RADIO CONTROL AEROBATICS
Author / Contact
Eric Henderson 303 Shady Ln., Marlton, NJ 08053 E-mail: [email protected]
BY NOW YOU have probably observed that this column is being published on a bimonthly basis. The purpose of reducing the Pattern column to five issues and one optional Nationals-coverage article is to give more equitable exposure to all AMA interest groups. Although this may appear easier for a columnist, it does present some new challenges. With one column per month, you could include most of what came your way as a writer. The new schedule means that I have to be much more selective.
Since I began writing this column, many of you have written to me and given me useful feedback that has changed the column. You can help again by telling me what you want to read about the most. Until I get the feedback I will keep going with the current formula of information, explanation, news, and answers.
A New Pilot's Experience (Keith Black)
This month I want to share Keith Black’s experiences as he entered the world of Pattern competition. He wrote:
"I was in this hobby (RC) many years ago and got back into it again the first of 2002. I've known about Pattern since my first entry into the hobby but never considered for a moment that I could or would compete in Pattern.
"For one thing, I've always assumed that one had to be an incredible pilot with many, many years of experience to compete. From the Pattern contests I've seen in the past it was obvious that the pilots were way above my head in experience and skill. Another factor was that I'd never had any discussion with anyone involved in Pattern and quite honestly I did have the impression that Pattern guys were sort of 'elitist.'
"That impression was not earned but just my impression probably due to how skilled I thought all Pattern fliers were. Then, early this summer I was visiting a local club that I'd never been to before and three guys were flying their Pattern airplanes. One of these guys, Gray Fowler, came over and started telling me all about Pattern, how it works, invited me to stand next to him when he was flying, and just generally being very friendly.
"Actually all of the guys were very nice. Gray told me I could download the Sportsman sequence and based on watching me fly he thought I could fly it. That night I went home and downloaded the sequence and started trying it out at my regular field (which has no Pattern fliers).
"It took me several flights to finally get all the pieces together. I was shocked at how hard it was to keep the airplane where I wanted it, but pleased that it wasn't beyond my reach. At that point my goal was simply to build the skills enough to fly the Sportsman pattern under control. I was only doing this because I felt it would make me a better pilot. I had no plans on ever competing.
"Well, a month or two later I joined the club where I had met Gray, Lance, and Bill. Gray stood with me while I flew and was extremely complimentary and encouraging. He answered my questions and gave me pointers. He told me that I could easily compete in Sportsman and probably do very well; this I doubted, but it made me feel good to hear him say it. Lance also worked with me and was very helpful.
"They answered all the questions I had and then Gray started prodding me to go to a competition with them. He told me stories of how he and many new Sportsman pilots are all over the place in their first contest; strangely enough this made me feel good to know that I wouldn't be the only one. To be honest with you I thought I would be scared to fly in front of the judges, but I knew deep inside I really wanted to give it a try.
"At my first contest everyone I met was incredibly encouraging, friendly, and helpful; they made me feel right at home. And guess what? I wasn't scared to death, I didn't crash, and I had a great time! Now I'm hooked, want to attend every contest possible, and I couldn't wait to get an airplane that was capable of flying the Intermediate pattern (that I'm practicing for next season).
"Guess what? I spoke to a couple of non-Pattern fliers at the club the other day about Pattern and encouraged them to download the Sportsman sequence and the very next day one had already downloaded it and was planning to begin practicing!
"For Pattern to grow, everyone in this organization (the NSRCA — National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics) just needs to engage non-Pattern fliers in friendly conversation and tell them about Pattern. Provide encouragement, let everyone know that the Sportsman pattern is well within his or her reach, and do a little prodding to get them to go to a contest.
"Tell them how much fun you have at contests and describe the camaraderie Pattern fliers have (which honestly is a big part of what makes everyone travel so far to be together). Once new guys see how friendly everyone is and find out they can actually compete, many of them will be hooked just like we are."
Keith's note was interesting in many ways. Most of all, it confirmed that personal contact is more effective at getting a person to try Pattern than any other method. Literature plays a key part, but it is only effective if people use it or the knowledge it contains!
Product News
Piedmont Models has released a new kit called the Temptation. It is sold in two forms: the Basic kit includes a fiberglass fuselage and foam cores for the wings and stabilizers, and the Deluxe version has presheeted wings that have ailerons and elevators prefinished and ready for covering (there is also a rudder). The kits are $650 and $750 respectively. Contact Piedmont Models at (919) 621-4945 or http://piedmontmodels.com.
The Stream 50 and the Swallow 90 are Almost Ready to Flys (ARFs) that have made it into my garage to be built soon. Initial inspection and planning the build/assembly shows that they are nicely done. I will put the YS 63 engine in the Stream 50; it came with its own soft mount. The YS 91 and/or an O.S. 91 with pump will be used in the Swallow.
Each model needs a header for the engine (it turns out that the header for the YS 120/140 does not fit the smaller head thread). The good news is that a new header (available from Central Hobbies) fits the 63 and the 91. You will also be able to use the older and much smaller Hatori mufflers that were left over from the YS 120 AC days.
Equipment Limits and Rules
A question that comes up time and time again focuses on the limits applied to Precision Aerobatics equipment. There are three types of AMA Radio Control Aerobatics in the U.S. Each has its own set of rules:
- SPA (Senior Pattern Association): SPA has rules that allow only certain vintages of design; that is the purpose and design of its contests. There is not much rules contention in that arena—at least most of the time.
- Scale Aerobatics / IMAC (International Miniature Aerobatic Club): IMAC has a broad set of equipment rules and basically allows you to build large airplanes that resemble existing aerobatic aircraft. The intent of its rules is to promote scale-looking airplanes of any AMA-legal size that can perform Scale Aerobatics. (Please don't quote me on the exact details of the rules, but this captures the general idea.)
- Precision Aerobatics / NSRCA: NSRCA has a two-meter box (78½ x 78½ inches) size limit and a 5-kilogram (11-pound) weight limit. It also has sound limits close to or equal to FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) limits. The intent of these rules has a big effect on design and purpose. Pattern airplanes have no restriction on appearance, and as engineers know, "form follows function." Designers have a free hand in what they do to achieve aerodynamic performance.
Some ideas/ideals of aerodynamic perfection are that an airplane will fly in all attitudes with no control coupling, roll with no correction required, and snap roll with no loss of heading. Basically, we would like an airplane that makes gravity irrelevant. The better the airplane's aerodynamic design, the easier it becomes to fly it. By "easier" I mean, for instance, it requires less corrective input to do something such as a roll or a knife-edge flight.
How the airplane looks is not the challenge. One big reason why Pattern airplanes tend not to look like Lasers, Extras, or CAP 232s is that the full-scale versions have some flight characteristics that are not desirable in Pattern airplanes. These characteristics transfer to the scale models. As a result, the models end up relatively short-coupled and can become a bit harder to fly in the wind.
An example of the difference is that each of my CAP 232 models has a high-mounted stabilizer. CAPs are well known for going hard to the belly in knife-edge flight. All of my models require considerable computer mixing to dampen this tendency. A Pattern design that I once built did the same thing in knife-edge. The stabilizer was moved three times until this undesirable effect was eradicated. It did not matter where the stabilizer finished up as long as it cured the problem.
Some see rules as restrictions and others see them as invitations to exceed—within a set of parameters. The size and weight limit of Pattern airplanes keeps them light and lets me get one in and out of the front door of my home. I would hate to see them get any bigger! The weight limit is vulnerable to criticism, and I am neutral on that subject. The truth of the matter is that a two-meter airplane that weighs more than 11 pounds is not as easy to fly as, say, one that is 10 pounds or less.
If Your Airplane Is Too Big or Too Heavy
So what do you do if you have an airplane that is too big or too heavy? You can definitely practice with the model you have. It is often better to begin with the airplane you know best. You can ask any CD (Contest Director) if he or she will let you fly it in a contest. The answer is usually yes. A CD has the option to waive the rules in question, especially in the first level of contest (Sportsman—401). To compete on a regular basis you will need an airplane that meets the rules specifications.
The real answer is to try it first. You don't need a top-of-the-line model until you move into the higher classes. I made the mistake of waiting until I could sort of hit a golf ball before I took lessons; I should have taken the lessons first. I would have saved a Pattern model worth of money in golf clubs, etc.
Going to a contest is like taking golf lessons; you learn from those who have trodden the path you are currently on. Attending a contest is a lesson unto itself. The opening letter of this month's column is typical of today's Pattern environment. Give it a try, and please let me know how you got on.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
