Control Line: Racing
THE F2C TEAM TRIALS for the 1996 World Champs in Sweden was held at the new AMA Control Line Racing site in Muncie over the Labor Day weekend. Eight teams were in attendance for the task of flying six races over two days, with the three best times taken to decide the final result. With no builder-of-the-model rule for this cycle, quite a variety of equipment was seen in the ready-to-race category, including gear built by Shabashov/Ivanov, Mazniak, and Nazin/Vorobiev. The most popular engine/model combination is the Nazin/Vorobiev kitplane. The only Nelsons seen were those of Bill Lee, but they were strictly backup and were not used in the races. The number-one team spot was taken by McCullom/Lee who surprised everyone (including themselves!) with a 3:19 using their capable Shabashov/Ivanov turnkey setup. Their next two best times were 3:28 and 3:35.
Control Line: Racing
FOX RACING AT THE NATS: In an attempt to encourage participation in Control Line Racing by newcomers and beginners, the National CL Racing Association has arranged to run Sport Racing as a supplemental event at the 1996 Nationals in Muncie. The intent is to provide an event for the ubiquitous, basic .35-size profile airplane, which most modelers who fly (or have flown) CL already have, or could easily build or acquire. Here are the pertinent rules for NCLRA Fox Racing: Airplane: Any past or present .35-size profile kit airplane with a minimum wing area of 300 square inches and a minimum wing thickness of one inch (except last two inches before each wingtip). Bring documentation for obscure kits! Inboard cheek cowls and monowheel landing gear are permitted. Airplane must ROG (Rise Off Ground).
Control Line: Racing
SINGLE-BLADE PROPELLERS: Bob Oge and I have been using single-blade propellers exclusively for FAI Team Race for the last five years. We have had a lot of success with this type of propeller and it is surprising to us that no other teams use them on a regular basis. You never see props with two blades on FAI Speed models these days; does this mean one blade is faster and more efficient than two, or do the Speed guys use them for aesthetic reasons, to match their asymmetric models? The rationale for the single-blade propeller is basically that, at high rpm, one blade gets a cleaner bit of air than two blades following each other 180º apart. The single blade is effectively 360º behind the preceding blade, and by the time it comes around again, it has advanced into the relatively undisturbed air ahead of the turbulence caused by blade passage. The greater efficiency is obvious when one considers that a single-blade prop can produce the same airspeed with less than 75% of the combined area of a two-blade prop of the same pitch.
Control Line: Racing
ENGINE TESTING: Sooner or later, most competition fliers get around to trying to evaluate and compare engines on the bench. The test stand I use, shown in the photograph, enables me to obtain tachometer readings while keeping both hands free to adjust the engine. This is important with Racing diesels-they do not run very steadily at high rpm on the bench, and often require a lot of back-and-forth dialing of compression and mixture to get the peak reading. I do not take credit for the design-I saw it in John McCollum's shop! The flashlight and tachometer (I use a Futaba Tachotimer) are both held in front of the engine, angled to reflect and detect off the lower portion of the propeller arc. The angles are not particularly critical. The bar holding the flashlight and tachometer swings up and out of the way for engine starting. If the test stand is mounted on a corner of the bench, one can stand behind and to one side of the engine and be in a safe-and-convenient position to read the tachometer while adjusting the engine.
Control Line: Racing
THE 70TH AMA NATIONALS will go down in history as the first Nats held at the AMA's International Aeromodeling Center. For the first time in many years, a newly constructed, purpose-built, well-marked circle was available for Racing. This was much appreciated by all, but especially by those competitors who, in the past, had to spend many hours weeding, patching, and marking out the circle prior to the contest. The only reminder from past Nats was the old, sagging safety nets-hopefully a chainlink fence is not too far down on AMA's list of future site improvements (a practice circle would be nice too!).
