Control Line: Aerobatics
Wynn Paul
AFTER PUBLISHING Stunt News for two years to a limited membership it will be a pleasure to write for a magazine that will reach all of the AMA members. There are many of us who would genuinely like to see more participants in precision aerobatics, and this writer solicits ideas from the general AMA membership on making the event more attractive to more people. This column will be used in conjunction with the Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA) to present general news, technical ideas, reports on contests, legislation, and anything else of interest to the flying public.
By way of introduction, this author has been an airplane nut all his life (38 years), but didn't fly his first Cox P-40 until 1962. First contest was in 1967 and the first Nationals was Glenview in 1971. Ninth in Stunt at that Nationals was the final straw to completely addict me to airplane models. Probably even more memorable was the night before the finals as Bill Rutherford, Greg Wendt, Lew McFarland, Adamisins, and a bunch more helped to rebuild the front end of the writer's Stunt plane after it was totaled in a practice flight after qualifying. At 3:30 a.m. we put the last touches of paint on it and retired for three hours of sleep before going out at 6:30 a.m. for a test flight. Three Nationals and two FAI tryouts later the writer is still trying for that top spot in Stunt. An understanding wife, Cecelia, and a somewhat seasonal job, as swim coach and aquatic director at the University of Kentucky, have contributed to adequate modeling time.
The 250 members of PAMPA are obviously interested enough in competition precision aerobatics to pay the $5.00 yearly dues in addition to attending contests around the country, but what about the many other AMA members? Certainly there must be a number who might be attracted to flying Stunt if they could ease into it gently, instead of starting right off going against the "Stunt Machine," "Stilleto," "Sea Fury," "Gieseke Nobler," and "Genesis." Does Stunt competition need something besides Novice and three age divisions? A number of enthusiasts think so, as evidenced by mail to PAMPA. But what? What PAMPA and AMA need is the opinions of some of those out there in model land who might like to get into Stunt but are still hesitant.
Maybe we need a permanent "Profile Stunt" event at contests to get the Slow Combat boys into a second event. PAMPA is trying a system of categories for Stunt flyers to compete in so that the "average" flyer can compete with others of the same abilities. Maybe we should do away with Junior, Senior and Open and have Profile, Novice, Sportsman, and Open. It has been done quite successfully in California with the W.A.M. system of Stunt events.
Speaking of categories, one idea that has come forth is to run a "Sportsman" category of precision aerobatics at the Nationals for those who do not wish to compete against the top flyers. Classification would be by choice, and the established "top 20-25" flyers would compete as always in the open classification. The Sportsman competition would have its own set of trophies for the top five. This appears to be similar to the RC pattern events with their several categories of contestants.
If you haven't already heard, the FAI Stunt trials will be in Dayton, Ohio over Labor Day weekend. The event is open to all AMA members over 14 years of age. A $40 entry fee will be charged for open members; $10 for seniors. A part of the entry fee will be utilized to pay for the judges' expenses, a PAMPA innovation which has been well received. Bob Gieseke, Gene Schaffer and Bill Werwage will be back trying to retain their spots from the '74 team. But a lot of competition will come from Al Rabe, Bill Simons, Les McDonald, Bob Hunt, Jerry Pilgrim, Bill Rutherford, Wynn Paul, Lew McFarland and Bob Whitely. And don't count out the up-and-coming Southern Stunt Conspiracy: Tom Dixon, Jim Lynch, Remel Cooper, Kent Rogers, Ricky Reece; there's the wild west bunch — Bob Baron, Roger Barrett, Ted Fancher, Rich LeRoy. Others too: Adamisin, Duvall, Shafer, Foster, Trostle, Musumeci, Thompson, Frantic Freddie.
Correspondence from PAMPA members in England, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Holland and Germany has shown the rest of the world uses straight FAI scoring in precision aerobatics contests. Should USA adopt the FAI method? It's pretty complicated to use, but it eliminates the appearance points people complain about at times. Maybe it would draw people who aren't concerned with the four-percent scores that frequently separate finishers.
Getting into Stunt, newer Super Tigre .46 engines late '74-'75 were built a little differently than the old ones. Some mentioned objections to getting into Stunt.
The resin finish in precision aerobatics is definitely "in." Several top flyers, including many of the New York–New Jersey gang, have used it on more than just one airplane. They claim it is easier, lighter and more durable. Bill Simons (4th, '74 Nationals) uses one coat of K&B resin finish, wiped off before it sets up with a cloth or paper towel. Then he applies two coats of clear-talc filler coat over two coats of Aero-Gloss clear. (Watch that talc dust, it's murder.)
Some say don't use baby talc because it contains some oil; some say it doesn't matter. After the filler coat and two more coats of clear comes the paint base coat. Bill used Sig white in '74 and pearlescent white from Metal Flake Company, Haverhill, Mass., in '75. Bill would like to try covering the entire plane with fiberglass cloth and then going straight to the paint, but the lightest cloth he can find is 3/4 ounce per square yard. It will take about three square yards for a plane and the cloth alone would add 2-1/2 ounces, which he says is too much weight. Bill says look for simulated canopies from the Eastern area this summer; no instruments, no pilots and no flying sawdust inside the greenhouse.
For all of you who dislike building wings with spars, ribs, jigs, and hours of work, it's official: foam ribs and tips and foam-covered sheeting are the winners in the Stunt circles. They can be built to weigh the same as a built-up wing. Using 1/16 or 1/32 inch balsa skins, the wing is competitive with a built-up wing. And it's so easy to complete the wing. Those who desire to build a Stunt ship like one featured in the magazines, try foam. Also, new designs are utilizing foam stabilizers and elevators. The two manufacturers of foam wings are Arnold Scott, Mankato Models, 628 West 6th St., Mankato, Minn., 56001 and Bob Hunt, Control Specialties, Box 268, Middlesex, N.J. 08846.
Let's hear from you out there, those many other AMA members, as to what it would take to get you into Stunt. Unlike other categories, you can feel the airplane out there on those twin thin steel lines, responding to your touch, tugging sometimes hard and sometimes softly, turning sharply or gracefully to the commands of your hand and arm, picking up speed in the dives, and riding the air currents as you sense the changes in attitude through the handle... it's a great feeling and, once experienced, can make a difference in the way you might feel about the sport of flying. Address correspondence to: Wynn Paul, 1640 Maywick Dr., Lexington, Ky. 40504.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
