RADIO CONTROL: SCALE
Wayne and Darlene Frederick 5634 Crystal Ct., Santa Rosa, CA 95404-1002
Event summary
As we arrived in the Tri-Cities area in mid-July, an unseasonal storm had just passed through, bringing heavy rain, wind, lightning, thunder, and hail. Fortunately, the weather improved for the Scale Nationals and the event proceeded under mostly pleasant conditions.
Static judging for RC and CL Scale was held at the Shilo Inn in Richland on Monday, July 10. Flying began promptly at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11, at the Richland Regional Airport. Two flight lines were used. There was a slight crosswind with temperatures in the mid-80s; very pleasant flying weather, except for occasional gusts or "dirt devils."
Judging and static display
Three judges were used per category. After judging, the aircraft were displayed on a lawn area outside the hotel for media and spectators.
Judges by category
- Designer Scale, FAI F4C/F4B, Control Line Precision Scale: Darlene Frederick (CA), Hank Cavasso (CA), Al Culver (ID)
- Expert Scale: Wayne Frederick (CA), Charlie Bauer (IL), Bill Kleinhans (IL)
- Sportsman Scale (RC and CL): Vernon Altamirano (CA), Bruce Tharpe (OR), Floyd Bryant (ID)
Event organization
Event Director John Guenther was assisted by Dave and Sally Brown, who flew in from Ohio to act as co-contest directors. Their presence helped the event run smoothly.
Notable mishaps and repairs
- A dirt devil gust caused Garland Hamilton (VA) to slam his P-80 Shooting Star onto its nose and landing gear on final approach. Garland worked into the night to repair the aircraft and returned the next day to win first place in Expert Scale.
- Shailesh Patel's F-14 swing-wing jet landed long and struck the plywood Xs placed on the runway to deter full-scale aircraft. The landing gear sustained major damage and the F-14 could not fly on the second day.
- Hank Cavasso's Sig Spacewalker in Sportsman Scale would not run the first day due to an onboard glow system problem. Once repaired, Hank flew to first place.
Results
Expert Scale
- 1st: Garland Hamilton (VA) — P-80 Shooting Star
- 2nd: Bob Francis (CA) — Britten-Norman Islander
- 3rd: Randy Hansen (OR) — Cessna Ag Wagon
- 4th: Jeremy Fursman (WA) — Supermarine Spitfire (limited by engine problems)
- 5th: Richard Hansen (OR) — Nieuport 28
Notes:
- Bob Francis has campaigned the Islander for several years and presents it very realistically.
- Randy Hansen's Cessna Ag Wagon featured a realistic crop-dusting mechanism and well-detailed finish; his flying became more aggressive and realistic as the contest progressed.
- Jeremy Fursman's Spitfire completed only three flights due to engine trouble but placed fourth.
Designer Scale
- 1st: Wayne Siewert (MN) — Mooney PFM (suffered engine problems on the first day but completed remaining flights)
- Competitors included James Hiller (WA) and Bruce Tharpe (OR).
This was the first opportunity for Designer Scale to be flown at Nationals, replacing Precision Scale. Participation did not increase this year, and it remains to be seen whether Designer Scale will attract more entrants in the future.
Sportsman Scale
- 1st: Hank Cavasso — Sig Spacewalker
- 2nd: Ramon Care (WA) — Stevens Acro
- 3rd: James Hiller (WA) — Chipmunk
Sportsman Scale was smaller than usual this year, with only a few entrants.
FAI F4C/F4B
- Richard Hansen (OR) flew his Nieuport II in FAI F4C. He had no competition in that category but flew well.
Awards
The National Association of Scale Aeromodellers' (NASA) Scale Flight Achievement Award was voted to Bruce Tharpe for consistent flying in his Spacewalker. Bruce designed the Spacewalker while working for Sig Manufacturing and now runs a kit-manufacturing business in Rogue River, Oregon, with his wife Trayce.
Other close contenders for the Flight Achievement Award included:
- Garland Hamilton — P-80
- Richard Hansen — Nieuport
- Randy Hansen — Cessna Ag Wagon
NASA meeting
NASA held its annual meeting on Tuesday, July 11, after the first day of competition. About 20 members attended and had a productive, motivating discussion.
For more information about NASA contact:
- Bert Dugan, NASA Secretary/Treasurer
11090 Phyllis Dr., Clio, MI 48420 Tel: (810) 686-0655
Looking ahead
The 1996 Scale Nats will be held in Muncie at the National Flying Site and Headquarters, reported for July 12–14. Holding the Nats at the AMA flying site may increase entries and will reunite the Nationals on a single site.
Make plans early. See you next summer!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
