Radio Control Scale Aerobatics - 2004/05

110 MODEL AVIATION
RIGHT ABOUT NOW most Scale Aerobatics (SA) enthusiasts are
starting to dig out our flying equipment from a long winter’s
hibernation to begin another season of practice, competition, and fun.
But don’t just charge the batteries and pump the airplane full of gas,
and expect it to fly like it did last year. Now is the perfect time for an
annual inspection. Heck, even if you’re lucky enough to be able to fly
all winter, right now, at the beginning of a new contest season, is a
good time to check all the equipment.
This is part of the fun of flying SA. You aren’t building a new
airplane here, but it is a good idea to really dig in and tear the whole
thing down to inspect every part of the aircraft. It’s much more fun than
building for the first time because everything fits, and it goes back
together so easily. Plan on taking a weekend or two or three evenings
for each model you plan to fly this year.
For me, the ritual starts as a cleaning mission. Each part comes off
of the airplane, and I clean and inspect it, looking for signs of wear,
cracks, or potential failure points. This inspection will also tell you how
your initial build is holding up, uncovering any signs of undue wear and
warning that you may need to rethink how things are fastened or
assembled.
Following are some of the things I like to do and look for. The tank
should come out and all the fuel lines should be replaced. Never reuse
stiff, brittle fuel lines. Check the tank for wear. Look for scuffs or
abrasion where the clunk rides at the bottom of the tank, and look for
cracking around the opening and the seams. Replace the tank if needed.
Pull the cowl, the engine, and the mufflers and ignition off the
engine, cleaning as you go and looking for signs of fatigue or wear.
Cleaning each part thoroughly causes you to inspect each part closely.
Inspect the bolts holding things together. Look at the spinner backplate,
checking for warps or cracking. Check inside and outside the firewall
area, along with the cowl and areas around the cowl ring or bolt holes.
Fix anything that looks as if it’s starting to fatigue or crack. Check the
ignition for any frayed wires and for a good, solid mounting system.
Before you start removing the electrical system, cycle the batteries a
couple times; if they aren’t up to at least 80% of spec, replace them. I
replace them if they don’t cycle up to the rated capacity, but I’m a bit of
a fanatic. Put the airplane together and switch on the electrical system.
Check each servo for proper movement, centering, and stability. If any
are questionable, pull the parts in question out and send them in for
service. When you’ve determined what needs to go in for service and
what stays, you can remove the rest of the electrical system.
Pull all the servo extensions and check all the wires for wear,
looking closely at the exterior of the wire jackets for any sign of
vibration damage. Pay extra attention to areas where wires are held
with nylon ties. If you find any worn areas or damage, replace that
extension and find a new way to isolate or route the extension.
Check all the linkages by removing each one and inspecting it
thoroughly. Look for damaged threads or cracked, worn, or brittle
plastic parts. This is where you may discover some missing or loose
parts.
As you start to reassemble the airplane, inspect all plastic and rubber
or nylon parts. Replace all those old hard nylon wire ties and any
crushed foam that no longer has a springy consistency.
At the very least, your model will be shiny and clean and ready for
the upcoming season. And you’ll learn that your airplane’s setup is
working perfectly. At best, you’ll find a problem before it becomes a
catastrophe. Either way, you’ll know that your model is safe and
performing at its best.
Improve Your Flying: I’m going to focus on those of you who do not
yet compete but would like to improve your flying skill. After all,
Mike Hurley, 11542 Decatur Ct., Westminster CO 80234; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL SCALE AEROBATICS
At the annual Joe Nall IMAA fly-in, Aerobatics models make up a
large portion of the Scale entrants.
Does this look like a model? It’s actually Matt Chapman’s fullscale
CAP 232. You can see Matt in the cockpit.
In this closer look at Matt’s full-scale CAP 232, check out the JR
logo and RC switch just under the cockpit!
112 MODEL AVIATION
flying skill is what the Aerobatics part of SA
is all about. We all like to wring it out a bit
and show our stuff, but after awhile we tend
to get to a certain level and then stagnate,
flying the same maneuvers without much
improvement.
When I moved to the East Coast I had
almost two seasons as a new pilot under my
belt. I had my local heroes—pilots who could
bore holes in the sky like I could not believe!
Those guys were the hotshots of the club, and
I really looked up to them.
My time on the East Coast lent itself very
well to RC, and I became involved in
International Miniature Aerobatic Club
(IMAC). As the years went by, I progressed
through the classes and became more
proficient and more disciplined. After roughly
four years it was time to move back home to
Colorado, and I was excited to see the old
gang and continue flying in competition.
My flying had changed a lot, and I fully
expected that most of the pilots from home
had also improved. It was quite an eyeopening
experience to see my old heroes not
only flying the same old maneuvers, but
flying them with the same airplanes and the
same mistakes that they had been making for
years! If there was any change, it was most
likely that they didn’t fly as well as they had
four or five years earlier!
Before anyone gets upset, I’m not writing
about specific people, but about modelers in
general. We get to a certain comfort level and
don’t push to go any further. Without any
motivation or goal, we tend to get to a point
How about this? It’s an Extra 260 on floats! Bert Sutton with his 35% CAP 232 and the author’s 40% CAP 232.
and think we are content.
There’s a surefire way to push yourself
beyond that point and become a much better
flier than you ever thought possible. As for
being content, all those who have ever tried
this have told me that the new improvements
that they see every week are invigorating,
even when they thought they were previously
happy flying the same way over and over. I’m
referring to beginning a regimen of practicing
the IMAC sequences. You don’t have to go to
a contest and actually compete, but when you
start to see so much improvement I’d bet
you’d enjoy that part of the experience too!
You’ll start to realize that that loop you’ve
been doing for years looks like an oblong
corkscrew, your roll won’t maintain altitude,
and you can’t even fly a straight and level
line. I’ve got to be kidding, right? Go ahead,
get out and try it! A perfect straight line
transitioned into another straight line is one of
the hardest things to learn!
Starting a practice schedule of learning the
IMAC Basic or Sportsman sequences will
make you a better flier so fast that your
friends won’t believe the improvements.
You’ll see a difference every week you
practice. But remember that you have to
practice as if you want to compete—like you
will be scored. In other words, yes, there will
be a test! Each season new maneuvers will be
presented to you that offer new challenges
while giving you time to perfect them before
you move to the new sequences. Soon you’ll
be learning new ways to fly interesting figures
like nobody in your club.
I like to say that a flier can actually reach
the point of RC piloting Zen. Most of us know
how to position the sticks to execute most any
figure, but we tend to just move the sticks into
position and time the exit to neutralize the
sticks. We are really only positioning the
sticks and watching the airplane fly, only
partially participating in the act.
You reach Zen when you can actually
fly the airplane through the figure,
correcting heading, altitude, and positioning
as it moves through the air. You become
one with the airplane and it becomes, in
essence, an extension of yourself. Sound
corny? Then you aren’t there yet. But when
you get there, you’ll be nodding your head
as you read this and understand your
personal RC-flying chi. MA