Scale
Stephen Ashby, 4771 Cinnamon Pl., Indianapolis, IN 46237; E-mail: [email protected]
In 1901, after some disappointing glider tests, a discouraged Wilbur Wright said that he thought man would fly, but "not in our lifetime." A mere two years later, on December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers proved Wilbur's prediction wrong with the world's first sustained, controllable, powered flight with their Wright Flyer.
The Academy of Model Aeronautics honored the Wright brothers' achievement using "Celebrating 100 Years of Powered Flight" as the theme for this year's 77th National Aeromodeling Championships.
The Control Line Scale Nationals, sponsored by the National Association of Scale Aeromodellers (NASA), was held at the Academy of Model Aeronautics International Aeromodeling Center. This beautifully groomed 1,000-acre site, developed to host all forms of flying model aircraft, is located just east of Muncie, Indiana.
The competition for the Control Line Scale National Championships began on Friday, June 27, at Wilson Middle School in Muncie. The school cafeteria was converted into a hangar in which the radio-control and control-line models were staged for processing and the static-judging portion of the contest.
Static judging is half of the total score for all classes and is significant to the outcome of the competition. The static judges meticulously compare the models to the material presented in the competitors' documentation. Modelers must show proof or documentation for their model aircraft by way of drawings, photographs, or written descriptions. Any disparities are downgraded, so it's common to see last-minute adjustments and corrections made up to the time when the model is placed on the judging table.
Upon arriving at the control-line flying site of the International Aeromodeling Center, the competitors were pleasantly surprised to find two newly constructed circles northwest of the L-Pad. These circles have the best surface found on any circle in the world. Everyone involved with the decision and construction process should receive high marks for the implementation of this fantastic facility.
According to AMA Technical Director Steve Kaluf, the 460-by-180-foot facility was constructed for three primary purposes: control-line racing, control-line scale, and the Control Line World Championships, which will take place in July 2004. The circles are marked to accommodate Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) F2C racing, all AMA racing events, and scale. In the interest of safety, the two new circles also alleviate the overfly situation of the radio-control models on the L-Pad, which has been utilized for past Control Line Scale Nationals.
The Executive Council voted to name the facility The Columbia "Willie McCool" Circle to honor Commander Willie McCool, pilot of the Space Shuttle Columbia, who died when the spacecraft broke up and was lost during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003. Commander McCool's interest in aviation began at an early age as he learned the principles of control-line flying.
The first two rounds were flown on Saturday, June 28. A strong southwesterly wind remained throughout the competition and presented various problems for some of the models. The last two rounds, flown on Sunday, June 29, were halted briefly as a morning rain shower passed through the area.
The two-circle system was used again; in the past several years it has developed into an efficient way for all of the scale classes to be flown and judged. There are two judges assigned to a circle, then they swap circles after each flight. The judging process is expedited, and the pilots can watch the models in the air from both circles.
Sport Scale
This remains one of the most-entered classes of the five control-line scale categories. Chuck Snyder’s 72-inch-wingspan Hawker Typhoon earned the top static score for the second year in a row. His O.S. 1.20-powered fighter features bomb drop and operational flaps.
Chuck was caught in a sudden rain shower Sunday morning during the flight of his electronically controlled Typhoon. The rain caused some problems with the Direct Servo Connection function of his JR radio, and he elected not to fly for the remainder of the competition.
The first round got off to a rather shaky start as the fliers battled strong winds, at times gusting to well more than 20 mph. The flight scores started climbing in the second round as the competitors appeared to get a better feel for the windy conditions.
Walt Brownell posted the high flight score of the class in the third round, which placed him in first. He went on to finish in first place with an 82.5-inch-span Douglas R4D-1 — a Marine version of the DC-3. The twin is powered by two O.S. 52 four-stroke engines and is finished with Sig Silkspan and Brodak dope.
Second place was well earned by Bill Logan, flying an aerobatic 1/6-scale Fokker Dr.I. The winds didn't seem to hinder Bill in any way as he performed loops and wingovers with his SuperTigre .60-powered triplane.
Frank Beatty finished in the third position piloting a 45-inch-span Curtiss CR-2 with an O.S. .61 engine. He uses a three-line system for throttle control.
Profile Scale
The Profile Scale rules are identical to the Sport Scale rules, except that the fuselage is limited to a maximum of 1 inch wide, with a 1-1/2-inch maximum width for engine nacelles.
Competition breeds ingenuity, and the "skinny" fuselage doesn't diminish the enthusiastic creativity. The Profile Scale model can have multiple engines or be a multiwinged machine powered by gas or electric motors. A standard three-line system can control the engine throttle, or a more high-tech, multichannel electronic system can control the throttle and other flight or mechanical functions.
Lyn Green topped all Profile Scale competitors with his Northrop P-61B Black Widow powered with two Enya .19 engines. He had the top static score with an 82 and the high flight score of 90 for the class. Lyn uses a three-line system to control the throttles and to drop two bombs during his flights. He notes that he has been flying a pair of Black Widows for 15 years.
Peter Klepsick took second place with a 54-inch-span North American B-25 Mitchell. Two O.S. .25 LAs power the 7-pound, 4-ounce bomber, which is controlled by a three-line Zetron infrared system. This system actuates servos for functioning flaps, bomb drop, rotating top gun turret, and navigation lights.
Canadian Neil Copeman finished in the third spot flying an O.S. .40 FP-powered de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk with a Canadian military paint scheme.
Ten-year-old Jason Bauer and six-year-old Aaron Bauer battled each other in the Junior class of Profile Scale, and Aaron finished just two points ahead of his brother after the final round. Aaron flew an 18-inch-span North American P-82 Twin Mustang powered by two Cox .049s, and Jason entered a 16-inch-span Volksplane, also powered by a Cox .049.
Designer Scale
The rules for Designer Scale are identical to those for Sport Scale, with the exception of three areas: the model's design must be original, craftsmanship will be judged at zero distance, and the cockpit detail is judged. This class gives modelers an opportunity to pit their abilities as designers, builders, and pilots against the skills of other competitors.
There were three entries competing for the "top designer," and Canadian Bill Logan finished on top with his aerobatic Fokker D.VII. Bill earned the top static score and high flight score for the event.
Second place went to Frank Beatty flying a new 40-inch-span, 4.5-pound Der Jager. Charlie Bauer finished in third with his 76-inch-span, electric-powered, 1/6-scale J-3 Cub.
Team Scale
This provisional class includes a model builder and a flier. Both must be present to compete. There were two team entries in this category.
Finishing in first place was the team of Walter Brownell and Allen Brickhaus. Allen flew Walt's 58.7-inch-span Extra 300S, which earned the top static score for the class. The Bauer team consisted of builder Charlie and pilot Peter, flying Charlie's 1/8-scale North American F-86 Sabre powered by a SuperTigre .60-powered ducted fan.
Thanks to the members of the Queen City Control Line Club of Cincinnati, Ohio, for their generous donation of this year's Team Scale awards.
F4B
F4B is an international event in which rules are uniform for control-line scale competition on a worldwide basis. These rules are used at the Control Line Scale World Championships, which is governed by the FAI.
The F4B competition at this year's Nationals was two events incorporated into one. An F4B U.S. National Champion was crowned and the U.S. Scale team was selected to compete at the 2004 Scale World Championships in Deblin, Poland, in August. Only those competitors who chose to compete for a place on the Scale team were eligible.
Finishing in first place in the F4B Nationals event was Canadian Bill Logan flying a Caproni Ca 36. Second place went to Dale Campbell, who was flying a 67.5-inch-span Spacewalker powered by an O.S. 70 four-stroke engine. I finished in third place with a 1/8-scale Do 17Z-2 and earned the top static score.
Of those competitors eligible and competing for a place on the U.S. Scale team, Dale Campbell finished in first place, I was second, and Chuck Snyder was third flying a new 72.5-inch-span Henschel HS 129. Jack Sheeks will serve as the alternate and would take the place of any team member unable to attend the World Championships.
The Canadian World Championships contingent gave the Nationals an international flavor. Longtime competitor Bill Logan and Neil Copeman competed on the Canadian team at last year's Scale World Championships in Tillsonburg, Canada. Chris Brownhill, who also competed this year, was a judge at last year's World Championships.
At the conclusion of the competition, the awards were presented to the winners and those who had placed second or third in the various classes. The prestigious NASA Flight Achievement Award was also presented. It is given, based on the judges' and officials' consensus of opinion, to the competitor who best exemplifies prototypical flight, taking into consideration subject uniqueness and flight characteristics. Lyn Green was this year's recipient.
New this year, NASA presented Certificates of Excellence to all of the Nationals competitors.
The traditional NASA banquet was held Saturday night at the Cardinal Hills Family Restaurant, located just east of the AMA International Aeromodeling Center. Fun is the theme of these social gatherings, and this year provided a great evening of food and entertainment.
NASA President Stan Alexander presided over the evening and presented the High Static Awards to the competitors who had received the top scores in their respective classes. All of the High Static Awards were sponsored by PowerMaster Fuels.
NASA Vice President Dale Arvin provided a ton of laughs with the presentation of his special honors. He gave an award to the oldest flier, one for the greatest distance traveled, and presented those famous "special" awards in response to the question, "What would you be if you could be something else?"
An auction of donated modeling-related items was held at the close of the evening. Dale showed considerable auctioneering skills; all of the items were quickly auctioned to the highest bidders. All proceeds from the auction went to the U.S. Scale Team Fund to help with the expenses involved with the 2004 World Championships.
Volunteers are extremely valuable in the operation of a smooth-running competition. George Kite again served as event director and was assisted by a competent crew of registrars, tabulators, and static and flight judges. A huge thanks to those who spent many hours preparing for a competition of this magnitude and worked so hard during the operation.
Sponsorship is also a vital part of the competition, and those involved are greatly appreciated. Sponsors included:
- Sig
- Major Decals
- Brodak
- Aces Video
- Red Max Fuels
- R/C Report
- Master Airscrew
- Micro Fasteners
- Frank Tiano Enterprises (ZAP)
Wouldn't it have been something if Wilbur Wright could have been sitting alongside the flying circles in his lawn chair, observing the model aircraft representing all eras of aviation? He could have been reflecting on the days when he and Orville were developing and designing models and gliders for their full-scale Wright Flyer.
Who knows what might have been going through his mind? But without a doubt, like most of us his thoughts would surely have been overwhelmed by the past 100 years of aviation — from what it was in the past to where it might lead us in the future.
Speaking of the future, see you next year at the Nationals!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
