IRCHA 2014
Jamboree Celebrates 25th Anniversary
by Chris Mulcahy
Helicopter pilots from all over the world convene each year at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, to attend one of the largest RC helicopter gatherings to date: the International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association (IRCHA) Jamboree. IRCHA is the AMA’s helicopter Special Interest Group (SIG), and the organization has ample experience putting this event together. This year represented the IRCHA Jamboree’s 25th anniversary.
You’ll find a little bit of everything at the event, and people from all walks of life. There is everything from 3-D to speed, scale, and vintage machines. Manufacturers often use the IRCHA Jamboree as the place to announce and/or unveil their latest products, while team pilots demonstrate their abilities. Whatever you’re into in the helicopter sport, the IRCHA Jamboree will have it.
I spoke to IRCHA President Dave Millner about what it meant to be celebrating 25 years. He told me that it was a testament to helicopter pilots’ abilities to adapt and embrace new and changing technology and ideas. He recalled the inception of IRCHA, when Don Chapman and a handful of pilots decided to form the SIG and help promote the emerging helicopter side of the hobby.
That first IRCHA Jamboree, held in Dayton, Ohio, had 60 registered pilots. Twenty-five years later, the event attracted 1,074 registered pilots (plus a few more who chose not to register). Something to realize is that 25 years ago there was no internet or forums, so the only way to learn about the hobby was to get together and talk about it or read newsletters. The essence of IRCHA was fellowship and learning.
IRCHA Speed Cup
The Speed Cup is an annual event during the Jamboree. The goal is for pilots to compete to see who has the fastest helicopter. The speed course was set up at Site 3, one of the flightlines on the AMA flying site. Pilots could compete throughout the event without worrying about conflicting traffic on the main flightline. The weather was perfect, with light winds in the morning and enough clouds to block the sun from interfering with pilots' sight.
There were 37 registered pilots from around the world flying in Sportsman (a shorter course), Open, and Unlimited classes. This year, everyone flew electric power.
- Sportsman: mostly stock machines limited to 50.4 volts (12S).
- Open: modified machines limited to 58.8 volts (14S).
- Unlimited: full-speed-bodied fuselages, some using forward-tilted main shafts, limited to 67.2 volts (16S).
A newly implemented technical inspection worked flawlessly and helped speed things along (no pun intended).
Santiago Panzardi, the man behind the Speed Cup, remarked on the increase in speed across the board from last year. The course has two gates set up at either end, and each run consisted of two passes. The high speed on each leg of the run was averaged for that run's result.
Pilots flew to the opposite end of the course and entered into a steep dive to gain speed. They then leveled out before passing through the first gate. The run was timed as soon as they passed the second gate. If the helicopter was not straight and level through the first gate, the run didn't count.
Sportsman (12 entries)
- 1st: Scott Gray — JR Forza 700. Average: 130.03 mph. Fastest downwind leg: 142 mph.
- 2nd: Matt Botos — Synergy E7 SE Speed. Average: 120.64 mph. Fastest downwind leg: 130.82 mph.
- 3rd: Hiroki Ito — JR Forza 700. Average: 120.37 mph. Fastest downwind leg: 137.66 mph.
Open (7 entries)
- 1st: Stefan Segerer — Henseleit TDR. Average: 146 mph. Fastest: 156.43 mph.
- 2nd: Chip Pairett — Goblin 700 Speed. Average: 138.57 mph. Fastest: 136.90 mph.
- 3rd: Oliver Jellen — Henseleit TDR. Average: 136.90 mph. Fastest: 140.25 mph.
Unlimited (6 entries)
- 1st: Miles Dunkel — Minicopter Diabolo S. Average: 168.05 mph. Fastest: 179.68 mph. (New IRCHA record.)
- 2nd: Oliver Jellen — Henseleit TDV. Average: 155.53 mph. Fastest: 160.93 mph.
- 3rd: Richard Zappe — Minicopter Diabolo S. Average: 153.39 mph. Fastest: 161.51 mph.
Several Unlimited pilots pushed their machines to the maximum aerodynamic limits. This included a high-speed wall-type maneuver, where the helicopter suddenly pitches straight up at high speed. This phenomenon is caused by a retreating blade stall, where the rotor blade on the rear of the disc loses its ability to produce lift, leaving only the front half of the disc producing lift and causing the drastic pitch-up maneuver. This caused some disastrous results during practice, but there were no actual crashes during the contest.
The flightline was pushed out much farther from the pit area this year, providing an additional layer of safety, and there were many great prizes provided by sponsors for the Speed pilot raffle.
One note of interest is that all but two of the entries used off-the-shelf products for their speed machines. There has never been a better time to try out speed heli flying, and it will be interesting to see how people improve their machines next year.
See a complete list of competitors and results online at www.ModelAviation.com/ircha2014.
IRCHA Scale
Leading into the week of the IRCHA Jamboree is the end of the Nats. One of the events at the Nats is Scale Helicopter, but IRCHA also holds its own Scale contest.
When you hear "Scale," you may think of something store bought, and although there are many off-the-shelf fuselages at the contest, the level of modification and detail added render these one-of-a-kind machines.
Countless hours go into building these helicopters, and much of that time is spent researching the full-scale aircraft. Photos are gathered, and in some cases modelers actually photograph full-scale aircraft. Every detail is scrutinized, and care is taken to transfer each detail onto the fuselage.
There are two parts to the IRCHA Scale contest. The first is static judging and the second is the flying portion. During static judging, the judges refer to the competitors' collection of reference photos and documentation of their models' full-scale counterparts. The models' details are meticulously checked and scored, and then the flying segment of the contest is performed.
When the contest is over, the final scores are guarded until the raffle is about to commence. The winners are then announced and trophies awarded.
Results:
- Nats 518 class: 1st Bob Harris, 2nd Mark Smith.
- Team Scale: 1st Nick Maxwell & Bob Harris, 2nd Eaton Bryce & Luther Farmer, 3rd Mark Smith.
- Sport Scale: 1st Mike "GrimRacer" Zaborowski, 2nd Brian Shaw, 3rd Eaton Bryce.
- IRCHA Scale: 1st Robin Adamschak, 2nd Don Irvine, 3rd Mike Zaborowski.
I heard nothing but good things about the new flightline dedicated to the Scale pilots.
Main Flightline
The main IRCHA Jamboree flightline at Site 4 featured the usual amazing show of pilot skills, and vendors were present in full force. Additional space was given to the walkway between the vendors and the pits, making navigating the vendor tents easier and giving the crowd room to breathe.
This year's event had a more intimate feel, and the social activities at night—including Saturday's night-fly competition and fireworks—were a lot of fun.
IRCHA and its members should be proud of the Jamboree. I can't wait to see what the next 25 years bring.
—Chris Mulcahy [email protected]
SOURCES:
- IRCHA
- www.ircha.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
