RADIO CONTROL AEROBATICS - 2003/04

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.
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 contest 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
Eric Henderson, 303 Shady Ln., Marlton NJ 08053; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL AEROBATICS
When you buy a model, you read the box. Does it live up to what the box has to say?
What you see is what you get? Almost! An engine and a radio will make it all work.
Shown are all of the parts for the Swallow 90 Almost Ready to Fly. This airplane is close
to what you get when you have a Pattern model custom built.
A YS 91 engine is ideal for the Swallow 90.
The elbow header from Performance
Specialties allows a lightweight muffler.
April 2003 93
04sig3.QXD 1.23.03 2:48 pm Page 93
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 death 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
A Hatori 90 header also fits the YS 63 engine. It allows a clean
setup in a smaller Pattern airplane.
An O.S. 91 with pump using the same Hatori header allows the
Swallow to be set up with a conventional quiet muffler.
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Special Paper
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94 MODEL AVIATION
04sig3.QXD 1.23.03 2:49 pm Page 94
to compete 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 in there
somewhere!) 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 that 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.
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 US. Each has its own set
of rules.
The SPA (Senior Pattern Association)
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, or IMAC (International
Miniature Aerobatic Club), has a broad set
of equipment rules and basically allows you
to build big airplanes that are legal as long
as they look within roughly 10% like an
existing aerobatic airplane. (Please don’t
quote me on the exact details of that rule,
but it leads to the next point.) The purpose
of its rules is to promote scale-looking
airplanes of any AMA legal size that can
perform Scale Aerobatics.
Precision Aerobatics, or NSRCA, has a
two-meter-box (785⁄8 x 785⁄8 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 the rules
is having a huge effect on design and
purpose. Pattern airplanes have no
restrictions to what they look like, and, as
engineers know, “form follows function.”
Designers have a free hand in what they do
to achieve aerodynamic perfection. (It’s
probably not totally achievable, but the
target is out there.)
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 of a knifeedge
flight.)
How the airplane looks is not the
challenge. One big reason why Pattern
airplanes tend to not look like Lasers or
Extras or CAP 232s is that the full-scale
versions have some flight characteristics that
are not too desirable in Pattern airplanes.
These characteristics transfer to the Scale
models. As a result, the models end up being
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 232s 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 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.
The preceding takes us to the question,
So what do I do if I have an airplane that is
too big or too heavy? I have watched so
many Pattern pilots get into trouble
answering this question. We love to quote
the design-specification bible then wonder
why we lose our audience. Our passion is
to design and build airplanes that fly as
perfectly as possible. It is therefore hard to
answer the size-and-weight question
without coming across as a purist or, even
worse, with an elitist reply.
Okay, tap-dancing over; here is my
answer. 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/she
will let you fly it in his/her contest. The
answer is usually “yes.” He or she 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. It 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
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