A COUPLE OF weeks back I stopped by a field where a Radio Control (RC) Pattern contest was going on. I walked around and visited with many old friends, and I met some new ones as well. I have always enjoyed the contest environment, and I simply love to look at high-tech models and examine how they are built and finished. I was deep into that mode when the contest director strolled up and asked me if I would volunteer to scribe (record scores) for one of the judges for a few rounds. Hmmm, let's see. Would I rather sit in the cool shade of an E-Z Up tent and kibitz or sit out in the hot sun and bake? Despite the obvious answer to that question, I grabbed a seat next to my assigned judge and spent the next few hours writing down numbers. Sounds exciting, eh? Actually, it was. I used to fly quite a bit of RC Pattern, but for various reasons 1 have gravitated away from it in recent years. And even though I occasionally visit fields where this type of flying is going on, I now realize that I've stopped critically watching the flying. Sure, I've casually observed parts of flights from time to time, but I have not been consciously examining each maneuver closely, how the pilot presented it, how the model was trimmed, or how the engine was tuned. I'd lost the edge as an observer because I wasn't actively involved. The realization stunned me. The judge I was assigned to didn't mind talking with me after the flight about the mistakes he'd seen and what aspects he liked. It didn't take too long for me to recalibrate my eyes to see most of those things for myself once again, and it really felt good to be able to evaluate a flight and become more objective in terms of scoring. Even though my scores didn't count, I enjoyed seeing if my evaluations coincided with those of the official judge. In thinking about it more on the trip home, I further realized that I have not been even remotely aware of the technical aspects of types of flying in which I've never been involved. At least with the Pattern flying I had a baseline of experience that allowed me to catch up a bit that day in the scribe's seat. Photo by Paul Vliet We've all watched various types of model-airplane flight, but have we taken the time to understand or appreciate the reasons why the models in question are flown in a particular fashion, or what we might glean for our own flying enjoyment from understanding another discipline's flight parameters? I'm leaving for the AMA Nationals this coming week, and I intend to conduct an experiment while I'm there. I'll go to the different venues (Free Flight, Control Line [CL|, RC), and watch some flights critically. I'm going to try to understand what the pilot of a given model is trying to achieve with each flight, then I'm going to ask some questions to see how close I came to figuring it out on my own. I'm not optimistic that I will even scratch the surface of the depth of thought and planning that the pilot had in mind, but I intend to learn a lot about other aspects of this sport and learn how to appreciate them on a more meaningful level. I'm hopeful that much of what I learn can be applied to my own flying as well. Next time you are at a field where there is a type of flying going on that you have never focused on before, stop and critically watch a whole flight. Whether it be Scale, Pattern, Soaring, etc., I'll wager that you will be amazed at what you see when you really take the time to look and study. At the very least you will gain an appreciation for someone else's flying, and at best you might find a new type of modeling that sparks your interest. A Welcome: Last month in this column I bade farewell to and thanked Frank McMillan for his many years of service to Model Aviation and its readers as the CL Aerobatics columnist. This month I'd like to welcome on board the new Stunt scribe: Curt Contrata. I've known Curt for approximately 10 years and have come to respect his abundant abilities as a craftsman, competitor, and communicator. I'm certain that his perspective on the sport of Stunt flying will be interesting and informative. I'm also sure that he will cover subjects that are of interest to everyone who reads this magazine. In particular. Curt will present many building and finishing techniques that transcend the sport of CL Stunt. He kicks things off this month with a discussion about inked panel separation line application. I've done this many times on my own models, but I've learned a bunch already from Curl's obvious mastery of the technique. Those of you who like to detail the surfaces of Scale or sport models might want to check this out. Hey, I've got to go pack and get ready to leave for the Nats, so this column is a short one this month. If you would like to share your thoughts with me. I can be reached at (610)614-1747. If you prefer to spend the now 37 cents for a stamp, the address is Box 68. Stockertown PA 18083. or you can do it for free via E-mail at [email protected]. Now go watch someone tly!
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 7, 137
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 7, 137
A COUPLE OF weeks back I stopped by a field where a Radio Control (RC) Pattern contest was going on. I walked around and visited with many old friends, and I met some new ones as well. I have always enjoyed the contest environment, and I simply love to look at high-tech models and examine how they are built and finished. I was deep into that mode when the contest director strolled up and asked me if I would volunteer to scribe (record scores) for one of the judges for a few rounds. Hmmm, let's see. Would I rather sit in the cool shade of an E-Z Up tent and kibitz or sit out in the hot sun and bake? Despite the obvious answer to that question, I grabbed a seat next to my assigned judge and spent the next few hours writing down numbers. Sounds exciting, eh? Actually, it was. I used to fly quite a bit of RC Pattern, but for various reasons 1 have gravitated away from it in recent years. And even though I occasionally visit fields where this type of flying is going on, I now realize that I've stopped critically watching the flying. Sure, I've casually observed parts of flights from time to time, but I have not been consciously examining each maneuver closely, how the pilot presented it, how the model was trimmed, or how the engine was tuned. I'd lost the edge as an observer because I wasn't actively involved. The realization stunned me. The judge I was assigned to didn't mind talking with me after the flight about the mistakes he'd seen and what aspects he liked. It didn't take too long for me to recalibrate my eyes to see most of those things for myself once again, and it really felt good to be able to evaluate a flight and become more objective in terms of scoring. Even though my scores didn't count, I enjoyed seeing if my evaluations coincided with those of the official judge. In thinking about it more on the trip home, I further realized that I have not been even remotely aware of the technical aspects of types of flying in which I've never been involved. At least with the Pattern flying I had a baseline of experience that allowed me to catch up a bit that day in the scribe's seat. Photo by Paul Vliet We've all watched various types of model-airplane flight, but have we taken the time to understand or appreciate the reasons why the models in question are flown in a particular fashion, or what we might glean for our own flying enjoyment from understanding another discipline's flight parameters? I'm leaving for the AMA Nationals this coming week, and I intend to conduct an experiment while I'm there. I'll go to the different venues (Free Flight, Control Line [CL|, RC), and watch some flights critically. I'm going to try to understand what the pilot of a given model is trying to achieve with each flight, then I'm going to ask some questions to see how close I came to figuring it out on my own. I'm not optimistic that I will even scratch the surface of the depth of thought and planning that the pilot had in mind, but I intend to learn a lot about other aspects of this sport and learn how to appreciate them on a more meaningful level. I'm hopeful that much of what I learn can be applied to my own flying as well. Next time you are at a field where there is a type of flying going on that you have never focused on before, stop and critically watch a whole flight. Whether it be Scale, Pattern, Soaring, etc., I'll wager that you will be amazed at what you see when you really take the time to look and study. At the very least you will gain an appreciation for someone else's flying, and at best you might find a new type of modeling that sparks your interest. A Welcome: Last month in this column I bade farewell to and thanked Frank McMillan for his many years of service to Model Aviation and its readers as the CL Aerobatics columnist. This month I'd like to welcome on board the new Stunt scribe: Curt Contrata. I've known Curt for approximately 10 years and have come to respect his abundant abilities as a craftsman, competitor, and communicator. I'm certain that his perspective on the sport of Stunt flying will be interesting and informative. I'm also sure that he will cover subjects that are of interest to everyone who reads this magazine. In particular. Curt will present many building and finishing techniques that transcend the sport of CL Stunt. He kicks things off this month with a discussion about inked panel separation line application. I've done this many times on my own models, but I've learned a bunch already from Curl's obvious mastery of the technique. Those of you who like to detail the surfaces of Scale or sport models might want to check this out. Hey, I've got to go pack and get ready to leave for the Nats, so this column is a short one this month. If you would like to share your thoughts with me. I can be reached at (610)614-1747. If you prefer to spend the now 37 cents for a stamp, the address is Box 68. Stockertown PA 18083. or you can do it for free via E-mail at [email protected]. Now go watch someone tly!
