Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
WHAT'S ALL THIS FUSS about normalizing? In case you hadn't heard, the current argument in Pattern is whether or not to normalize the scores to determine the winner of contests in the U.S.A. Before we get too far into the subject, let me review what normalizing is and how it's used. Basically, the scores that a flier earns in front of a set of judges are divided by the score of his best flight in front of those judges, then multiplied by 1000. Obviously, when there's more than one flier involved, the best flier for a round in front of any particular set of judges gets 1000 points, and everyone else gets somewhat less. After the contest is over, there are two ways to determine the winner. One way is to use the scores for all rounds, and the highest total wins.
1986 Nats: RC Aerobatics
EXCLUDE THEM! The results of the 1986 Nats FAI Pattern event demonstrated once again that the United States needs tighter control of persons entering into the country across its northern border. Ivan Kristensen from Ontario, Canada won the FAI Pattern event for the third time in the last four years-and the other time he was second to Chip Hyde at the 1984 Reno Nats. Very impressive flying. The Nats returned once again to the old runway at what used to be Chennault AFB near Lake Charles, LA. Previously, the 1974, 1975, and 1978 Nats have been held at this same site. It may well be the last time that a Nats can be held there, since the Boeing Co. is going to establish an aircraft rework facility at the field and will be using the old bomber runway that makes the site so popular to modelers.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
SQUARE ONE. When beginning Pattern fliers ask for advice, One of the points that I emphasize is the importance of reading and understanding the AMA rule book. After all, the only way to do well at anything is to know what is expected of you. Pattern flying is no different. The rule book tells us what to do and what not to do. Part of the rule book includes the section entitled "AMA RC Pattern Judges' Guide." The Guide describes how each maneuver is to be done and the infractions which should result in downgrades. One of my pet peeves is the judging of the Cuban Eight. Many, if not most, fliers do not fly 45º downlegs. Most downlegs are only 25º to 30º from the horizontal. Inexperienced and experienced judges give good scores for fliers who fly maneuvers with such shallow downlegs, probably because so many fliers do the Cuban Eight that way.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
AS YOU RECEIVE this column, the Nats should be in full swing. Many fliers will be competing in a Nats for the first time. That brings up a curious point: for some fliers, a Nats is their first contest. That's fine, because the Nats is an open contest. It is open to anyone who wants to compete. This point is lost on many fliers; they think that only the best are allowed to compete at the Nats. I am often asked to compare the quality of flying at a Nats with that in many of the local contests I compete in. My response often surprises people: "You see the best and the worst at a Nats." The point is often argued that the best fliers in the United States don't win the Nats, because the best fliers can't get there for various reasons. That may be true, but the top 10 Nats winners can compete with anyone in the country.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
EVER SINCE the Nats article was published in the November 1985 issue, hardly a flying session at my club field or a contest goes by without someone asking me why I chose not to identify the brand of radio which was involved in my radio-interference-caused crash at the 1985 Nats. The truth is, I did identify the brand of radio in the manuscript which was sent to Model Aviation. The Associate Editor chose to alter my words in order to avoid any potential legal problem with the radio manufacturer. The same brand and model of radio was involved in all the Channel 40 FM crashes, and I thought that it was more than coincidence. It was not as though I hadn't been warned about flying this brand of radio on FM, either.
