This amazingly beautiful Novi III is the work of
Dave Gierke. It represents the more jetlike look
of the classic models of the 1960s. This photo
was taken of Dave and his original-design
model at the 1967 Nats, which was held at the
Los Alamitos Naval Air Station in California.
it is wrong in its
thinking.
Lately we have
seen a noticeable
slump in local-level participation
in each of these
events, although
they still draw
participants well
in some areas.
Surprisingly
though, at the
Nats, the OT
and Classic Stunt
events (which
are currently run as unofficial events)
continue to draw impressive numbers
each year. They obviously still have
great appeal for many. At the Nats and
at VSC, there are no restrictions on the
type of powerplant, hardware, or the
finishing materials used. The idea is to
encourage participation.
There are rumblings that OT and
Classic Stunt could be and might be
under serious consideration as candidates
for inclusion as official AMA events
because of the impressive numbers
they draw at the Nats. That would be
wonderful, but we need to be careful
when crafting the rules should this
come to pass, to ensure that these events
would have as broad of an appeal as
possible, drawing sufficient entries to
keep them viable for the long term.
The new Precision Aerobatics
Model Pilots Association (PAMPA)
president, Dennis Adamisin, has asked
for volunteers for two new committees
within the organization. One will deal
with all issues concerning OT Stunt, and
one will concern itself with Classic Stunt
issues.
Those who have a vested interest
in ensuring that these disciplines stay
healthy might want to contact Dennis
and volunteer to help staff one of these
committees. Among the committees’
duties will be approving designs of the
eras in question and reviewing and
possibly adjusting the rules of the events
as needed and/or required.
I’ll keep you abreast of some of
the results in this column, but if you
want to follow what’s going on, please
consider joining PAMPA, which is an
official AMA-recognized Special Interest
Group. See the “Sources” listing for
PAMPA contact information.
One of the main benefits of PAMPA
membership is Stunt News, the 100-
page, bimonthly newsletter that is
available in print form or as a full-color
online version. If you join PAMPA you
can access the member’s section of
the website. There you can download
the current and previous issues of
Stunt News and build a valuable CL
Aerobatics library.
Back to the Squares
If you took my advice in the March
2016 “CL Aerobatics” column, you have
been tracing square maneuvers against a
drawing of a square on your shop wall.
I’ll bet your arm is tired!
Like a musician who practices scales,
the practice of repeatedly tracing a
visible shape will ingrain some good
habits. The best habit for square
maneuvers is the practice of flying
absolutely straight legs between the
corners.
Like the other downwind-start
maneuvers, squares should be flown so
116 Model Aviation MAY 2016
www.ModelAviation.com
