RC Scale. August 3, 2007 Inside today s issue: August 3

Transcription

1 August 3, 2007 Inside today s issue: August 3 Free Flight CD Classic; P-30; F1K; *1/4 A Nos Gas; *Nos Wakefield; *OT Rubber Stick; *Classic Towline; *Pee Wee 30; *FAC Gas Scale; *FAC Rubber Scale; *FAC Peanut Scale RC & CL Scale Static Judging August 4 Rounds 1 & 2: CL Sport Scale, Profile Scale, CL Fun Scale, F4B CL Scale, Designer Scale, RC Sportsman Scale, RC Expert Scale, RC Designer Scale, F4C Scale, RC Fun Scale Open & Novice, Team Scale Academy of Model Aeronautics International Aeromodeling Center, Muncie IN Web site: nats@modelaircraft.org Copyright Academy of Model Aeronautics 2007 RC Scale Scale Free Flight RC Electric One update that everyone needs to remember: Static Judging will take place at the Muncie National Guard Armory on Country Club Road on Friday. Maps are available on AMA s Web site or at Nats Headquarters. Once again this August, the Scale National Championships will be held at the Academy of Model Aeronautics Stage Center site, with the familiar X runway. Some of you might wonder who can enter the Scale Nats? The answer is simple: anyone who is an AMA member even foreign entries who are AMA members are welcome. Modelers young and old attend the Scale Nats. Since the move to the first weekend in August there has been perfect weather. I ve probably jinxed everything now but truly, the Scale Nats has been blessed with great weather the last few years. I said that any AMA member could enter, remember? That s right! AMA has provided classes for the novice who has never entered Scale right up to the international class of FAI F4C which is flown each year here at the Nats and at an international contest every other year. Fun Scale Novice is the entry-level event for many modelers now. It used to be Sportsman class, but in that class you have to build a model. In Fun Scale you don t have to do even that. Fun Scale at the Nats allows a novice to receive help and advice from some of the biggest names in Scale modeling. You can buy, build, or borrow well that may be stretching it a little but it gives you the idea about entering the Nats. There are two parts to any Scale competition: static and flight. In Fun Scale there are only five points in static and if you lose those it s no big deal. All you have to have is a photo or plastic model box top to compete. Fly nine maneuvers for four flights and that s about it! There is Team Scale for contestants who build really well and don t fly as well as they build (or it just makes them too nervous to fly in front of others). They team up with Friday Hi 95 F Lo 68 F Partly Cloudy Weather Sunday Hi 87 F Lo 65 F Rain Saturday Hi 89 F Lo 64 F Cloudy Monday Hi 92 F Lo 73 F Cloudy Weather courtesy of WTHR s Skytrack Weather at This big Corsair is coming back after another mission at the Muncie site during a recent Nats. World War II aircraft are always popular. 1

2 A beautiful Muncie blue sky background surrounds the pits during the Nats. Another familiar site is this Albatros D.III modeled to 1 /3 scale, designed, built, and flown by Dave Johnson in Designer Scale. Ed Terry is discussing scores with a young modeler during a break at the Nats. a pilot who has nerves of steel. One modeler who has attended every Nats in recent memory is Claude McCullough. He ll be there again this year entered in Team Scale with Scott Christensen as his pilot. If you ve built your first Scale model and want to enter the next class up where you have to really be static judged, you would enter Sportsman class. You need more documentation for this class. One photo or a box top isn t enough to be competitive, but the standards are still relaxed for this class and you will be competing with others at the same skill level. Then there are Expert and Designer classes for those with experience who have moved up through Sportsman. Scale competition at its best the 2007 Scale Nats! Fair Skies & Tail Winds. Stan Alexander 2

3 Just part of the crowd at the Saturday night NASA Nats Banquet it s a family affair. Above: Last year s winner in Expert: Dennis Crooks big Yellow Aircraft P-38. Below: The pit area is always crowded with beautiful models. During the halftime, usually around noon, spectators are allowed to come out onto the pavement and photograph the models. Above: Claude McCullough during static judging at the Nats. This WACO is one of the last built by that company. Last year s winner in Fun Scale Open was Mark Lanterman flying this Shoestring racing aircraft.

4 RC Electric Old-Timer Delighted: Rocket ship, Old-Timer model what s the difference? To me, Old- Timer models are romantic in that they represent a popular era of our aeromodeling history. Their shapes are classic. With their polyhedral wings, curved wing surfaces, and stretched-out fuselages, they remind me of what the beauty of slow flight should look like. It s a part of the hobby that s relaxing and easy going. On the final day of the RC Electric Soaring, two AMA class events were flown. Class A was an Unlimited Old-Timer event where the models were required to use an 8.4V battery source. Bigger flies better, said Tom Kallevang when asked about which models would have the advantage. Under power, even the smaller models had a really good climb. But in Class B Old-Timer, the power source was unlimited, and those aircraft went straight up like Saturn V rockets. Pilots who choose to fly in Old-Timer may enter with any model that originally competed before the year The models back then ranged in all shapes and sizes from 30-inch wingspans on up to 80-inch and sometimes larger. The secret is in choosing the one with the right airfoil. Undercambered is preferred, and it s important to Don Belfort has been flying RC Electric events for a while, and most recently, RC Electric Soaring. This week s competitions brought Don to the International Flying Site for one event: Class A Old-Timers. Don is attracted to this event because of the traditional nature of the model building. This event is more of a builder s event, Don said. The other glider events and many of Don Belfort s Old-Timer on the base leg of his landing approach. the airplanes in 1/2A Sailplane are all composite kits from Europe, where the Old-Timer event is still a builder s event. A lot more craftsmanship goes into it. Don has been using the same airplane for the Old-Timer events for roughly 12 years. He has had many successful performances with his Cleveland Viking, including placement in last year s events. It penetrates the wind rather well, Don noted, but it isn t the best gliding airplane so it really depends on a very good climb with the hope that you ll find lift up there. [Thursday s] first round I did real well; second round I missed the landing. But both my times were right in there. It s fine. All I want is my plane to perform and let it be my fault if I can t be good with it. Don believes that the best way to learn about the sport is through observation of other pilots. Be around fliers, Don suggests, be around old fliers. You can pick a lot of information up from the oldtimers who have been doing this a lot longer. See what other people are doing. Being around other people exposes you, I think, a lot more than just being isolated and trying to be good from there. Don also has ideas for how an individual can get started and involved in the hobby. He suggests checking the AMA Web site to see what events are occurring, correctly modify the stress points of the motor and wing mount so that it can take the high-speed climb and descent. Through the two classes of events, after their 30-second motor run, all the aircraft were dots in the sky. The challenge to the pilot is to find the lift that their draggy, heavily loaded models need to complete the 12-minute task. The large, 1,200-squareinch models such as the spending time around other fliers or Don Belfort and his Class A Old-Timer Cleveland Viking at the start of round three. even stopping in at a hobby shop or two. From seeing what you see people using, Don says, you get a much better idea on how to spend your money. NatsNews field reporter Ashley Rauen admires Don Belfort s Viking. Ashley Rauen 4

5 Starduster Specials flown by Ernie and Ric, found lift as if it had automatically inflated their framework with helium. In the morning the winds were light and the small thermals that went up hung around the field so the pilots didn t have to go out all that far. The lucky pilots, when they found the small boomers, were carried upstairs as though they were in an elevator. During the four morning rounds roughly half the group was unlucky pilots. After 10:30 or so, the bigger thermals started to kick off and the higher winds brought them across the field more often. The smaller models did better in those conditions, but the 97 temperatures wilted the everyone quickly. The small group that flew was out there constantly. If they weren t flying, they were timing. Thank goodness for Mike McGowan s long lunch breaks and the food trailer with its Bill May brings in his Korda Diamond for a landing. The Soaring team of Ernie Schlumberger and Ric Vaughn each have their own Starduster Special aircraft. endless supply of Gatorade! When the lift was good, the pilots could relax as long as they didn t take their Mark Amisano s Playboy was built from a eyes off their Spirit of Yesteryear kit. He flew it in Class A particular dot in with a 7-cell pack, and will try out a 2-cell the sky. The Li-Poly and an 8-cell NiMH pack in Class B. strategy was in how to kill all the lift when the stopwatch got close to the 12-minute mark. These Old-Timers are just three-channel aircraft with no dethermalizers or spoilers. The best thing they could do to dump lift was to put the model in a spin (remember what I said about stress loads?). Some models were set up with large amounts of throw in the elevators so that in the fully deflected position they could harrier the model down as if the model did have an actual DT. Landing points were awarded, but in RC Electric, pilots can t dump the models the way they do in Soaring. With a motor on the front of the model, the lawn dart approach would eat motor shafts. Skaggs help a lot, and so does a pilot that knows his model well enough to grease his bird in and kick the rudder at just the right moment to slide sideways, for a parallel park job right up to his feet. Old-Timer models, on the other hand, have landing gear in the way so they have to flare perfectly. An Old-Timer pilot never stops flying the model until the wheels stop. Ric Vaughn dominated the RC Electric Soaring Nats and earned the 2007 Championship Award having scored the most total points of the AMA events flown. Not far behind him was Ernie Schlombuger. This year s Electric Nats proved to be an excellent test of how RC Electric Soaring could be adapted into the League of Silent flight contest structure. Events such as the X5J and Class B Sailplane should prove to be attractive to even the most died-in-the-wool F2B competitors. Whether the Old-Timer class will be adapted into the LSF program is hard to predict. Some have said that the best place for those AMA events would be at a SAM Championships contest. Maybe the Society of Antique Modelers would consider the opportunity? Congratulations and thank you to Mike McGowen for running a smooth event. And thank you to Tom Kallevang, the official LSF representative, plus all of the helpers and scorekeepers who volunteered their time. Michael Ramsey 5

6 I m having a blast! Mark Amisano preps his Playboy for another flight. Ron Morgan presents the AMA Certificate of Appreciation to Mike McGowen for his service as the RC Electric Soaring event director. Ric Vaughn is the 2007 RC Electric Soaring Nats Champion. Tom Kallevang drives Don Richmond out to the flightline for another round of Class A Old-Timer. 6

7 Scores and Standings OT Hand Launch Glider Senior Anthony Ferrario Evan Simon Cai Oliver Marian Whitney Cody Secor Alex Marsh 6 91 Junior Chinmay Jaju Daniel Vucovich Brian Pacelli Daniel King Charles Philips Samuel McCranie Larson Ringlien 7 89 Timothy Barron 8 84 Miles Johnson 9 67 Matthew Lewis Logan Tetrict Michelle Barron Julie Barron Gina Barron 14 8 Open Tim Batiuk Jim Lewis Bruce Kimball Richard Peterson Kurt Krempetz Lee Hines Jan Langelius Stan Buddenbohm Kenny Krempetz Dave Edmonson Paul Jackson Paul Shailor Len Surtees Kenny Krempetz Andrew Ringlien Adam Marsh Bill Reuter Thomas Phillips Jason Poti J.B.M.Griner Andrew Barron Please note that all scores posted in this edition of NatsNews 2007 are unofficial until final tabulation has been made. OT Rubber Cabin (addditions) Roger Gregory Ted Teach Elvin Buchelle OT Rubber Cabin (lg & sm) Unofficial 1 O PAUL M ANDRADE HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO O P KLINTWORTH FAIRFIELD GLADE, TN O DANIEL B BERRY BENTON, AR O ED SNEED COLUMBUS, OH O ROBERT M BENNETT HAMPTON, VA O JAMES R KELLY GRAFTON, VA O JOHN A PRATT PETALUMA, CA O JAMES FERWERDA KENOSHA, WI O JOHN F SCHNOBRICH LAKE BLUFF, IL O JAMES L GERSZEWSKI NEW BERLIN, WI O JAMES E TROUTMAN GALVESTON, TX O STEWART E CUMMINS NEW CARLISLE, OH O WALTER J TOMASCH MISHAWAKA, IN 95 Bounty Hunter Unofficial 1 O ROGER W ERRIDGE SARANAC, MI O LARRY F KRUSE LAWTON, OK O MIKE FEDOR ARLINGTON, TX O GENE R SMITH STILLWATER, OK O BILL R REUTER NORTH OLMSTED, OH O H G SELICK JR ATHENS, GA O THOMAS B FOX BRISTOL, VT 179 Dakota Unofficial 1 O DAVID ACTON WHITE PLAINS, NY 20 2 O WILLIAM E JORDAN TROY, OH 29 3 O LARRY DAVIDSON MONETA, VA 31 4 O CHRISTIAN T FOX BRISTOL, VT 39 5 O BOB SOWDER TROUTVILLE, VA 40 6 O JAMES M COFFIN ANNANDALE, VA 47 ABC Pylon Unofficial 1 O GILBERT C MORRIS COLUMBUS, OH O WILLIAM E JORDAN TROY, OH O WOODY BARTELT GALESBURG, MI O DOUGLAS A KOCH READING, PA O R L PLACIER CHILLICOTHE, OH 83 7

8 Dawn Unlimited 1 O CARL M REDLIN PARK CITY, UT O CHARLES S MARKOS DEERFIELD, IL O WILLIAM D SHAILOR ROYAL OAK, MI O CARROL M ALLEN COPAKE, NY O DONALD P ROUSSEAU AMITYVILLE, NY O EDWARD J HARDIN KINGSTON, TN O ED SNEED COLUMBUS, OH O PAUL M ANDRADE HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO O DAVE EDMONSON EAGAN, MN O GARY OAKINS SAINT PAUL, MN O JOHN C FROTHINGHAM BRUNSWICK, ME O JAMES E TROUTMAN GALVESTON, TX 94 E-36 Electric Unofficial 1 O DOHRMAN G CRAWFORD DUNWOODY, GA O REX F HINSON INVERNESS, FL O RICHARD COVALT ANDERSON, IN O CHARLES C GROTH BATAVIA, IL O RICHARD J IVERS WEST NEWTON, MA O VICTOR M NIPPERT LAKE KATRINE, NY O H G SELICK JR ATHENS, GA O ROBERT LANGELIUS WHITE PLAINS, NY O WALTER ROZELLE ST SIMONS ISL, GA O ALAN ABRISS REGO PARK, NY O LARRY F KRUSE LAWTON, OK O EDWARD J HARDIN KINGSTON, TN O BRADLEY BANE LYNDONVILLE, NY O ROBERT D STALICK ALBANY, OR 35 CO2 Unlimited 1 O FRANK E POLLARD PORT TOWNSEND, WA O VICTOR M NIPPERT LAKE KATRINE, NY 292 1/2 A Nos Gas Unofficial 1 O KEITH FULMER MISHAWAKA, IN O JACKIE L SHEFFER LITTLE ROCK, AR O BOB SOWDER TROUTVILLE, VA O DANIEL B BERRY BENTON, AR O P JACK MARSH SOUTH BEND, IN O GENE WICKS NORMAL, IL O LARRY DAVIDSON MONETA, VA O JOSEPH C MOLLENDORF BUFFALO, NY O GENE R SMITH STILLWATER, OK O MARK D TROUTMAN GALVESTON, TX O EDWARD C COSTANZO MELBOURNE, FL O DENNY L DOCK STEVENSVILLE, MI O ROBERT M HANFORD BROKEN ARROW, OK O ROBERT P HANFORD TULSA, OK O GARY L BAUGHMAN MARIETTA, GA O WILLIAM E JORDAN TROY, OH O GARY OAKINS SAINT PAUL, MN O RUTH A BANE LYNDONVILLE, NY 120 SO F1G 1 O BRIAN J VAN NEST BISHOP, CA O GEORGE BATIUK SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA O DON A DELOACH COLORADO SPR, CO O CARROL M ALLEN COPAKE, NY S JOHN A SHAILOR ROYAL OAK, MI O THOMAS G IOERGER FULTON, MD O DAVE EDMONSON EAGAN, MN O EDWARD J CARROLL NEWHALL, CA O PAUL S MASTERMAN PORTER, IN O JIM JENNINGS HENDERSONVILLE, TN S EVAN SIMON COMMERCE TWP, MI O JAMES FERWERDA KENOSHA, WI O MARK W HOFFMAN MCKINNEY, TX 600 Junior F1G 1 J LOGAN D TETRICK BISHOP, CA 421 Junior F1J 1 J CHINMAY JAJU SAN JOSE, CA J BRIAN M PACELLI WALLINGFORD, CT 589 Open F1J 1 O FAUST R PARKER HOUSTON, TX O NORM D POTI NEW CARLISLE, OH O JOHN T LORBIECKI HUBERTUS, WI O ROBERT P GUTAI ALLENTOWN, PA O HENRY L SPENCE MANSFIELD, TX O RANDY SECOR CHINO HILLS, CA O EDWARD J CARROLL NEWHALL, CA O J G PAILET MELVILLE, NY O DAVE ROUNSAVILLE MILFORD, NJ O JASON A POTI NEW CARLISLE, OH 70 8

9 Free Flight The weather was great again Thursday for the FF Nats. This was a big day for the FAI events, with about half the total contestants flying the five rounds of F1G and F1J. The latter is a very fast 1cc glow-engine event while the former is a Rubber class for smallish airplanes of about 200 square inches. Both events ended in ties, with nine of about a dozen making the fly-offs in F1J and 14 of about 45 in F1G. Flyoffs took place for both events at 7 p.m. Thursday. In F1G, two made the 180-second fly-off max, then proceeded to a 240-second round which neither made. The winner with 3:16 was Brian Van Nest of Bishop, California, followed closely by (new 2007 Free Flight Hall of Fame inductee) George Batiuk. F1J still had eight flyers perfect after 180-second and 300-second fly-offs. An extended fly-off will be held early Friday morning to finally settle it. Down in the Hand-Launched Glider pen the action was furious. The much-anticipated coming-out party for the discus launch went off as planned. At least 75% of the contestants were flying DLGs, compared to only one last year. The top three places in Open HLG required five maxes or better, with winner Tim Batiuk posting seven maxes for the convincing win. Junior HLG was won by Carl Redlin finished winding his winning Dawn Unlimited model after some tense moments and quick repairs. Photo by Jerry Murphy. Nats Newbies Mark Hoffman is a firsttime Nats attendee. He flew impressively in F1G, making the flyoffs. The Nats has been great, he says. I love the field and people are understanding. Every modeler was a beginner once, and most of us in Free Flight have been to at least one Nats. My first Nats was in Lake Charles, Louisiana, more than 20 years ago. While I ll never forget the oppressive heat and humidity on those Chennault Field runways, the good memories will always far outweigh the bad. I remember the fun-filled drive through east Texas with Dad and my brother, the arrival at Nats Headquarters with hundreds of model-filled cars parked and our quirky neighbor at the Motel 6. I remember the scream of the hottest engines I d ever heard, the masses of modelers buzzing about, and the sight of the all of those gorgeous airplanes all of which were out of my league. It was intimidation at its highest, but boy was it inspiring. Intimidation is a natural reaction to being surrounded by experts. They do with ease what you aspire to do at all. The Nats is obviously a big and important competition but most of all it is an inspirational vehicle. We see great models and we react accordingly. How do you build that mister and where can I can I buy a kit? For some in our ranks winning is important. But for all it is the expectation of being inspired that keeps us coming back. No matter if you end up in first place or last you should leave each Nats day feeling inspired but what you saw and heard. Ultimately this attitude makes us all winners regardless of trophies and in the process keeps our sport thriving. Cass Pangell (L) and Dad Rick drove all the way from Denver, Colorado. Cass had a ball at her first Nats flying everything from 1/2A Gas to HLG. 9

10 Chinmay Jaju who also flew a DLG. Nine dedicated fliers showed up at 6 a.m. for the fascinating Dawn Unlimited Rubber event. Carl Redlin won it again but it wasn t easy. His model suffered some structural damage near the end of the winding process and a pressure-packed repair/assist was undertaken by Phil Klintworth and Herb Kothe, among others. The repairs were made in time and Carl ended up winning the event convincingly, posting 8:05. By the way, his model weighs a scant 2.2 ounces and has 300 square inches of wing area an amazing feat of model building skill. Twenty-three fliers did battle in the popular 1/2A Nostalgia event. The top seven places required a max-out, with Keith Fulmer taking first after finally dropping his ninth max. Second went to Jack Sheffer who dropped his seventh max, and third was Bob Sowder who dropped his fifth. The Bounty Hunter is one of the best-known FF gas designs of the classic era (late 1950s to 1970s). It was this year s selection for the NFFS one-design event, and it was popular in Thursday s flying. BH Designer Dick Fast Richard Mathis was even on hand to supervise. Two fliers maxed out (3 flights x 120), with Roger Erridge taking top honors over Larry Kruse. Dohrman s an ex-fighter pilot who has turned his aeronautical attention to Free Flight. It is great to have him in our ranks. Don DeLoach Tim Batiuk clowns for the camera and hoists the historic Tulsa Glue Dobbers Trophy, for National Champion in HLG. He won with a dominant sevenmax performance. What a sight! A Dawn Unlimited model climbs smartly into the morning twilight on Thursday. Photo by Jerry Murphy. Free Flight Hall of Famer Dick Mathis (center) is flanked by a squadron of Bounty Hunter 1/2A models. Dick designed and published the original Bounty Hunter back in the early sixties. Sunset over the F1J line at Thursday evening s fly-off. 10

11 Paul Andrade topped the field in Small Rubber Cabin with his high-flying Dynamoe. Paul logged five maxes before finally dropping his sixth. Stan Buddenbohm (L) and Dick Peterson were among the top finishers in HLG Thursday. Both were flying now ubiquitous discus-launch models. How about a hand for this guy? Nats FF CD Jerry Murphy (R) receives a well-deserved AMA distinguished service award from Ron Morgan. 11

12 Ernie Schlumberger launches Ric Vaughn s Stardust Special. There s talent: launching with one hand and timing with the other.