2015 Brodak Fly-In
by Fred Cronenwett
clscale7@gmail.com
Brodak Manufacturing, based in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, hosts a popular annual fly-in. With a total of 135 entrants, 14 of those pilots entered one of the Control Line (CL) Scale events. John Brodak has every type of CL event at the fly-in, so there is something for everyone.
In CL Scale there is ½A Scale, Fun Scale, Profile Scale, and Sport Scale offered. The Brodak Fly-In is also a qualifier for the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA) Scale Classic competition.
The 2015 Brodak Fly-In ½A Scale event had 11 entries and only three points separated first through third place. With six fliers posting static scores of 71 or higher, the race was on to see how the flights would be scored.
Bill Avera had the second-highest
static score and edged past Bob Whitney to place first. Everett Shoemaker took third place. The ½A Scale event can be a lot of fun and you can earn five bonus points if the model has more than one engine.
In Sport Scale, nine pilots were officially entered, but only four were able to get some flights in. The weather at this year’s contest was not the greatest, with rain and thunderstorms, so this was probably a factor.
Allen Goff placed first with the Ryan STA that he flew at the 2015 Nats. Richard Schnieder took second place, and Ed Mason was third.
In Profile Scale, Joe Eiben flew his electric-powered American Hustler, equipped with flaps and retracts. He contested the model at a St. Louis event in September 2015 and it was impressive when the gear was retracted. Although it is a profile model, Joe has figured out how to hide everything on it. Joe placed first, Richard took second place, and Bill was third.
Fun Scale can be a competitive event because most of the points come from the flying. Static scores are often close, so to win this event you need a good flight score. What I like about this event is that you can assemble an ARF or fly a model you did not build, and still compete. You need documentation with three-view drawings and photographs to prove color and markings, but you don’t need much detail on the model.
With 10 entries in Fun Scale and a flight score of 94 points, Tim LaNore and his Skyraider placed first. George Marenka was second, while Everett Shoemaker was third.
Tim and Everett put up their second official flights with better flight scores that changed the overall standings. I always look at my first flight score to see if I can do better to change the overall score before the contest is over.
John hosted a buffet on Friday night, with the awards ceremony on Saturday. A special thanks to Joe Eiben, who took the pictures and reported on the event!
This year will be the final Brodak Fly-In. It will take place June 13-18, 2016, so now is the time to make hotel reservations. Advanced contest registration is required, so check the Brodak website (listed in “Sources”) for details and the events that will be flown. This should prove to be a big party.
Details, Details!
After you have a model completely built and it’s covered with fiberglass or your favorite fabric covering, there are some things you can do to increase your static score. Surface detail in the right size and place can make a big difference.
Creating button-style rivet heads can be time-consuming, but they’re worth it. After your primer coat has been completed, use the three-view drawings and photographs from your documentation to lay out the lines with a pencil where you need the rivets.
I have used white Gorilla Glue with good results. The glue drops will shrink when they dry, so test with a sample part before you apply them to your model. You will figure out how big the
glue drops need to be so that when they’re dry they are the correct size. This glue doesn’t need to be thinned.
I prefer to cover my models with fiberglass for durability and to make them easy to paint. After a model has been built and sanded, it gets the fiberglass cloth with one coat of finishing resin. I then sand the model so that it’s smooth and apply a flow coat of resin over that to completely fill all of the pin holes.
At this point, the model is sanded and primed to prepare the surface for paint. Panel edges can be simulated by having a paint edge in the primer coats.
Use a pencil line to lay out the panel lines on the model. Apply the glue dots so that the number and spacing match the three-view drawing and
photographs. Some judges will even count the number of rivets between two features and see if you have the same number on the model.
When the glue dots are dry, wash the primer surface and then paint it. Primer is not required over the glue dots. I make paint samples before finishing a model so that I can test the materials that I plan to use. If I find a problem while doing the paint sample, then I’ve saved a lot of rework on the model.
Getting Ready for 2016
Now is the time to start thinking about what events you want to attend in 2016, either as a spectator or a pilot. NASA will host the NASA Scale Classic and you can qualify by entering one of the contests held across the country. Check out the NASA website for details about what events will serve to qualify pilots for the competition.
The Scale Nats will be held June 24-26, 2016, which is three weeks earlier than normal.
I welcome contest reports, upcoming contest flyers, pictures, and any projects you are building and flying. Please send me high-resolution pictures. Have fun building that new Scale model this winter, or updating an existing aircraft with additional detail.
Land softly!
SOURCES:
NASA
www.nasascale.org
Brodak Manufacturing
(724) 966-2726
www.brodak.com
AMA Nats
www.modelaircraft.org/events/nats.aspx
