May 2001 93
thIS Month’S column is dedicated to
the US F3A team interviews. The group will
be in Ireland this summer, ready to take on
the world at the F3A World Championships.
Dave Guerin is the team manager.
Here are their answers to my questions.
eric henderson:Who are the US team
members?
Dave guerin: The team is Chip Hyde,
Sean McMurtry, and Jason Shulman. The
backup pilot, should anyone not be
available, is Kirk Gray. Kirk was a member
of the World Championships team at the
last World Championships.
eric: What does the team manager do?
Dave: This year the AMA will be sending a
US F3A team to the international competition
in Ireland. They will be returning as the
current holders of the FAI [Federation Aeronautique Internationale]
Precision Aerobatics World Team Championship Trophy.
This young team represents the very best of all of us. Each
member is a champion in his own right. They have won previous
World Championships, multiple National Championships, as well
as Tournament of Champions and Scale Aerobatics events.
The talent and skills they took into all of these arenas will serve
them well in the newly introduced “Unknown” sequence—which is
now a part of the championship finals. Although this is a young
team, it is a well-seasoned, talented, and very dedicated team. I am
honored and profoundly proud to be working with them.
As the team leader and spokesperson, it is my task to prepare us
for this trip, to interface with the event organizers, to ensure that
the team’s needs are met, and to support them with encouragement,
guidance, and enthusiasm.
In these early planning stages, we are primarily focused on
meeting our financial goals. We need money to cover the
expenditure of getting the team to Ireland. This includes travel,
lodging, rental vehicles to move the airplanes and equipment, the
shipping of the models, and, of course, the fuel.
The AMA allocates some funding, but it only covers and
represents a very small part of the actual cost. We rely completely
upon the contributions from sponsors and the generosity of the
members of the Pattern community.
These young men represent every US RC [Radio Control] pilot
who ever pulled a Loop or Roll. They are the very best of what we
have to offer, and can more than hold their own with the best
Pattern fliers in the world.
This event will receive television and Internet coverage throughout
Europe and the Far East, as well as in all major modeling publications.
With the support of Pattern fliers, clubs, and other sponsors, our 2001
F3A team will meet and, dare I say it, exceed our expectations.
Please help them retain the team title, bring back the Gold, and
secure the US’s premier position in the global Pattern community.
Contributions can be sent to AMA’s Team Manager’s Fund or I can be
contacted directly at [email protected] or (336) 538-0440.
eric: How did you all become team members? (Who has been
there before?)
Chip hyde: This is the sixth time I have been on the team. I
won the Worlds in 1991, was second in 1993, and third in ’99.
Eric Henderson, 303 Shady Ln., Marlton NJ 08053; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO cONTROL AEROBATICS
The 2001 US FAI team bound for Ireland (L-R): Kirk Gray
(alternate), Jason Schulman, Chip Hyde, and Sean McMurtry.
Sean and his father Mike McMurtry prepare for Sean’s first World
Championships as a primary team member.
The 1999 US FAI F3A team (L-R): Jason Schulman, Kirk Gray, and Chip Hyde.
94 M ODEL AVIATION
[Chip is also the current Pylon Racing World Champion and 10-
time US National Champion, and is no stranger to the heat of
international competition.]
This is Jason’s second team and Sean’s first.
Jason Shulman: This year our Team Trials was held in
conjunction with our Nationals. This was good because we had the
AMA Nationals to select the top 15 pilots, and then Team Trials to
select the top four pilots. I say it was good, but not that good.
I had the misfortune to midair with Allen Ecklund with my #1
airplane on the second day. This meant that I had to finish the Nats
and the Team Trials with my backup airplane. If I had another
mishap with my backup, I wouldn’t have made it on the Team.
Luck was on my side (at least after the midair).
This is my second team. Last time I edged out Sean McMurtry
for a spot in Pensacola [FL]; this year I edged out Kirk Gray to go
to Ireland. Maybe next year I’ll edge out Chip Hyde for first.
eric: What will you be flying at the World Championships?
Chip: I will be flying my new Hydeaway, which is my own design.
It is two meters long and will be similar to the Hydeout, except a
little larger. I will fly Futaba radios along with the production, fuelinjected
YS 140DZ engines.
Jason: I will have an Angel’s Shadow designed by Vladimir
Kozlovski and a Quest designed by Bryan Hebert.
The Angel’s Shadow, available from Techno-Hobby RC, is
an all-composite airplane designed and built in Russia that
measures two meters by two meters. It is a
fiberglass/balsa/fiberglass sandwich laid up in a mold and
vacuum-bagged for a lightweight, strong airplane.
The Quest, available from R/C Enterprises, is a wood-andfiberglass
fuselage with foam wings. The top and bottom decks
on the fuselage are fiberglass with the center of the fuselage
being a balsa wood box.
Both airplanes are fixed-gear types, and will have the O.S.
1.40 FI for power in them. The servos are a mix of Futaba
Kirk and Chip after they helped secure the US team trophy in 1999.
Rivals in the air and teammates on the ground. Chip (right)
checks the wind direction while Jason holds the model.
analog and digitals, using the Futaba
WCII transmitter.
Sean McMurtry: I will be flying an
Angel’s Shadow with a Futaba 9WC2
transmitter, 149 DP receiver, 9151 servos,
YS 140DZ, and Duralite batteries. The
aircraft may change if my design is
completed in time.
eric: Do you practice together at all?
Dave: They are all located within a 70-
mile radius and they will get together to
practice before the Worlds. It is very rare
that a full team is located this close
together; most of the teams have been
made up of pilots who were scattered
across the country.
Jason: Not all the time, but we will get
together some weekends since we only
live an hour or so away from each other.
As the Worlds get nearer, we will practice
for several weekends in a row.
eric: As a pilot, I have many “friends”
who critique my flying, so I can’t help but
wonder who tells guys, as good as you all
are, that you are not doing it right?
Sean: Primarily I practice flying with my
wife. However, prior to a contest I practice
with my father, Mike McMurtry, for four
to five days. He straightens me out with
any problems. He is also my caller.
Jason: I normally begin by practicing
alone, just to learn the patterns. Then
when I get together with my caller, Ryan
McLaughlin, we will go over all aspects
of the pattern, and then focus on the
overall presentation.
Chip: We all have people who coach
us, and I will fine-tune the patterns
when Mike Klein and I get together
before the contest.
eric: What is the team (Preliminaries)
prize aspect of FAI all about?
Jason: If we all fly well individually, then
as a team we’ll prosper. Obviously we
help each other in any way we can, other
than actually flying the airplane.
Chip: The Prelims decide which country
has the best and most consistent fliers.
After that is over, we fly as individuals
for the title of World Champion. We
have found in the past that if each
individual goes to win, the team will
come out on top.
Having people on the team who only
set their goal to make the Finals or just be
in the top 10 hasn’t seemed to have
worked very well in the past and,
consequently, the team didn’t do very
well. With Sean and Jason, it will not be a
problem this time.
eric: Once the team prize is decided, does
the individual contest change how you all
relate to each other?
Jason: I believe it will be the same for the
most part. Even though our goals then
change a little bit, we are all friends and
would help as much as we can to keep
each other going.
Sean: In my personal opinion, no. I feel
that we should all compete at our very
best throughout the entire contest. This
will benefit both the team and the
individual. I think we should be very
helpful to each other and do our very best
to represent the US.
Chip: Not one bit. We are our own
cheerleaders
eric: FAI now has “Unknown” schedules
in national and international finals. How
does this work, and what does this do to
the way you practice?
Jason: If a pilot makes the finals, they
have to fly F-01 twice and two Unknowns,
which all of the Finals pilots create. There
is a pilot meeting the night before the
Finals, and each pilot chooses a maneuver
from a list.
After two Unknown patterns are
created, pilots are not allowed to practice
with a simulator or with their airplanes. I
personally use a stick airplane for my
practice at the contest.
Before the contest, I go through the
hardest maneuvers and practice them
individually. Then I take those hardest
maneuvers and make a pattern out of them,
and get through them a couple times.
Chip: The Known patterns are practiced
with the most emphasis placed on the
May 2001 95
Finals pattern, because that is the pattern
that decides the contest.
As for the Unknowns, all we are allowed
to do is practice the individual maneuvers,
and then the finalists will put them into a
sequence. It might not seem like it would be
too difficult seeing as how we already know
the Unknown maneuvers, but with
something like 500 to choose from, it’s
impossible to practice all of them alone,
much less try to put them in a sequence.
We concentrate primarily on the most
difficult maneuvers, because we know they
will be picked by the other competitors.
Sean: The Unknowns are selected by the
pilots from a list of already known
possible maneuvers. Therefore, I practice
by flying the maneuvers in all of their
forms repeatedly.
eric: So you go to Ireland and win! What
do you get to bring home with you?
Jason: Gold! Well, it looks like a Gold
Medal. And the honor of being a World
Champion.
Chip: At the end of the contest, when it is
all said and done, the top three pilots will
take home a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal.
The Worlds is not a money contest,
and there are not huge bonuses for
winning. At this particular contest we are
flying for the title of being the best in the
world, and that is a great feeling.
eric: How much do you depend on
donations for the team’s travel? Doesn’t
AMA pay for all of it?
Chip: As far as the team fund goes, we rely
primarily on donations from sponsors as well
as individuals. The AMA does not pay for
everything—just a small percentage.
It would be impossible to be
competitive at a World Championships
without having somebody you can trust and
count on with you. The AMA does not pay
for the caller at all, so this is a huge
expense that falls upon the individual.
The inclusion of Unknowns in the
Finals has really changed the complexion
of the support that a pilot needs. You
absolutely have to have a highly skilled
caller that you can trust.
At this time we have a young team that
hasn’t made its “millions” yet, so every
dime is very important. Fortunately for us,
we were able to bring home the Gold last
time. This team, including Kirk, is in my
opinion by far the best team the US has
had in the modern era.
Jason: I know that the AMA does not pay
for the entire trip, so whatever the AMA
and the F3A Team Manager’s Fund does
not cover, we have to pay out-of-pocket.
All donations are really needed, as
traveling abroad with airplanes and
equipment can get very expensive. The
F3A Team Manager’s Fund is where we
need the donations. This way, we can pay
for expected and unexpected expenses.
eric: What are your views on the latest
fuel-injection engines and computerized
fuel-metering engine? Will the technology
reach the smaller engines?
Chip: The new fuel-injected engines that
are available are incredible. The YS 140DZ
is the smoothest and most powerful engine
I have seen in this size range, and the O.S.
with the electronic fuel injection has
eliminated most of the problems that occur
with the two-stroke.
Even though they both run well, a twostroke
will always have a faster down-line
speed. Time will tell if it reaches the
smaller engines.
Jason: The two-stroke with EFI [electronic
fuel injection] is an excellent piece of
engineering. The lower idle control of the
EFI really improves the down-line. Maybe
a two-stroke will win the Worlds again.
Sean: I think that both the YS 140DZ and
the O.S. 1.40 fuel-injected engines are
going to revolutionize Pattern
competition. They are both very good
engines that produce a lot of power. I
think this technology will reach smaller
engines in the near future.
eric: What would you say to any young
pilot considering entering the AMA World
of Precision Aerobatics?
Chip: My recommendation to anybody
considering Pattern is “go for it.” The
AMA has a good rule book available, and
once you learn a pattern, go to a contest.
For the most part, you will not meet a
nicer group of guys. I have been flying
in contests for over 20 years and it is
still a blast.
Jason: Do it! Don’t get discouraged; it’s
always rough in the beginning. But like
anything else, after some hard work it
pays off in the end.
Sean: I would say that it is a wonderful
hobby where you can have lots of
experiences. I think it would be great to
have many young, new pilots. It would
both strengthen the competition and give
new pilots something special to strive for.
It worked for me!
eric: Thank you, everyone. Good luck in
Ireland, gentlemen. See you there, with
camera in hand.
I have enjoyed watching, judging, and
even competing against these young men.
Now I have had the extreme pleasure of
interviewing them as a world team.
One special point that does not come
out in the interviews is how much these
pilots are grateful to their fathers.
It is significant that each one of them
had parents who introduced them to RC,
then took them through their childhoods
and into the world of Precision
Aerobatics. The love, the years, and the
unselfish dedication to their sons’
successes have given us a great US team.
I thank the pilots for their
contribution to our greatness, and I hope
this column will encourage readers to
contribute to the team fund and their
efforts. All help is appreciated. MA
96 M ODEL AVIATION
