Scalemasters

Scalemasters

George Jenkins

When the masters of scale come together for their annual big contest, the mood is as lighthearted as the competition is close. The 11th annual Scalemasters meet was held September 20–23, 1990, in Irving, TX (just north of Dallas). Sponsored by Pacer Technology, the event drew a field of 76 entries and roughly 70 competitors who completed their scheduled flights. The contest had the feeling of a class reunion — relaxed, friendly, and serious about scale modeling.

Winner and top finishers

Charley Chambers swept the honors with his "Big Beautiful Doll," a Platt P-51D Mustang finished in printer's plate aluminum. Highlights:

• Overall winner: Charley Chambers — 188.533 combined static and flight points.
• Charley also won High Static, Best Military, and Pilots' Choice awards.
• Static score: 97 points (likely would have been 100 except the lower intake scoop was about 3/8" longer than the side-view outline).
• Static tie for high static: Charles Nelson's Waco VKS-7F (Nelson finished 13th overall).
• 2nd place: Eugene Jobs — 186.8333 with an A6M5 Zero (Bert Baker design, painted like the Chino, CA example).
• 3rd place: (details not individually listed in the text)
• 4th: Cliff Tacle — 185.3333 with a Savoia Marchetti.
• 5th: Diego Lopez — 185.2500 with a Skyraider (Vietnam camo).
• 7th: Gene Barton — 184.5833 with an all-gray Skyraider (94 static points).
• 8th: Mel Whitley — 184.50 (had a 94 static and a 95-point flight with a Hawker Sea Fury).
• Rick Lewis also placed in the top 10 with 183.5833 (Skyraider).
• Corvin Miller placed 24th with 180.000 points, only 8.533 below the winner, illustrating how close the top third of the field was.

Flight-round highlights

• Round One leader: Hal Parenti with his Fireball. Hal uses a small ducted-fan unit in the tail to simulate the jet engine; as long as it runs at touchdown he gets a 10-point multi-engine bonus. Hal finished the round with 91.00 points.
• Dennis Crooks dazzled with an SR-71 Blackbird demo; an aileron stuck near the end of a flight, but he saved the plane with only minor damage.
• Jeff Foley's Platt A6M3-M32 Zero lost a wheel during retraction; the wheel collar came off and the model made a belly landing — the crowd applauded.
• Mechanical/flight-systems notes on Skyraiders:
• All Skyraiders had folding/lockdown wings for carrier storage. Wings start folded over the canopy for engine start, then are lowered into flight position by electric-geared servos.
• A separate servo operates the locking-pin device; a microswitch attached to the locking pin turns on navigation lights and the flight beacon as a safety feature.

Static judging and photography

• Static judging began Thursday; threatened showers held off until about 5:00 p.m.
• Tim Lovett photographed contestants and their planes against a makeshift backdrop; each contestant received a photo at the awards banquet.
• Frank Tiano, who traditionally handed out photos, was missed this year.
• Recommendations and observations:
• Contest directors should invite legitimate press and issue press passes so media photographers can take effective pictures without creating safety problems. Experienced contest photographers generally know how to behave and typically number only three or four.
• Because many crashes occur in the first flight round, high-quality photos during static judging are vital for publicity.

Flying site and weather

• The flying strip, built by the Irving City Park and Recreation Department for the meet, measured approximately 75 ft wide by 650 ft long and rose to a slight crown over the last two-thirds.
• Wind was predominantly from the north and was strongest on the final day.
• An early-season cold front Saturday night dropped temperatures from a high near 98°F to a low of 61°F on Sunday.

Sponsors, prizes, and industry presence

• Major financial sponsor: Pacer Technology.
• Shirts for pilots and judges: GEC Avionics.
• Prize contributors: Futaba, Yellow Aircraft, and others.
• Raffle/door prizes included:
• Pica Kit of the Aeroneca Sedan
• Yellow Aircraft kits
• A fully built, ready-to-fly Hobbico 60 Trainer with K&B .61 and Futaba radio
• Industry presence and contributions included Aeroloft Designs (dry-transfer markings demo), Jerry Warthan of Impact Engineering, and Bob Banko (Scale Model Research).

Volunteers, clubs, and organization

The contest required extensive volunteer effort. Clubs and people to thank included:

• Host club: Mid-Cities RC Club
• Other clubs: Fort Worth Thunderbirds; Dallas RC Club; Greater South West RC Club; Golden Triangle RC Club; 114 Squadron RC Club; North Texas Miniature Aircraft — IMAA Chapter 21; Planesman RC Club
• Directors: Ed Newman and Ernest Harwood (assigned duties)
• Overall coordination: Harold Statz
• Founder and assistants: Harris Lee (founder) and Bert Baker (assistant)

Souvenir shirts: contact Harold Statz (1621 Wade Dr., Bedford, TX 76022; telephone 1-817-268-3915). Sizes L and XL, $18 plus $3 shipping.

Old-Timers, unique entries, and international flavor

• Standouts in Old-Timers A-scale:
• Robert Pickney — J-3 Cub (A-scale)
• Gerald Garing (Schenectady, NY) — Allred Travel Air 4000 biplane
• Dick Hansen (Portland, OR) — Albatros D.Va
• Rock Thrush (well-worn example) and a cropduster by David Hayes (Roanoke Rapids, NC) — Hayes’s model used bicarbonate-of-soda dusting powder and gave a memorable demo
• Dick Graham’s Piper Pawnee suffered a broken wing spar on its first flight and dropped out
• Canadian entries:
• Gerry Flinger (Winnipeg) — 1/3-scale Cessna L-19 Bird Dog, used for glider tow, powered by a .91 OS Max four-cycle engine
• A 94-inch CL-215 configured as a fire bomber, painted bright yellow-and-red, with two .30 OS Max engines
• Dave Papes’ 1933 Kinner Sportster: home-built five-cylinder engine (346 cu in, ~66 lb engine) with folding wings and a 22 x 12 prop — a major time and money investment.
• International participants and guests:
• Caranke Digby (South Africa) — DH Tiger Moth competitor and banquet emcee
• Japan Flying Scale Association (JMAA counterpart) also participated

Scale judging, rules, and suggested changes

• Master builders are producing AMA-precise scale models with excellent color, markings, and craftsmanship.
• Static judging was adjusted: first-position judges moved forward to eight feet for a better look while other static judges remained at the standard 10-ft distance.
• Suggestions discussed:
• Consider moving some judges closer for detailed model inspection (panel lines, rivets, cockpits, sliding canopies).
• Possibly create three stand-off scale categories (expert, intermediate, novice) with stand-off distances of 0, 10, and 20 feet.
• Harris Lee and Bert Baker plan to publish a printed set of Scalemasters rules in time for the next meet to clarify rules variations and judging criteria.

Flight-judging challenges

• Luck of the draw made flight judging difficult: several identical or similar types often flew together (e.g., three Zeros, three P-47s, three yellow J-3 Cubs), making it hard for judges and pilots to track individual planes.
• Eight flight judges and three static judges performed a difficult but necessary job. The author served as one of the flight judges and shared long-distance driving with Parker Tunis (traveling over 1,200 miles in 25 hours from Sarasota, FL).

Industry help and on-site repairs

• Industry experts stepped in when needed: when Wayne Knight's Hawker Typhoon broke a rotary block on landing, Jerry Warthan (Impact Engineering) stayed up most of Friday night to make a replacement landing-gear block so Wayne could fly later rounds.
• Bob Banko provided photos and three-views to help modelers plan future projects.

Advice and closing

• The top finishers know their airplanes: Charley Chambers had more than 300 flights on his P-51D. Practice with the same airplane at your home field, repeat maneuvers, and have a friend judge your progress.
• Las Vegas will host the 1991 Scalemasters. If you hope to qualify, start practicing now — and fly the same model repeatedly to learn its behavior in all conditions.

Good flying, hard judging.

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