U.S. scale masters championship

Model Airplane News, Apr 2001 by Nelson, Jerry

The best of the best compete in Dayton

THE 2000 U.S. SCALE MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP was held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH, which is also the site of the United States Air Force Museum and the place where the Wright brothers did most of their flying. The runway used for the competition was thousands of feet long, and most of the time the sun stayed behind the pilots; the weather was good, though at times a crosswind challenged the pilots. All in all, it was a great event.

More than 400 scale modelers competed in 23 qualifiers nationwide held throughout the year, and the top 30 percent of each qualifier advanced to compete in Dayton. This year, a record total of 76 competitors made official flights.

The U.S. Scale Masters Association is run by many volunteers and is chaired by Earl Aune, who is assisted by his wife, Josie. Assisted by Mike Barbee, contest director Bill DeVerna made sure everything happened smoothly. The local RC club-the Westerville R/C Flyers-provided manpower for crowd control, food concessions and all the other behind-the-scenes duties required for a successful national event. Seventy-six contestants flying five rounds in only two and a half days kept everyone hopping. AMA president Dave Brown and his wife, Sally, ran the flightline so efficiently that all competitors were able to fly five full rounds. Four flight stations were in use at all times. Dave and Sally acted as air traffic controllers, communicating by radio to monitor the air traffic.

The two classes are Team and Expert. Team allows a builder to have someone perhaps more skilled fly his aircraft. In Expert, the builder is also the pilot. Ten team entries and 76 expert contestants participated this year. Individual championship awards are given for both classes, along with many "best of."

JUDGING

For modelers who have not attended or competed in scale competition, here is a brief overview of the event rules. The actual competition (Team and Expert) is composed of two parts-static judging and flight performance. A perfect score is 200 points (100 for each part). The static judging is done prior to flying, and one day is set aside just for this. Of the 100 static points, 40 points are for accuracy of the model's outline, 30 for color and markings and 30 for the builder's craftsmanship. The contestants must provide 3-views as well as photos and color documentation of their subjects.

To earn flight points, the contestant flies nine maneuvers in each round; each can earn from one to 10 points. There are extensive flight maneuvers to choose from.

Typically, the modeler chooses what the full-- scale aircraft did: bombers drop bombs, fighters perform combat maneuvers, aerobatic models do advanced aerobatics, and Cubs do what only Cubs can do. An additional 10 points are earned for flight realism. Part of the realism score is scale speed, which is somewhat difficult to determine by both the pilot and the judges. The scores of the best three flights are then averaged for a maximum possible flight score of 100 points.

The flight judges have a difficult job. They must be trained on the various flying characteristics of all the full-scale versions of the model aircraft that are competing. Since the judges cannot be expected to have firsthand knowledge of how all the full-scale aircraft actually performed, they can only base their final scores on what the contestants tell them about the full-scale aircraft.

After the static judging, the museum was closed to the public for the evening, and a special dinner for modelers was served inside the museum's display aircraft area. This was also a great opportunity for everyone to inspect their favorite aircraft; they were even able to sit in the cockpits of some of the aircraft. Scale Masters chairman Earl Aune sat inside the SR97 Black Bird. Could this be a future scale project for Earl?

NOONTIME SHOW

The Westerville R/C club organized an airshow each day at noon. Various types of models flew, and the crowd really loved Bob Noll's superb aerobatic demonstration with his 40-percent CAP; it was outstanding!

A U.S. Scale Masters' tradition is to allow time for an up-close public viewing of the models before the judges' break and the noontime airshow. All the models are lined up down the middle of the runway, and the pilots stand next to their aircraft to answer questions. Spectators can take photos up close-an excellent public relations demonstration. The more people from behind the fence that we can involve in our hobby, the more our hobby will grow.

What does it take to win the Scale Masters (other than skill and practice)? I'd have to say a giant-- scale aircraft. Not necessarily of a particular size, but an aircraft that weighs more than 30 pounds. Average weight of the top 10 aircraft was more than 33 pounds. Over the years, the quality of flying has improved, and to place in the top 10, you need a flight score of more than 90 points. The larger and heavier aircraft give you fetter, more precise flight performance, especially when the flying is done in less-than-perfect wind conditions.