RC Aerobatics
Eric Henderson, <REDACTED CONTACT INFO>
Introduction
This month I will focus on those of you who are new to Radio Control (RC) aerobatics and would like to know how to give it a try.
Study AMA rules and check to see if your airplane is competition-compliant. Then select a maneuver schedule you think you could fly, and go out and practice.
A well-trodden route would be to find out where and when the next contest will be. You can find most of the information you need on the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA) website (http://nsrca.org/) and the AMA site (www.modelaircraft.org).
Although that is a good way to go, it may not be that easy for a newcomer to go to a full-blown AMA contest; it is hard to just show up at a sanctioned event. A more palatable solution would be to bring the competition to you!
This is not as impossible as it might sound; it may be much easier to do than you think. You could also put yourself in a position to introduce many of your friends to aerobatic fun. Getting your feet wet with friends is often much more comfortable.
It is not that hard to run an event at your local club. If you think of it as an aerobatic fun-fly, you will be halfway there.
Club Class Concept
The idea of clubs running Precision Aerobatics contests, at a much lower level of intensity, is catching on. Many active Precision Aerobatics supporters have been doing this type of activity for years. Hopefully many more of you will give it a try, based on what is written here.
The main concept is for you, or your club, to run a contest at your local field. The challenge will be for pilots to perform a set of predescribed maneuvers, then see who does them best. The underlying intent is to give all your club members with an AMA/club-legal airplane the chance to see what they can do in front of friendly judging.
The Club Class formula is relaxed, flexible, and easy to use. The main rule is that it is a formula—not a rule. A person(s) or club group that runs a Club Class contest will have a great deal of latitude in deciding what to do.
It is the way of humans to be unsure of what to do with a blank piece of paper. We know what to do with one that has already been written on—we change it! So get out your pencils and erasers, because here is your starting point.
I will suggest a couple of formulas, but you should adapt them so they work for your club. Let’s begin with examples at opposite ends of the concept spectrum.
One-design or Category-based Formats
- You could specify a single class of airplane, such as everyone must have the same Almost Ready to Fly (ARF). Then only pilot skill would determine the winner.
- The Pine Barons club of Southern NJ has enough ARF T-34s to run a one-class aerobatic fly-in, if they ever decide to give it a try.
- A one-design theme could be one category among several categories. You could have a category for flying wings or rudder/elevator-only airplanes. The maneuvers would be selected to match the capability of the models in a category.
- It’s hard to do a Stall Turn with elevons or an Axial Roll with a rudder/elevator model. However, a Barrel Roll would work.
Open-airframe Format
At the other end of the spectrum, you could have one schedule and allow any airplane that the club allows. A Scale Mustang or a 90-inch clipped-wing Cub, a DuraPlane™ or a Corsair—all could do the drill.
This suggested schedule was taken from maneuvers featured previously in the column.
- Takeoff—into wind
Free downwind trim pass, free turn back into wind
- Loop—into wind
Free turn to face downwind
- Horizontal Roll—downwind
Free turn to face into wind
- Half Loop with Half Roll—into wind
Free turn to face into wind
- Stall Turn (Hammerhead) with Quarter Rolls—into wind
Free turn to face downwind
- Triangle Loop—downwind
Free turn to face into wind
- Half Square Loop—into wind
Free turn to face into wind
- Six-Sided Loop—into wind
Free downwind pass, turn back into wind
- Landing—into wind
"Free pass/turn" means the maneuver is not scored.
The formula of the schedule is that you execute one central maneuver at a time, do a free turnaround, and come back for the next central maneuver.
How to Fly the Routine
- Takeoff into wind.
- Position the airplane downwind of the centerline, pointing upwind. Advance the throttle smoothly. Keep the model as straight as possible.
- When leaving the ground, aim for a smooth shallow climb; avoid climbing steeply.
- Fly upwind and turn back any way you like, for a trim pass parallel to the flightline. The contestant could be allowed several passes to get comfortable.
- Line up from the downwind end of the field, and announce your attempt at the first maneuver. (Make sure you have a caller/spotter with you for the moment when your green goes blank—it happens frequently!)
- Loop into wind.
- Fly to the center of the flightline and pull a loop, exiting in the same direction you entered the loop.
- When completed, fly upwind and turn around with enough room to line up for the roll.
- It is best to have a little extra height until you get comfortable rolling in front of and across yourself.
- Horizontal Roll downwind.
- The roll begins before you reach the middle, and ideally the airplane is going through inverted as it goes through the centerline.
- Roll at a medium pace so your airplane does not lose too much height if your corrections are not quite enough. As you get better, you can roll slower. This is not a slow roll and should only last a couple seconds.
- Turn back into the wind with a turn of your choice.
- Half Loop with Half Roll into wind.
- Set up as if you are going to do a loop, but do not throttle back at the top. Keep the power on, and do a half roll to bring the model upright. Now you are heading back downwind.
- A neat way to turn back into the wind and to lose height for the next maneuver is to do a Split-S as your free-choice turnback:
- Throttle back, do a half roll, and pull a half loop back into the wind.
- Stall Turn (Hammerhead) with Quarter Rolls into wind.
- Pull this maneuver before you reach the centerline, so that the stall actually takes place on the centerline.
- Do a quarter roll halfway up. This allows you to see the model’s wings and stabilizer for the stall turn. Most pilots like to see the canopy; it is your choice which way to roll.
- It is easier to stall the airplane into the wind, but you can go either way at the top when you do the stalled turn. Make sure you roll the opposite direction on the way down, to ensure that you leave the maneuver in an upwind direction.
- Go upwind, and turn back for maneuver 6. Each time you turn into the wind or downwind, make sure you take the time to line up. And most of all, breathe!
- Triangle Loop downwind.
- This maneuver starts at the middle, and has 45° up- and downlines. The top should be longer than the other two lines.
- Keep the power on as you fly the top and hold the power on until the last half of the downline. Let gravity help pull the model down on the last 45°.
- You must also perform the quarter rolls exactly on the 45° lines. Finish on the centerline heading upwind.
Maneuvers 6, 7, and 8 are at the end and in this order so you can crop them off the schedule if they are too daunting. Those maneuvers can also be used to create different levels, such as Club Class 1 and Club Class 2. Club Class 1 could stop at the Stall Turn. Removing the Stall Turn would allow airplanes with elevons only to compete. It's your call!
You can also elect not to score takeoffs and landings, if you think that will take off some of the pressure.
Class Layers and Categories
To make it more appealing to all members of your club, you can put a few "layers" of winners in the Club Class. A layer would be similar to an age group—older than 60 or the highest-placing flier younger than 16.
The age classes within a schedule could be schoolboy, seniors, or the (how should I put it?) more mature seniors, who have celebrated the 44th anniversary of their 21st birthday.
The class-within-a-class concept has no limits. Turn your imagination loose.
You could have the highest-placed Electric or four-stroke versus two-stroke. It would be effortless to include a hand-launch category. You could judge how well they do that type of launch and their "wheels-free" landings.
Scoring and Judging
Scoring criteria should be fairly gentle. Some standards should be applied, but it is unnecessary to go completely by-the-book.
- A round loop is a round loop. A nonround loop has a fairly easy-to-see degree of nonroundness that could be scored.
- Give more points for maneuvers done centrally than off-center.
- Always score maneuvers you can recognize. All maneuvers should be central; no "box" is required—just a center-point indicator, such as a small flag.
- My favorite was a contest in Maine, where they threw a blanket over a bush. After some teasing, they improved the situation. The next year they painted the bush!
- Maneuvers should be scored higher if they are flown out in front of the judges. This encourages safe flying, and it lets the judges see the maneuver without having to crane their necks to the side or up high.
Running the Event
Now you know how to run a contest. Will you need help?
You could run it yourself, but many people would be standing around while you tried to do it all.
- You can hold a contest with as few as three people: an organizer, a judge, and a scorekeeper. Two or more judges would be better. Rotating in fresh judges each round is the best way. It is good to post the results after each round.
- You can do very well with a marker and a white board/card. Pilots like to know how they are doing.
How long should the event run? It would be best to keep a first-time event to three or four hours. A barbecue in the middle of the contest is always welcome.
How many rounds should there be? Three or four, with one as a throwaway works very well. If you are not sure, ask the pilots.
Keeping score is best kept simple. Add the 0–10 points given per maneuver for a total per flight.
Invite the whole club, and roughly 10% will try it. Wait a week or two, and reinvite the rest to come and watch. Invite another club if there isn't much interest from your club.
For many, the challenge of getting the airplane into the air and back in one piece is satisfying enough. If that thrill ever wears off, there is a Precision Aerobatics challenge waiting for you.
You may only win a small trophy/plaque or computer-created certificate, but it will give you a memory of showing up, kicking some rudder, and being a winner.
If you are not an NSRCA member in your club, ask that person to do judging for you. He or she would probably enjoy a low-key event. You could get that person to demonstrate the maneuvers, and I am sure many volunteers would do some coaching.
A really strong formula is to do a coaching/practice session in the morning, break for lunch, then run a few competitive rounds in the afternoon.
If you do not have experienced judges, do like you do when you can't find a ready-made panel: make one!
If you are an experienced Pattern Contest Director, offer to run a clinic and Club Class event. You could do this after your contest for all the club "workers." You could include club members who gave up their field for your event. Recruit some helpers from your sanctioned contest contestants (especially NSRCA members) who don't have to travel too far to get home.
Feel free to put this whole series of suggestions in your newsletter. If it will help, e-mail me and I'll send you a Microsoft® Word file.
AMA encourages clubs to promote the contest aspect of our hobby. Reusing this column is encouraged for hobby-promotion purposes.
Would all of you who "give it a go" please send me a report of how the day went and some photo prints? I'll put them in the appropriate column.
Closing Note
Former MA Precision Aerobatics columnist and ex-NSRCA president Rick Allison has been battling a severe respiratory illness for many years. He recently underwent a double-lung transplant.
Join me in wishing him the swiftest and very best of recoveries. We hope to see him on the flightline as soon as possible. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
