Scale Control Line - 2003/12

December 2003 73
S c a l e
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 Aeromodelers, or 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
Bill Logan flies slowly by with his 4.5-pound Fokker Dr.I powered by
a SuperTigre .60 and painted with Sig dope. He finished second in
Sport Scale.
Jack Sheeks prepares his new 72-inchwingspan
Stinson 108 for F4B competition.
Has Enya 53 four-stroke engine.
Sport Scale winner Walt Brownell’s 10-
pound, 12-ounce Douglas R4D-1 is
powered by two O.S. 52 four-stroke
engines.
way of drawings, photographs, or written
descriptions. Any disparities are
downgraded, so it’s common to see lastminute
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
CONTROL LINE
74 MODEL AVIATION
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 x 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.
Neil Copeman finished third in Profile with 34-inch-span DHC-1
Chipmunk. A three-line system controls O.S. .40 FP engine.
Steve Ashby’s Do 17Z2 is powered by two O.S. .40 SF engines. Photo taken at 1996 World Championships in Périgueux, France.
Mike Welshans taxis his new scratch-built Rearwin Speedster
M6000 with an O.S. .46 engine. It spans 61 inches.
Four O.S. .25s propel Peter Bauer’s Profile Scale Super Connie airliner. It spans 79
inches and weighs 8 pounds. Peter uses electronic control for the engines.
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
CONTROL LINE
December 2003 75
Left: Chuck Snyder’s Sport Scale Hawker Typhoon 1B
built from Brian Taylor plans spans 72 inches and weighs
14.5 pounds.
Below: Neil Copeman entered this O.S. 91 four-strokepowered
D.H.82C Tiger Moth and finished fourth in F4B.
Frank Beatty tugs on his 10-pound, 2-ounce Curtiss CR-2 as it is
pull-tested in preparation for his first flight.
Bill Logan captured first place in F4B with his 71-inch-span, 6.5-
pound Caproni Ca 36. Two O.S. .25s power this model.
Bill Logan pilots his new aerobatic Fokker D.VII in Designer
Scale. He earned high static and took first place.
Dale Campbell finished first in the Scale Team Selection with his
new scratch-built, 67.5-inch-span Spacewalker.
CONTROL LINE
76 MODEL AVIATION
alternate to the opposite circle after each
round of flying.
Sport Scale: This remains one of the mostentered
classes of the five Control Line
Scale categories. Chuck Snyder’s 72-inchwingspan
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.
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 threeline
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 11⁄2-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
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 Klepsic 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 6-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 US National Champion was
crowned and the US 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.
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
Chuck Snyder entered his new 72.5-inch-wingspan Henschel Hs 129 in F4B. It uses
electronics for the throttles, retracts, flaps, and bomb drop.
Frank Beatty flew a new Der Jager in Designer Scale. The 4.5-pound biwing spans 40
inches and uses an O.S. .32 engine. It’s painted with Brodak dope.
Veteran Nationals competitor Aaron
Bauer, 10, prepares his handle for a flight
of his Profile P-82 in Junior class.
Walt Brownell built this 58.7-inch-span, 8-pound Extra 300S, and
Allen Brickhaus flew it to a win in Team Scale.
Lyn Green won Profile Scale flying his Northrop P-61 Black
Widow. He also earned the NASA Flight Achievement Award.
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
CONTROL LINE
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-inchspan
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 US 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 he
would take the place of any team member
who would be 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 US 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. They included Sig, Major
Decals, Brodak, Aces Video, Red Max Fuels,
R/C Report, Master Airscrew, Micro
Fasteners, and Frank Tiano Enterprises with
the supply of 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! MA
78 MODEL AVIATION CONTROL LINE

December 2003 73
S c a l e
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 Aeromodelers, or 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
Bill Logan flies slowly by with his 4.5-pound Fokker Dr.I powered by
a SuperTigre .60 and painted with Sig dope. He finished second in
Sport Scale.
Jack Sheeks prepares his new 72-inchwingspan
Stinson 108 for F4B competition.
Has Enya 53 four-stroke engine.
Sport Scale winner Walt Brownell’s 10-
pound, 12-ounce Douglas R4D-1 is
powered by two O.S. 52 four-stroke
engines.
way of drawings, photographs, or written
descriptions. Any disparities are
downgraded, so it’s common to see lastminute
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
CONTROL LINE
74 MODEL AVIATION
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 x 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.
Neil Copeman finished third in Profile with 34-inch-span DHC-1
Chipmunk. A three-line system controls O.S. .40 FP engine.
Steve Ashby’s Do 17Z2 is powered by two O.S. .40 SF engines. Photo taken at 1996 World Championships in Périgueux, France.
Mike Welshans taxis his new scratch-built Rearwin Speedster
M6000 with an O.S. .46 engine. It spans 61 inches.
Four O.S. .25s propel Peter Bauer’s Profile Scale Super Connie airliner. It spans 79
inches and weighs 8 pounds. Peter uses electronic control for the engines.
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
CONTROL LINE
December 2003 75
Left: Chuck Snyder’s Sport Scale Hawker Typhoon 1B
built from Brian Taylor plans spans 72 inches and weighs
14.5 pounds.
Below: Neil Copeman entered this O.S. 91 four-strokepowered
D.H.82C Tiger Moth and finished fourth in F4B.
Frank Beatty tugs on his 10-pound, 2-ounce Curtiss CR-2 as it is
pull-tested in preparation for his first flight.
Bill Logan captured first place in F4B with his 71-inch-span, 6.5-
pound Caproni Ca 36. Two O.S. .25s power this model.
Bill Logan pilots his new aerobatic Fokker D.VII in Designer
Scale. He earned high static and took first place.
Dale Campbell finished first in the Scale Team Selection with his
new scratch-built, 67.5-inch-span Spacewalker.
CONTROL LINE
76 MODEL AVIATION
alternate to the opposite circle after each
round of flying.
Sport Scale: This remains one of the mostentered
classes of the five Control Line
Scale categories. Chuck Snyder’s 72-inchwingspan
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.
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 threeline
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 11⁄2-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
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 Klepsic 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 6-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 US National Champion was
crowned and the US 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.
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
Chuck Snyder entered his new 72.5-inch-wingspan Henschel Hs 129 in F4B. It uses
electronics for the throttles, retracts, flaps, and bomb drop.
Frank Beatty flew a new Der Jager in Designer Scale. The 4.5-pound biwing spans 40
inches and uses an O.S. .32 engine. It’s painted with Brodak dope.
Veteran Nationals competitor Aaron
Bauer, 10, prepares his handle for a flight
of his Profile P-82 in Junior class.
Walt Brownell built this 58.7-inch-span, 8-pound Extra 300S, and
Allen Brickhaus flew it to a win in Team Scale.
Lyn Green won Profile Scale flying his Northrop P-61 Black
Widow. He also earned the NASA Flight Achievement Award.
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
CONTROL LINE
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-inchspan
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 US 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 he
would take the place of any team member
who would be 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 US 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. They included Sig, Major
Decals, Brodak, Aces Video, Red Max Fuels,
R/C Report, Master Airscrew, Micro
Fasteners, and Frank Tiano Enterprises with
the supply of 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! MA
78 MODEL AVIATION CONTROL LINE