Hi Larry,
I like the way you asked your question, focusing on the "what" of the rule not the "why" of the rule. Just what I would expect from a gentleman engineer with a PhD from MIT. :-) .... I hope more people follow your excellent lead on this topic.
I promised myself that I would never write a post on this very strange topic again, but I just can't find the will power to stop. So far this thread has mostly focused on your "What" and stayed away from the forest fire level heat that comes from the why (or why not issues ;-)
I won't even go into the fact that 99.99% of the modeling world does NOT have this strange BOM rule, or that the entire planet earth, outside the USA, does not have this strange BOM rule .... this is for another time on another thread (or maybe another forum? ;-)
I have tried to find out all I could about this rule, as an active CD I have talked to the AMA tech/rule people, and many active CDs at length on this topic, below are the results.
LARRY, ..... SHORT ANSWER:
#1,2,3 below covers 99% of our models and 99% of our CLPA flying.
1. Build and paint it yourself ....... Enter and get full AP everywhere (no-brainer ;-)
2. ARC or UNCOVERED "component kit", including wood covered foam, ...... same as #1
3. ARF or RTF ...... NO AP (almost everywhere), and possible entry problems at some contests.
99% of all the discussion (problems?) of the "implementation" of the current rule is due to the models covered in #4 below. These represent < 1% of all the CL models being flown in the USA.
4. If you buy a MOULDED fiberglass/CF component plane, or you "DEVOLVE" an ARF into an ARC then YOU make it back into an ARF then YOU make it into a RTF, ..... then you better check with each CD that you plan to fly under (?) before you enter his/her contest.
LONGER ANSWER:
As mentioned on this thread by others, there does seem to be a better understanding of this AMA CLPA BOM rule now and most people understand it well enough to address 99% of CLPA flying in the USA. If we remove just a few events from the discussion then the rule is very clear and easily applied.
If we set aside the North East Regional contest (AKA the Nats), AND the VSC, then the rule is very easy to use for the remaining 99% of all flying in the USA. Like Brad said, the NERC/Nats punishment for breaking the rule is BANISHMENT from the contest. ....... (turn around and drive the 2,000 miles back home without a single flight and try to explain the "BOM rule" to your 15 year old son who tried to get into CLPA with his arf Nobler .... sorry I couldn't resist!
)
RE: the VSC, they have their OWN rules, their rules have "nothing" to do with the AMA or the PAMPA Classic or Old time rules. The VSC should never even come up in any dissicusion of rules, you must read and OBEY their very particular/unique rules, nothing else applies.
Now, with the above contests set aside, the current rule is very clear and easy to use:
1. If you built it and covered/painted it then your GOLDEN in all AMA/PAMPA contests. (no-brainer here)
2. If it is an ARC, then same as #1. ...... An ARC is an all encomposing term. It includes all the obvious ARC units from Brodak. It also includes ALL "component kits" (thanks for the great marketing term Brad ;-) from cottage industry producers and builders, this also includes foam wings sheeted with balsa (or plywood), ex: the excellent balsa covered foam wings that Bob Hunt has been providing for decades, ..... as long as none of these componet kit parts are "not" covered with any film or tissue/silk, paint, etc.
3. The only area that poses a potential problem is if we start molding fiberglass or CF parts with a built-in gelcoat of colored paint. So far this is almost nonexistant in a "component kit" format. It seems, so far, that the economics of this type of effort lends itself to a true RTF unit that costs several thousand US$, these RTF units clearly do not meet the current USA BOM rule . The few people making this expensive effort have stopped making it available in a "Component kit" format for several good reasons. For 99% of CLPA contests in the USA I don't think this issue will become a problem anytime soon.
4. RE: the FILM COVERED ARF (really a "component kit", ARC, that is covered with film at the factory), that is STRIPED of it's fatory film covering then RECOVERED (and/or recovered then painted) .... If this is done by the pilot, > 90% of those surveyed said it would meet the current BOM rule. So if you do this, check with your local CD before the contest. ..... Like an ARF, you can fly it but you may get zero AP with <10% of the CDs
The AMA officials that I talked to stated that the above (re-recovered ARF) DOES meet their intent of the rule and they will make a clairification on this when/if needed. FWIW: they thought it was "unbelievable" that anyone would think that going through all the WORK of devolveing the ARF back to an ARC then recovering and/or painting it again would somehow NOT meet the intent of the current rule, I had a hard time convincing them that some CL people really thought that. (I will keep the forum posted on the progress of this official clairification). As stated above, this problem (#3,#4) covers only a very small % of planes flying in contests today.
DOC:
You said: " ... why do we discuss this anymore?, there are no more AP in pattern ......."
There is a very important reason why we discuss this. The APs are CRITICAL at any contest you want to COMPETE in. Look at the results of all the =/> med size contests and you will see that the average APs are larger than the point spread between the trophy places 1st to 3rd, and many times to 5th place. This means that the BOM APs have a huge impact on how you finish. Doc, at your next contest, go up to the 1st place winner during the awards presentation, tell him that you just lowered his score by 16 points and take his trophy out of his FIRM grip and tell him he now only placed 4th! Then tell me that the AP points don't matter.
You may be lucky in the SE and not use AP, but the norm in most of the USA is to still use them. I know that here in the very conservative (reactionary?) SW they are universally used. Please try to understand why they are important to us, even if your local area does not use them. TIA :-)
Regards,