This was my first NATS and it was a blast! I only brought one aircraft – an Extra 300S for fun scale. It was a converted RC ARF I picked up at Tower Hobbies. Phenix Models Extra 300S ARF for a 46 size engine. I powered it with an OS Max 55 AX. Plane looked good however it didn’t want to land. I ran out of time before the contest so it wasn’t dialed in all that well. So my finish of 7th out of 11 wasn’t all that surprising and I was well pleased.
Lets talk about lessons learned.
First of all the model was heavy. At close to 8 lbs it is a lead sled. Also it has a thin airfoil making it’s power off glide like a rock.
Second – I think a 4C engine is the way to go for scale – especially a large one. I observed that the reliability of the Saito’s was spot on. I had one DNF flight because the OS quit.
Third – Fun scale is all about the flight score. (No surprise here – that’s how the rules are set up.) So the key is practice, practice, and more pratice.
Biggest surprise: The scale judging was a big deal. I got a 7.35 and I thought my model was a least an 8 to 9. However, I am not saying the judging was unfair, quite the contrary. What I am saying is that to win, even in Fun Scale you must have flawless scale ship. I suspect that most of the winning ships are hand-me-downs form Sport Scale. My point is look at he following chart.
Place Static Flight Total
1 9.7 93 102.7
2 8.6 87 95.6
3 6.8 86.75 93.55
4 9.75 82.75 92.5
7 7.35 82 89.35
Looking at the above first place nailed the static score and the flight score – a clear winner. However the difference between 4th and 7th place was the static score. On the other hand the difference between 3rd and 7th was the flight score. Please don’t accuse me of being sour grapes – I am just making the point that 10 points for scale is a big deal. the flight spread between 1st and 7th is 11 points. On the other side of the coin – if you throw out static score 1 through 4 stay the same. Go figure!! Enough on this ---
Most fun!!! I was the only one with SMOKE! The crowd loved it – the judges loved it – I got 9 and 10 on this one.
Summery from a first timer. I had fun lots of fun. Every body was friendly and helpful. The camping on site was great! The contest was well run. I plan to return next year. Between now and then I will get a 4-cycle. I will come up with an airplane that lands like silk and I will practice – practice and practice some more. See you in 2011. Some pictures attached - Some of me and some of John Brodak. John's flying was unbelievable!!! This was my first chance to meet John - What a great person.
Topic: 2010 NATS Fun Scale - I had fun! (Read 458 times)
