Radio Control Helicopters-2011/09

The Futaba Extreme Flight Championships
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Helicopters Mark Fadely
Mikado RC Helicopters’ Ralf Buxnowitz
displays the new Logo Xxtreme. Parts
were improved for its 800-size framework.
Kyle Dahl flew it to third place.
Colin Bell of Nova Scotia, Canada, was one
of the few pilots at the 2011 XFC flying a
nitro-powered heli. He flew well against
the most formidable competition the
event has ever seen, finishing in sixth
place.
Bobby Watts’ surreal night flight was an incredible
combination of pyrotechnics, lighting, choreography
to music, and outstanding 3-D flight.
This month we are going to take a look at
the recent Futaba Extreme Flight
Championships (XFC). The best helicopter
pilots in the world were there and guess
what? Every heli in the competition was a
FBL machine. Most of the helicopters
entered were electric powered, too. FBL 90-
size electric helis are taking center stage as
the ultimate competition machines.
The XFC is the most elite contest in the
IT IS TIME to talk helicopters again. What
a year 2011 has been! Advancements in our
equipment are at a feverish pace and
showing no signs of slowing down.
Many industry experts’ predictions have
come true as flybarless (FBL) technology is
quickly taking over in the marketplace and
at the flying fields. You all may be getting
tired of hearing me talk about FBL stuff, but
the technology is here to stay.
USA for RC helicopters. It combines largescale
airplanes and helis, but we are going to
concentrate on the helicopters. The AMA’s
National Flying Site is the venue for this
prestigious happening.
This year the heli pilots took the flying
level up another notch once again. Just when
you think these guys cannot get any better,
they do. It was a nice mix of returning
veterans combined with some fresh, new
faces.
One trait among the helicopter
competitors today is obvious: youth. The
average age of the contestants in the XFC
keeps going down. In fact, the average age
of the seven finalists is only 18!
I spoke with several of these young guns
to find out what makes them so good, and
why youth helps in this contest. Sixteenyear-
old 2010 XFC winner Kyle Dahl said
he puts in five flights a day in preparation
for the event. That is five flights every day
and seven days a week; 35 flights per week
equals 140 flights per month.
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September 2011 109
Kyle Dahl showed off this new 800-size Xxtreme helicopter
at the XFC. The Mikado model boasts 800mm main blades.
This size heli may be a future trend.
Bobby Watts placed fourth with his
Miniature Aircraft Whiplash at its 2011
XFC debut. Boasting a 90-size airframe,
Bobby designed it for electric, gas, or nitro
power.
As with most things, the people who
practice the most are the best. It also helps to
not have too many responsibilities other than
school, so that practice time can be a
priority.
It has been really refreshing to see the
younger pilots getting into the hobby. Today
the help and equipment are available,
allowing anyone with the time, desire, and
funding to be a competitive pilot.
The hobby has changed because a decade
ago many of the pilots were middle-aged
XFC helicopter finishing order
1) Jamie Robertson
2) Nick Maxwell
3) Kyle Dahl
4) Bobby Watts
5) Kyle Stacy
6) Colin Bell
7) Ben Storick
8) Jesse Kavros
9) Andrew Merlino
10) Danny Szabo
11) James Haley
12) Mitch Morozas
13) Leon Luke
14) Ray Nemovi
(L-R) Nick Maxwell placed
second, Jamie Robertson was
first, and Kyle Dahl took third.
With an average age of 18, these
three topped the field at the 2011
XFC.
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people who had the resources and
determination to be successful pilots. They
were mostly weekend fliers who had jobs
and were not totally immersed in RC
helicopters. The newer profile of a
competition pilot is a younger, energetic,
determined kid who takes helis seriously
24/7.
This year the young pilots were nervous,
as usual, on Friday during the start of the
competition. The XFC is different than some
other contests because it allows a pilot to
“throw out” a bad or zeroed flight without
hurting his or her overall score. This extra
flight is built into the event so that a
mechanical failure or bad luck does not
disqualify a good pilot.
As the contest gets underway you will
see a more reserved, tamer level of flying.
Once round two starts on Saturday, the
pilots ramp up their efforts to make an
impression for the judges. There is a specific
set of judging criteria that the pilots have to
keep in mind when flying their routines.
Every flight is judged while it is flown to
music, keeping choreography a high
priority.
The helicopter judges were chosen by the
XFC committee and most were competition
pilots themselves. The pilots fly a Known
and an Unknown flight. The Known flight
has three required moves that are designated
in advance so the pilots can practice for
them in the months leading up to the contest.
The Unknown flight is made up of elements
completely designed by the pilot. Both of
these flights are flown to music with the
judges’ critical eyes looking on.
Fourteen pilots were entered into
Friday’s competition and only the top seven
scorers would advance to the finals on
Sunday. The nerves of the entrants are
mostly settled down by Saturday and the
flying gets more radical.
The sheer horsepower the latest helis
produce translates into wicked aerodynamic
performance on display. It is an exciting
show to watch.
The skill and maturity of this young
group of 2011 XFC pilots is impressive. It
takes a lot of discipline and self control
along with a tremendous work ethic to get
where these guys are today. The pilots have
to prepare months in advance.
It also takes top-level equipment to be
competitive in this contest. There were
several T-Rex 700s and Mikado 600 electric
machines. Both Kyle Dahl and Bobby Watts
were flying new prototype helis. Bobby had
the Miniature Aircraft Whiplash, which is a
completely new design from the ground up.
It is made so that it can fly as an electric,
gas, or nitro-powered machine. Bobby’s
outstanding engineering work is evident in
all areas of this new model.
Mikado has a new design that begins a
new 800 class of helicopter. This thing is
big! The blades are 800mm and the machine
has a much larger profile in the air. Kyle
flew it with incredible grace even when the
winds were kicking up. Will the 800 size be
a trend for the future? I suspect that it will.
There is always some drama to go along
with all the great flying that takes place
during the XFC. This year, Nick Maxwell
claimed second place but was bitten by a
couple of technical problems before he
pulled himself together and flew great in the
finals on Sunday. Even the ultraconsistent
Kyle Dahl had some mechanical problems
and had to shake off some demons to make
it through to the end and place third overall.
Jamie Robertson sailed into first place,
winning his second XFC in three years.
Jamie was not immune to a little bad luck
either; he destroyed one heli by hitting a
steel pole that is located on the flying field.
Jamie is the quarterback for his high school
football team. He says he gets much more
nervous at his football games than when
flying in front of the XFC crowd.
Mother Nature added a bit of her own
drama to the event by blowing in some
severe thunderstorms on Saturday evening.
Just as the band began to play some relaxing
music, the skies opened up and everyone ran
for cover. It wouldn’t be the XFC without
some terrifying weather!
The storms raged on and rain threatened
to cancel the night fly. Event organizer
Frank Noll never said “never.” He stayed
on-site until the rain ended. Finally at
approximately 11 p.m. the rain slowed to a
light drizzle and Frank gave the okay for the
night fly contest to begin.
Bobby Watts has become known as the
master of the night-fly show. He flew his
heli adorned with computer-controlled LED
lights to a perfectly choreographed flight
routine that included a barrage of
pyrotechnics. Giant propane flamethrowers
shot towers of flames at least 25 feet high!
The whole show reminded me of something
a mad scientist might come up with. It was
quite a spectacular show.
Bobby ended up cowinning the night fly
with Terry Hahn and his amazing airplane
night routine. These guys deserve a big
thank-you from the fans for the work they
put into the show. Hundreds of hours are
spent preparing for a demonstration that
only lasts a few minutes.
The XFC is the pinnacle of 3-D flying in
the US. It is an entertaining show with many
fun things to do and see. I highly
recommend a trip to the 2012 XFC. It is a
must-see if you are involved in RC aviation.
See you all back here next month. MA
Sources:
Futaba Extreme Flight Championships
(XFC)
www.futabarc.com/xfc-rc/
International Radio-Controlled Helicopter
Association
www.ircha.org
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