Reno 1984 Nats: RC Scale
THIS PORTION of the Reno Nats was characterized by high-quality airplanes, generally above-average piloting, and obscene weather. An off-shore hurricane in the Pacific pumped in strong crosswinds, complete with blowing dust, sand, and errant tumbleweed that plagued attempts at scalelike flight for most of each day. Two hours of relative calm on Sunday morning permitted a few flights under reasonable conditions. A contestant's T-shirt, labeled "Dust Bowl Nats," told the story. Entries were reduced, as compared with the 1983 total, with 58 in all classes. Of these, only 43 made flights. FAI Scale, with only two flights for its four entrants, hardly qualified as a contest. Other divisions were Giant, 18; Sport Scale Expert, 14; and Sport Scale Sportsman, 22.
I985 NATS: RC Scale
ONE WEEK before the start of the Springfield-Chicopee Nats, Dolly departed from Delafield in our stretched van, loaded with hand-painted signs and two models, the Aeronca K and the ancient Piel Beryl. I stayed behind in Wisconsin to attend the EAA annual convention at Oshkosh, where I met Ken Flaglor, builder of the Grand Champion award-winning Gee Bee Y. Ken was planning a flight to the Nats, to exhibit his Gee Bee at the Westover AFB during the last half of Nats week. My departure on Tuesday was an early morning airline flight, directly across Lake Michigan, non-stop to New York. Ken started from a nearby airport at Kenosha, flew around Chicago's O'Hare Airport and the southern tip of the lake, made three stops for fuel, refreshment, and whatever else cross-country pilots need to do, and arrived at Springfield one hour ahead of me. His air time was seven hours. My flight was only two hours, but much time was lost waiting for bus transportation.
Radio Control: Scale
FLIGHT QUALITY: In our May 1984 column, we discussed subject selection (the steps taken in finding a model type that will fly well enough to insure scalelike flight). The contest modeler needs no urging to seek a quality of flight that is at least equal to the quality of his aircraft. The non-contestant disciplines himself to fly in a scalelike manner for his own personal satisfaction, and because he is aware that fellow fliers expect it of a Scale subject. Quality of models has escalated far beyond what was thought possible, and flight quality has now begun to catch up.
Scale World Championships
HISTORIC LeBOURGET Airport and the Paris Musee de L'Air was the scene of the Eighth Scale World Championships for Radio Control and Control Line airplanes. Models were displayed inside the old terminal building, of the late 1930 era, that had seen no airline activity since all traffic was diverted to Charles De Gaulle and Orly Airports. The building is presently being renovated to receive aircraft of the museum that will be transferred from Chalais-Meudon within the next year. Concrete dust, stirred by thousands of visitors' feet, coated models constantly during the week of our stay.
Radio Control: Scale
SCALE ELECTRICS: An Electric Spitfire Mk 1a, seen at Toledo, served notice that we can expect more Electric Scale to appear in our competitions. The 61-in.-wingspan Spitfire, by Keith Shaw, featured retracts, an AFI Cobalt 25 geared motor, and Jomar SC-2 speed control. The distinctive difference between this model and all others at Toledo was its weight: a mere 25 ounces, without batteries! Total weight, ready to fly, is 80 ounces. At present, Electric Scale airplanes are judged along with all others, but this may be changing.
