Control Line: Scale
Bill Boss 77-06 269th Street New Hyde Park, NY 11040
Overview
RULES CHANGES for the CL Scale events in the 1992–1993 competition regulations book provide a mixed bag of good and bad changes and, in some areas, will no doubt generate much room for interpretation and confusion. Of the 120 rules proposals the Scale Board had to consider, 53 proposals passed the final vote, and 17 related directly to the CL Precision and Sport events. All approved proposals had to be meshed with the old rules — a monumental task for which the Scale Board should be commended.
Positive changes
- The CL Sport Scale worksheet has been established. If used by everyone who runs the Sport Scale event, it should go a long way toward improving static and flight judging procedures. The worksheet acts as a check-off list for all information required about the contestant and model for pre-judging items and safety as well as static and flight judging portions of the event.
- Proof of scale (Paragraph C) in the unified scale judging regulations has been modified to provide for a larger selection of aircraft to be modeled.
- In the Sport Scale event, Section 4: Proof of Scale, several paragraphs dealing with documentation, color, and markings now provide for a wider selection of aircraft to be modeled and further define allowable documentation and color markings.
- A new Profile event (Supplemental Event #521) has established rules. The definition of profile fuselage and engine nacelles will be the same as used in the Sport Scale event. The aims are to standardize Profile events now being flown around the country and provide modelers an entry-level CL scale event.
- The new Profile event may restrict the way sophisticated operating systems are used; questions remain about whether Profile models will include electronic control systems, retractable gear, etc., and whether the event will attract non-scale modelers.
- Minor changes have closed loopholes and fine-tuned rules. For example, you can no longer use the same maneuver twice during a single flight; in Sport Scale this prevents using the climb/dive maneuver twice.
Negative changes and causes for concern
In my opinion, the more troublesome changes revolve around proposals SC-92-63, SC-92-73, SC-92-85 (Precision event) and SC-92-71 (Sport event). The Precision event changes, in particular, introduce ambiguities.
#### Precision Scale — Proposal SC-92-73 and related edits
- The first part of proposal SC-92-73 intended to add a sentence to old Paragraph 6, Contest Schedule, stating there would be no limitation on the number of official flights allowed during the time scheduled for the event. Instead, old Paragraph 6 was accidentally eliminated during editing.
- New changes between the Scale Board and Headquarters resulted in a statement being added to what is now the new Paragraph 6. As a result, the previous statement that "damage done to a model during flight should be disregarded if flight judging is done before static judging" is no longer present. Headquarters and the Scale Board will be working to restore this paragraph.
- Proposal 73 also deleted old Paragraph 6.1, eliminating the description of what constitutes an attempt and/or an official flight from the Precision rules.
Key questions now left unanswered:
- Will an attempt be limited to the three-minute starting time only?
- Is there any requirement that the model must proceed beyond takeoff and level flight to constitute an attempt?
- Can a contestant declare an attempt at any time during a flight if he does not like how the model is performing?
- With no limit to the number of official flights, can contestants declare unlimited attempts?
- What is an "official flight" now that wording stating a flight is official after five airborne laps was removed — is a single lap an official flight? Can a contestant declare any number of official flights?
The remaining parts of proposal 73 dealt with flight scoring and tie-breaking procedures (Paragraphs 10 through 11.1). One clear error: the maximum possible score should be 880 rather than the 480 shown.
#### Precision — Proposals SC-92-63 and SC-92-85 (Paragraphs 6, 6.1, 6.2)
- Paragraph 6 now calls for a penalty if the model is contacted by pilot or helper at any time during a flight from the point of calling the first maneuver (starting, takeoff, etc.) to the completion of an official flight. The penalty is loss of points for the maneuver performed or called immediately prior to the contact.
- Paragraph 6.1 provides wording on engine starting, the number of helpers allowed, and allows three minutes for starting the engine and commencing takeoff. For multi-engine models, two additional minutes per engine are allowed.
- Paragraph 6.2 states that "engine restarts are permitted within the allotted time if the wheels have not left the ground in takeoff." This creates dilemmas:
- If a contestant starts the model, calls for takeoff, the model rolls 15 feet, and the engine quits, may the contestant restart the engine without penalty if the three minutes have not elapsed?
- Will he lose takeoff points because he already called for takeoff?
- What if he lets the model sit for the remainder of the allotted time?
- With the description of what constitutes an attempt or official flight now removed, these situations are unclear.
To further complicate matters, the proposal requiring contestants to call each maneuver (SC-92-82) was defeated, so there is no mandatory requirement to call any maneuver, even takeoff.
#### Sport Scale — Proposal SC-92-71 and related concerns
- Proposal SC-92-71 added the model contact penalty to Paragraph 7.4 in the Sport event, essentially mirroring the Precision penalty described above.
- The Sport event still retains descriptions of attempt and official flight, but similar problems arise concerning calling for takeoff: if a model rolls a few feet and the engine quits, can the contestant restart without penalty or lose takeoff maneuver points?
Overall, several areas in the new rules leave room for interpretation and dispute, especially in Precision Scale. It seems some proposals were not fully considered for their ultimate effects when passed.
Recommendations and suggestions
- Contest Directors (CDs) and event directors should review the new rules carefully and adopt a rational approach to running events to avoid conflicts.
- One practical suggestion for those running Precision events: use the previous rule book (pre-1992 changes) for 1992–93 and advertise on your contest flyer which rules will be used.
- Note that the rule book is no longer distributed to all AMA members as part of membership; only a select group receives it. Most members must purchase their copy from Headquarters at $2.50. Expect a mix of contestants who are and are not aware of the new rules.
A thought before closing — it appears new wording will be required in the next rules cycle to correct problems introduced by these changes. The Scale Board cannot unilaterally change the rules, since changes were made on the basis of approved proposals. Given the heavy proposal load, some external review might help.
- The National Association of Scale Aeromodellers (N.A.S.A.), with members in most scale categories, could assist by reviewing future proposals for completeness and potential adverse effects before proposals advance through the rules-making cycle.
Contest Activity
The Queens City U-Control Club, Cincinnati, OH, will hold a scale contest on Sunday, May 31, 1992 at their flying site located at Lunken Airport (intersection of Airport and Wilmer Roads), Cincinnati.
Events offered:
- Sport
- Profile
- Team Scale (a non-AMA event)
Team Scale will be for model-builder and pilot teams. This new event is an effort to encourage scale-loving older modelers no longer flying to team up with younger pilots and remain active in scale activities. Plaques, as detailed in the December 1991 column, will be offered for three places in each event.
For full contest details and Team Scale rules contact: QC U-Club c/o Dave Willis, Secretary 1562 Muskogee Drive Cincinnati, OH 45255
Final notes / Contact
Please send ideas, notices of upcoming CL Scale events, contest reports, and especially photos of CL Scale activity to me at the address at the top of this column.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
