Me 110 — 166.625 points
  2. Chris Brownhill — Hampton — 162.500 points
  3. Neil Copeman — Chipmunk — 162.375 points

Team Scale

Team Scale, sponsored by the Queen City U-Control club, had only two entries.

  • 1st: Ted Kraver and Chuck Snyder — a “baby” version of Chuck Snyder’s Hawker Typhoon
  • 2nd: Charlie Bauer and Peter Bauer — Gee Bee Racer (had problems staying on the ground during landings)

Thanks to the Queen City club for its continued efforts to increase participation in Team Scale.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to Nats CL Scale Event Director Mike Welshans, Ted Kraver, and Dale Campbell for providing the information and photos used in this column.

Scale documentation website

For documentation on specific aircraft, Mike Welshans of Ferndale, Michigan, recommends www.aircraftone.com. The site provides information about registered airplanes, owners, charters, ages, and registrations. Steps to use the site:

  1. Go to www.aircraftone.com.
  2. Click “Manufacturer” under “Aircraft Registrations” on the right side of the page.
  3. In the box on the left, type the manufacturer’s name (for example, Grumman) and click “GO.”
  4. A screen will list all airplanes by that manufacturer, including number of seats, number of engines, and number registered.
  5. Click the specific model you want (for example, TBM-3).
  6. The model page provides the owner’s name and address (individual, corporation, or museum), year of manufacture, serial number, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) number, engine type, series, and horsepower.

After identifying the aircraft, contact the owner courteously for more information. Be prepared to pay any fees the owner may request for providing information.

Please send ideas, notices of upcoming CL Scale events, contest reports, and photos of CL Scale activity to:

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.