1982 AMA Nats: RC Scale
NATS contestant participation in RC Scale has steadily diminished from 83 in 1980, 36 in 1981, to a low of 29 in this year's competition. Precision Scale suffered the greatest reduction, with only two entries. There were 14 entrants in Sport Scale Expert, 6 in Sport Scale Sportsman, and 7 in Giant Scale. Compensating for the low quantity was the usual increase in quality, in both static scoring and flight, that has been the most noticeable feature of continuous upgrading in recent years.
Radio Control: Scale
COOLING PROBLEMS. The subject of ducted cooling for model engines has been touched upon in a past column (July 1981), but questions received recently lead us to believe that our previous discussions were not specific enough.
Radio Control: Scale
THE Kitchener-Waterloo All-Scale Rally. Attendance at the Flying Dutchmen Club K-W Rally, at 163 registered airplanes, was lower than in previous years, but model parking space was again completely occupied. The reason? More than 80% of the models were in the Giant Scale class. This percentage has been increasing at an exponential rate. Kit manufacturers tell us that small Scale models are still the mainstay of their business, but Giant Scale seems to dominate at the rallies. We suspect that many more small models were present at K-W, but were kept in the modelers' cars, probably because of the overshadowing effect when the two classes meet. Giant Scalers are attracted to rallies and very few attend contests. Only six Giants appeared at the Lincoln Nats, but these were contest-quality airplanes, as compared with what is seen at a rally.
Radio Control: Scale
CHICAGO EXPO The Tenth Annual Greater Chicago Radio Controlled Model Show, popularly called Chicago Expo, has moved to a new, larger site at the Odeum in Villa Park. The building has a vastly greater space, with no crowding of exhibitors, in comparison with earlier locations. There was space indoors for a large pool to accommodate boat operations and a track for model cars, with ample space for spectators around both areas. The building is sufficiently large to contain twice the previous number of commercial exhibitors. One-half of the structure is normally used for soccer games by the Chicago Sting team. There was also a flying site of limited dimensions, just outside the doors, suitable for Helicopters or small planes.
Radio Control: Scale
FAIRULES PROPOSALS: The agenda for this year's (1982) FAI plenary session in Paris contains no surprises except for the absence, from any nation, of a proposal to increase model weight above the present 6kg (13.2 lb.) without fuel. There has been considerable agitation in the U.S. for an increase-and yet no one has made an official proposal. We must assume, from the absence of action, that everyone is satisfied with the 13.2 lb. limit. (Yet, one magazine columnist recently-December 1982-deplored the limit as being only 11 lb.!) We have now flown two World Championships at 13 lb. It's true that a couple of 1982 Reno entries were slightly overweight and needed to have some superfluous internal parts removed to reach the limit, but this weight restriction seems to have imposed no real hardship.
