Radio Control: Sport & Aerobatics
Ron Van Putte
Correction
Word reaching us just as we were going to press indicates that the O.S. .12 four-stroke used by Tony Frackowiak to place third at the Reno Nats in the FAI Turnaround Pattern event was completely stock (not modified), as was indicated in MA's Nats Pattern report last month.
Rich Mixture
This column is intended to be a mix of topics relative to sport RC flying and to Aerobatic RC flying. I try not to emphasize one aspect at the expense of the other, but I often get letters from sport fliers who complain about an excess of Aerobatic flying topics, and vice versa. In trying for a proper balance in the column, I rely on the letters I receive as feedback in deciding what to do in the future.
Some letter-writers will ask me to cover a topic which has not been in the column before, and I usually try to oblige the request. Often, a letter-writer will ask for a topic which was contained in a column several years ago. This reminds me that there are newcomers to RC who have never read many of those old columns. Don Lowe (RC Modeler's "Flying Lowe" columnist) and I were comparing notes on writing a magazine column a while back, and we agreed that we could probably recycle our columns every three to four years and hardly anyone would notice. If we did, it would make it a lot easier to write the column—but it would also introduce ideas of interest to RC newcomers who never read the earlier ones.
Now, that was a long introduction to the topic of a letter from Ron Epple (Owensboro, KY) who asked for an article on how Novice Pattern fliers should prepare for their first contest. I did a piece on that in a past column, but it was so long ago that I can't even remember in what issue it was published. (It was March 1983—RMcM.) Have you ever tried to find something in 100+ magazines? Nevertheless, I think the topic is of sufficient interest to be covered again. Those of you who manage to find that old column can compare this one with it and see how close they are.
Assumptions
With any subject like this, a few assumptions must be made. I assume that anyone who is thinking about going to his first contest has a radio and airplane capable of flying the Novice maneuvers.
The radio doesn't have to be a new PCM system with ball-bearing/coreless-motor servos. Nor does the airplane have to be an Arrow with retractable gear and a piped Rossi .61 engine. Novice fliers don't need fancy radios or airplanes to get started—I've preached on this subject for years. Almost any modern four-channel radio controlling a simple, three-axis airplane will do just fine. A good measure of whether a radio/airplane is adequate is if the combination can do all the Novice maneuvers in the hands of a Sportsman (or higher class) flier.
Read the Rules
One of the first things a beginning Pattern flier should do is to read the applicable sections of the AMA rule book! Parts of it will be confusing—but there are usually experienced Pattern fliers around who can help answer questions. The most important area to emphasize, initially, is how the Novice class maneuvers are to be done. By the way, some of the "old pros" should be checked on what they say about Straight Flight and Straight Flight Black. It is likely that the descriptions have changed since they were doing those maneuvers.
Practice Maneuvers Individually
The maneuvers should be tried one at a time in a low-pressure environment. A big audience is undesirable, because it will add to the pressure, but an informed observer is useful to calm down the Novice flier and to tell him what he's doing right and wrong. Anyone who is thinking about going to a contest shouldn't have trouble with takeoff or landing, but other maneuvers should be practiced one at a time until proficiency and confidence are developed.
It's especially true of the Straight Flight Out—Procedure Turn—Straight Flight Back sequence. A good Procedure Turn is probably impossible if it follows a bad Straight Flight Out. They should be practiced individually until they look good—and then strung together. The proper wind direction should be followed, since maneuvers done in the wrong direction will result in zeros at a contest. Besides, maneuvers like Three Inside Loops or the Stall Turn look terrible if they are done downwind by most Novice fliers.
Seek Experienced Advice
The beginning Pattern flier should seek the advice of experienced Pattern fliers on proper technique. An observer is a much better judge of what the airplane is doing than is the flier. Since the goal of Pattern flying is to perform maneuvers so that they look good to judges, the advice of a competent observer is invaluable.
A case in point is proper framing and centering. Many fliers are totally unaware of when they are flying to one side or the other of the centerline. Most beginners start rolling maneuvers too late and even though there is only one rolling maneuver—One Horizontal Roll—it still looks best when it is properly centered and it will score better. An observer can help the flier learn where to start that maneuver, as well as the others which are supposed to be centered.
When to Go to Your First Contest
Once the beginner can do a reasonable job of performing the Novice pattern in front of club members, he's probably ready for his first contest. Since most people are uneasy when they don't know what to expect or how they are expected to behave, a few hints about a typical contest are in order.
Most contests are listed in the "Competition Newsletter" part of Model Aviation. The events to be flown are listed along with a point of contact, usually the Contest Director. The flier should write to the point of contact requesting information like:
- a map to the flying site
- a list of local motels and rates
- a brief schedule of events (including when registration will open, time of pilots' meeting, and when flying will start)
All of this information is usually available in the form of a flyer which the host club mails out. Be sure to ask for information early enough to let the U.S. Postal Service do its thing. Sometimes, the club offers a discount in the entry fee for advance registration, and a few bucks can be saved if the entry is in soon enough.
If the contest is to be held at a strange field and it is possible to arrive at the site a day early, it's a good idea to check out the field and put in a practice flight or two. There may be some peculiarities of the field which take some getting used to, like a tree or telephone poles and lines on the landing approach, a ditch at each end of the runway, a short hard-surface runway (and you're used to grass), or similar things.
Arriving at the Field
On the morning of the contest, it is mandatory to get an early enough start to make it to the contest site well before the pilots' meeting is scheduled to be held, especially if the route to the field is strange. A contestant should register (or confirm preregistration) as soon as he arrives at the flying site. The Contest Director must arrange the flight order to avoid frequency conflicts and to smooth the operation of the flight line.
In contests with multiple flight lines, all fliers on the same frequency should fly on the same flight line. The Contest Director will try to have the same number of contestants on each line by moving the frequency assignments from line to line until it is achieved. However, he has to know who's there and what their frequencies are before he can complete the flight order and start the contest. Help him out and register right away so the contest can start on time.
Frequency control should be very tight at a contest. This means that a transmitter should never be turned on without the authority of the contest officials. Right before a contest is to start is a nervous time, and there may be people doing practice flying, checking out engines, or verifying frequencies. The Contest Director will have a frequency control system in effect and it must be observed.
The airplane should be assembled and fueled before the pilots' meeting, because the contest will start right after it's over, and someone has to be first to fly. The first contest is a bad time to have to get the airplane ready to go in a hurry. Besides, the Contest Director will impound all transmitters before the contest starts, and that makes it more difficult to assemble and check out the airplane.
Pilots' Meeting and Flight Order
The pilots' meeting is a good time to get information on how the contest will be conducted and judged. Local variations to the AMA rules will be announced. The variations are usually for safety (local hazards) or public relations (touchy local resident under normal flight path). After the pilots' meeting, the flight order will be announced. It is the pilot's responsibility to be on the line when it is his turn to fly, even though most contests try to inform everyone who is up (and who those immediately following him are) via a loudspeaker system or bullhorn.
At most contests, the flier is expected to fill out and bring two score sheets to the flight line. The score sheets are presented to the judges just before the flight, after the previous contestant's airplane has landed.
On the Flight Line: Preparation and Procedure
The flier should have everything which might be needed on the line with him:
- starting battery
- prime bottle
- starter
- spare glow plug
- prop/plug wrench
- spinner reassembly tools
- any other items needed for quick fixes
Just think of the problems which might occur and bring the necessary items to enable a fast fix.
The pilot should have a caller/helper with him to assist in getting the flight underway and to tell the pilot the maneuver sequence. A Novice-class pilot will probably forget the maneuver sequence, his name, and how to get his knees to stop shaking, so a caller is mandatory!
The caller/helper should place the airplane on the flight line with the exhaust pointing away from the judges. Since flight starts when the glow-plug starting battery connector is attached, the flier should check for proper radio operation before attaching the connector so that he can ask to go to the end of the flight order if a problem exists. It is not uncommon for new Pattern fliers to forget to connect the aileron servo to the receiver, and the advance radio check will preclude losing a round of flying due to either this or other, similar causes.
The judges should be informed when the starting battery is connected to the glow plug. Once the engine is started, the needle-valve setting should be checked (if it wasn't done earlier) because changes in weather and altitude can radically change the needle-valve setting for proper operation. The caller/helper should carry the airplane (saves time) to a prearranged starting place for the takeoff. In the meantime, the pilot should move close enough to the judges so that they can easily hear him, but not so close that he blocks their view. I like to stand on the upwind side of the judges when there is a wind blowing, because it is easier for them to hear me call out the maneuvers.
Each maneuver should be announced and the judges told when it starts and ends. A typical sequence might be, "The next maneuver will be an Immelmann Turn" ... "This is the maneuver heading" ... "Maneuver starting now" ... "Maneuver complete." The caller should inform the judges when the pilot is ready to fly the next maneuver as soon as the previous maneuver is completed so that the pilot can get the airplane in position to perform it and so he can tell the judges what's next.
Of course, there are exceptions to normal procedure, and the maneuver sequence of Straight Flight Out—Procedure Turn—Straight Flight Back is the exception. There's not enough time to announce the maneuvers in the normal way. So, all three should be announced initially, followed by, "Straight Flight Out starting now" ... "Procedure Turn now" ... "Straight Flight Back now" ... "Maneuver complete" at the appropriate times. (Delete the "Maneuver complete" after the first two maneuvers, since announcing the start of the following maneuver means that the previous maneuver is complete.)
After the landing is complete, call the flight complete and thank the judges. Without the judges, there wouldn't be a contest, and there are probably several other places they'd rather be.
After the Contest
After the first contest, the normal reaction is to decide that it wasn't all that bad after all, especially if everything went well. A big factor in success is proper preparation and knowing what to expect. Both are in the pilot's control! Good luck.
This has been a long column and I realize that it was exclusively about Aerobatics, so I owe the sport fliers one.
Ron Van Putte 111 Sleepy Oaks Rd. Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
