Focus on Competition
Technical Director: Steve Kaluf
Are we our own worst enemy? This is not a safety column, but as competition fliers we all must be safety conscious—perhaps even more so than the everyday flier. After all, contests are much higher profile; they often attract spectators, media, sponsors, retail booths, and displays.
I think competitive fliers also like to show off at times. The competitive flier is the closest thing in our sport to a sports hero. Heck, we all like to hear the applause from a crowd for a well-done maneuver or flight. That little bit of encouragement may cause us to do something we wouldn’t normally do: push it lower, push it faster, more extreme, bring it closer in, launch near other people. Sound familiar? I think we all are our own worst enemy at times. I don’t think any of us ever takes off or launches a model with the specific intent of being unsafe. However, our egos and a little encouragement can sure cause us to become unsafe.
I remember years ago I loved to fly straight at me from directly in front and pull up into an Immelmann turn. It was a cool maneuver to do and watch. In my own defense, I only did it when I was the only one at the field. Of course, that was not very smart either. Compared to what models are now capable of, that was nothing, but the point is the same. As competitive fliers/pilots, we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard. Often, younger fliers look to the competitive pilot for advice, and they want to become or do what that pilot/flier does. If we act irresponsibly, what kind of message do we send to them? In general, the message is clear: we are our own worst enemy. Simply put, we need to clean up our act.
I’d venture to say there is not one of us who has not at one time or another, intentionally or unintentionally, violated a part of the AMA Safety Code. The Safety Code is in place to protect us from ourselves. If we all used common sense, there would be no need for the Safety Code. Don’t let peer pressure or a lapse in common sense cause an accident or cause you to do something you know is unsafe.
Broadband Over Powerlines (BPL)
BPL issues seem to have settled down a bit. I really do not have anything new to report. A report was featured in last month’s Model Aviation; look for it for additional information.
Testing that has been done continues to lead us to believe that BPL is not a problem for radio-control operations. We will continue to monitor progress and request that you contact us with anything that may have been brought to your attention.
We (AMA/Muncie, IN area) may actually be seeing the system implemented in this area. This will give us some firsthand knowledge if it actually happens. Maybe I’ll finally be able to get broadband at home now! Of course, if it interferes with my helicopter flying in the backyard, you can bet I’ll be screaming long and loud!
Technological advances
I continue to be amazed by the technological advances we are seeing in our hobby/sport. If you told me 10 years ago that we’d have flat pieces of foam flying the way we do now, I’d have told you that you were nuts. Battery and motor technology has finally gotten electrics popular and affordable (for the most part). Did you ever think you’d see an electric RC aerobatics model competing at the World Championships level? How about micro RC helicopters? I sure have been having fun with the three I have. In fact, several employees at AMA have been able to get their hands on the sticks (successfully) and hover around in the building. These are nonmodelers, but they are having fun—maybe modelers in the making.
The park-flyer explosion we have talked about in the past—wow! Seeing RC aircraft (not toys) in a mass-market retailer is a humbling experience. We continue to have a lot of work to do to get the folks buying these models turned into modelers, or in this case, sportsmen.
The entire ready-to-fly market is huge and growing by leaps and bounds. Gone are the days of receiving an ARF from somewhere offshore and wondering (hoping) it was built properly. Current ARFs/RTFs are really works of art—carefully assembled with good hardware and, in general, very easy to fly.
The newer crop of transmitters is absolutely incredible. I’m blown away by one in particular. The features are almost endless, yet they remain easy to use. Almost all manufacturers now have extensive microprocessor-based transmitters that are cheaper than a basic six-channel was 10 or 15 years ago.
We have receivers that can count glitches, help you fly, and monitor battery condition. We have models that use a laptop computer to program when and how to de-thermalize or change a control-surface setting. We cut out ribs with lasers, we instantly bond parts, making them stronger than they originally were. We use space-age materials like carbon fiber and Kevlar.
- Battery and motor improvements have made electrics viable and affordable.
- Micro RC helicopters bring the hobby to new participants.
- Park flyers and RTF/ARF models are expanding the market.
- Advanced transmitters and smart receivers add safety and capability.
- Modern construction techniques (lasers, instant adhesives, carbon fiber) increase performance and durability.
Kits and market trends
On a somewhat sad note, has anyone tried to buy a kit lately? I mean a box of wood with a set of instructions that tell you to assemble it to look like the picture on the box? You know, the wood you have to cut with a Zona saw, joints you have to make perfectly by hand, and wood without the telltale black edges indicating a laser-cut part? If you have not, good luck finding one; they are becoming fewer and fewer. It is a changing time that we live in as modelers. Many of you don’t like the current trend. However, it is probably a necessary trend to perpetuate model aviation. Food for thought.
Till next time... MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
