Modeling Spoken Here - 2003/04

ONE OF THIS sport’s greatest showcases
since its inception in 1974 has been the
Tournament of Champions (TOC). This
invitational contest has been to a large degree
instrumental in shaping the path of aerobatic
model-airplane development. This is
especially true since the format changed from
normal AMA/Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale-type aerobatic models to nearscale
versions of full-scale aerobatic craft.
In this issue we are featuring coverage of
the 2002 edition of this fantastic modeling
spectacle. Our Radio Control (RC) Scale
Aerobatics columnist—and author of the
current MA/AMA Web site “Project Extra”
series—Mike Hurley has produced an
outstanding report not only on last year’s
TOC, but also a great history lesson on the
event and how it has affected the
development of the sport. For those who have
never attended a TOC, Mike’s article will
bring you up to speed on all aspects of the
story, including a short piece about the
founder and funder of the TOC: Bill Bennett.
I won’t go on about the TOC story because I
don’t want to steal any of Mike’s thunder.
In a sad twist of fate, we received news of
the passing of Bill Bennett. This news arrived
just after Mike’s article had been prepared for
publication, so he didn’t have the opportunity
to expand on the incredible story of this fine
and generous man.
AMA District VIII Vice President Sandy
Frank found and forwarded a piece that was
published in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper
just after Bill’s passing, written by Ed Koch
and Judy Odierna. The article is fairly long,
and it outlines the life of a multifaceted,
innovative, and thoughtful man. For those of
you who are interested in reading this piece in
its entirety, please E-mail me at the address at
the end of this column and I will be pleased to
send a copy to you. Trust me, you will be
amazed at the story of this great man’s life.
Our “From the Ground Up” series really
gets rolling this month with Bob Aberle’s
article “Radio Control Systems.” This series
will begin at each subject area with
rudimentary information designed to allow
someone who has never done any modeling
to fully comprehend the technical points
required for success before moving on to
more advanced matter.
In the case of RC systems, a basic
understanding of the terms used and the types
of equipment involved is critical for not only
a satisfying and successful first-time
experience, but also for safety’s sake. Much
of this may seem too baseline for those who
have been at this hobby/sport for awhile, and
those modelers may not think they will learn
anything new or useful from it. May I
respectfully suggest that this material, no
matter how basic or fundamental-sounding, is
something we could all benefit from reading
and reviewing from time to time.
It can be a daunting task to try to
remember when we were starting out in
modeling and recall all of the questions we
wanted answered. That is essentially what I
have asked Bob to do: anticipate and answer
those questions. Often a newcomer may be
reluctant to ask a fundamental question in fear
of being ridiculed for his or her lack of
knowledge. This should never be a concern.
Most modelers are anxious to help
newcomers in any way they can, and we must
continually reinforce that thought to those
who are just starting out so that they will not
hesitate for even an instant to ask for the
information they need and require. For those
who have no one to ask on a local level, we
must make the information available through
the Academy.
Bob’s hope is that he’s hit all the bases in
respect to the questions a newcomer might
have, but, just in case, he would like to have
some input from them in the form of
additional questions that we can answer
specifically from time to time in a Q-and-A
format article.
So if you still have some questions after
reading Bob’s piece this month, or subsequent
pieces, please send your questions to Bob in
care of my address at the end of this column,
and please write “RC question” on the outside
of the envelope or type it in the subject line of
an E-mail. Bob will not have time to answer
each of you individually, but he will be able
to see what aspects of his articles are missing
desired information and proceed accordingly.
Bob Hunt Aeromodeling Editor
Most modelers are
anxious to help newcomers
in any way they can …
Photo by Paul Vliet
Modeling Spoken Here
Continued on page 191
April 2003 7
04sig1.QXD 1.24.03 9:35 am Page 7
The original rules for the Control Line
(CL) Old-Time Stunt (OTS) event were
written by John Miske of the famous
Garden State Circle Burners (GSCB) club
around 1970 and were subsequently
adopted by the GSCB group.
These rules allowed only models that
had been designed and kitted, or
published in a magazine or book, prior to
December 31, 1952, to be eligible for use
in OTS contests. Even model designs that
were purchased by kit manufacturers but
not yet released and designs that were
purchased by magazines but not yet
published prior to that cutoff date were
not allowed under the GSCB-adopted
rules.
The folks who run the annual Vintage
Stunt Championships (VSC)—Mike and
JoAnn Keville—liked the idea of the
Classic rules structure, which allows
models designed, built, or flown prior to
December 31, 1969. This rule allows
many rarely seen models to compete,
hence increasing the fun and surprise
factor for everyone.
Once the VSC proved these OTS rules
to be good ones, the Precision Aerobatics
Model Pilots Association (PAMPA) voted
on and adopted them as the official OTS
rules for PAMPA events as well. The
result has been a flood of “new” OTS
designs that are perfectly legal to use in
competition.
Now these almost-forgotten designs
can be published so others can join in the
fun. This month we are presenting an OTS
ignition-powered model called the
Wildman 60. It was designed by Floyd
Carter, who is a regular at the VSC meet
and was inspired by a model designed by
one of his childhood heros: J.C.
“Madman” Yates’ Dragon. The Wildman
is a larger model than the Dragon, but it is
easy to build and could easily be used
with two-stroke power as well to be
ultracompetitive in the regular OTS event.
Even if you don’t fly CL, Floyd’s story
is interesting and nostalgic. Take a fun
trip back in time and give it a read.
If you would care to comment or need a
question answered, you can contact me
via mail at Box 68, Stockertown PA
18083. My E-mail address is
[email protected]. My telephone
number is (610) 614-1747. MA