U.S. Scale Masters championship: The ultimate in scale competition

Model Airplane News, Feb 2002 by Nelson, Jerry

The ultimate in scale competition

The U.S. Scale Masters Championship is one of the most highly respected RC competitions in the world. More than 100 contestants were eligible to compete this year, and they represented the finest in building and flying skills from throughout the country. The Scale Masters isn't open to just anyone; every participant had to qualify by placing in the top 30 percent of finishers in one of 21 regional events. There were a total of 39 entries: 32 in Expert and seven in Team, The event was held at Lenhardts Airpark, a private airport in Hubbard, OR, about 45 minutes south of Portland. This was the perfect environment for the Scale Masters; it featured a 3,000-- foot paved runway with an excellent grassy area next to the pavement. Many of the contestants flew off the grass rather than the paved surface. An estimated 3,000 spectators attended, and 450 schoolchildren watched the noontime aircraft display on Friday.

The U.S. Scale Masters Association, which is based in the Portland area, organized the event. Chairman Earl Aune served as the contest director with the assistance of contest manager Gary Norton. The host club was the Portland SkyKnights. Many other volunteers from other local clubs also helped. Four flightlines were in use at all times. There were five sets of two judges, and five contest rounds were flown; each contestant was judged once by the five sets of judges. This scoring system worked very well; the top three winners' scores were very close, and coming into the final round on Sunday morning, no one was certain who the ultimate victors would be.

Two competition events were held: Team and Expert. The Team event allows the builder to have someone who is perhaps more skilled pilot the aircraft. The Expert event is more traditional in that the builder pilots his own model. Individual championship awards are given for both events, and there are many special "best of" awards.

RULES

For modelers who have not attended or competed in scale competitions, here is a brief overview of the rules. The actual competition (Team and Expert) is composed of two parts-static judging and flight performance-each scored on a basis of 100 points. Thus, a perfect score would total 200 points. The static judging is done before the actual flying, and one day of the event is devoted to this portion of the competition. Of the 100 static points possible, 40 points are for accuracy of outline, 25 points for color and markings and 35 points for craftsmanship, and these are awarded in ,1/4-point increments. The contestant must provide 3-view drawings of the entry as well as photos and color documentation.

The static judging took place at the Proctor Enterprises factory about 15 minutes north of the flying site. The Proctor facility is in a beautiful park-like setting surrounded by a grove of trees. As a bonus to contestants and spectators alike, Proctor's manufacturing facility was open to anyone who wanted to see how its WW I kits are made.

The flight-performance score comprises nine maneuvers and a realism-of-flight score. The pilot chooses his maneuvers from an extensive list, selecting those that the full-scale aircraft flew; bombers drop bombs, fighters perform combat maneuvers, aerobatic models do advanced aerobatic maneuvers, and Cubs do what only Cubs can do. The flight-- realism score includes "scale speed." The scores of the best three flights are averaged; a maximum 100 points are possible.

HIGHLIGHTS

One highlight of the weekend was the full-scale airshow. Sam Richardson, an active modeler and a full-scale warbird pilot (he flies a Yak 11 at the Reno Air Races) flew his magnificent show-quality Stearman in formation with an AT6. There were also some low-level, highspeed flybys with a P-51.

A tradition of the U.S. Scale Masters Qualifiers and Championship is the public viewing of the models during the noontime break. All the models are lined up along the middle of the runway. The pilots stand next to their aircraft so they can answer any questions from spectators about their models and so the spectators can take their photos up close. This is an excellent public-relations opportunity!

The final scores show the results of the competition. It is always interesting to see whether any particular type of aircraft had an advantage, but since there hadn't been any wind problems, none had. A large, high-wing-loading model such as a jet or a warbird would have had an advantage in windy conditions. As it was, there was a nice variety in the top places. The top 10 in Expert consisted of four vintage biplanes, one jet, a 3-engine German WW II transport, two warbirds, an aerobatic model and a classic 1940 vintage Aeronca K. The remaining models were of various types, including three that were electric powered.

Overall, this year's Scale Masters was a great success. The models were among the best anywhere, the site was superb and, most important, both the competitors and spectators enjoyed themselves. The location of next year's event is not yet definite, but it will most likely be in the Northeast sometime in late September or early October. To get the latest developments, visit the Scale Masters website at www .scale masters.org. The Scale Masters can be contacted at 21952 Airport Rd., Aurora, OR 97002; (503)678-6036; jenseninc@msn.com.