K-FACTOR
September 2020 Volume 49 Issue 9
Official Publication of the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics
Introducing the Proteus 2 Composite Biplane available at aj-aircraft.com. This is the newest iteration of the Proteus lineage designed by Andrew Jesky. Andrew says that the plane is performing beyond expectations. ~Photo by: Andrew Jesky September 2020 K-Factor | 1
In This Issue:
2 | K-Factor September 2020
NSRCA Officers
3
Sportsman Sequence Video
7
Member Article
8
District News IMAC
9
Contact Us
21
NSRCA Application
22
19
NSRCA OFFICERS
Hear from Your NSRCA Officers President
Charlie Barrera 2627 Silver Shadow | Conroe, TX. 77304 936.404.0063 charliebarrera@consolidated.net Hello again, everyone. It has been a long and “dry” season for most of us here for pattern flying. I’ve just been informed that another contest has been canceled in District 6 due to Covid-19. This contest was scheduled for early September. Certainly, a disappointment, but understandable. Texas spiked in the number of Covid cases last month, and the governor reinstated restrictions. The curve is once again flattened, and the right decision was made for this. I’m hoping and praying that a solution, a vaccine, can be developed soon, allowing us to return to our normal lives. This pandemic is having profound effects on all of us.
competitor, whose been in pattern since the early 70’s, has submitted his ideas. He submitted them in the form of a rule change. Mikes idea was to limit the size of models to the 1.75 meters and limit power to .60 2 stroke, and .90 4 stroke, in the Club Class, Sportsman, and Intermediate. Those that were currently flying 2-meter planes in those classes would be grandfathered. Unfortunately, it was rejected by the contest board. However, I’ve been talking to both Mike and Don, and others in this area, about how we could improve participation, particularly among the young. Here are our thoughts. We know that the young are just starting with careers, new family, and a very limited budget. Of course, the sons and daughters of some are still at home and their family may not have the “big” bucks to invest in a 2-meter pattern plane for them. We’re thinking that if we create a new class of pattern, where a smaller plane is used, it might encourage the investment. We know that those interested in pattern will enter their first contest in Sportsman, or possibly Club Class, if it is offered.There is no size limit to fly this category. They usually fly what they have in their hanger.
If they want to move on to Intermediate, they perceive that to be competitive, they must invest in a large 2-meter plane. The purchase of used planes usually run about $1000 and upwards, with no motor, servos, ESC, etc.This is a deterrent. But what if we were to offer a smaller airplane to fly in Intermediate? It would certainly keep the cost down. There are a number of airplanes in the smaller range that are suited for competition. The airplane that comes to mind is the AJ Acuity, the smaller version of the 2-meter airplane. Airplane, motor, and ESC would run about $700 initial cost. This airplane flies with a 5S or 6S battery. It’s small enough to fit in the trunk or back seat of a car. All that would be needed is a radio, batteries, and charger. There are other airplanes that would make suitable pattern aircraft. Here is a list of those airplanes and their associated cost (see screen shot below). This size airplane has some disadvantages compared to the 2-meter plane. For one thing, its effected more by wind. How can we even the playing field?
The Board of Directors is investigating ways of increasing interest in pattern. Several ideas have been discussed. One idea that has been presented is “Grow Pattern”. It seems like we’re not attracting the young. We’ve become a national organization dominated by mostly old fellas like me. I practice with Don Ramsey regularly, and we were having a conversation concerning how we could encourage more participation in pattern. In addition, Mike Harrison, another prominent pattern
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NSRCA Officers The proposal is to have a separate class... let’s call it I-60. It would consist of the same maneuvers in the Intermediate sequence, except scored separately from Intermediate. It can be flown in front of the same judges as Intermediate, scores tabulated independently in this new class, and a winner declared. A CD can run this class alongside all the other classes. The advantage is that it would be scored against other models in this category. An alternative method for this class would be to fly this size aircraft against other two-meter aircraft, and in the Intermediate class. The scores will be reconciled as an Intermediate competitor in the usual manner. Standings will be posted at the end of the contest, and the highest scoring I-60 will be awarded a certificate for the highest scoring I-60 model, and a trophy if finishing in the top 3 of the competition. This type of scoring might demonstrate that a I-60 size model can be competitive against the larger 2-meter aircraft. This could encourage a pilot to get into pattern, but at a greatly reduced expense. It’s called I-60 because it uses the same schedule as Intermediate, and 60 because of the size of the motor. It is limited in size to the equivalent horsepower of a .60 engine. Electric would be no more than 1400 watts. It’s turnaround pattern, but with smaller planes. This would encourage any airplane meeting this power range to be flown. If you wanted to, you could compete with a SPA category airplane. They’re limited to .60 in size, also. If this catches on, we could create a A-60 class, using the same criteria and the Advanced sequence. A side benefit - if the FAA has their way limiting us to 400 feet altitude, these airplanes would certainly fit this flying. This is just a proposal. I’m hoping that some interest might be displayed in this new category. Please relay your thoughts and suggestions to your respective District Vice President, or feel free to email me directly. 2022-2023 Sequences - Your respective DVP has polled his respective members concerning new sequences for 2022-2023. In light of the curtailed season that we’ve had, it has been suggested to continue with our current sequences another two years. AMA rules dictate that Sportsman,
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Intermediate, and Advanced, fly their sequence for up to four years, and Masters must be changed every two years. In years past, we’ve elected to change all sequences every two years. However, because we’ve had such a curtailed season, consideration has been given to keep the same sequences for another two years, i.e., 2022-2023. We’ve polled our members and the poll results showed a split vote – half wanted to continue with these same sequences, while the other half wanted new sequences.Your BoD has decided to create new sequences for pattern years 2022-2023. We’ve just convened the Sequence Guideline Committee.They will review the Sequence Guideline Charter and make appropriate changes. I’ve asked the committee to evaluate new maneuvers, such as can be found in the FAI Sporting Code, for inclusion in our Catalogue of Maneuvers. They will also look at current maneuvers and their respective K’s and make changes, if needed. Upon completion of this, the Sequence Development Committee will convene. They will create new sequences for pattern years 2022-2023. The timeline requires that these sequences be made available to our members for test flying next summer and be finalized by the fall of 2021 so that they are ready for use in the spring of 2022. More to follow… Until next time… Fly straight; keep your radiuses constant, and stay in the box. Charlie Barrera…OUT!
Vice President
Position Open
Secretary
Heedo Yun 4610 Willow Pond Ct. \ Sugar Land, Tx 77479 281.512.9163 | Heedo.Yun@gmail.com Hello, time sure seems to be flying by in 2020. January seemed only like yesterday, but it’s already September. The average daily high of September is 89 degrees in Houston, Texas, where I live. I carry my icy water jug everywhere I go to keep my body cool and hydrated throughout the day. I’m considering visiting Seattle, WA, where my two daughters live, just to stay cooler. We are hearing mixed news that while the infection rate recently increased in the U.S., the development of a vaccine is close to completion. Also, it seems the U.S. economy is stabilizing having passed a huge dip in March. Through all of these circumstances, I feel very fortunate that my family and friends are all staying safe so far, including my RC club members. Please continue to practice social distancing, wear masks in public places (“no mask, no service” is practiced in the Texas restaurants and retail stores), and do whatever you can to help reduce exposure and minimize the spread of the virus for all until this pandemic is over. Since I moved up to the Advanced class last year I’ve been feeling like I’ve hit a brick wall. Spending more time in the field alone is not cutting it anymore. I must consider seriously to learn how to fly smart, how to minimize deductions, how to identify & correct bad habits, and last but not least how to trim my airplane properly. I have a feeling that I won’t survive the Advanced class unless I make major changes in all these areas. I love flying pattern very much, and hope one day I fly in the Masters class
NSRCA Officers (the word “Masters” sounds so sweet to me). Fortunately, my fellow Masters and FAI class friends in the Houston area have been helping me with tips and lessons thanks! Below I’ve listed some of these for your reading pleasure and consideration for continued improvement. These are from my personal notes of pattern flying, and some of these may not be generally agreeable to you. 1. Neck Strap: I started using the neck strap last year. This definitely helped me hold the transmitter more steady, and as a result I am able to fly more steadily. 2. Transmitter Tray: I was told using a transmitter tray would further steady the transmitter, and subsequently the flying. This is especially true for pilots who use fingers, but probably less for thumb flyers. Being a thumb flyer myself I have not tried this yet, but plan on trying it in the future. 3. Body Setup: I was told by experts that my body must maintain straight and upright posture and that I take a few deep breaths before takeoff. My shoulders and the transmitter must stay together as one. Try to follow the plane by turning your head only with the shoulder and transmitter remain parallel to the flight line. This method helps me maintain the correct airplane heading relative to the flight line. 4. Play music: I count numbers much like counting beats in music in order to anticipate the start of the next maneuver. In effect this practice makes my flying more musical versus drawing geometric shapes in the sky. I’m not sure if this is true, but according to one expert, what looks prettier receives a higher score from judges than what is geometrically more precise – there’s a certain beauty in pattern flying, and judges aren’t robots! We control tempo in music and similarly in pattern flying. For example, the airplane speed of 45 miles/hour translates into 20 meters/sec. If the box size is 520 meters wide and 260 meters tall (if the box is 150 meters away from you, and probably this is the largest box size you may want to fly in), it takes 26 seconds to sweep the entire box at a constant speed of 45 MPH (theoretically, the box width of 520 m divided by the airplane speed of 20
5.
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m/s equals sweeping time of 26 s). If I subdivide the box width into 6 equal sections, each section takes 4 seconds with 1 second margin at either end of the box. Drawing Geometry: I draw each maneuver on a piece of paper with a ruler and pencil. This practice helps me understand the exact geometry I want to draw in the sky. It also helps me choose the proper radius size of each maneuver. Airplane Trim: Proper trimming of one’s airplane becomes more important at higher skill levels. The most important are the wing incidences, stab incidences, and the CG location (the stab incidences are usually parallel to the fuselage axis, i.e. zero degrees relative to the fuselage axis, so these may be omitted from the list). In my opinion the throttle curve and the control throw curves come next in line of importance. The rest of the trimming practices, which include thrust heading and program mixing, are probably less than 5% important. Power Package: Some of the higher level pilots prefer contra-rotating two prop systems with a high efficiency motor and gear system, but I’ve only used the single prop system and plan to continue doing so. Servos: Most of my Masters and FAI class friends say that good servos are worth investing. So, I only use the good ones, such as the Futaba BLS servos. Airplane weight: It makes sense that heavier airplanes require more energy to fly. An expert advised me that there is absolutely no benefit (in aerobatic sense) in heavier weight. Another expert said he aims for about 11 pounds. If there is no benefit in heavier weight, then why the weight limit at NATS? I’m curious if there exists an optimum weight (in aerobatic sense), because an airplane that is too light may become unstable in the wind, for example. Altitude: If possible I fly in the upper side of the box rather than the lower side. I have better visibility of the airplane as a pilot, it may look prettier in the judges’ eyes, and it is safer to fly high above the ground.
At the end of the day, I enjoy flying pattern. Winning at the contest only increases this
satisfaction, so let’s all continue our efforts to become better pilots. Thanks again to all my pattern friends who gave me these tips and advice! Regards, Heedo Yun
Treasurer
John Decker 2878 Carrera Ct | League City, TX 77573 281-627-9474 | johndecker@sbcglobal.net It has been 98 degrees for a couple of weeks now in Texas. No wind makes for ideal flying conditions for practice except that you physically melt, cannot drink enough water, and the sweat runs into your eyes. It is also hard on equipment, especially batteries. I was lucky enough to recently score three sets of 5s batteries with little use and have decided to sacrifice them during these summer months and hope to be ready for the few fall contests remaining. For now, I am keeping all my other batteries in the air conditioning. I am happy to report that the NSRCA finances have stabilized, and the future appears bright again. Several years of losing a fair amount of cash was a little scary but the Board made some tough decisions and took drastic measures to shore up our finances. The new format of the Kfactor using the Issuu program will make the Kfactor more dynamic for the future. Check out the link for the July version within the new program. https://issuu.com/ nsrca/docs/jul20hd As I have mentioned before I have a Cadence being built with a DLE35ra on a cannister. I also assembled a 73-inch
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NSRCA Officers AJ Laser with a DLE35ra on a cannister with an internal EME electric starter. The starter setup and the high C rated 3s battery weighs almost two pounds all together but the cool factor is worth it. Finally, maidened the Laser and “wow” is all I can say. I like the way gas engines pull and it does not sound bad on a cannister. Next maneuver I am going to work on is to kill the engine on a downline, yell “Dead stick” on the downwind and restart the motor as I glide over the threshold. That sounds like fun. Always land wheels down, John Decker
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Sportsman Sequence
Sportsman Sequence
The NSRCA is incorporating a video section into the KFactor. For those that view the magazine on ISSUU.com, we will be working on embedding the video right in the magazine. Keep checking for details! For those of you who read the KFactor in PDF, click on the picture to view the video online. The flight is flown by Mark Hunt and audio provided by Justin Wells.
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Member article
D3 Speed Controller – consider carefully before you buy by Daniel Underkofler Con 1) Lack of programmability. These come programmed for a specific motor. There is no ability to adjust/ tune parameters. You can get them reprogrammed for free by sending them overseas but must pay 2-way shipping. Con 2) Cooling: Light weight and small size mean that you must have this directly in a cooling airstream. I don’t know what happens if temperature gets too high (does it fry or shut down?)
John Decker wrote a nice article on the D3 ESC in his August Kfactor column. I wanted to add a few items and cautions based on my first experience. Here is my list of pros and cons: Pro 1) Light! 77gm with my connectors Pro 2) Low energy usage! My limited data indicated that I was saving between 500 and 700mah per FAI or Masters flight. (vs Jeti Mezon). A friend, trying the D3 on his Element/HiMax/Jeti remarked: “my energy usage issue is solved.” Longer flights or lighter batteries are possible. Pro 3) Braking. I like a LOT of brake in my setup, which I achieved with Jeti and Graupner ESCs. To get similar downline braking with the D3, you need to increase the idle speed above the “low” you might use for takeoff/landing/spin/stall turns. Seems counter-intuitive, but it works. There is of course an idle rpm above which downline braking decreases again. This is the reason that you must have a number of flight conditions or throttle curves and be prepared to switch between them. I can’t speak to the effectivity of braking on a single prop setup. Pro 4) Price: Competitive. F3A Unlimited now carries them.
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Con 3) Danger on the ground: You must have a motor-off taxi condition or throttle curve on a switch. I think this should be in addition to a throttle cut switch. If you tend be absent-minded, this is NOT the ESC for you. If your TX is in the normal flight condition and you take off the throttle cut, it will come to life and want to fly. (Fortunately, it won’t arm without being at zero throttle.) You must think about your switches before and after each flight. Con 4) You will need to flip switch(s) in the air. Your normal flight mode will have the high idle needed for good downline braking. You will need one or more additional flight modes to slow the motor adequately for spins and stall turns. If this distracts you from flying precisely, or you tend to forget to flip the appropriate switches before/ after maneuvers, then this is not the ESC for you. Con 5) Delay needed. Because the controller quickly matches RPM to throttle stick position, you must introduce delay in your TX programming. Failure to do this could result in damage to your gearbox or maybe loosening your prop. Slow the speed of your throttle channel output. Also, introduce delay when switching between flight conditions. Dave Lockhart made some great posts regarding D3 setup with a Futaba TX: https://www.rcuniverse. com/forum/electric-pattern-aircraft385/9833118-contra-rotating-propellerdrive-f3a-2m-pattern-planes-78.html You
will need to set the appropriate flight condition “priorities”. If you’re not good with more complex TX programming, this may not be the ESC for you. Con 6) Failsafe. The Pattern rules require us to set a failsafe, so that in event of loss of signal, the motor “comes to a complete stop or a minimum idle”. If a D3 setup were to do this from high rpm, there is a potential of gearbox damage. The user must evaluate the potential risks here. In summary, the D3 is a great idea and performs well, but there are substantial downsides and safety risks involved. I think I just talked myself out of using them. Be safe… Dan Underkofler
Districts
District News
Here is an article from Mike Gosson, CD for the ARCS, Marcellus Pattern Contest of 7/25/20.
D1 |Salvatore Piu spiurc@comcast.net CT•ME•MA•NH•NJ•NY•PA•RI•VT
D1 contest seasons seems to have stabilized from Covid-19 impact. Remaining contests continue to be held as originally scheduled. As of September 1st, only one remaining as-scheduled contest in D1 is planned for September 12th at the AFRCF site. Please remember to pre-register for events! I’ve been meaning to re-cycle some old sets of batteries. The first challenge I encountered is finding a facility that would accept Lipos. I found one, verified by phone they accepted batteries, only to find out upon arrival, they meant car batteries, not lipos. They suggested another site, which did end up accepting batteries. So, now to prep these batteries to be turned in. First, separate packs taped together that operated as a set. Next, cut each wire and apply electrical tape. While cutting one of the individual cell wires, I got to close to another and witnessed a puff of smoke. The startled me a little. While still concerned about this issue, I heard a popping sound, then got startled big time, in fear of a fire possibly starting. As it turns out, the popping sound was the plastic wrapping, that came with the battery pack, had let go and the individual cells puffed and expanded out like an accordion. Great, this raised the stakes on the need to unload these batteries to a recycling center! I added electrical tape to ensure the pack didn’t expand out of control, and ended up turning them into the local recycling center.
This was our third consecutive year to host a one day pattern contest in Marcellus NY on July 25, 2020. Although the turnout was not what I would have enjoyed, the event went on as expected. What Makes a Great Contest? For me, what makes the event a joy is the level of participation I receive from my fellow club members. Without their generous support they give, our event simply wouldn’t take place, or if it did the results would be a mixed bag. Everyone has a job to perform and they need only be reminded once in the morning of the procedures and protocols that transpires throughout the day. I have a small, yet very dedicated group of club members that make running an event a pleasure. A much as I tried this year as in years past to promote our “One Day Pattern Contest”, the numbers are in decline, and I’m certain everyone is aware of this down spiral. With that said, our contest drew eight contestants within a three hour driving distance, which appears to be the break point for a one day event. 1 – Sportsman, 3 – Intermediate, 4 – Advanced. Sportsman 1 -David Conklin Intermediate 1 - William Birkett 2 - John McMakin 3 - Tom Avedisian Advanced 1 - Steve Miller 2 -Matt Kloss 3 - Ronald Lawrence 99999 - Ken Velez
Now I know you’re wondering how 9999 Ken Velez, aka: “BPR” ended up in the advanced class.Well, there is a story to that. Ken (BPR) chose to drive 5.5 hours from Delaware to our contest, for that I was grateful and honored he made the journey for our one day event. As it turned out, Ken was the only pilot entered in FAI, and chose to fly masters for which we had no other master’s pilots in that class as well. I asked the other pilots in the advanced class if they objected to Ken (BPR) to fly along with them, with the stipulation we would not enter his scores. They were all in agreement. For those that are not familiar with the BPR, it stands for “Big Puerto Rican” to that Ken calls me SSP “Syracuse Skinny Pilot”. Thou I am not skinny, I am smaller than Ken. This year, I took a little change in direction, due to the unknown number of contestants. We chose four weeks before the contest to forgo plaques as we have provided beautiful mirrored glass plaques in the past. Instead, we lowered the entry fee to a flat $25.00 per person and supplied the contestants and the volunteers with food and drinks throughout the entire day. This also allowed us not to stop for a lunch break. I believe in the end everyone enjoyed than change and most agreed it worked out well. Our contest usually commences at 10:30 am due to the position of the sun, and my goal is to fly four rounds. My crew is fast, very fast. Results are posted within five minutes of the conclusion of each round and pilot’s flight order rotates just as quickly. It is a very smooth process with the right people. The flying weather was absolutely perfect, a sunny day with virtually zero wind. In the end, we did fly four rounds with time to spare. The last round concluded at 3:45pm with the concluding ceremonies at about 4:15. After a two day post break, I asked my club volunteers if they are on onboard for a 2021 event and the consensus was a unanimous YES.
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Districts This is in my opinion is what makes a Great Contest.
Respectfully submitted Michael Gosson Syracuse, NY AMA 6288 NSRCA 4697 mbgosson@gmail.com Maneuver complete, Sal Piu
D2 | Tim Pritchett 1417 Deer Forest Drive Fort Mill, SC 29707 | tjpritchett@aol.com DC•DE•MD•NC•SC•VA
There will be NO PHOTOS this month, as we continue to lament our contestless season! Although corona is taking its toll, rain is the antagonist this weekend in Harrisonburg VA. We were looking forward to finally starting our season, when a promised weather front blew through and sacked our plans. We can’t win for losing!! On a brighter note, I’m happy to announce the unanimous appointment of Gerald Hood to the position of Assistant Vice President of District 2, by the NSRCA
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BoD this week. Gerald replaces Steve Franc, who has done a marvelous job over the past 3 years supporting our district. We look forward to Gerald’s contribution to the northern ‘rim’ contests, consisting of Harrisonburg, Culpeper, FARM, and any adjoining district shootout activity. Welcome Gerald to the role! The results of our BoD poll to resolve the question of whether to revise the sequences next year was an even split: 54 to revise, and 53 to keep the sequences we currently fly. The board is moving forward with revising the sequences per the status quo, which is also our agreement with the AMA. Further work to integrate FAI maneuvers and sequences within the AMA offerings is also underway. There are many benefits to offering FAI sequences to AMA pilots in our country, although working them in requires a bit more effort than one would think, both politically and administratively. Nevertheless, this VP believes the benefits far outweigh the deficits, and will continue to vet them to you. Included are the availability of a global ranking system, holding and flying World Cup events, camaraderie with pilots in other countries, and a better escalation plan for pilots changing classes. The last point is a real tangible advantage, where the next higher class flies the same maneuvers in the same order as the class beneath, only adding more difficult elements. This makes transition less daunting, as pilots carry all the basic skills of a sequence with them to the next higher class, as opposed to starting completely over with new -everything in the next higher class. That’s just brilliant to me. What is the number one complaint in the AMA when a pilot moves up? The next class is too difficult, or another way, the step is too great. With the FAI’s sequence design, that argument is moot; you’re already flying the same maneuvers as the next higher class! Any who- the discussion continues on the topic, and I’ll keep you apprised. Look for a poll or two on Facebook on the subject as well. Response to NSRCA FB polling has been great; it’s been quick and decisive. Additionally, use of the NSRCA FB group page has been increasing dramatically, and provides a central place for pilots to get and share information. Try and avail
yourself to this resource if possible, as well as the local district FB pages where our VP’s and CD’s keep contest information updated and punctual. That’s enough for this month. Our next, and Likely first event of the year will be the Charlotte Aeromodelers contest in Monroe, Oct3-4. The club has water, electricity, camper hookups, dump station, air-conditioned clubhouse, kitchen, etc. Its easily the best equipped club we have the privilege of flying at in D2. So, plan to come and share the hospitality!
D3 | Robert Campbell AL•FL•GA•MS•PR•TN
No Article Submitted
Districts physical skills, things like decreasing visual acuity and concentration. (is concentration physical? Not sure) I was so frustrated a few weeks ago I just assumed I couldn’t fly Pattern anymore. The last week or so it’s come to me that lack of concentration, brought on by the conditions laid out in paragraph, had led me to overlook real simple mistakes, like not having my wings level, or poor airplane setup, or poor throttle management. So I’m not done yet, but one day I will be.
D4 | Scott McNickle P.O. Box 163 | Mt. Pleasant, OH 43939 nelson_jett@comcast.net | 740.769.7882 IN•KY•MI•OH•WV
Endings and What’s Next For the past five months, give or take, I’ve turned on the TV every morning to hear a good looking, professionally made up newsperson say something like “Good morning. You’ll probably be dead in a couple of weeks, or at least suffering horribly. And you will have killed your grandma. In other news, Murder Hornets.” So I guess it’s natural to think about things ending and what comes next. The big “Endings and What Comes Next” is, of course, something we’ve all had to deal with forever, although it’s been more on my mind as I complete my seventieth orbit of the sun. That one is way beyond scope of the training I received from the US Postal Service before they turned me loose with a big sack of mail and COD parcels from Olan Mills, and way beyond what’s suitable for an article in a little hobby magazine. You’ll have to consult your spir-itual advisor on that one. We can talk about other, smaller endings and transitions, like where we’re going in our hobbies. When we get older it becomes apparent that nothing lasts forever. Not joy, not sorrow, not pleasure, not pain. Relationships may last a lifetime, but they change so much as to be unrecognizable if you compare one end to the other. Bodies and beliefs evolve. I’ve been wrestling lately with declining
So what to do? If you’re a runner you accept that you will be slower than last year over the same distance. You accept that sometimes you’ll have to walk up a hill, and that some day you won’t be able to race at all. There is no way around those truths. If you’re an artist you may not have the control of your brushes you used to, and your color perception may fade. You may need to look at other media or techniques or styles to continue to express yourself. Singing voices change, lose power, waver and crack. Think of Johnny Cash as a young man singing “Ring of Fire” and near the end doing “Hurt”. So different, but still with the power to affect us because he had the inner strength to move us with failing tools he had at his disposal. The Grateful Dead sang: The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down, You can’t let go and you can’t hold on, You can’t go back and you can’t stand still, If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will.” But Chuck Yeager said: “You do what you do best until you can’t do it anymore, then you do something else.” If you can’t fly well anymore, maybe you can coach someone else to be better and enjoy our hobby more. Maybe you can be the guy that everyone is happy to see at a contest, and maybe you can be the guy who doesn’t let someone else quit. There’s always a ‘what’s next’ until the wheel stops.
D5 | Vicente Bortone vincebrc@gmail.com IL•IA•KS•MN•MO•NE•ND•SD•WI
As usual, I like to provide District 5 activities. Here are: 1. Cedar Rapids Iowa Pattern Contest. August 22-23. Unfortunately, the contest has been cancelled. Cedar Rapids was hit by the a “DERECHO” storm that caused a lot of damage to the RC field, hotels, etc. Many are still without power. Winds were registered at more than 112 mph. 2. MACK Sunflower Classic Pattern Contest. September 12-13. Great Bend, KS. CD: Joe Dunnaway. dunnaway@hbcomm.net 3. Tamarack Challenge. September 19-20. Menomonee Falls, WI. CD: Joe Burzinski. jburzinski@wi.rr.com 4. Phantom Flyers R/C Club Pattern Contest. October 3-4. St. Charles, MO. CD: Ed White. edwhite@yahoo. com More contest information in the following links. Please consider preregister if you are planning to attend by contacting the CD or pre-register in the following link: https://www.nsrca.us/index.php/listevents?option=com_jevents&task=cat. listevents&offset=1&categor y_ fv=588&Itemid=391 This month I have the pleasure to introduce a very well-known pilot and designer from Argentina. I am sure that many of you already seen his name. He is Mariano Gostatian. Mariano agreed to write articles that could be of interest to pattern pilots. For me is an incredible
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Districts opportunity. I will do my best to translate from Spanish to English. I asked Mariano to provide his RC biography so we know a little more details of his RC life. I really was surprised to know the amount of RC model planes he has been designing and producing. Here is Mariano R/C biography: • 44 years old from Argentina • Started RC hobby in 1998 • Started to fly pattern in 2009 flying the “Elemental” class • Argentinean pattern champion in the “Promocional” class • Started to fly FAI-f3a early in 2010 • Member of the FAI-f3a Argentinean team from 2012 • Pan-American team champion in 2012 and 2014 • 5 times Argentinean FAI-f3a champion and two times runner up • Twice FAI-f3a Semifinalist at the USA Nationals • Represented Argentina three times at the FAI-f3a world championship. Best place #18
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• Designed and built the following RC models: • FAI-f3a: Aurora, Lithium 90, Lithium 140, Cation, Austral Bip, Zonda, Andes, Cuantic, Quark • IMAC/3D: YAK 55 25% and 33 % scales • Jets: Zonda and Andex I want to publish all pictures Mariano sent me since it really shows up his RC Bio. I was surprised to see the numbers of planes he designed and built. Here are pictures of FAI-f3a planes:
Districts arrow it is the archer” This can be use not only for FAI-f3a and sports, but also for anything in life. For this reason, it is very important that we are sincere when we do this comparison from the technical point of view, without loosing the pilot vision, his feelings, capacity, prejudgments and expectations.
Next his IMAC/3D design. YAK 55 in two scale sizes 25% and 33%. Produced in Argentina by RC Aviones. Pictures of the Andex jet: Monoplane vs. Biplane (PART I) By: Mariano Gostanian When Vicente “Vince” proposed to write this article, I took as a personal challenge. I will try to give you my point of view using my experience designing, building and flying
A little history and evolution: The pattern airplanes in general have been inspired in lines, concept of his bigger brothers of the real aviation world. If we take for example, in a real manned acrobatic airplane we could realize that there have been a lot of advances in construction, materials and power plans. However, there are not drastic changes in their general design in the last several years. This is because there are certain parameters that are very difficult to change, like for example, the pilot location, the basic geometry of the engine that defines shape of the nose and fuselage, power to weight ratio, etc. These parameters plus other limitations have been increasing the acrobatic gap between the real and model airplanes. This huge difference it allows a model airplane to do new very difficult maneuvers of the Aresti code that the real aerobatic airplanes could only dream.
pattern planes during many years. In Argentina, I got a good friend that flights
It is important to take into account all the parameters due to the evolution of sequences that add new maneuvers that are very demanding for the pilot and airplane. The semifinal and unknowns sequences includes knife edge maneuvers that are not anymore just a transition but a basic component of the maneuver. This requires changes in the pattern planes design so they could do these complex maneuvers without unwanted tendencies and practically like they are performing a level straight fly.
FAI-f3a that says “the important is not the
The monoplanes, at one point of time, appeared to be less capable than biplanes to resolve this dilemma. Clearly the biplanes been more capable to do the complex maneuvers. However, the model needs to do all other maneuvers like spins, Cuban eights, Immelmann, etc. Also, we don’t want to forget the lower FAI-f3a classes were the basic figures are still more important. Then we have to go back to the premise of this article “The important is not the arrow is the archer” and ask yourself. What class of pilot you are? Do
you want to be top pilot that would like to participate in international competition or just sport pilot? Other question to ask yourself: What is your capacity to fine tune a model? What is your strategy? What class you would like to fly? Well, let’s start to try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If you are new in pattern or you are flying the lower classes my suggestion is to get a basic monoplane that is very well aligned. There is no mystery here. With this plane you will be able to learn all the basic concepts of trimming and physics involved in flying a monoplane. You will learn that as you get more experience, the trimming process in never ending, and you always will need to adjust, adjust and adjust again. You will find that in all this process the wing incidence would be between 0-1 degrees, the stabilizer at zero and engine down thrust between 0 and -1.5 degrees. When you do this and master the radio adjustments you will be able to win many contests and be a champion. However, we can be seduced to get a biplane. To be continued in next month’s article. Note: If you would like to have the original article in Spanish, send me and email requesting the article.
September 2020 K-Factor | 13
Districts
D6 |Justin Wells 20811 Surrey Creek Ct. | Katy, TX 77450 832-356-6408 | justin@jtwells.com AR•CO•LA•NM•OK•TX
Titanium Fixed Gear Axles – These are back in stock at Central Hobbies. I find these quick to install, and easy to change from wheel pants to another set of larger wheels just for practice. One bolt holds the entire assembly on. You can pinch the wheel pant against the landing gear and they won’t rotate. Central is now including extra clips and even the hex wrench. Check them out: https://centralhobbies. com/singleprod.php?id=8804
Nishioka Tailwheel assembly– This is the last tailwheel assembly you will ever own. These are passed down from generations of not only crashed or sold aircraft but generations of families. These were carried by central hobbies; you can also find them online at RC Japan. Check Central first, but as of writing this they are not showing them anymore. The design of these is fantastic and they are very reliable and LIGHT. Another nice feature, if you jam your tailwheel while loading the plane, it will flex and not jam your rudder to one side. You can’t go wrong with these. RC Japan.com Part Number is: NH-204012
It has been very quiet in D6, but in the south it’s also been VERY HOT. I have reports there has been a lot of building, testing, flying, and practicing going on in hopes for the next contest to not cancel. As of this writing the only contest that has canceled is the Ft. Bend Contest in Rosenberg, TX. Below are the contests we have remaining in D6, most of these have registration link on the d6pattern.com website or smartphone app, if you plan to go, register so the CD knows how many to expect. LAMA - Dacono, CO - August 29/30 CANCELED - Ft. Bend - Rosenberg, TX - September 12/13 - CANCELED Space City - Katy, TX - September 26/27 Brazos Valley Pattern - College Station, TX - Oct 3/4 Cajun NATS – Crowley, LA – Oct 17/18 Over the past few weeks I’ve been asked by various people what I prefer hardware wise on my planes. I thought I would offer a few suggestions up as a part of my article this month. It is possible I’m using a product that you may not know about, or have used for years. I cannot take credit for these, as I’ve learned about them from word of mouth and other very committed users of these products. Enjoy!
Gator RC 30mm Aluminum Control Horn I find myself using these on ailerons and elevator. They are easy to install and align on any surface. They attach with 3 screws (not included). I like that they are threaded for 2mm bolts already and make attaching the ball link easy. These come in blue only and are sold in pairs at F3A Unlimited. https://www.f3aunlimited.com/hardwarebuilding/control-horns-linkages/servohorn/f3a-unlimited-aluminum-controlhorns-pair
14 | K-Factor September 2020
Districts If these are items you don’t use, I hope they help you on your pattern journey as they have me. ‘Till Next Time, stay safe! Justin
D7 - Dan Lipton nsrcad7dvp@gmail.com AZ•CA•HI•NV•UT
Hello It’s still been pretty quiet around our district. No contests, unfortunately, but that hasn’t stopped many of us from getting out there and enjoying some practice.
Dan. Our friend Ivan, who has been spending his “shelter in place” up in Canada was getting some IMAC flying in with this beauty: In contest news, it looks like we are having a contest in District 7 this September. The Bear Mountain Flyers Back in the Saddle 1-Day Pattern Contest is a Go!!!
Registration is now open on the NSRCA website. If you’re coming, please register at on the NSRCA website (see https://
nsrca.us/index.php/d7-contestschedule/2020 for the link) As for non pattern flying, I recently took a Horizon Consendo 1.5 meter foam electric glider, which I bought over a year ago, out of the box and got it set up and flying. One of our other NorCal friends got one, too (which is what shamed me into finally getting mine out of the box). This thing flies really well. Will roll and loop and fly inverted all day. It’s very relaxing to fly, power climb, glide around for a while, steep dive into a loop. 10+ minutes of motor time on a 1300mah 3s pack. A nice wind down after a session of pattern practice. Cheers
Tony F “Getting some practice and doing a comparison between the Encourage and Andes. Beautiful day at Pattern nirvana, the Bear Mountain Flyers”
September 2020 K-Factor | 15
Districts on August 8 & 9, expertly managed by CD John Bentley. Fourteen pilots made the trek to Sharp’s Field outside the small farming community of Molalla, OR. All five classes were represented, the two largest being Advanced and FAI. It seems that with each contest bipes and contras becoming frontand-center. If you have not done so, please visit www.patternscoring.com for all the scores from Molalla. Many thanks to Rick Bergeron not only for his participation in the contest, but for his capturing these memories. Visit his YouTube site at: https:// youtu.be/r0-dKNDM9YS
Canada | Paul Brine
D8 | Art Kelly
25 Robertson St. | Fergus Ontario N1M3P7 519.787.5144 | pbrine@uoguelph.ca
367 Golf View Drive | Medford, OR. 97504 541.905.2954 | afkelly25@gmail.com AK•ID•MT•OR•WA•WY
September. Welcome to September. We are now approaching the end of the 2020 flying season, such as it has been. The only event remaining on the contest calendar is the 905 Squadron Labour Day contest in Aurora. All of the other events have been cancelled as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.
All across the country the NSRCA Districts have been struggling with the challenge of hosting contests in environments of fluctuating club and governmental regulations. The virus is taking its toll in cancelled contests and reduced turnouts when a contest can be offered. We’ve seen the impact on the ever popular NATS. In 2021 the biannual Pattern World Championships are scheduled for Muncie, IN. And with much deliberation and contingency planning the Team Selection will be proceeding to mount another formidable USA team of pilots.
Although clubs in this part of the country have been able to resume operations, events in general have been canceled and most clubs have restricted flying to members only. There has also been no travel to the US for contests as the border remains closed to non-essential travel until at least September 21st. Speculation in the media is that the closure will be further extended. The worst case speculation that I have seen so far is that the border could remain closed until mid 2021. A mandatory 14 day quarantine is required for all travellers entering Canada except for exempt essential service travelers.
In District 8 we have seen our contests compromised and, disappointingly, the virus spikes in the Tri-City area of Washington forced the cancellation of their remaining event. This is painful as it has for years been a popular destination for pilots from Canada. Regrettably not this year.
Nonetheless, it’s been gratifying to see the responses to the two contests held this year. As reported last month, Rex Lesher mounted a very successful event in Redmond, OR. Our latest chapter unfolded
16 | K-Factor September 2020
The remaining event on the D-8 calendar is the Medford contest. For many years, as the last event of the season, this has been the contest for selecting our district champions. Unfortunately this year we don’t have enough prior contests to provide the necessary prior scores. Nonetheless we are looking forward to a good event during the optimal flying conditions at the end of September under the capable guidance of CD Sean Mersh.
The only contest held so far this year in the country was the 3rd annual Diamond Aces pattern contest in Steinbach, Manitoba with a turnout of 11 pilots. The BC Precision Aerobatic Championships tentatively planned for Sept 12 & 13th, 2020 in Victoria has been cancelled. Although the province is starting to slowly open up the present rules prevent the event being held this year. Dave Reaville reports from BC: “Out west there has been virtually no
September 2020 K-Factor | 17
Districts Precision Aerobatics contests whatsoever. The Covid-19 pandemic has pretty much obliterated the scheduled events due to travel restrictions & provincial rules along with club field restrictions. A small group of us have been out practicing in Victoria and also helping out Michi Akimoto as he prepares to compete in Ontario at the Canadian Team Trails in September. Chad Northeast, Will Gross & Henry Piorun have also been practicing hard and will be travelling out to compete for a spot on the team. I had hoped to attend some of the District 8 events this year but the border closure & subsequent virus outbreaks in the States has put a stop to that idea. Let’s see if things return to some semblance of normalcy in 2021! Stay safe everyone!” Model flying rules Just over a year ago on June 1st, 2019 the rules under which we fly model aircraft in Canada changed when the new Part IX of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) came into effect. Conventional model aircraft are included along with quads, and drones as remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS). One of my other “jobs” in the hobby is that I am a member of the MAAC Safety Advisory Group. The new regulations have resulted in a major rewrite of MAAC safety documents so that they are consistent with the new world that we are in as of June last year. Although necessary, this of course takes away time from other more enjoyable aspects of the hobby. It has helped to fill the spare time that has been freed up since March from the social distancing and closures caused by COVID19. In Canada, Transport Canada (TC) regulates all civilian airspace and sets the rules for use of that airspace including who gets access to what portions of the airspace. In other words if it flies and doesn’t wear a uniform or grew the wings itself it falls under the TC rules. As of now there are now 3 different regulatory scenarios under which RPAS (ie models) operate. The first option is to fly models that are under 250g as TC has chosen to exempt them from the regulations. If you are flying larger models you can opt to operate under Part IX of the CARS or you can fly as a MAAC member under the MAAC rules and Safety Code.
18 | K-Factor September 2020
To fly under the Part IX rules the RPAS (i.e. model) will need to be between 250g and 25 kg, it will need to registered, and the pilot must obtain a minimum of a basic RPAS pilot certificate. This allows for line of sight operation at altitudes of less than 400ft, outside controlled airspace, and a minimum of 3 nm from an aerodrome and 1 nm from a heliport. A minimum separation of 30 m horizontal distance is required from any bystanders. A log must be maintained for both the pilot and aircraft. To operate at an event additional approvals are required. Obtaining an Advanced RPAS certificate allows more privileges and operation of larger RPAS.
to demonstrate that we are responsible members of the aviation community and can continue to operate safely under the increased scrutiny of today’s environment.
MAAC has developed and maintained a cordial and cooperative relationship with Transport Canada and has been able to obtain an exemption from the CARs Part IX. Under the exemption MAAC members in good standing are exempt from ALL provisions of the new rules, subject to the conditions stipulated in the exemption. By operating according to the MAAC rules and safety code, members will be in compliance with the exemption. For the average club member there will be no change from what we have done for years.
Paul
MAAC rules allow line of sight operation of models up to 35 kg in weight with a much higher maximum altitude than 400 feet. The exact maximum will depend on the type of airspace available. Operation in controlled airspace is possible with the appropriate permission. Under the safety code flying is not allowed over people, vehicles or property or at a location or in a manner that is or is likely to be hazardous to full-scale aircraft. It is the sole responsibility of the pilot to avoid full-scale aircraft. Registration of each model is not required for MAAC members. The long standing requirement under the safety code to have your MAAC number and contact information somewhere on the model meets the requirements for identification under exemption. The exemption was made possible by MAAC and its member’s demonstrated record of safe operation over the past few decades. We have graduated to the adult’s table and will need to continue
Contest Schedule 905 Squadron Contest, Aurora ON Sept 5-6 Check the event listings on the MAAC website and the F3A Canada website for the latest information. That’s all for now. Flight complete.
IMAC
IMAC – in the Box Great to see everyone! We have progressed through another month of the “New Norm” and its exhaustingly frustrating! Like I need to tell you that. We are all in this together and that is one thing that we can hold onto to get us through. I have been spending some time at the field, until I had a little “Quarantine Time”. Then, I just dreamed of being at the field. But, next weekend! Just wait. So, what to write about? One thing that is shared between Pattern and IMAC is plane setup. As daunting as it appears at first, the more time and effort that you spend on setup the better the plane flies and the less workload there is on the pilot. That is a good thing and well worth any effort you put into it. So, flying at the club as Bryan Hebert I hear a lot of comments on trimming. I have purchased and reference Bryan’s trimming guide with all my planes. As you may have guessed with all that information, you need to go slow and do things one at a time and note how those changes affect the flight of the aircraft. With IMAC planes, there is not as pure of a flying experience as there seems to be with the Pattern planes (especially the Hebert designs). So, there are a few basic mixes that I put in my planes to try and tame some of the bad habits. But, if you mix on top of things you can fix mechanically, you run the risk of causing unexpected problems. Because most of our planes come ARF or used and pre-built I don’t usually start with things like wing incidence and stab incidence. These come set and are usually in a pretty good starting place. What I start with is CG. I put the CG in the manufacturer recommended range (usually in the more neutral position). This is a good starting point before the maiden. Next, I will check the Ailerons and Elevators. As with every balsa and covering plane, you have the issue of warping. So, I will use some alignment sticks that are offered by CK Aero. First, I center the surfaces, then I will put them on several
places on the control surface, depending on the size of the surface and look that the sticks line up. If they don’t, then you have a warp. This will affect your trimming greatly. So, you need to keep the surfaces straight.
Now I will provisionally set my throws. With my radio set-up I can set a flight mode with my standard throws then they change with logical switches so I don’t have to switch any physical switches. So, I will set my Ailerons at 25 degree and my elevator at 18-20 degrees, with about 30% expo. I leave my rudder at 40 degree and use about 60% expo. I really don’t like switches when I fly. I match the surface throws with an inclinometer. I want to start as exact as possible. I also try to use my geometry to get as close to these throws as I can so I can keep the servo resolution as high as possible.
Now after all this, I finally get to fly the plane. I do the normal inverted 45 to check the CG early in the flight and make sure I don’t have any big issues, then I play around and see what the plane does. The Trimming guide had a lot of cause and affects to look at, but the big ones are knife edge characteristics. This is a focal point of CG and wing incidence issues. So, before you mix out that tuck to the canopy, see if you can make a change that can remove the need for that mix or at least reduce the amount of mix needed. That’s the basics of the starting points. Just make sure you fly the plane a few times in between adjustments so you can really get a feel on what your changes are affecting. Like I said, the Scales Aerobatic planes will not fly as pure, but you can probably improve the flying characteristics of that plane by making sure you have done everything you can to get the basics as close to correct as possible.
September 2020 K-Factor | 19
IMAC I hope this was interesting and helps you in the Scale or even Sport plane setup. Your time will not be wasted spending it on setup! I hope to see you at a field soon! Rich Whitlow IMAC SC Regional Director.
20 | K-Factor September 2020
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Contact District VP’s
District 6
Justin Wells 20811 Surrey Creek Ct. Katy, TX 77450 832-356-6408
District 1
Salvatore Piu spiurc@comcast.net
Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont.
justin@jtwells.com Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
District 2
Tim Pritchett 1417 Deer Forest Drive Fort Mill, South Carolina 29707 864.871.1902 tjpritchett@aol.com
Dan Lipton nsrcad7dvp@gmail.com
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah.
District 3
Robert Campbell
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Tennessee.
District 8
Art Kelly 367 Golf View Drive Medford, OR. 97504 541.905.2954 afkelly25@gmail.com
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming.
District 4
Scott McNickle P.O. Box 163 Mt. Pleasant, OH 43939 740.769.7882 nelson_jett@comcast.net
Canada District
Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia.
President
Charlie Barrera 2627 Silver Shadow Conroe, TX 77304 936.494.0063 charliebarrera@consolidated.net
Vice President
District 7
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia.
NSRCA Executive Board
Paul Brine 25 Robertson St. Fergus Ontario N1M3P7 519.787.5144 pbrine@uoguelph.ca
District 5
Vicente Bortone vincebrc@gmail.com
Position open
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Heedo Yun 4610 Willow Pond Ct. Sugar Land, Tx 77479 281.512.9163 Heedo.Yun@gmail.com
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22 | K-Factor September 2020
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“K-Factor” is the official publication of the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics, Inc. The NSRCA is the AMA recognized special interest group for radio controlled precision aerobatics competition (Pattern). All information presented in this publication is solely the opinion of the authors. The NSRCA, the authors and the publisher shall not be held responsible for any information that is presented and for any results of actions taken due to the information that is presented. All photos submitted for use in the K Factor come with the assumed permission to use from the submitter.
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24 | K-Factor September 2020