RADIO CONTROL: SCALE
Stan Alexander 3709 Valley Ridge Dr. Nashville, TN 37211
Overview
The 1998 AMA Scale Nats was held at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. The AMA Special Interest Group (SIG) for Scale runs the events in its specialty: NASA (National Association of Scale Aeromodelers).
Take one of the best flying sites in the country; add the best Scale modelers and models in various classes; combine these ingredients with sunny skies, little wind, low humidity, and a high temperature in the low 80s; then throw in a great banquet, and you have the beginnings of a great contest. Add several understanding, supportive wives and many other volunteers, judges, Event Directors, and Flightline Directors, and you have all the ingredients for a great AMA Scale Nats.
Static Judging
Static judging began on Friday, July 10, at the Muncie Convention Center. This site provided Scale modelers an enclosed, air-conditioned building with constant lighting for static judging and an assembly area away from possible inclement weather. It took all day for the judges to complete their tasks in the various classes.
Fun Scale
Fun Scale: Is it a beginner's class? Yes and no. In 1999 there will be Expert and Novice classes.
Why would an Expert or Designer pilot want to fly in Fun Scale? It gives the opportunity to fly twice as much at a contest, in front of the judges, to continue to hone flying skills. A modeler can compete with an ARF, a Scale model someone else has built, or a model he or she has constructed.
Dale Arvin is the RC Event Director at the Scale Nats. His son Jeremy Arvin won first place in Fun Scale flying an Extra 300. Of the seven entries in Fun Scale, six were aerobatic purpose-built aircraft. Congratulations to Jeremy — we hope to see him compete in Sportsman next year!
There were several scratch-built aircraft at this year's Nats. Veteran Scale modeler Claude McCullough came from Montezuma, Iowa, with three of them: a Gwinn Air Car, a WACO AVM, and a Rawdon R-1. Engine problems with two of the models kept them out of contention, but it's still great to see Claude, at 76 years young, competing with modelers half his age. "My next goal," he said, "is to be the first Scale modeler to compete at the Nats at 80 years old."
Flying site and operations
Saturday morning dawned with beautiful, sunny skies. Dale Arvin started the flying competition promptly at 8 a.m. The Flightline Directors were Dave and Sally Brown; they have efficiently taken care of the Scale pilots and kept things moving along for several years.
The mandatory Figure Eight maneuver was deleted because of the possibility that a few of the larger aircraft might overfly the Control Line site. Modelers were allowed to select another maneuver from the AMA Competition Regulations to complete their 10 maneuvers. Dale announced that anyone flying over the Control Line site would be zeroed as a safety precaution.
There was only one real crash all weekend: the 94-inch-span Ziroli P-40 built by Trip Glassalo was, unfortunately, a total loss.
Sportsman Sport Scale
Sportsman Sport Scale is where serious Scale modelers can begin competition that includes both static and flight judging. By this time, some modelers have tried Fun Scale and decided to build their own airplane and move up to the next class.
Winners:
- 1st: Gary Parenti — yellow Piper J-3 Cub (will move up to Expert next year)
- 2nd: Sean Cassidy — de Havilland Chipmunk DHC-1
- 3rd: Gene Hannah — Ryan PT-20
At the awards ceremony, Mike Barbee joked that Gary had moved up to the major league — and next year Gary will indeed fly in Expert while building a new model.
NASA Nats Banquet and Honors
On Saturday night, the NASA Nats Banquet was held at the Muncie Convention Center. In a heartfelt ceremony, AMA president Dave Brown inducted Bob Wischer into the AMA Hall of Fame posthumously and presented the award to Dolly Wischer. Dolly continued a tradition by selling her Dolly Bears for AMA projects all weekend.
Bert and Barbara Dugan were also honored for their many years of service to AMA, NASA, and the Nats. Bert served for the last 13 years as NASA Secretary/Treasurer; NASA president Bob Underwood made the presentation.
Dave Brown also announced Bob Underwood's election to the FAI Technical Secretary position; he won the election by a wide margin. Everyone enjoyed a good time, great food, and the best in fellowship.
Designer Scale
Designer Scale is a relatively new class. True-to-scale modelers research, design, build, and fly something a little different. Examples at this Nats included:
- Bob Patton — large T-34
- Dan Pierson — Little Dipper
- Dave Fogarty — Curtiss-Wright CW-1 Jr.
- Dave Platt — T-28 Trojan (Dave Platt Models)
- Harold Hester — Spacewalker II (Sig)
- Mike Gretz — 1/4-scale J-3 Cub (Sig)
- David Ribbe — MiG-15 (Bob Violett Models)
- Hal Parenti — B-25 (Wind Mfg.) — winning Designer Scale entry
- Charlie Nelson — WACO cabin biplane (second place), powered by a Seidel radial engine
Team Scale
Team Scale has recently become an official AMA event. This year there were only a few entries.
- 1st: Vernon Altamirano (builder) and Wayne Frederick (pilot) — Great Planes Cessna (had teething problems but took first)
Look for this class to grow dramatically over the next few years.
Notable models and features
There were several very interesting models at this year's Nats — some we've seen before but with new features.
- Terry Nitsch flew a Bob Violett Models F-80 Shooting Star, one of two turbine-powered aircraft to compete. Its unique feature was an operational smoke system, a first for Scale modeling. Terry used a TME electric smoke pump to push Bennett Best Smoke Fluid through 1/8-inch-diameter stainless-steel tubing. He developed the proper bends and tube length to obtain the correct temperature and produce a thick plume of smoke.
- David Fogarty came from Florida with a Curtiss-Wright CW-1 Jr. The Curtiss Wright Jr., originally built in 1931 "for the average man," was reconstructed by David from three-views and documentation found in Henderson, Nevada. His 3/4-scale (early-era ultralight) model has a wingspan of 94.8 inches and a length of 51 inches. The full-scale aircraft's pilot bought it in 1938 for $200, sold it in 1940 for $175, then repurchased it in 1980 for $20,000 and still flies it. David received color documentation and a hatch from the original aircraft from the owner/pilot.
Expert Class and Competition
After the first two rounds of flying in the Expert class, the top five or six places were still up for grabs. Contenders included Terry Nitsch, Mike Barbee, Greg Hahn, Charlie Chambers, and Al Kretz.
Greg Hahn held a slim lead over Charlie Chambers and Terry Nitsch, but the standings changed in the third and fourth rounds. Charlie Chambers, flying his now-familiar P-61 Black Widow (fresh from a win at Top Gun), put in two blistering flights to win the event, scoring 95.500 and 92.250 in the last two rounds. A victory at the US Scale Masters Championships would give him the Triple Crown of Scale Aeromodeling.
Results:
- 1st: Charlie Chambers — P-61 Black Widow
- 2nd: Terry Nitsch
- 3rd: Greg Hahn — Ziroli-designed P-47 Thunderbolt
Awards and Achievements
The NASA Flight Achievement Award (voted on by the flight judges for the most realistic aircraft in flight) was awarded to Mike Barbee's B-29. There are thousands of hours in this model — as in many models at the Nats. Mike used five different types of aluminum covering to accomplish a true aluminum finish on the big bomber, which his dad flew in WWII.
Closing
If you're looking for a great time at a fun National Scale Championships, join us at the Nats next year. For information, check with the AMA Competitions Department. Looking forward to seeing you in Muncie!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
