Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
Author
Ron Van Putte 111 Sleepy Oaks Rd. Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
New frequencies and equipment
As you read this, we're moving into uncharted RC territory. All of the new frequencies will be available for use. The new frequencies are a true double-edged sword because of the benefits and problems they bring. We'll be doubling the frequencies we can use and that should ease problems of overcrowding on some channels. The new narrow-band equipment should give us plenty of spacing between channels.
The problems will come from older equipment that will still be around. Clubs around the country will have to wrestle with how to accommodate wideband equipment. Possible club approaches include:
- Require all narrow-band equipment, which eases interference worries but can place a financial hardship on people with older equipment who can't afford to upgrade.
- Allow only narrow-band equipment on Channels 12–36 and permit both wideband and narrow-band equipment on the upper channels.
- Permit wideband equipment everywhere in the channel matrix.
In situations where narrow-band and wideband equipment are mixed, special frequency controls must be used. My club allows mixed use. When narrow-band equipment is used, the flier takes one frequency pin. When wideband equipment is used, the flier takes three pins: the primary frequency pin and the pins on each side of the primary frequency. In this way everyone should be safe, provided the wideband equipment has a silver sticker on it.
Transmitter testing
My club requires all transmitters to be tested. All transmitters used at the field must have either a gold or a silver sticker. We are fortunate to have Radio South nearby in Pensacola; Tony Stillman brought his testing equipment to a club meeting for a gigantic transmitter test-a-thon. Clubs without a testing facility nearby will have to work out ways to decide which wideband equipment will work in the new scheme and which won't. I hope nobody discovers a bad wideband receiver the hard way. Good luck.
Caution about the AMA receiver list
The AMA publishes a list of transmitters and receivers that meet the AMA requirements for narrow-band operation. However, don't rely on everything you read. Some of the receivers listed as narrow-band don't qualify across the board. It is true that some of one manufacturer's receivers are narrow-band if certain modifications have been made to them. However, other receivers with the same model numbers would not be narrow-band if the modifications have not been made. You'll note that none of the receivers listed carry any identification other than model number. Don't assume that your receiver is truly narrow-band just because it is on the AMA list. Be careful and check it out.
End of the contest season
The contest season is over here in the Southeast, and I didn't realize how burned out I was until after the last contest. I put my airplane up and haven't really wanted to touch it since, and that was more than three weeks ago. 1990 was a long season that started in early March and continued through mid-October. This was a year when I really paid my dues. I practiced every chance I got and went to every contest I could. It finally began to pay off toward the end of the season, and I began to take some trophies. The good news is that I am flying Pattern better than ever, and that's my criteria for a good season. Look out for me in 1991.
Slow roll technique and using a mixer
One thing I learned late in the season is how to keep the slow roll from speeding up during the last half. I would do a nice slow roll until the wings were just past horizontal, and as I eased in the top rudder, the roll rate would increase. John Fuqua, my contest partner and biggest critic, would yell, "Dave Brown Slow Roll!" Dave Brown was National Champion many times, but I think even he would admit that the second half of his slow rolls are faster than the first half.
I talked with several people about what to do. Some told me to ease off on the aileron as the wings went past horizontal on the second half, but I'm just not talented enough to do that. The problem is that the increase in roll rate is a function of how much top rudder is used. The more top rudder, the more the roll rate increases. Then it struck me that I have a perfectly good control mixer that I wasn't using. Since I roll to the right, I mixed right rudder into left aileron. Now when I do a slow roll, I flip in the programmable mixer, and as I ease in top rudder for the last part of the slow roll, the radio eases in a proportional amount of left aileron to counter the increase in roll rate. It's almost like cheating. It works great.
Sunglasses and visibility at dusk
My last contest was in Mobile. As luck would have it, I was the last pilot to fly on Saturday evening as the sun went down. The darker it got, the more worried I became, because my old eyes need all the light they can get to be able to see the airplane. The necessity for more light begins to plague fliers around the age of 40, and I'm 15 years past that age. Someone suggested I try some yellow 100% ultraviolet-blocking sunglasses that Jim Fife (Greenwell Springs, LA) sells. I asked Jim to let me try a pair, and I was amazed. It was as though someone had turned back the clock an hour! I bought a pair on the spot and flew a good final flight in light conditions that I had been afraid would result in a crash. The judges couldn't see the airplane or I'd have had a better score.
Wheel retention idea
While on the subject of ideas, I'd like to share one that Rick Macrone (Pensacola, FL) passed on to me at the same contest. He decided that there must be a better way to retain a wheel on a Goldberg adjustable axle than with a wheel collar. He doesn't like the amount of space that a wheel collar takes up. His method:
- Put the wheel on the adjustable axle and place a washer next to the wheel.
- Clamp the end of the axle in a drill press.
- Run the drill press and hold a hacksaw blade up against the washer to cut a groove in the axle.
- Snap an E-ring into the groove and cut off the axle just outside the groove.
The wheel is secured on the axle, and the stub of the axle extends only about 1/8 inch outside. E-rings are available from many good hardware stores. Great idea, Rick.
1991 Nats
I just heard that the 1991 Nats will be at Lawrenceville, IL again. That's fine with me. The 1990 Nats there were fun, and if we can get the wind to blow down the runway, it will be even better. The planned dates are July 13 through 21.
Proposed rules and the 90 dB confusion
One last comment about the proposed rules is in order. Please make sure you understand a proposal before speaking out about it. There is at least one person who wrote to the RC Aerobatics Contest Board members in opposition to a supposed "90 dB(A)" rule for Pattern. He's afraid that the rule will contaminate everyone if it is passed, including Scale pilots, Sport pilots, Racing pilots, IMAA pilots, Old-Timers, and even Free-Flight pilots. He's also afraid that it "will not end until AMA includes this rule in the Safety Code," and once in the Safety Code all club flying sites, at all times, would have to meet the 90 dB rule. If your airplane does not meet the rule, your AMA insurance would not cover you in case of an accident.
Wow, that 90 dB at 9 ft must be a bad rule! Hey, wait a minute. There's no such rule change proposal. There is a 98 dB at 9 ft proposal for Pattern which would penalize pilots who exceeded 98 dB by 5% and those who exceeded 102 dB by 10% of their flight score. Anyone who has tried knows that it's simple to get below 98 dB at 9 ft.
It makes me wonder why someone got so upset over something he didn't understand and then went on to tell the RC Contest Board members about his lack of understanding.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
