Author: S. Alexander
Edition: Model Aviation - 1993/12
Page Numbers: 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 91, 184
,
,
,
,
,
,
,

RADIO CONTROL SCALE

Stan Alexander 3709 Valley Drive, Nashville, TN 37211

Event overview

Sunny summer weather, a great flying site, good friends, and beautiful scale models—these are just some of the ingredients that made the 1993 Scale Nats another success.

Scale had a full calendar of events at the Nats this year. The RC Scale event traditionally closes the National Aeromodeling Championships, and probably has the largest audience of spectators for any modeling event at the Nats. The diversity of subjects usually ranges from the dawn of flight to the latest technology in jets. This year was no exception, with the quality and diversity of aircraft at the Nats being excellent.

Seminar and flight judging

The RC event began on Thursday with registration and transmitter processing that afternoon. On Thursday night, Jim Parker, chief flight judge at this year's Scale Nats, gave a seminar on RC Scale flight judging for contestants and judges at the Executive Inn in Vincennes.

Jim is president of the Unified Scale and Pattern Judges Association (USPJA). He also judges full-scale aerobatics, including the regionals and the International Aerobatic Competition at Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. In aeromodeling Jim has judged at the U.S. Scale Masters, Top Gun, eleven consecutive Nats, and the Tournament of Champions.

During Jim's lecture and discussion he used an overhead projector with diagrams of RC Scale flight maneuvers—showing variations of an individual maneuver for different types of aircraft. The visual definitions provided by these diagrams will help any RC Scale pilot working to perfect his flight routine. Jim discussed the basics—presentation, precision, placement, mandatory maneuvers, and optional maneuvers.

This discussion, sponsored by the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA), is open to any interested person and is held at almost every Nats.

Static judging

On Friday morning, static judging started at Lawrenceville High School. Charlie Chambers served as the Event Director this year. Charlie usually competes and has vowed to do so next year, but this year he provided his organizational talents (which he usually saves for his Sawgrass Scale Classic in Florida) for everyone at the Nats. He also had a great group of administrative personnel and judges.

There was a beautiful group of aircraft assembled in the gym this year. Several of these aircraft were new to the Nats:

  • Bill McCallie's P-39
  • Steve Sauger's Vultee BT-15
  • David Ribbe's F-16C
  • Bill Setzler's 1/3-scale J-3 Cub
  • Mike Barbee's T-34C
  • Joe Moore's Laird-Turner LT-14
  • Andrew Pound's Byron Glassair (the Glassair is especially interesting in Sportsman)

Friday night, after static judging, the annual NASA banquet was held at the Lawrenceville Elks Club. The food and company were excellent. About 80 NASA members attended, and several brought their spouses.

After dinner, modelers and officials met for a short pilots' meeting, and everyone found out where they were stationed on the flight lines. It was decided to fly six rounds of flight competition and average the best three. Flight lines were placed close together this year—this worked out great. Some contestants had reservations about the flight lines being so close, but Charlie Chambers put their concerns to rest.

Flight competition

Saturday morning was hot and humid, with a slight crosswind that increased as the days passed. The first flight went off before the scheduled time of 8:00 a.m. During the first round there were several flameouts because some of the aircraft weren't used to the climate at Lawrenceville. Static scores were also posted after the first round.

Terry Nitsch's Bob Violett F-86 Sabre took the top static score in Expert, and, combined with two excellent early flights, proved to be the man to beat.

Other competitors in Expert who kept Terry on his toes were:

  • Bill McCallie, flying a Bell P-39 400
  • Bruce Tharpe, flying his own design, a Sig Spacewalker
  • Kim Foster, with his Nieuport 28
  • Mike Barbee, flying a Torres T-34C

Of this group, the top three pilots flew all six rounds. Being consistent, practicing, and taking care of maintenance paid off.

Notable Expert aircraft and builders

Terry Nitsch — Bob Violett F-86

  • Started as a kit; took Terry over two years to modify and complete.
  • Modifications include nose changes, added speed brakes, and an operational canopy.
  • Covered with Coverite Presto and aluminum detailing foil marketed by Jeff Foley. Terry cut panels only .002" thick and attached them to the aircraft.
  • Foley's Aluminum Detailing Foil is available in three package sizes, $5.95 to $24.95 plus shipping. Contact Foley Manufacturing, Inc., P.O. Box 245, Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870 for more information.
  • Painted with Ditzler acrylic enamel and overcoated with Ditzler Del-Glo clear coat. Markings provided by Aeroloft Designs of Chandler, Arizona, produced from artwork and photos taken at Buckley Air National Guard Base in Colorado.
  • Rivets were applied by a tool Terry constructed on a lathe to burnish rivets into the skin.
  • Model specifications: 1/8 scale, 57-inch wingspan, 14 pounds, powered by a BVM .91.
  • Awards: Expert winner at the Nats, second at Top Gun by .15 point, and Best Military Model at Toledo.

Bill McCallie — Bell P-39 400

  • Built from plans designed by Jim Pepino of Scale Plans & Photo Service; prototype served at Guadalcanal with the 367th Fighter Squadron.
  • Model specifications: 1/5 scale, 80½-inch wingspan, 25 pounds, powered by a Moki 1.8. Radio: Futaba nine-channel VAP.
  • Notable: Complex nose gear assembly with modified Dave Platt unit and rubber guide struts, main gear operated by two sailwinch servos and Robin-Aire struts, independently cycled gear doors.

Bruce Tharpe — Sig Spacewalker

  • Finished third in Expert.
  • Bruce designed the kit sold by Sig Manufacturing Company, Inc.
  • Model specifications: 104-inch wingspan, 1/3 scale, 21 pounds, powered by a SuperTiger 3000. Radio: Airtronics 75P.
  • Bruce demonstrated consistent flying and quiet competitiveness. The prototypes of the Spacewalker and Spacewalker II were at Oshkosh the week after the Nats.

Steve Sauger — Vultee BT-15

  • Scratch-built using three-view factory drawings.
  • Model specifications: 92-inch wingspan, 62-inch length, 17½ pounds, powered by a SuperTiger 3000.
  • Finish: Randolph butyrate dope over fabric.
  • Canopy crafted from brass sheet with operational segments—excellent craftsmanship.
  • Photo documentation obtained from Bob Banka's Scale Model Research catalog.

Sportsman Scale — junior winner

In Sportsman Scale there was a surprise winner: 14-year-old Andrew Pound from Terre Haute, Indiana. He flew a Byron Glassair to a four-point win over second-place Hank Cavasso.

Many onlookers commented that Andrew's flying was so methodical they wondered if he should be flying Pattern instead. Andrew has been competing for six years. His father Ron competed in Expert class this year with a Byron Beechcraft Bonanza A36. Andrew, being the only Junior, also received the first-place trophy in the Junior class.

Precision Scale

Precision Scale will be deleted from the new AMA Competition Regulations next year. Being the last year for Precision Scale at the Nats, it was fitting to see Claude McCullough win the event.

Claude flew a scratch-built Rawdon T-1:

  • Specifications: 100-inch wingspan, powered by an O.S. 160 twin.
  • Covering: Sig Koverall; painted surfaces finished with butyrate dope.
  • Documentation: obtained from the aircraft owner and from photos Claude took at an EAA fly-in.
  • Claude has been attending the Nats for many years and says his ambition is to be the oldest competitor at the Nats.

Fun Scale

In Fun Scale, Stefan King won flying an Extra 300 modeled after the Proteus Petrol aircraft. All competitors in Fun Scale received their five static points. To enter Fun Scale you just have to have a scale model—you don't even have to build it. This is an entry-level event, much like control line's Profile Scale event. Acrobatic types tend to dominate the class, with a few civil and military types competing as well.

Place winners:

  1. Stefan King — Extra 300
  2. Vincent Gargiulo (New Jersey) — de Havilland Chipmunk
  3. John Wood (Massachusetts) — 1/4-scale Clipped Wing Cub

Families, safety, and logistics

It was great to see families at the RC Scale Nats. Bruce Tharpe attended with his wife Tracy and son Branden. Harold Hester attended with son Nicholas. Hal and Phyllis Winters, regular attendees, came with Hal's retract landing gear for his Grumman F3F Gulfhawk. Hal had the retracts built as a unit; Wilbur Hoffman (retired engineer from Bell Telephone Laboratories) built the retract unit so it could be removed from the airframe for service and repairs. Hal modified Bob Karlsson's retract plan from Bob's Wildcat.

All week Nats personnel reminded modelers and officials about the heat and the need to drink plenty of liquids. AMA provided judges and officials with canopies that break down in about two minutes. Judges also appreciated the tall traffic cones placed around them as a safety barrier; the cones proved useful on several occasions due to the consistent crosswind.

Category Manager John Guenther was asked why turnout was lower this year. He cited:

  • Economic factors.
  • Weather in the Midwest, which caused some judges and contestants to be unable to attend.
  • Possibly fatigue from the location, as this was the third time at Lawrenceville despite it being an excellent site.

The flooded Midwest had a large impact on the Nats and other events that summer. Bill Harris, a Scale competitor who usually attends the Nats, reported the water was about a quarter mile from his house when he left on Sunday. Bill came to watch and noted animals, rodents, and insects were being driven from flood-swollen rivers into local homes.

NASA Flight Achievement Award

At each AMA Nats, NASA presents the NASA Flight Achievement Award. After all competition flights are completed, the flight judges decide which aircraft, among all Scale entries, best represents the full-scale prototype. Scores or number of flights are not the deciding factors; rather, the judges' impression of realism, skill, and uniqueness in flight determine the winner.

John Guenther, who is also president of NASA, was pleased to present this year's award to Terry Nitsch.

To join NASA, send your name, address, AMA number, and $8 to: Bert Dugan, NASA Secretary 11090 Phyllis Dr., Clio, Michigan 48420

Thanks and acknowledgments

We should thank the dedicated crew of officials and workers who travel from all parts of the country to work the AMA National Championships. This year’s officials and helpers included:

  • Charlie Chambers
  • Sally and Dave Brown
  • Jim Parker
  • Anne Underwood
  • Carol Culver
  • Hal and Phyllis Winters
  • Chauncy Dance
  • Charlie Bauer
  • Richie Roberts
  • Bill Kleinhans
  • Wayne and Darlene Fredrick
  • Hal Parentin (provided an excellent set of scales for weigh-in)
  • Vernon Altamirano
  • Skip Mast
  • Steve Swarner
  • Ron Sears
  • Bert Dugan
  • Bill Stewart
  • Mike Still
  • Al Tuttle
  • Dick Smith
  • Ford Loyd (from Australia)
  • Kit Gerhart
  • Don Bartlett
  • Richard Schneider
  • Dee Guenther
  • Ken Wilson

All of these officials are to be commended for their commitment to the Nats and their willingness to give their time and vacation. Some judges and officials who helped in one class also competed in another. Thanks to all for a job well done.

Next year it's on to the Lone Star State—Texas. Hope to see you there for the best in Scale modeling and great times.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.