Control Line: Scale
Mike Gretz
1980 Scale World Championships — Ottawa
Recent developments pertaining to the 1980 Scale World Championships may interest some of you. The biannual FAI event is scheduled for next July in Ottawa, Canada. Ever since the 1978 Scale WC in England, some people have questioned whether there would still be sufficient interest among the FAI countries that normally participate to stage a CL Scale WC event so far off the European continent.
Most doubts were based on the fact that the 1978 CL Scale competition was cancelled at the last minute when several Eastern European countries dropped out as part of a rather ill-conceived political protest against the entry of South Africa in another WC event being held at the same time as CL Scale. The irony was that the other event was able to continue; because of the loss of the protesting countries the CL Scale event dropped below the minimum five nations the rules require for an event to be considered an official World Championship.
On the bright side, I remain hopeful the events of 1978 do not signal a lack of interest in FAI CL Scale competition. My hopes are based on two facts:
- The 1978 political protest did not target the CL Scale event directly — it was an innocent bystander.
- There was sufficient interest in CL Scale the last time the Scale WC came to this side of the Atlantic (1974, Lakehurst, New Jersey).
The Canadian organizers of the upcoming World Championships have maintained that CL Scale activities will be included in the schedule — it was only a question of official status. The AMA also went ahead and selected a CL Scale FAI Team at last summer's Lincoln Nats in the hope the official WC event would materialize.
At the recent FAI planning meeting in Paris on November 29th, four nations said they would have CL Scale teams in Canada:
- United States
- U.S.S.R.
- France
- Canada
In a surprise development, Greece — which has never fielded a CL Scale team before — also expressed interest, though they are not yet certain. There is also hope that Poland, historically strong in CL Scale WCs, will decide to attend. Although the news isn't completely official, it looks likely there will be another CL Scale World Championships — good news for CL Scale enthusiasts worldwide.
Team Effort — SCALE 80 Patch
The National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA) has developed an embroidered cloth patch to raise funds in support of the 1980 U.S. Scale Team. Details:
- Size: 3-inch square
- Colors: red, white, and blue with a yellow border
- Design: includes a Canadian maple leaf and the lettering "SCALE 80" (per the Canadian organizers)
U.S. teams representing U.S. scale modelers at the World Championships in Ottawa:
- CL Scale Team: Keith Trostle, Ken Long, Mike Gretz
- RC Scale Team: Bob Wischer, George Rose, Bob Underwood
- RC Sport Scale Team: George Buso, Ralph Jackson, Harold Parenti
To support the team, patches are $2 each, postpaid. Send orders to: Bob Underwood, NASA President 4109 Concord Oaks Dr. St. Louis, MO 63128
From the Mailbag — New York Scale Team
One of CL Scale modeling's biggest promoters and long-time friends is Bill Boss. Over the years he has been a great organizer, author, spokesman, and an outstanding competitor. The most memorable part of my first Nats (1970, Chicago) was watching Bill's Fairchild PT-19 fly.
Bill sent photos of the "New York Scale Team," a small group (seven members at present) of New York City modelers who specialize in scale and carrier events, with emphasis on both Precision and Sport Scale. Most of the planes in the photos were built with that emphasis.
We are not structured like most clubs — no president, secretary, or formal meetings. We have occasional get-togethers to discuss building techniques and problems. Our main purpose is a mutual interest in scale and to promote scale in our area. We are also making every effort to train our members and members of other clubs as scale and carrier judges.
As part of our program, we will hold a Scale-Carrier Meet in early 1980 (probably May). We will run only the two events so we can provide the best possible judging and attention to contestants' needs. We hope that presenting such an event, run strictly according to the rules, will go a long way toward promoting both events in our area.
Bill sent several photos of different scale ships; three are included with this column, and we will show the rest in coming months. It must be enjoyable having a group of modelers with the same interests so close together. We've also heard from the "Louisiana Scale Squadron" recently. Are any other "Scale Teams" out there?
Question for the Month
Do any of you have definite ideas on the best way to set up a tricycle-geared scale ship to track properly during taxi? How do you do it?
Mike Gretz Box 162 Montezuma, IA 50171
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
