Focus on Competition
Rule changes never stop
Greg Hahn Technical Director [email protected]
To all you competitors out there in modeling land, keep an eye on the rule book from time to time. Until I can get a "Competitions News" page created on the website, most of you will need to check the AMA website and see the "Competitions and Events" section or the "Rules and Regulations" area for changes. As a result of the last Contest Board chairpersons meeting, the latest changes will be shaded gray for clarity.
Contrary to popular belief, changes don't always come at the end of the two-year cycle. Often there are needs for interim changes motivated by safety, new technology, or emergency issues unforeseen in the previous cycle.
As I write this, there are two urgent proposals being voted on and three that have been presented, voted on, and either passed or deferred until the regular cycle. If you are interested in seeing the changes or keeping up on what we call "off-cycle proposals," you can find them on the AMA website under Competitions → Rule Proposals → Off-cycle Proposals and Voting.
A few of the off-cycle proposals that have passed include:
- CL Speed: CLS 11-1U (Stewart) — change Electric Speed B line length from 60-foot lines to 70-foot lines.
- CL General: CLG 11-1E (Rice) — proposal by the AMA Safety Committee allowing use of nonmetallic lines (Spectra/G-Synthetic) for general CL use; approved at the committee's spring meeting at the Toledo Show.
- CL General: CLG 11-1U (Lee) — allows plastic or resin control handles with nonmetallic lead-outs, prompted by an issue at last year's Nats competition.
- RC Pylon: cleanup of the RC Pylon section to redefine the term "commercially available" to address issues related to current engine manufacturers.
- RC Helicopter (urgent): rewriting maneuver sequences and returning to class distinctions of Sportsman, Advanced, and Expert; includes clear perspective drawings and diagrams of each maneuver for each class to help newcomers become acquainted with the rules and encourage competitive participation.
It's been a busy spring for the rule book and the general cycle also looks busy as the next generation of proposals begins to fill the folder. If you are a competitor of any kind, I urge you to pay close attention to the process of amending the rule book. Being active in the process can often keep you from saying "shoulda, coulda, woulda" when a rule is passed that you're not particularly fond of. You do have a voice.
Rules changes and contest board procedures can be found at: www.modelaircraft.org/events/ruleproposals.aspx.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
