Radio Control Scale-2011/08

108 MODEL AVIATION
Also included in this column:
• Fun Scale
• Upcoming events
improve your flying and make a better scale
presentation for spectators at major events.
If you are flying a warbird, you might
think about a routine such as this:
1) Takeoff: This maneuver is required.
Take off down the runway and retract your
gear, then raise flaps and make your turn
around the patch.
2) Fly-by: A fly-by is also required, and
here is a great spot for it. It settles your
nerves and helps to ensure that you have
everything buttoned up and are ready for the
rest of the flight.
3) Figure 8: Starting parallel to the
runway, make your turn in front of the
judges; this is your halfway mark for the
maneuver. Make one horizontal circle
headed away from your position. When you
come back to the center make another circle
around toward yourself. You come out at
the center point again and call maneuver
complete on the same parallel line on which
you started. This takes practice to get it
right!
4) Retracts: Use this as one of your
options. You should score well on this
maneuver unless the gear slaps the inside of
the wing or you have a similar error.
5) Flaps: Use the flaps prototypically
with takeoff and landing and it might be a
good idea to see if the judges want you to
make a pass with the flaps lowered in a
scalelike manner.
6) Military Roll: Most warbirds can do a
Flight maneuvers for fun and competition
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
HOW MANY of you have downloaded the
new AMA Scale rules and regulations? It’s a
great resource for learning different types of
model competition in which you might be
interested, as well as learning more about
flight maneuvers, static judging, and
documentation.
Because we are in the middle of the
flying season, let’s take a look at flight
maneuvers and completing a flight, not
simply getting up there and boring holes in
the sky seemingly for no apparent reason—
although that’s fine too! It helps me to relax
sometimes.
Some of the best maneuver descriptions
are not listed in the AMA rule book but are
included in the FAI Scale F4 Sporting Code.
You can download these from the FAI
website or the National Association of Scale
Aeromodelers (NASA) site, but be ready
with lots of ink and paper.
The FAI sporting code has flight
diagrams for all FAI published Scale
maneuvers with descriptions that help you
visualize how the maneuver should look
from the judge’s perspective. This can help
roll (although some World War I scouts
were limited) with a hump in the middle of
the maneuver. This is typical of most World
War II fighters. If you are competing, center
the maneuver so its top is in front of the
judges. Done correctly, this is a nice
procedure.
7) Loop: This can be harder to control
and I don’t recommend it on a windy day,
but a nice loop centered on yourself or the
judges is a great maneuver. Airplanes make
different-shaped loops. A World War II
fighter should make a round loop; a smaller,
lightly loaded aircraft would make a
somewhat egg-shaped loop. When
competing I suggest you show the judges a
diagram of how you plan to do this
maneuver.
8) Split S: This maneuver is also called a
“Reversal.” At the top of your flight pattern,
perform a Half Roll. At the bottom of the
Half Roll, resume straight flight parallel to
the runway and judges in the opposite
direction. It’s a simple maneuver for an
aerobatic-type model and is impressive
when done correctly. It’s also a quick
maneuver. Less time in front of the judges
with a maneuver such as this increases your
chance for a good score. And if you’re
flying for fun, it’s just plain cool!
9) Landing: Many of us rush our landing
maneuvers (or in some cases, all maneuvers)
and don’t give ourselves proper time to set
up the approach and landing for a good
score. Take your time, reduce throttle on the
The Military Roll as performed by
Dennis Crooks with his Lockheed
P-38 Lightning.
Inverted flight is a good option for jets. Hold
that position while in front of the judges.
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August 2011 109
Ron Hemphill, from
Butler PA, entered this
RC Guys Cessna 150
Aerobat in Fun Scale.
Ron’s Cessna as seen from below. The Cessna Aerobat is used an aerobatic
trainer as is the Bellanca Citabria.
box top showing that there was actually an
airplane that existed in that color and with
those markings. Each year this event brings
out unique and varied airplanes at different
contests.
Fun Scale is a great way to enter a Scale
contest, as well as enjoy the company of
friends who are infected with the same love
for scale models as you. Even if you want to
borrow a model from a friend, that’s okay
too.
Ron Hemphill came to the Nats with
friends who were competing in Fun Scale.
What better way to enjoy flying together
than attend the Scale Nats?
Ron was competing with his RC Guys
Cessna 150 Aerobat. The model features a
96-inch wingspan and weighs 131/2 pounds.
A Saito 1.2 four-stroke engine powers the
Aerobat and it features McDaniel flaps and
an onboard glow system.
The 150 Aerobat is a trainer much like a
Citabria, so you can definitely enjoy doing
aerobatics with this model and enjoy the
scale realism.
Upcoming Events: The 2011 Northwest
Scale Championships is set for September
8-11 in Boise, Idaho, at the Boise Area
Radio Kontrol Society (BARKS) flying
field. Pilots will compete in Expert, Team,
Open (Expert and Novice) classes, and Fun
Scale Divisions 1 and 2. With a 48 x 500-
foot paved field, it sounds like a great site.
Check it out.
Warbirds Over the Rockies will be
September 23-25, 2011, at Drake Field
north of Denver, Colorado. For all warbird
models, this is a themed event “saluting the
fliers past, present, and future for protecting
back side of the approach maneuver parallel
to the runway, deploy landing gear (making
sure everything is down), then lower flaps
and proceed in the crosswind pattern at the
end of the field.
Continue to reduce speed and height
while turning on the final leg of the pattern,
then smoothly and gently land in front of the
judges. Sometimes landing in front of the
judges isn’t possible, but if there is room on
the runway this can help your score.
10) Realism in Flight: The entire flight is
judged after you land. Smoothness and your
transition into and out of maneuvers can
affect this score. The smoother and more
consistent the flight, the better your score
will be.
Your Caller: yes I used a capitol “C” in
Caller, because he or she is that important to
the pilot in a Scale contest or fly-in. “Why?”
you ask. The first reason is safety. Pilots
usually concentrate on flying the model and
we often don’t notice what’s going on
around us. The Caller takes care of that task.
The call sheet lists the maneuvers in the
proper order and what you’re going to do
during that sequence of the maneuvers—
drop flaps, raise flaps, lower throttle, gain
altitude for the descending circle or a Split S
maneuver, go past the judges for the stall
turn, flaps and gear down for an overshoot,
touch-and-go, or landing. He or she can also
help you keep up with your time in the air,
especially if you’re flying a jet or other
model in which fuel consumption is critical.
Around Scale: Fun Scale is a flying event.
All you have to do to qualify for static
points is to have a photo or plastic model
American soil, its people, and values.”
It draws roughly 150 pilots and more
than 5,000 spectators each year. For more
information, check out the BARKS website
and information listed in “Sources.”
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Sources:
RC Guys
(519) 756-1110
www.rcguys.com
McDaniel R/C Products
(888) 721-0128
www.sonictronics.com
2011 Northwest Scale Championships
Mike Ingram, CD
(208) 455-7741
www.nwsam.org/nwsc.html
Warbirds Over the Rockies
www.warbirdsovertherockies.com
FAI Scale Competition Information
www.fai.org/aeromodelling/documents/sc4
AMA Competition Regulations
www.modelaircraft.org/files/events/ruleboo
ks/Scale.pdf
NASA
www.nasascale.org/fai.htm
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