Control Line: Aerobatics
Frank McMillan, 12106 Gunter Grove, San Antonio, TX 78231
Site selection: Lubbock
The expectation that the 1993 Nationals are going to be held in Lubbock, Texas, really makes me happy! I won't have to drive 2,000 miles one way to get to the Nationals. It turns out to be a seven-hour drive from San Antonio; however, as Riley Wooten of Lone Star Balsa says, it's worth it.
I talked to Riley the week before the site selection committee visited, and he was really enthusiastic about his sense that the people of Lubbock want the Nationals there and will do their best to provide an outstanding site and superior support. He said plenty of practice circles would be available, so no worries there.
Riley did point out a few things about Lubbock that we should consider as we plan for next year's killer plane.
Altitude
Lubbock is at about 3,500 ft altitude, so the air will be thinner than at sites such as Westover and Virginia Beach. Expect that power will be down and turns slower than usual.
To illustrate that, Riley told a tale about Malcolm Windham. Malcolm, from northern Texas, was noted as an excellent flier with potential to win the Nationals. As I remember, he placed quite high in the Nationals he entered in the mid-1950s and drew raves with his Fox .59-powered ship. Lubbock was having a local meet, and Malcolm called Riley and received an invite to stay with him. They decided to go out and practice before the contest. Of course, Riley warned Malcolm to ease into the bottoms until he got the feel for how his plane turned at that altitude. Undaunted, Malcolm laid in a 6-ft bottom that ripped out the landing gear. The plane just didn't have the lift to make the snappy turn he had become accustomed to near sea level.
After that incident, they repaired the plane at Riley's house. They tried again the next day—contest day—and with a bit more caution got used to the turn and won the contest. Just a word to the wise: tuck that lesson away in your mind.
Tragically, Malcolm was fatally burned while cleaning his motorcycle with gasoline some months later.
Heat and weather
Another factor to consider is the hot Texas weather. At that time of year the average high will be in the mid to high 90s, with lows only in the high 70s. Although it's normally quite windy in early summer, the chances are good that by late July winds will moderate, with very pleasant mornings and evenings. We will nonetheless face very high temperatures, so be in good physical condition and bring your own shade—tarps, etc. This is necessary.
Aircraft considerations
These considerations remind me of the predictions about Reno in '84. Many built ultralight planes to combat the high altitude. Most ultralights, however, never saw the light of competition because they generally sacrificed in construction and weren't rigid enough to fly well. Many competitors also brought their old planes; although they had to be flown faster to compensate for the thinner air, they proved quite satisfactory.
The bottom line is that going in we can anticipate the adjustments necessary and come prepared—perhaps with a 45-oz., 700-sq.-in. machine powered by a five-horsepower .40 tuned-pipe attacker.
We in Texas are proud that the AMA has selected Lubbock. I'm sure everyone who attends will enjoy the competition and the opportunity to visit the Lone Star State. Plan to come!
Coaching
I'd like to comment again on the necessity of good coaching to improve and climb the ladder.
Every time I talk to anyone and flying comes up—we usually talk planes and engines. We ought to talk more about coaching and how vital it is to work with a good coach and establish a bond of trust. There are two main points here:
- You have to visualize the maneuver geometry, which is much more difficult than reading the rule book.
- You must practice those shapes on a regular and frequent basis.
Think of the recent Olympics and the discussions of all the practice time competitors spent in preparation. I've been told that the Russian and Chinese CL team members spent months before the World Championships at training camps, flying many flights per day, all under coaches who had judged at the international level. Not only does this maintain the number of repetitions necessary for the mechanical skills, but it also gives the discipline to make adjustments and corrections to the shapes until they are right on.
Trust is perhaps the most difficult part. More than once I've heard that some of the better fliers won't ever improve because they won't believe their coaches. That's a bad situation. Perhaps worse is when a coach tells a successful or well-known flier that something looks good when it doesn't; the coach is doing the flier a disservice.
Videotaping patterns and making criticisms from playback is an alternative. Videotapes can be useful, but they don't take the place of a good coach; if the camera angle is incorrect or the camera is moved with the plane, erroneous interpretations are likely.
In my opinion the best approach is still to find a good, willing friend you trust, and grow together.
Tech tips
Armor-All as an antifoaming agent
Recent correspondence on the use of Armor-All as an antifoaming agent prompts a short relook. First of all, it does work and is quite effective. However, use the protectant product, not the cleaner. The silicone is apparently the ingredient that does the job. Since we found out about it, John Hill, Frank Williams, and I have used it regularly throughout the summer. One thing we noticed is that there aren't any major changes in engine characteristics as the tank empties. With slightly unbalanced props we had occasionally experienced some "funnies."
Inking and cleanup
At the Nationals I saw a plane with dark paint and silver ink; this reminded me of a tip from Glen Meador and Lou Dudka on inking. For metallic inks, the best type to use is found in disposable pens from art stores. Simply drill a small hole in the end of the container away from the tip, and fill the container. This ink is not water based like the early silver and gold inks and is not corrosive. If you make a mistake, it can be cleaned with Prep-sol–type degreasers while still fresh. Best yet, it draws a superb line that flows just like good drafting India ink.
On the subject of erasing, I usually use isopropyl alcohol. If you're quick, this can be done cleanly and works well. On my last coating, however, I found that on one acrylic lacquer color the alcohol worked fine on the ink but also started to affect the paint. So be careful; use a soft touch with a moistened tissue rather than a saturated one.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
