InTeRlAkenis a storybook type of Swiss
town. Nestled in a deep valley, it seems captured
by crystal-clear lakes edged by a tapestry of treecovered
mountains. This beautiful area was the
scene of the nine-day 2000 Scale World
Championships, held August 18-26.
As the Swiss Alps came into view, the 21⁄2-
hour bus ride from Zurich International Airport
became more like an amusement ride; the
vehicle climbed the twisting and turning narrow
road, barely missing oncoming cars and buses.
As your eyes traced the source of a
rushing mountain river, three snow-capped
peaks dominated the view. At 13,000+ feet,
the Jungfrau is the master of this trio.
Through breaks in the tall pine trees, an
occasional glimpse down into the valley
Crewman of Russian Slava Tchubatov’s F4B Yak 52 caught his parachute on the stabilizer after “bailing out” of rear cockpit.
Poland’s Marian Kazirod flew his 82-inch, 14.9-pound Avro Lancaster B Mk I to
fourth place in F4B. He won the 1992, 1994, and 1996 World Championships.
WorldÕs best
Scale modelers
compete in
scenic
Switzerland
n Bob Underwood & Steve Ashby
Championships
Scale Wo rld
Continued on page 20
February 2001 17
Flying his veteran Sopwith Triplane, Pete McDermot of Great Britain captured the Bronze Medal in the F4C division.
Boguslaw Malota’s (Poland) Douglas A-1H Skyraider finished 18th in F4B. The model spans 75 inches and weighs 12.7 pounds.
US team
member Steve
Ashby’s
Kawasaki Ki-45
finished seventh
in F4B. Has
electronic
control with
O.S. 52 fourstroke
engines.
Karl-Georg Krafft’s (Germany) 59-inch Curtiss Gulfhawk I weighs nine pounds and is powered by a Thunder Tiger .91.
Vladimir Kusy repeated as
World Champion for the
Czech Republic in F4B. His
Percival Proctor Mk IV flew
well, but a crash destroyed
it in the third round.
Czech Republic’s
Vladimir Kusy was
victorious in F4B.
Slava Tchubatov
was second and
Piotr Zawada
finished third.
February 2001 19
The winning Large Scale teams. Switzerland was first, Austria
was second, and the United Kingdom was third.
The US F4B team (Dale Campbell, Steve Ashby, Jack Patrolia)
finished third. The Czech Republic was first, Poland was second.
The top three teams in the F4C class. Switzerland finished first,
South Africa was second, and Austria finished third.
Switzerland’s Andreas Luthi garnered his second gold medal in
Large Scale with his Bücker Jungmeister (3377.75 points)
US team photo (L-R): Kim Foster with Sopwith Pup; Ray Torres with Cessna Model 337;
Lloyd Roberts with Fly Baby. Hal Parenti and his Ryan Fireball are missing.
Antoine Zimberlin’s (France) Caudron G.IV
spans 10 feet, weighs 15.1 pounds. Painted
with Humbrol enamels, matt fuelproofer.
Charly Unrein filled the role of team
manager of the Swiss teams. He was the
overall manager of the event.
This nice-looking Sukoi Su-12, flown by Alexandre Chuchulin of Russia, finished 13th in
4FB. This aircraft closely resembles the Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu.
CL photos by Steve Ashby RC photos by Bob Underwood Graphic Design by Carla Kunz
afforded panoramic views of Interlaken and
the two gorgeous blue-green lakes—Thun
and Brienz—on either side.
The US Scale team rolled past quaint
Swiss Chalets adorned with multicolored
geraniums, and stopped in front of the
team’s home for the Championships—Hotel
Artos. It is barely 10 minutes from the
Interlaken air base—the site of the contest.
The tradition in Federation Aeronautique
Internationale (FAI) Radio Control (RC)
Scale has been to fly the models from one
site and a single flightline.
This would have created a significant
logistics problem in RC, so a total of three
sites—two RC—were used to
accommodate each of the three model
types: F4B (Control Line), F4C (Radio
Control), and Large Scale.
The military airfield used was large
enough to keep the models from impacting
other sites. The great distances from the
hangars—where the models were stored—to
the sites required that the airplanes be moved
by trailers and crews.
The hangars were earthen-covered concrete
bunkers. It’s strange to see sheep grazing on
the hangar roof at a Championships!
Unfortunately, the F4B models were
hangared in a separate area, quite some
distance away; this almost created a “second
event” for Control Line (CL). There was
just not enough space for all three events’
competitors to be housed in one location,
because of the number of F4C and Large
Scale entrants.
Most of the teams were settled in prior to
the opening ceremony at the main hangar
Saturday, August 19.
In addition to the welcoming words
and flag ceremony, the Swiss military
provided a wonderful air show featuring
nine Pilatus PC-7s flown in various
formations and maneuvers, and a large
military Super Puma helicopter
demonstrated very nimble moves.
At times, the aircraft would blend into
the greenery of the mountains
surrounding the valley and become totally
lost from view.
F4C: This year’s event was the largest Scale
gathering since the formation of the
category as a world-championship class
more than 30 years ago. The official Radio
Control classification (F4C) fielded 22
teams and 59 competitors.
The competition featured the usual
blend of older tried-and-true models and
newer ones.
The top three models had a total of eight
wings! Switzerland’s Andreas Luthi
competed with an Avro Triplane. The
fragile-looking model garnered the second
highest static score of 1732.50 points, and
20 M ODEL AVIATION
Continued from page 16
Scale World Champs
had two consistent and high flight scores,
which averaged 1754.75.
Andreas’s teammate Hans Ammann flew
a Curtis JN4-D2 “Jenny” to second place,
153 points behind Andreas.
Third place went to Pete McDermot of
Great Britain, flying his well-known
Sopwith Triplane. Pete’s model pulled the
highest static score of 1750.50 points. He
earned a total of 3331.50 points to
Ammann’s 3334.25.
Germany’s Max Merckenschlager, flying
a Grumman F7F-3, was only 4.26 points
behind McDermot.
Except for on Monday, beautiful weather
provided gentle breezes and excellent flying
conditions—especially for the more lightly
loaded models.
One disconcerting condition for
competitors and judges was the background
of the tree-covered mountains—particularly
for the camouflaged aircraft.
Monday offered special challenges,
when violent thunderstorms gathered on the
other side of the mountains and pounced
like panthers, whistling down the valley on
fierce winds.
Lighting striking high on the
mountainside, followed by claps of thunder
that reverberated, echoing loudly through
the valley, completed the scene.
Unlike most past championships, there
were several crashes. The Canadians lost two
F4C models—a Focke-Wulf and Beechcraft
Bonanza. A Belgian contestant’s Hawker
Typhoon crashed during the competition.
The United States’ Hal Parenti lost his
beautiful Ryan Fireball shortly before
landing in the second round—and it had not
been static judged yet!
Early in the 1990s, a controversial rule
designed to take care of the disparity between
the time required to static-judge a model and
flight time was added. The intent was to be
able to start both judging chores at the same
time. The rule states that the static judges will
ignore damage sustained during a crash!
Hal flew twice. The crash, cause
unknown, resulted in the model going nosefirst
into a rushing mountain river! The
Interlaken police returned what was left of
the model after it traveled 11⁄2 miles in the
churning waters.
In an effort to gain points toward a
possible team placing, the Fireball was
static judged. This created a difficult
situation, since the rule allowing it was not
designed to accommodate major missing
areas of the model. This was a no-win
situation for everyone involved!
Although many of the judging categories
could be completed, the major portion of the
scoring—the outline—could not be assessed
accurately. The resulting score ended any
chances of the US team placing.
The results of long deliberations
concerning this problem should result in the
demise of the rule. Several plans have been
put forward to allow models to be staticjudged
prior to their being flown.
The other US F4C participants were
Ramon Torres, flying a twin-engine Cessna
in military format, and Kim Foster, flying a
Sopwith Pup.
Ramon used an interesting flying option
on two rounds. He shut down the Cessna’s
front engine, flew a circuit, and restarted the
engine in the air while he flew past the judges.
The option was impressive and well-executed.
Kim’s Sopwith was campaigned in an
earlier event, but was refinished in a
different color scheme for the World
Championships.
large Scale: This unofficial class
accumulated 20 competitors from nine
countries.
Lloyd Roberts was the only US
participant in this class. The other two team
members’ had misfortunes, which made
their participation impossible. This was an
unofficial event, so outside funding was
minimal.
Lloyd brought a Fly Baby. He designed
and built the full-scale aircraft several years
ago. Although the model’s general
appearance is similar to that of the full-scale
Fly Baby, there were major differences.
Lloyd piloted the model in a consistent,
realistic fashion.
F4B: A spacious concrete bunker was
“home base” for 19 competitors from 10
countries—the highest number of countries
ever represented at a CL Scale World
Championships.
The bunker’s dirt-and-grass covering
provided a cool retreat from the warm sun,
which provided temperatures in the mid to
upper 80s.
Standing in the flying circle provided an
awe-inspiring view; it was totally
surrounded by mountains. It was as if nature
had provided its own “bowl” for this
“Olympics” of Scale aeromodeling.
Monday began with shuttling
competitors and models on a flatbed trailer
to an adjacent hangar, where static judging
took place. The models were officially
weighed before the competitors presented
them for scoring.
A “new” procedure was implemented.
Each competitor was required to present a
list of their flight maneuvers to the flight
judges for approval. The rule has been in
place for some time, but this was the first
time in recent memory it was actually
practiced.
This “change” eliminated confusion and
time-consuming discussions between judges
and competitors at the flight circle.
The flier was no longer required to fill
out five score sheets for each of the three
rounds. The flight judges printed the score
sheets prior to flying; when the competitor
presented himself at the flying circle for
each round, the score sheet was already in
the judges’ hands.
When the competitors entered the flying
circle, they had the opportunity to change
flight options to any of those on the
previously submitted list.
All 19 models were static-judged
Sunday. With only 30-35 minutes for
each model, the judges still had a rather
long day.
Polish team member Marian Kazirod’s Avro
Lancaster had the top static score of 1878.00.
Russian Slava Tchubatov’s Yak 52 was not far
behind with 1845.50, and the third-place score
of 1810.50 went to the Czech Republic’s
Vladimir Kusy and his Percival Proctor.
Monday was the first day of flying; it
started well, with very little wind. The wind
picked up as the morning progressed, and by
noon it was obvious that a storm was
approaching.
Lunch was extended for two hours, in
hopes that the storm would pass and the
winds would subside. The winds did calm
slightly and several scary flights were made,
but the break didn’t last long.
With the wind exceeding the nine-meter-persecond
limit and lightning in the area creating
static discharge, Contest Director Peter Germann
halted all flights immediately. The ominous sky
let loose, and strong winds and rain developed
into a serious storm.
The storm had passed by evening, and
Peter Germann discussed the situation with
the judges and competitors. It was decided
that the entire first round would be canceled,
and we would start over the next day.
That proved to be an excellent decision;
the weather was beautiful for the duration of
the competition.
Rounds One and Two proceeded with
only a few models suffering minor scrapes
or slight damage.
Round Three began with another new
procedure for this World Championships.
The rule states that the flight order for the
third round is the inverse order of the
standings at the end of Round Two.
Vladimir Kusy of the Czech Republic
was in first place at the end of round two, so
he flew last in Round Three. He went on to
finish in first place with outstanding flights,
and repeat as World Champion with his
Percival Proctor—but not without a price.
When Vladimir was executing his last
option on his last flight of the competition,
the “up”-line connector failed and the model
crashed—literally at the flight judges’ feet.
It was extremely distressing to witness
the destruction of this beautiful model.
Under the capable leadership of Scale
team manager George Buso and Control Line
team manager Darlene Frederick, the US team
had performed well in the first two rounds.
At the beginning of the third round,
Steve Ashby was in fifth place with a new
Kawasaki Ki-45; Dale Campbell was in
eighth place with his Ryan STA; and in his
first World Championships, Jack Patrolia
was in 17th with his Pitts S-2A Special.
Steve improved his third-round flight score,
but fell two positions, to finish seventh. Dale
slipped slightly to finish in ninth place, and
Jack improved his flight score to finish 16th.
The US team finished third, behind the
Czech Republic and Poland.
There were several firsts at this World
Championships. A new F4B judges’ guide
was implemented, placing more emphasis on
precise flying and flight presentation. It also
included the previously mentioned changes.
The new flight-maneuver descriptions,
which include diagrams, are more precise;
therefore, the judging of these maneuvers is
more critical. Since flight maneuvers have
become more crucial, the lighter and more
maneuverable models have become the
heavy hitters.
This was apparent, since the models that
finished in the top three places were all
single-engine aircraft (for the first time in
recent memory), and only Slava
Tchubatov’s second-place Yak 52 had
retractable landing gear.
Also, the top-three placing models were
equipped with electronic control. Three-time
World Champion Marion Kazirod’s Avro
Lancaster was pushed to fourth place by
teammate Piotr Zawada, who was flying a
Miles Magister.
Piotr moved from seventh place after
static judging, to finish third by earning a
half-point more than the Lancaster. He did it
by posting the highest flight score of the
competition.
This year’s finish illustrates that a
complex, multiengine model is no longer
necessary to be competitive at this level.
Overall, the flying was of high quality. The
excellent weather and site conditions helped.
However, Scale has moved to new
levels—especially in the flying portion.
For those accustomed to the action of
four flightlines at one site, as with events
such as Top Gun and Scale Masters, the
one-at-a-time pace is very different.
With 60 models using this format, a
single round requires 15 hours to
complete!
The FAI Sporting Code that becomes
effective January 1, 2001 allows models
as large as 12 kilos. That results in an
increase of roughly four pounds from the
present 10 kilos, to a maximum of 26.4
pounds.
Although this is still way below the
weight limit of 55 pounds in the United
States, it does open up the competition to
larger models. Hopefully this will result in
greater interest in the US.
An incredible amount of effort and
planning is involved in transporting a
Scale team to a World Championships in
Europe.
A tremendous thanks to AMA, the
National Association of Scale
Aeromodelers (NASA), and all the
sponsors, including those who supported
the team through pin sales and donations
to the Scale Team Fund.
Continental Airlines provided vital
sponsorship, and accommodations with
the transportation of model boxes, which
saved the Scale team thousands of dollars.
Byron Fuels, Slimline Products, Frank
Tiano Enterprises, Horizon Hobby, and
Zurich Sunglasses also provided greatly
appreciated sponsorship.
Sunday’s closing ceremonies brought an
end to the 2000 Scale World
Championships, but not to the memories
and friendships. These will remain for a
lifetime, and new ones will begin at the
next Scale World Championships,
scheduled to be held in Canada in 2002.MA
Bob Underwood
Box 40
St. Peters MO 63376
Stephen M. Ashby
4771 Cinnamon Pl.
Indianapolis IN 46237
