Control Line: Navy Carrier
ROLAND BALTES Remembered: I was saddened to learn of the death of longtime Carrier modeler Roland Baltes. I met Roland more than 20 years ago, and many Carrier flights have been flown since. I last saw and flew with Roland in June of 1993, when I was still stationed in southern California. At that contest Roland gave one of his models to a youngster to help him get started in Carrier. His passing leaves a void in our event. Anyone who has been involved with Carrier modeling for any length of time will know of Roland's activities. He was active from the '60s on as a competitor, event director, mentor to newcomers, and an enthusiastic supporter of Navy Carrier modeling.
Control Line Navy Carrier
TOPICS THIS MONTH include the Sig Control Line Championships, the Tri-Cities Nationals Carrier competition, rules discussions, and Bill Bischoff's .15-size AM-1. Sig Contest: The last weekend in June has become a traditional time of pilgrimage for many modelers, as the annual Sig Control Line Championships are held at the Sig airfield south of Montezuma, Iowa. I had heard about the Sig contest from my Carrier friends in Illinois, Kansas, and North Dakota, and I had wanted to attend for years. I was fortunate to be able to include a side trip to Chicago in my business travels last summer. Pete Mazur was kind enough to pick me up at the airport and take me along to Montezuma.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
THE CONTROL LINE Contest Board (CLCB) has completed voting on the rules proposals for the current cycle; these are the rules that will take effect on January 1, 1996. There are five changes in the CL Navy Carrier events. Most are minor changes, or affect only one model in current competition. However, there is one rule that represents a significant revision in the rules. It could introduce some changes in the event over the next few years. In the Profile Carrier event, the military color scheme requirement has been deleted. The requirement remains only for models which receive Scale bonus points (in all three classes). This change will allow non-Scale models without military paint schemes to compete. It's a slight move away from tradition, but it's toward participation. With the majority of Profile Carrier models receiving Scale bonus points already, there should be little change in the appearance of the event.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
WHAT MAKES A TRUE championship aeromodeling event? There has been more than a little discussion about that subject this past year, with little actually decided. If a Nationals is a group of modelers gathered together in a spirit of cooperation and camaraderie, with a common goal of doing their best and sharing the event they enjoy, then the 1995 National Control Line Championships was truly worthy of the name. If a Nationals is experts sharing their experience with others, working together to solve other contestants' problems, and helping youngsters advance in the hobby, then this was a great Nats. If a Nationals is a competition to select the best modeler in the country in each event, then most would say the Carrier events were a true National Championships.
Control Line: Navy Carrier
Three-Line Control Systems: The September 1995 issue of Model Aviation contained an article by John Brownlee describing the construction and operation of an alternative three-line control system. By alternative I mean a handle-and-bellcrank design that could be used in place of the commercially available three-line control systems that are currently manufactured and marketed by John Brodak. These commercial units have been available for more than 35 years from various manufacturers. They are all derivatives of the same design that was originated by Bob (J. Robert) Smurthwaite.
