AMA Nats: RC Aerobatics
THE HYDES, Merle and Chip, established a record by being the first father-and-son duo to capture the Nats RC Pattern championships. Chip won the FAI Turnaround (F3A) event, while Merle won Advanced. This year's Nats RC Pattern events saw 202 competitors flying in five events: Sportsman-62, Advanced-35, Expert-29, Master-21, and FAI-53. It was a big Nats for RC Pattern! The Nats Pattern events were held at NALF Fentress, near Chesapeake, VA. Contrary to some confused opinions, NALF stands for Navy Auxiliary Landing Field (not others like Narly Alien Life Form, or Nearly Adult Little Fellow, or even Not Always Likely to Fly). Except for a few support buildings, and one small swimming pool, the field is vacant and only has one runway and a taxiway.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
ONE of these days I may learn to stay away from controversial topics. Probably not, though. It's fun to wait for the response to a column about certain topics. The downwind turn is a good example. Radio Control Modeler's Ken Willard and I have milked the downwind turn for many an article, and I doubt that any proponents from either side have changed sides. My latest venture into controversy was published in the March issue of Model Aviation. I commented that I didn't think biplanes would ever be truly competitive in Pattern. I still don't think so. Nevertheless, not everyone agrees with me.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
BIPLANE controversy revisited: I received a letter from Gerry Oliver (Reynoldsburg, OH), who said he was "... amused by the monoplane/biplane controversy in the May 1990 issue. Although I like both bipes and monoplanes and couldn't care less whether a biplane competes in Pattern, there was an article in the February 1990 issue of Plane and Pilot that supports your position and completely refutes Mr. Dreden's observations on Pitts aircraft (in the May '90 issue-RVP). "Plane and Pilot (a full-scale aircraft magazine-RVP) interviewed Patty Wagstaff, who competes with an Extra 230 (a monoplane-RVP) in world championship Aerobatics."
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
"To whom it may concern, . . . I have been flying RC planes for about 4 1/2 years now. I started with a Goldberg Eagle 63. Over time I was able to perform various stunts such as loops, barrel rolls, inverted flight, touch-and-go, etc. I recently purchased and built a Goldberg Sky Tiger. My problem is that I can't get the plane to turn with the rudder (left or right). "When I use the rudder, all the plane does is a flat turn. I can't get the plane to bank unless I use the ailerons. When it is banking and I try to level the plane out with the rudder, it acts as if it's side-slipping. Say I'm banking to the right and I give left rudder to roll out of the bank. Instead of the plane rolling to the left and level flight, the plane stays in the bank and the nose goes up as if doing a sideways flat turn. This tends to cause a loss of altitude.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
PLANNING to go to the Toledo RC Exposition? Also plan to attend the first annual FAI Pattern Judging School. Ron Chidgey will be holding it from 8:00 a.m. to noon on April 8-9 at the Radisson Hotel. I understand that this will be very much like the judging school he conducted in Europe last summer. You can attend the school in the morning and participate in the Expo activities all afternoon. Reservations: (419) 241-3000. I sure miss attending the Toledo show. While I was stationed in Dayton, OH (1964-69) and Washington, DC (1969-72), I went to the conference for many years at the old Lucas County Recreation Center (home of the Toledo Mudhens!). If you havea chance to go, don't miss it.
