Radio Control: Aerobatics
LIKE ALL OF CAESAR'S Gaul, the 1995 AMA Nationals was divided into three parts. And like Gaul, the division may become a lasting one. The Pattern and Pylon portion of the meet took place at the Mid-American Air Center in Lawrenceville, Illinois July 8-16. The 1990, '91, and '93 Pattern Nats and the '92 N-PAC were run at Lawrenceville, for two simple reasons: 1) for now, the Mid-American Air Center is the premier Pattern site in the country, and 2) it is centrally located in regard to population density.
Radio Control: Aerobatics
It is early September as I write this, and the US FAI/F3A team is already in Japan for the 1995 World Championships. What they do there will soon be duly recorded, analyzed, published, enjoyed or agonized over, and then consigned to the dusty stacks of Pattern history. (Editor's note: Full report next month.) This is a tale pulled from those same stacks; partly a story of other World Champs 30 summers and more past, but mostly the story of one Pattern modeler: Ralph C. "Doc" Brooke. Some of you noted his recent selection to the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame. A few others still active may have flown with him. Most who will read this are likely unfamiliar with his name, and that situation deserves correction.
Radio Control: Aerobatics
IN THE COURSE of writing for one publication or another, I've regurgitated 99% of everything I ever learned about Pattern. I've covered building, designing, flying, practicing, trimming, judging, engines, props, visibility, radio installation, and coaching, plus numerous subsets and sub-subsets of these topics. I've just about run out of new stuff. However, there is one aspect of competitive RC Aerobatics that I've never covered, and to my chagrin, I was recently reminded of it. The really embarrassing thing is that it isn't a minor, easily overlooked item; it's a major spoke in the wheel. It's something all of us do for each other, something we depend on, something we do in practice, and something we do at contests. It can win or lose contests for us, yet we treat it as an afterthought and almost never talk about it. It's calling.
Radio Control: Aerobatics
RC CITY HAS BEEN SOLD, as of November 1, 1995. The new owners are Mike and Maureen Dunphy. If you been at all involved with RC Aerobatics (especially Pattern) in this country during the last few years, their names are probably familiar. Mike was the Event Director for the '92 and '94 N-PAC contests, the '95 Nats, the '93 and '95 FAI F3A Team Selection Tournaments, and was Chief Judge at the '93 Nats. Maureen was the scorekeeper for most of those events, and as of January 1, 1995 she has been the Secretary/Treasurer for the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA). The Dunphys are committed, dedicated members of the RC Aerobatics fraternity, and as far as I'm concerned, this news couldn't be much better. I'm certainly pleased for them, because I know that being involved in the hobby industry has been a personal goal of theirs for some time. I'm even more pleased for the rest of us.
Radio Control: Aerobatics
LAST MONTH I MENTIONED the ModelNet Forum on CompuServe, and particularly the Pattern/NSRCA section. This month I want to visit a topic that has been drawing some interest there: equipment limitations in Novice-class competition. The most recent round of rules proposals effectively removed all of the old equipment limits in Novice as of the first of this year (1996). The lone remaining restriction is that if retracts are installed, they must be left in the extended position. Presently, any aircraft up to the AMA-legal 55-pound weight limit may be flown in Novice. Of course, the noise limits continue to apply to all classes.
