District X—Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah
I was recently invited to two multirotor events in our district. The first was held at the Palomar R/C Flyers field in Fallbrook, California. The inaugural Multirotor Challenge was organized by Innovative Designs (www.innov8tivedesigns.com). This was a large event with 52 participants and twice as many spectators. Vendors were out in force, showing off the latest equipment for multirotor aeromodeling.
Palomar R/C Flyers — Fallbrook, California
The weekend was a combination of fun-fly and competition. The models ranged from three-, four-, five-, six-, and even eight-motored aircraft. Most had a central body holding the receiver, batteries, speed control, GPS, and camera, with a series of trusses radiating from the central body at the ends of which motors and fixed-pitch propellers were attached.
Competitions included:
- Weight lifting
- Pylon racing
- An obstacle course
- A return-to-launch-point contest to test GPS and autopilot accuracy
Pilots were excited about this new form of aeromodeling and the technological innovations that come with it. Many began modeling with traditional helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, though some started directly with multirotor aircraft.
Two memorable participants were Techinstein and Lucidity (Brian Zvoigzne and Patrick Sherman) from the Roswell Flight Test Crew. You can learn more about them at www.roswellflighttestcrew.com. Their motto is semper cadentes, which translates to "always crashing." They have a lighthearted take on the trials and tribulations of getting a complex model and its flight systems to work together.
F3B Soaring Association — Fremont, California
The second event was held at the F3B Soaring Association's field in Fremont, California. Dave Vrutta from Ready Made RC (www.readymaderc.com) organized the event. This was also a combination of fun-fly and competition.
The two competitions offered were:
- A gate race (models flew through a series of rectangular gates approximately 5 feet high and 8 feet wide)
- An old-fashioned drag race
I watched through a set of special goggles as a pilot flew the gate course. The goggles displayed an image from the model's on-board camera, providing a real-time, bird's-eye view of the flight.
If multirotor and fixed-wing FPV models are operated in accordance with AMA Document 550 — First Person View (FPV) Operations, and AMA Document 560 — RC Operation Utilizing Failsafe, Stabilization, and Autopilot Systems, these advances in our sport should be welcomed and integrated into our clubs. If someone brings one to the field, have a look at it — you may be impressed by the technology and the modelers' enthusiasm for this emerging sector.
Please visit our district website (www.ama10.org) for additional photos and some great videos.
Until next month, may you have nothing but happy landings.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
