124 MODEL AVIATION
Thoughts on Fun Scale and Sportsman-class competition
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Also included in this column:
• Bookshelf: Fokker D.VII
Anthology 2
Dick Pettit entered his Balsa USA Ercoupe in Pro-Am Scale at Top Gun this year. It is a
good, simple Scale aircraft for beginners’ competition.
Brad Foley’s Top Flite T-34 at Top Gun. It
has an interesting paint scheme.
One of three de Havilland Chipmunks the Saint Louis, Missouri,
crew entered in Sportsman Sport Scale at the Mint Julep.
Bruce Ream’s 80-inch-wingspan Top Flite T-34B weighs 16
pounds. The yellow paint scheme makes it easy to see in the air.
LAST MONTH I looked at some of the
more serious competition classes held at
the Mint Julep Scale contest in Kentucky:
a destination on our calendar of places to
go the third week of May each year. As
with participants in many other AMA
events, Scale modelers are always trying to
infect others with their illness.
I’ve just returned from the Scale Nats
and the World Championships, so the shop
has been quiet. I will get back there next
month.
What better way to start someone out
than with Fun Scale? Fun Scale, as you
may have read about before, is here again.
By now it’s time to start thinking about
Christmas presents, right? I thought that
would get your attention! Make a wish list
and leave it somewhere it will be found.
In Fun Scale you can compete with an
ARF, a kit-built model, or a model you
have constructed from plans. You can also
buy another modeler’s airplane and
compete with that. I would like to borrow
Mike Barbee’s beautiful WACO and fly it
in Fun Scale. It won’t happen, though, and
I don’t blame him.
Why not try one of the new 1.50 series
of ARF fighters for a Fun Scale model? Or
you could go with something a bit smaller,
with a 60- to 90-size airplane. A good
example of this size model is Sam Hart’s
Bearcat. With retracts and flaps, it scores
well in competition.
At the Mint Julep Greg Hahn barely
beat Jeremy Arvin flying a Super Cub.
Greg had the full-house B-25 bomber with
retracts and flaps. This was Greg’s other
B-25 that will be a new Hobbico ARF kit;
it will probably be out by the time you
read this. The list for Christmas could be
endless!
Fun Scale has become the most popular
event at almost all Scale competitions in
the US. It’s the starting point for many,
and for some experienced modelers it’s a
way to put in more than four flights in a
weekend in front of experienced judges. If
you’re working on another Scale model
and still want to compete, Fun Scale is
another way to keep involved.
From the administrative side of running
a Scale contest, many in this country have
finally caught onto the fact that adding
Fun Scale Open and Fun Scale Novice
classes adds competitors and those
important dollars to their contests.
It takes many volunteers and judges to
run any Scale contest, and sometimes it’s
hard to come up with good judges in
today’s hectic workaday world. Helping
with hotel-room expenses or at least a few
meals makes the judge or volunteer feel
like his or her efforts are appreciated. That
is the least an organization could do.
11sig4.QXD 9/26/06 8:51 AM Page 124Dale Arvin, John Guenther, and crew try to make the Mint
Julep fun for everyone. You haven’t been to a Mint Julep unless
you’ve had part of Dale’s “Bag of Fun” time at the banquet.
Adding the two Fun Scale classes and two Expert-class
divisions (I and II, mentioned in last month’s column) have
helped with the meet’s attendance, which is easily as large as any
in the country for pure Scale competition.
The idea for those separate divisions is one rule proposal
many would like to see for AMA Sport Scale classes. It puts
similar aircraft with similar options and capabilities in the same
category. You don’t have jets competing against Fokker Dr.I
triplanes.
Sportsman class is the next step up for modelers, and this is
where the ranks seem to be fewer. Many Scale modelers seem to
make the jump straight into Expert, which is a huge mistake.
Once you make that jump and find out your skills aren’t what
you thought they were, you become disillusioned with the
competition. You have put yourself in a class you won’t win for
several years, if ever.
Sportsman class is a breeding ground for future Scale National
Champions. At the Mint Julep this year there were several
modelers from the Saint Louis, Missouri, area, and they all
competed with Dynaflite de Havilland Chipmunks. All used the
same three-view drawings and similar photos.
Those are good beginner kits for the Sportsman class and fly
well. Al Kretz has a beautiful Chipmunk, and he did a great deal
of work on it to make it more competitive. There were three of
the Dynaflite Chipmunks in Sportsman class: Mike Stellern’s,
Rick Karg’s, and Mark Stellern’s.
The Fokker D.VII Anthology 2 Windsock Datafile by Brian Knight.
Greg Hahn won the Fun Scale Open class at the Mint Julep with
his electric-powered B-25 bomber “Dirty Dora.”
There are many great subject aircraft for the Sportsman class,
and full-scale military trainers are some of the best. The T-34 kit
by Top Flite is popular, as is the PT-19 kitted by Dynaflite. Both
have a good choice of color schemes, and the T-34 offers a nose
gear for takeoffs and landings.
Bruce Ream’s version of the Top Flite T-34 spans 80 inches
and weighs 16 pounds. He uses a Magnum 1.60 twin four-stroke
engine for power, along with the standard Robart retracts that are
manufactured for that particular kit. The T-34 has retracts as well
as flaps.
There are two mechanical options used in the flight program
in AMA Scale classes, so you only have to have three other flight
options to go along with the mechanical options. You might
choose a military roll, a Split-S, and the Immelmann Turn. The T-
34 kit can be a serious competitor at regional contests if the
modeler takes his or her time and documents the aircraft well.Brad Foley took a T-34 that was
similar to Bruce’s to Top Gun this year
and competed with it in the Pro-Am class.
The accompanying photo shows what
landing with a strong crosswind can do to
a model. Quick work on the sticks kept
the T-34 airborne long enough to recover
from this photo and land without damage.
Brad is only 18 years old and starts
college this fall. He’s the son of Jeff
Foley, who has earned numerous wins at
Top Gun and other Scale contest across
the country.
Another kit that would lend itself well
to Sportsman Scale is the Piper Tri-Pacer,
which I mentioned in the September issue.
Tom Poole took that model on to the
Scale Nats, his first contest, and finished
third with it. He can continue to work on
the documentation and his flying skills in
that class while he gets ready to make the
jump into Expert.
Art Shelton did just that with his
scratch-built Fokker E.I. He flew it in
Sportsman class, picking up several wins
with the model before making the jump
into the Expert class, where he finished
sixth at this year’s Nats. Art is building
another model and can continue to
compete with the E.I until the new one is
ready next year.
Bookshelf: The Fokker D.VII Anthology 2
Windsock Datafile by Brian Knight,
published by Albatros Productions Ltd.,
has 65 pages. It takes a look at the OAWbuilt
Fokkers and the other license
variants of the type.
Unknown to many modelers and
aviation enthusiasts is that fact that
Albatros built Fokker aircraft in World
War I. This was similar to what was done
in the US in World War II with sometimes
several different aircraft factories or car
factories; they built aircraft from another
company under license.
The book includes one of my favorite
World War I color schemes: the candystripe
wing and red fuselage of Ernst
Udet, who was the second highest scoring
fighter pilot in World War I. On the
fuselage side is the name of his
sweetheart, “LO.” This is a difficult
aircraft to document because few photos
of it exist.
There are several color drawings and
black-and-white photos in the book to
confirm the different airframes. This
publication would work well with Balsa
USA’s 1/4- or 1/3-scale kits or with Proctor
Enterprises’ 1/4-scale kit.
You can order your copy of this book
for $33 plus shipping from Hannan’s
Runway, Box 210, Magalia CA 95954;
Tel: (530) 873-6421; Fax: (530) 873-
6329; Web site: www.hrunway.com.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 124,125,126
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 124,125,126
124 MODEL AVIATION
Thoughts on Fun Scale and Sportsman-class competition
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Also included in this column:
• Bookshelf: Fokker D.VII
Anthology 2
Dick Pettit entered his Balsa USA Ercoupe in Pro-Am Scale at Top Gun this year. It is a
good, simple Scale aircraft for beginners’ competition.
Brad Foley’s Top Flite T-34 at Top Gun. It
has an interesting paint scheme.
One of three de Havilland Chipmunks the Saint Louis, Missouri,
crew entered in Sportsman Sport Scale at the Mint Julep.
Bruce Ream’s 80-inch-wingspan Top Flite T-34B weighs 16
pounds. The yellow paint scheme makes it easy to see in the air.
LAST MONTH I looked at some of the
more serious competition classes held at
the Mint Julep Scale contest in Kentucky:
a destination on our calendar of places to
go the third week of May each year. As
with participants in many other AMA
events, Scale modelers are always trying to
infect others with their illness.
I’ve just returned from the Scale Nats
and the World Championships, so the shop
has been quiet. I will get back there next
month.
What better way to start someone out
than with Fun Scale? Fun Scale, as you
may have read about before, is here again.
By now it’s time to start thinking about
Christmas presents, right? I thought that
would get your attention! Make a wish list
and leave it somewhere it will be found.
In Fun Scale you can compete with an
ARF, a kit-built model, or a model you
have constructed from plans. You can also
buy another modeler’s airplane and
compete with that. I would like to borrow
Mike Barbee’s beautiful WACO and fly it
in Fun Scale. It won’t happen, though, and
I don’t blame him.
Why not try one of the new 1.50 series
of ARF fighters for a Fun Scale model? Or
you could go with something a bit smaller,
with a 60- to 90-size airplane. A good
example of this size model is Sam Hart’s
Bearcat. With retracts and flaps, it scores
well in competition.
At the Mint Julep Greg Hahn barely
beat Jeremy Arvin flying a Super Cub.
Greg had the full-house B-25 bomber with
retracts and flaps. This was Greg’s other
B-25 that will be a new Hobbico ARF kit;
it will probably be out by the time you
read this. The list for Christmas could be
endless!
Fun Scale has become the most popular
event at almost all Scale competitions in
the US. It’s the starting point for many,
and for some experienced modelers it’s a
way to put in more than four flights in a
weekend in front of experienced judges. If
you’re working on another Scale model
and still want to compete, Fun Scale is
another way to keep involved.
From the administrative side of running
a Scale contest, many in this country have
finally caught onto the fact that adding
Fun Scale Open and Fun Scale Novice
classes adds competitors and those
important dollars to their contests.
It takes many volunteers and judges to
run any Scale contest, and sometimes it’s
hard to come up with good judges in
today’s hectic workaday world. Helping
with hotel-room expenses or at least a few
meals makes the judge or volunteer feel
like his or her efforts are appreciated. That
is the least an organization could do.
11sig4.QXD 9/26/06 8:51 AM Page 124Dale Arvin, John Guenther, and crew try to make the Mint
Julep fun for everyone. You haven’t been to a Mint Julep unless
you’ve had part of Dale’s “Bag of Fun” time at the banquet.
Adding the two Fun Scale classes and two Expert-class
divisions (I and II, mentioned in last month’s column) have
helped with the meet’s attendance, which is easily as large as any
in the country for pure Scale competition.
The idea for those separate divisions is one rule proposal
many would like to see for AMA Sport Scale classes. It puts
similar aircraft with similar options and capabilities in the same
category. You don’t have jets competing against Fokker Dr.I
triplanes.
Sportsman class is the next step up for modelers, and this is
where the ranks seem to be fewer. Many Scale modelers seem to
make the jump straight into Expert, which is a huge mistake.
Once you make that jump and find out your skills aren’t what
you thought they were, you become disillusioned with the
competition. You have put yourself in a class you won’t win for
several years, if ever.
Sportsman class is a breeding ground for future Scale National
Champions. At the Mint Julep this year there were several
modelers from the Saint Louis, Missouri, area, and they all
competed with Dynaflite de Havilland Chipmunks. All used the
same three-view drawings and similar photos.
Those are good beginner kits for the Sportsman class and fly
well. Al Kretz has a beautiful Chipmunk, and he did a great deal
of work on it to make it more competitive. There were three of
the Dynaflite Chipmunks in Sportsman class: Mike Stellern’s,
Rick Karg’s, and Mark Stellern’s.
The Fokker D.VII Anthology 2 Windsock Datafile by Brian Knight.
Greg Hahn won the Fun Scale Open class at the Mint Julep with
his electric-powered B-25 bomber “Dirty Dora.”
There are many great subject aircraft for the Sportsman class,
and full-scale military trainers are some of the best. The T-34 kit
by Top Flite is popular, as is the PT-19 kitted by Dynaflite. Both
have a good choice of color schemes, and the T-34 offers a nose
gear for takeoffs and landings.
Bruce Ream’s version of the Top Flite T-34 spans 80 inches
and weighs 16 pounds. He uses a Magnum 1.60 twin four-stroke
engine for power, along with the standard Robart retracts that are
manufactured for that particular kit. The T-34 has retracts as well
as flaps.
There are two mechanical options used in the flight program
in AMA Scale classes, so you only have to have three other flight
options to go along with the mechanical options. You might
choose a military roll, a Split-S, and the Immelmann Turn. The T-
34 kit can be a serious competitor at regional contests if the
modeler takes his or her time and documents the aircraft well.Brad Foley took a T-34 that was
similar to Bruce’s to Top Gun this year
and competed with it in the Pro-Am class.
The accompanying photo shows what
landing with a strong crosswind can do to
a model. Quick work on the sticks kept
the T-34 airborne long enough to recover
from this photo and land without damage.
Brad is only 18 years old and starts
college this fall. He’s the son of Jeff
Foley, who has earned numerous wins at
Top Gun and other Scale contest across
the country.
Another kit that would lend itself well
to Sportsman Scale is the Piper Tri-Pacer,
which I mentioned in the September issue.
Tom Poole took that model on to the
Scale Nats, his first contest, and finished
third with it. He can continue to work on
the documentation and his flying skills in
that class while he gets ready to make the
jump into Expert.
Art Shelton did just that with his
scratch-built Fokker E.I. He flew it in
Sportsman class, picking up several wins
with the model before making the jump
into the Expert class, where he finished
sixth at this year’s Nats. Art is building
another model and can continue to
compete with the E.I until the new one is
ready next year.
Bookshelf: The Fokker D.VII Anthology 2
Windsock Datafile by Brian Knight,
published by Albatros Productions Ltd.,
has 65 pages. It takes a look at the OAWbuilt
Fokkers and the other license
variants of the type.
Unknown to many modelers and
aviation enthusiasts is that fact that
Albatros built Fokker aircraft in World
War I. This was similar to what was done
in the US in World War II with sometimes
several different aircraft factories or car
factories; they built aircraft from another
company under license.
The book includes one of my favorite
World War I color schemes: the candystripe
wing and red fuselage of Ernst
Udet, who was the second highest scoring
fighter pilot in World War I. On the
fuselage side is the name of his
sweetheart, “LO.” This is a difficult
aircraft to document because few photos
of it exist.
There are several color drawings and
black-and-white photos in the book to
confirm the different airframes. This
publication would work well with Balsa
USA’s 1/4- or 1/3-scale kits or with Proctor
Enterprises’ 1/4-scale kit.
You can order your copy of this book
for $33 plus shipping from Hannan’s
Runway, Box 210, Magalia CA 95954;
Tel: (530) 873-6421; Fax: (530) 873-
6329; Web site: www.hrunway.com.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 124,125,126
124 MODEL AVIATION
Thoughts on Fun Scale and Sportsman-class competition
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Also included in this column:
• Bookshelf: Fokker D.VII
Anthology 2
Dick Pettit entered his Balsa USA Ercoupe in Pro-Am Scale at Top Gun this year. It is a
good, simple Scale aircraft for beginners’ competition.
Brad Foley’s Top Flite T-34 at Top Gun. It
has an interesting paint scheme.
One of three de Havilland Chipmunks the Saint Louis, Missouri,
crew entered in Sportsman Sport Scale at the Mint Julep.
Bruce Ream’s 80-inch-wingspan Top Flite T-34B weighs 16
pounds. The yellow paint scheme makes it easy to see in the air.
LAST MONTH I looked at some of the
more serious competition classes held at
the Mint Julep Scale contest in Kentucky:
a destination on our calendar of places to
go the third week of May each year. As
with participants in many other AMA
events, Scale modelers are always trying to
infect others with their illness.
I’ve just returned from the Scale Nats
and the World Championships, so the shop
has been quiet. I will get back there next
month.
What better way to start someone out
than with Fun Scale? Fun Scale, as you
may have read about before, is here again.
By now it’s time to start thinking about
Christmas presents, right? I thought that
would get your attention! Make a wish list
and leave it somewhere it will be found.
In Fun Scale you can compete with an
ARF, a kit-built model, or a model you
have constructed from plans. You can also
buy another modeler’s airplane and
compete with that. I would like to borrow
Mike Barbee’s beautiful WACO and fly it
in Fun Scale. It won’t happen, though, and
I don’t blame him.
Why not try one of the new 1.50 series
of ARF fighters for a Fun Scale model? Or
you could go with something a bit smaller,
with a 60- to 90-size airplane. A good
example of this size model is Sam Hart’s
Bearcat. With retracts and flaps, it scores
well in competition.
At the Mint Julep Greg Hahn barely
beat Jeremy Arvin flying a Super Cub.
Greg had the full-house B-25 bomber with
retracts and flaps. This was Greg’s other
B-25 that will be a new Hobbico ARF kit;
it will probably be out by the time you
read this. The list for Christmas could be
endless!
Fun Scale has become the most popular
event at almost all Scale competitions in
the US. It’s the starting point for many,
and for some experienced modelers it’s a
way to put in more than four flights in a
weekend in front of experienced judges. If
you’re working on another Scale model
and still want to compete, Fun Scale is
another way to keep involved.
From the administrative side of running
a Scale contest, many in this country have
finally caught onto the fact that adding
Fun Scale Open and Fun Scale Novice
classes adds competitors and those
important dollars to their contests.
It takes many volunteers and judges to
run any Scale contest, and sometimes it’s
hard to come up with good judges in
today’s hectic workaday world. Helping
with hotel-room expenses or at least a few
meals makes the judge or volunteer feel
like his or her efforts are appreciated. That
is the least an organization could do.
11sig4.QXD 9/26/06 8:51 AM Page 124Dale Arvin, John Guenther, and crew try to make the Mint
Julep fun for everyone. You haven’t been to a Mint Julep unless
you’ve had part of Dale’s “Bag of Fun” time at the banquet.
Adding the two Fun Scale classes and two Expert-class
divisions (I and II, mentioned in last month’s column) have
helped with the meet’s attendance, which is easily as large as any
in the country for pure Scale competition.
The idea for those separate divisions is one rule proposal
many would like to see for AMA Sport Scale classes. It puts
similar aircraft with similar options and capabilities in the same
category. You don’t have jets competing against Fokker Dr.I
triplanes.
Sportsman class is the next step up for modelers, and this is
where the ranks seem to be fewer. Many Scale modelers seem to
make the jump straight into Expert, which is a huge mistake.
Once you make that jump and find out your skills aren’t what
you thought they were, you become disillusioned with the
competition. You have put yourself in a class you won’t win for
several years, if ever.
Sportsman class is a breeding ground for future Scale National
Champions. At the Mint Julep this year there were several
modelers from the Saint Louis, Missouri, area, and they all
competed with Dynaflite de Havilland Chipmunks. All used the
same three-view drawings and similar photos.
Those are good beginner kits for the Sportsman class and fly
well. Al Kretz has a beautiful Chipmunk, and he did a great deal
of work on it to make it more competitive. There were three of
the Dynaflite Chipmunks in Sportsman class: Mike Stellern’s,
Rick Karg’s, and Mark Stellern’s.
The Fokker D.VII Anthology 2 Windsock Datafile by Brian Knight.
Greg Hahn won the Fun Scale Open class at the Mint Julep with
his electric-powered B-25 bomber “Dirty Dora.”
There are many great subject aircraft for the Sportsman class,
and full-scale military trainers are some of the best. The T-34 kit
by Top Flite is popular, as is the PT-19 kitted by Dynaflite. Both
have a good choice of color schemes, and the T-34 offers a nose
gear for takeoffs and landings.
Bruce Ream’s version of the Top Flite T-34 spans 80 inches
and weighs 16 pounds. He uses a Magnum 1.60 twin four-stroke
engine for power, along with the standard Robart retracts that are
manufactured for that particular kit. The T-34 has retracts as well
as flaps.
There are two mechanical options used in the flight program
in AMA Scale classes, so you only have to have three other flight
options to go along with the mechanical options. You might
choose a military roll, a Split-S, and the Immelmann Turn. The T-
34 kit can be a serious competitor at regional contests if the
modeler takes his or her time and documents the aircraft well.Brad Foley took a T-34 that was
similar to Bruce’s to Top Gun this year
and competed with it in the Pro-Am class.
The accompanying photo shows what
landing with a strong crosswind can do to
a model. Quick work on the sticks kept
the T-34 airborne long enough to recover
from this photo and land without damage.
Brad is only 18 years old and starts
college this fall. He’s the son of Jeff
Foley, who has earned numerous wins at
Top Gun and other Scale contest across
the country.
Another kit that would lend itself well
to Sportsman Scale is the Piper Tri-Pacer,
which I mentioned in the September issue.
Tom Poole took that model on to the
Scale Nats, his first contest, and finished
third with it. He can continue to work on
the documentation and his flying skills in
that class while he gets ready to make the
jump into Expert.
Art Shelton did just that with his
scratch-built Fokker E.I. He flew it in
Sportsman class, picking up several wins
with the model before making the jump
into the Expert class, where he finished
sixth at this year’s Nats. Art is building
another model and can continue to
compete with the E.I until the new one is
ready next year.
Bookshelf: The Fokker D.VII Anthology 2
Windsock Datafile by Brian Knight,
published by Albatros Productions Ltd.,
has 65 pages. It takes a look at the OAWbuilt
Fokkers and the other license
variants of the type.
Unknown to many modelers and
aviation enthusiasts is that fact that
Albatros built Fokker aircraft in World
War I. This was similar to what was done
in the US in World War II with sometimes
several different aircraft factories or car
factories; they built aircraft from another
company under license.
The book includes one of my favorite
World War I color schemes: the candystripe
wing and red fuselage of Ernst
Udet, who was the second highest scoring
fighter pilot in World War I. On the
fuselage side is the name of his
sweetheart, “LO.” This is a difficult
aircraft to document because few photos
of it exist.
There are several color drawings and
black-and-white photos in the book to
confirm the different airframes. This
publication would work well with Balsa
USA’s 1/4- or 1/3-scale kits or with Proctor
Enterprises’ 1/4-scale kit.
You can order your copy of this book
for $33 plus shipping from Hannan’s
Runway, Box 210, Magalia CA 95954;
Tel: (530) 873-6421; Fax: (530) 873-
6329; Web site: www.hrunway.com.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA