RC Aerobatics
Eric Henderson [[email protected]]
Excellent new references that are important to RC pilots
A COUPLE OF recently published books will help you learn how to work a glow engine and do Aerobatics. Power: Beyond the Basics: Volume 2 is by Dave Gierke, who has immense experience with model glow engines. A book of this nature goes way beyond the basic instructions in the manual that comes with a glow engine; it explains how and why things happen.
In the book's 145 pages of information, Dave uses his expertise to take the reader to the next level. It builds on the previous volume, but it also stands alone in its knowledge content and usefulness. He takes us through the history of throttle development and explains how carburetors and various fuel-delivery systems work.
This book is a must-have for every modeler's library. You can find it on Air Age Media's RCStore.com Web site.
Sport Aerobatics is the latest book by David A. Scott, who is also the author of One Week to Solo, Precision Aerobatics, and Advanced Aerobatics. He began flying RC at the age of 9, has accumulated more than 10,000 hours of flying experience, and has designed approximately 50 model airplanes.
Dave owns and runs the 1st U.S. R/C Flight School. He has professionally trained in excess of 1,200 pilots in more than 12,000 hours of instruction.
Sport Aerobatics systematically assembles the 10 basic Aerobatics maneuvers that you need to give you a more satisfying and fun RC piloting experience. The book teaches you about aerobatic maneuvers as a series of predictable and advancing steps.
The primary emphasis is on controlling the airplane no matter what it does, rather than reacting to its movements. You can learn what you need to know to perform impressive maneuvers such as Loops, Rolls, Immelmanns, Cuban Eights, Reverse Cuban Eights, Four Point and Eight Point Rolls, and many more.
Sport Aerobatics is laid out in an easy-to-follow, as Dave calls it, "Crawl-walk-run" format. There are plenty of full-page illustrations and matching stick-airplane positions for those of us who have a more visual learning style.
This valuable book is fun to read, and it will add a great deal to your flying repertoire. It is available from 1st U.S. R/C Flight School. Contact information is in the source list.
The US FAI F3A (RC Aerobatics) world team was selected at this year's Nats, which was held at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. Quique Somenzini elected to attend the World Championships alone as the reigning World Champion, which meant that three team slots were up for grabs. The new members are Jason Shulman, Andrew Jesky, and Brett Wickizer.
Jason has been to the World Championships many times. Andrew was a finalist in his first World Championships last year in Argentina. The 2009 F3A World Championships will be held in Portugal.
Many of us are familiar with Jason and Andrew. I remember flying the Sportsman class in 1985 with Jason. He barely came up to my hip in those days. He soon became the FAI young gun and has shown in both the national and international scene.
Andrew was not much bigger than Jason when I first saw him fly in the mid-1990s. He, too, advanced to great heights, and he became the young gun of the 2007 team.
Father Time does keep marching, and I am faced with the revelation that Jason is now the senior member of the US team and Andrew is a veteran competitor on the team. Brett made it onto the team by beating some stiff competition, including Quique and former multitime team member Chip Hyde.
So who is Brett Wickizer? I had watched his progress from a distance. Each year he would win his national class and then advance to the next level. I wanted to know more, so I picked up the phone and asked him to tell me more about himself.
Following is the E-mail he sent me. Oh, to be that young again.
"First off, my name is Brett Michael Wickizer and I was born in Spring, Texas on December 20, 1989. I currently live in The Woodlands, Texas and am 18 years old, soon to be college freshman at the University of Texas at Austin studying Aerospace Engineering.
"I carry my attraction to aviation with me everywhere and hope to make it a big part of my life in the future. I just love the whole concept of flight and find most of it very intriguing and beautiful.
"I had two Oxi Aries with me at the Nationals. My primary was a YS 170DZ CDI (with the ignition), running a purple anodized Tru-Turn spinner and a beautiful Wayne Ulery modified APC 19x11. It is longer, thinner, and has a little different profile than the stock propeller.
"Aside from looking super cool, it was a big improvement over the stock 19x11 in pull. The big diameter enabled me to fly a more constant speed for a better presentation. It gives the pilot more control over the plane's momentum while maintaining great power.
"The 170DZ CDI was the other side of this equation. The ignition unit provided for super smooth operation and was generally easy and very enjoyable to operate. Add to that the fact that we are able to run a very low oil content fuel in this engine which produced just a very faint smoke trail; it makes for an awesome combination. I used the YS motor mount.
"Servos all around were Futaba digitals (9150s on the wings, 9650s on elevator and throttle, and a BLS451 on rudder). An R5114DPS receiver was used for guidance.
"Preparation leading up to the Nationals was pretty hectic as usual. As a relatively inexperienced pilot, one of the things I'm still figuring out is how to best utilize my practice time. A week before the Nationals my dad and I stayed in Springfield, Ohio with Quique Somenzini and I practiced with him for four straight days.
"Quique not only gave me a better idea of how to practice but he opened my eyes to many presentation aspects of flying that I hadn't given enough attention to in the past. He also had an excellent ability to really analyze my flying and not only tell me what I was doing wrong, but tell me how exactly to fix it. With all the wonderful people that have helped me get farther in this hobby no one has ever helped me so much with my flying.
"It was an outstanding experience which made me appreciate Quique's talent in our sport more than ever. Not only did he provide me with great advice for my flying but he also has become a really great friend. Quique and I really struck up a bond and regardless of sponsorships, or what have you, he has offered tremendous help as a pilot and a role model. I was feeling pretty confident after practicing with Quique and was excited for the Nats.
"The first few days of competition didn't go as well as I would have hoped. I was doing pretty well but not up there with the big dogs like I was hoping. I was really looking to make the Team and barely holding on to sixth going into the finals. Watching the guys on top I knew I could fly as well or better than them but nevertheless started getting nervous and anxious, with thoughts that I didn't really belong on the top yet.
"However after talking with Quique I went into the finals with a little different attitude. I started to just go out there and have fun instead of worrying where I was going to place. It really helped me to relax and fly better than I did the three days before hand. The competition itself this year was much different than it was for me last year.
"Ironically, I put more pressure on myself to perform last year but at the same time was more relaxed throughout the week. Last year nobody really knew who I was and I knew no one had any preconceptions of how I was going to do, so I just flew my absolute best and really strived to show the world what I was made of. My goal was just to make the finals last year and once that was over the rest was just butter. The finals I was focused but also relaxed and ready to be there.
"This year I didn't fly as well the first three days as I really wanted to and come the end of the semi-finals flying I was worried about whether or not I would even make the finals. My goal was to make the Team and when I was worrying about whether or not I was going to make the finals it messed with my head a little bit. In any case it was a great experience, as it has been for the past three years.
"I always enjoy seeing the rest of the community which I only see once a year. Great to see a bunch of friends from around the country, as you know.
"A few people I'd really like to thank and hope you can work in your article: First and foremost, my dad. Although not a real avid flyer himself (although he is involved in the hobby with me just as much as I am) he has supported me from day one. He built our first trainer from a box of sticks and since then has paid for every bit of airplane, transmitter, radio components etc. that I have used to accelerate in the hobby.
"My dad does whatever it takes to get me whatever I may need to further myself in the hobby and without his involvement I would undoubtedly be up the creek without a paddle. He drives to all the contests and makes all the arrangements and is a loving, wise, and supportive dad in the process. Nobody has supported me like he has and still does.
"Of course my mom is an invaluable part of the team as well; she lets us go to all these contests and accepts that airplanes just take over the dining room sometimes.
"I'd also like to thank Bryan Hebert. My first Pattern contest ever (May 15-16, 2005) was at his home field in Baton Rouge, LA. We pulled up Friday night and after seeing me fly through the Intermediate schedule he immediately offered to help out. Since then he has always been there for advice and help. He was my caller throughout the Nats and will be my caller in Portugal next August.
"I would also like to thank Quique, of course. Last but certainly not least my sponsors: Futaba, YS Performance, Morgan Fuels, and Central Hobbies. All of them have been awesome... need to have that plug in there somewhere.
"So that's about all I can think of right now. Didn't realize how much it was until I was done writing it."
I would like to thank you, Brett, for such a great letter. Keep writing that way and you can have my job. I wish you all the best at the 2009 World Championships. You and the rest of the team are the Olympic athletes of our precision aerobatics sport. As the youngest gun, you will have to keep the "old guys" on their toes.
If you would like to support the US F3A team, you can send a donation to AMA Headquarters at 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302, made payable to the "F3A 2009 USA Team."
Sources:
- RCStore.com
(888) 235-2021 in the US or Canada, (386) 246-3323 elsewhere https://secure.rcstore.com
- 1st U.S. RC Flight School
(715) 524-2985 www.rcflightschool.com/manuals_page.asp
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
