Competition Newsletter

Competition Newsletter

Academy of Model Aeronautics

1984-85 Rules Change Cycle: Contest Board Initial Vote Results This Issue

Cross-Proposal Cutoff

• March 1, 1983 (postmark)

Contest Board Voting Summaries

• Indoor — page 108
• Free Flight — page 109
• Scale — page 109
• Radio Control — page 110
• Control Line — page 111
• General — page 112

Where to Find It

The rules proposals are grouped into the major categories indicated above. The results of the various Contest Board Initial Votes are presented in tabular form beginning on the pages indicated. The tables are arranged so that the status—approved for further consideration or defeated—of each proposal is given, as well as the voting performance of each Contest Board member on each proposal.

Note: Rules proposals receive an identifying number based on the order in which they are received at AMA HQ. In our tables, the proposals are grouped according to how they affect items in the AMA rule book. We have attempted to group proposals that are nearly alike or affect the same rule book item. As a consequence, the proposals may no longer appear in numerical order (they were printed in numerical order in the October and December 1982 and the January 1983 issues).

How Are They Approved or Defeated?

• Rules proposals affecting only one category (for example: Control Line) are sent to the appropriate Contest Board. To receive approval for continued consideration in the rules cycle, the Contest Board must give a proposal a simple majority vote — a tie counts as a passing majority. If a proposal fails to receive a passing vote, it is rejected and will not be considered further in the present rules cycle.
• General rules proposals (those affecting more than one category) are tabulated by combining the members of all boards into one pool. A simple majority of this pool passes the proposal on the Initial Vote.

International Pylon Race

American modelers are invited to enter or come as spectators to the sixth annual Grand Prix Modela RC Pylon Race held at Melník near Prague, Czechoslovakia, June 10–12, 1983. The race will be flown in accordance with the latest FAI class F3D rules. Competitors will receive products made by Modela in addition to certificates of participation. Top three finishers will receive diplomas, cups, and various modeling supplies and accessories.

• Contest activities begin the evening of June 10.
• Registration processing and the team managers' meeting will be held Saturday.
• The second day will feature opening ceremonies, heat races, and a dance party.
• The final day will include finals, a modelers' exhibition, and awards ceremonies.

Entry forms must be received by May 30, 1983. For further information, including obtaining entry forms, contact:

• MODELA, Attn: Mr. Z. Malina, Holečkova 9, 150 00 Praha 5, Czechoslovakia.

AMA Headquarters address:

• 1810 Samuel Morse Drive, Reston, VA 22090

1984-85 Rules Change Cycle

Contest Board Initial Vote Results

• Cross-Proposal Cutoff: March 1, 1983 (postmark)

Find rules proposals grouped by the major categories indicated above. Results of the various Contest Board Initial Votes are presented in tabular form beginning on the pages indicated. Tables are arranged by the proposal status — approved for further consideration or defeated — and include the voting performance of each Contest Board member on the proposal.

Please note that proposals receive an identifying number based on the order received at AMA HQ. In the tables, proposals are grouped according to the rule book item they affect. We have attempted to group proposals that are nearly alike and affect the same rule book item; consequently, proposals may not appear in numerical order as printed in prior issues.

Helicopters

Horace Hagen

The F3C RC Helicopter Subcommittee consists of members from six countries: Mr. DeProft (Belgium), Mr. Hagen (U.S.A.), Mr. Honda (Japan), Mr. Ingold (Switzerland), Mr. Jean Michel (France), and Mr. Snitjer (Holland). Representatives from Belgium, France, Japan, and the U.S.A. were present at this year's meeting.

Twenty-one rules-change proposals were submitted at this year's FAI meeting in Paris. Eleven proposals were submitted by the subcommittee (chaired by Francois DeProft of Belgium); these were generated early enough for study and consensus. In addition, five proposals from the U.S.A., four from Japan, and one from Finland were submitted later in the year (after the August 1 deadline) and were placed on the FAI meeting agenda directly by the aero club of that country (deadline for the latter process was September 1).

Three proposals (from Finland, the subcommittee, and the U.S.A.) addressed the use of a tail rotor gyro. The U.S.A. and Finnish proposals were withdrawn in favor of a rewritten subcommittee proposal. The new wording for paragraph 5.4.3 states: "An electronic rate gyro is permitted on the yaw-axis only."

A sentence was added under the definition of rotor blades: "No metal in or on the rotor blades is permitted, except at the blade-attachment points." This change was made for safety reasons. If a safe system for adding tip weights (metal powder) is developed and demonstrated, this rule may be modified in the future.

The contest area layout was changed slightly by making the helipads circular with a diameter of two meters. The U.S.A. may submit a proposal next year to revert to a diameter of 1.2 meters to accommodate standard lumber sizes.

An addition to the section describing winner selection states: "In case only two flights have taken place, the final classification will be obtained by counting the points from the better of two flights."

The rectangular approach maneuver (5.4.12.19) was deleted. The new compulsory maneuvers to end the FAI program are a translational landing (5.4.12.19) or an autorotational landing (5.4.12.20). Although pilots at a World Championships will likely choose the autorotational landing because of the high "K" factor, pilots whose helicopters cannot perform this maneuver or who experience a malfunction should be able to conclude the schedule with a translational landing.

The U.S.A. proposal to add the Bottle Flip (a non-judged maneuver) to the FAI schedule was defeated in the subcommittee and withdrawn. The intent was to emulate full-size helicopter competitions, but committee members from Belgium, France, and Japan felt the maneuver involves an element of luck under time constraint and should not be used to determine a World Champion. The committee suggested such a maneuver may be appropriate in a Scale competition class, which might be added to the FAI program in the future.

The Japanese proposal to change the minimum altitude for optional maneuvers from 10 meters to 15 meters was defeated and withdrawn. The committee felt the 10-meter minimum has not created problems and actually makes judging easier.

The U.S.A. proposal to change the titles of the Swiss Hovering Circle and Belgian Stall Turn maneuvers to Nose-in Hovering Circle and Rolling Stall Turn was unanimously adopted because the original terms were non-descriptive. The Rolling Stall Turn maneuver description was rewritten for clarification.

The Japanese proposal to modify the Top Hat maneuver description was accepted because it removed bias against clockwise rotating rotor systems. The following addition was made: "The direction of the 360-degree rotations during ascent and descent must be opposite to each other."

The Japanese proposal to change the ideal radius of the Looping maneuver from five meters to 10 meters was defeated and withdrawn; five meters has proven ideal in national championships.

The Japanese proposal to clarify the maneuver description for all Stall Turn maneuvers was adopted. Phrases such as "a sharp curve of 90 degrees" and "slow curve of 90 degrees" were changed to "smoothly rounded curves of 90 degrees." The following was also added: "The radii of curves while ascending and descending must be the same."

The U.S.A. proposal to accurately define the scoring system for the Autorotational Landing maneuver was adopted unanimously. Present items 3 and 7 were deleted and the following paragraphs were added:

• "To achieve a maximum score of 10 points, the landing must be on the helipad. This score can only be achieved with a perfectly-executed landing."
• "If the model lands inside the 10-meter landing square, the maximum score is 9 points. If the model lands outside of the landing square, the maximum score is 5 points."

In conclusion, the Paris meeting was productive. I recommend listing the country of origin for each rules-change proposal, even when listed under the subcommittee, to give equal weight to each proposal. I also suggest adding Mr. Mauri Gadd (Finland) and Mr. Walter Knaus (Canada) to the subcommittee membership list.

I welcome feedback from expert pilots for changes that might improve the FAI class. I have updated the membership list of the AMA RC Helicopter Advisory Committee; the new list will be published soon. I have added Contest Directors who have run RC Helicopter events in recent years and asked each to use the FAI rules for the top competition class so we gain experience and develop competitors for the first World Championships.

The Canadian delegate to the FAI/CIAM, Mr. Jack Humphreys, offered to hold the World Championships for the F3C class in Canada in 1985. Let us all work to assemble a World Championships team by that time.

To obtain an up-to-date copy of the FAI rules, send a SASE to:

• H. G. Hagen, 15 Parkway Place, Red Bank, NJ 07701.

Rules Proposals (Continued)

Modeler Input Desired

Individual AMA members wishing to take an active part in the rules formulation process can do so in one of two ways:

1. Submit a cross-proposal to one of the "passed" proposals (details below).
2. Give your opinion — pro or con — of a "passed" proposal to the Contest Board member in your AMA district. That Contest Board member will have a better basis for his next (Interim or Final) vote on the proposal.

Cross-Proposals

Cross-proposals are submitted on the official AMA form (copies available from AMA HQ, or by copying the form printed on p. 15 of the June 1982 issue of the Competition Newsletter) with signed approvals of three Open-age AMA members, one of whom is a Contest Director, and your AMA District Contest Board member. If you are not sure who your Contest Board member is, check the telephone directory listing of AMA Districts in this issue.

By mail, cross-proposals must be postmarked no later than March 1, 1983. Cross-proposals may also be submitted at the Contest Board meetings in public session; these meetings are open to the public and attending to speak for your cross-proposal is encouraged.

If a cross-proposal is submitted on time, it will be considered along with the "passed" proposals at the next Contest Board vote. If it passes, it will have the same status as any other proposal; however, only Contest Board members may vote.

If a member of the public wants to comment on a proposal, they may submit comments to the Contest Board member in their AMA district. The Contest Board member should present these comments at the next Contest Board meeting.

What Then?

All accepted cross-proposals will be published in the Competition Newsletter — probably in the December 1983 issue. Competition-oriented modelers will then have a good idea of what the 1984–85 rules will be like, with final details available when the new rule books are distributed.

New Rule Books Out When?

The new rule book is supposed to be published and distributed by January 1, 1984. However, production realities usually delay this target date. It is hoped the rule book will be available within a month or two of the target date.

RADIO CONTROL CONTEST BOARD INITIAL VOTE RESULTS

Y = Yes D = Defeated N = No P = Passed A = Abstain

Proposals (For more complete descriptions, see the following MAs: 1–3, October 1982; 4–42, December 1982.)

• 1 — No rate gyros or autopilots in Pattern (M. Moritko). Result: Passed — P — 10Y, 1N
• 2 — Unify descriptions of Traffic Pattern (H. Cain). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 6 — Put maneuver sketches with description (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 7 — Modify "Equal Exposure to Judges" rule (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 8 — Update flight line layout (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 9 — Exempt certain maneuvers from 60-degree-upward viewing frame (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 10 — Only pilot may operate transmitter controls (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 11 — Clarify scoring of spins which are part spiral (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 10Y, 1N
• 12 — Clarify definition of Double Stall Turn (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 13 — Clarify description of Cuban Eight and Reverse Cuban Eight in the Judges' Guide (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 14 — Clarify description of Figure M (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 15 — Tail-dragger wheel landings OK (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 16 — Square Horizontal Eight — remove 20-meter reference (H. Crispin, Jr.). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 21 — Revise Sportsman class pattern (R. Knetzger). Result: Passed — P — 8Y, 3N
• 25 — Eliminate airborne time limit (B. Crossley). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 26 — Contest Directors set number of flights in advance (B. Crossley). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 30 — Add new FAI Pattern class (F3A) (L. Ott). Result: Passed — P — 10Y, 1N
• 31 — Modify all existing Pattern class maneuver schedules (L. Ott). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 32 — Modify some maneuver descriptions in the Judges' Guide (L. Ott). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 33 — Make upwind and downwind maneuver orientations mandatory in all classes (D. Kampschror). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 34 — Change pattern maneuvers for all classes; 2 schedules for Master (D. Kampschror). Result: Defeated — D — 5Y, 6N
• 37 — Four flights count if six or more rounds are flown (T. Stillman). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 38 — Master flies F3A rules; advancement to Master voluntary; Expert flies 1982 FAI rules (R. Chidgey). Result: Passed — P — 8Y, 3N

SAILPLANE

• 3 — Scale-like landings for RC Sailplanes (P. Proefrock). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 5 — Eliminate RC Sailplane Classes A and B (R. Powell). Result: Passed — P — 8Y, 3N
• 24 — FAI rules apply to size and weight only (J. Griggs). Result: Passed — P — 8Y, 3N
• 27 — New Cross-Country Race event (Provisional) (L. Renaud). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 35 — No need to comply with FAI specifications (J. Grigg). Result: Passed — P — 10Y, 1N
• 4 — Alternate scoring procedure (H. Cain). Result: Passed — P — 10Y, 1N

PYLON RACING

• 17 — No flying below tops of pylons (G. Gillburg). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 18 — QM: Allow .240 diameter venturis (W. Yeager). Result: Passed — P — 10Y, 1N
• 19 — QM: Allow use of certain epoxy-type propellers (W. Yeager). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 20 — QM: Allow fuel pressure (W. Yeager). Result: Passed — P — 7Y, 4N
• 28 — QM: Require mufflers or muffled tuned pipes (R. Wilson). Result: Passed — P — 8Y, 3N
• 29 — Require mufflers or muffled tuned pipes (R. Wilson). Result: Passed — P — 7Y, 4N

SPORT AEROBATICS

• 22 — Adopt IAC judging standards and techniques (F. Lawrence). Result: Passed — P — 9Y, 2N
• 23 — Contest Directors to publish judge qualifications (F. Lawrence). Result: Passed — P — 10Y, 1N

HELICOPTER (HELI)

• 39 — Balance flight and static scores in Scale (H. Hagen). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 40 — Experts fly 11 maneuvers (H. Hagen). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 41 — Novice flies 7 maneuvers in five minutes (H. Hagen). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N
• 42 — Replace 3 Intermediate maneuvers with 1 (H. Hagen). Result: Passed — P — 11Y, 0N

Note: There is no active proposal No. 36.

One of the required signatories for a cross-proposal must be a Contest Director. Contest Board procedures require that a cross-proposal must be submitted no later than March 1 (postmark) to be considered. A cross-proposal proposes an alternate method of doing something the basic rules proposal addresses.

What Then?

All accepted cross-proposals will be published in the Competition Newsletter — probably in the December 1983 issue. Competition-oriented modelers will then be able to have a reasonably good idea of what the 1984–85 rules will be like, with final details available when the new rule books are distributed.

New Rule Books Out When?

The new rule book is intended to be published and distributed by January 1, 1984. However, production realities usually delay this. It is hoped the rule book will be available within a month or two of that date.

COMBINED CONTEST BOARDS INITIAL VOTE RESULTS ON GENERAL PROPOSALS

Proposals: (For more complete descriptions see 1982 MAs as follows: 1–3, October; 4–12, December.)

Legend for contest boards:

• RC = Radio Control Contest Board
• SC = Scale Contest Board
• CL = Control Line Contest Board
• FF = Free Flight Contest Board
• IN = Indoor Contest Board

• 1 — Delete "Terrain" specification from Section 1 of the rule book (H. Cain). Result: Passed — P — 43Y, 9N
• 2 — Redefine Contest Director responsibilities for providing contest equipment (H. Cain). Result: Passed — P — 45Y, 7N
• 3 — Delete/relocate takeoff facilities rules now given in Section 1 of the rule book (H. Cain). Result: Passed — P — 45Y, 7N
• 4 — Clarify conditions for Contest Director's competing in own contests (H. Cain). Result: Passed — P — 38Y, 14N
• 5 — Clarify Contest Director appointment and his responsibilities concerning additional contest officials (H. Cain). Result: Passed — P — 42Y, 10N
• 6 — Change deadline for Contest Director report of contest (H. Cain). Result: Defeated — D — 9Y, 43N
• 7 — Provide for substitute Contest Director (R. Meuser). Result: Passed — P — 44Y, 8N
• 8 — Provide for alternate Contest Director (R. Meuser). Result: Passed — P — 50Y, 2N
• 9 — Establish maximum weight for a model aircraft (W. Northrop). Result: Passed — P — 49Y, 2N
• 10 — Prohibit gaseous boosts and metal-bladed propellers in all AMA activities (W. Northrop). Result: Passed — P — 49Y, 2N
• 11 — Extend ban on hazardous model fuels (W. Northrop). Result: Passed — P — 43Y, 3N
• 12 — Record application responsibility is modeler's (R. McNally). Result: Defeated — D — 17Y, 34N

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