Scale Masters & Qualifying for World Scale Championships F4-C – Team

[Roly]

Scale Masters & Qualifying for World Scale Championships F4-C – Team
Some food for thought on how F.A.I world championships teams are selected in the United States and Canada.
Suggestion; Consider utilizing the concept of applying to your World Championships Scale Team committee presenting your qualification via a "resume" based on the results of events you have participated in your area? The "Team Selection" committee would set minimum standards that must be met as qualification requirements. Teams would be selected from interested applicants from all areas of the country.
E.g. Minimum 93% static and 90% flying scores

I can think of a few advantages;
?   More people applying for the U.S.A. and Canadian World Championships teams.
?   Team members would be selected from applicants from all areas of the country.
?   More credibility for the FAI teams due to the above.
?   Better quality entrants.
?   More Scale events - participation
?   Better results for the country at the World Championships
?   Easier to raise funds for World Championships trip costs – More areas to raise funds from.
?   Interested people who live long distances from "Team Trials" would have an opportunity to apply for the team without travelling 3 – 10 days to get there and back.

Currently if you want to qualify for the American or Canadian F.A.I. World Championships Scale Team you usually need to go to a "Team Qualifier". These events are located anywhere in the country. For those so inclined will mean travelling a long distance at high expense in time and money.

The logic of travelling a long distance ( for some a round trip could be more than a week of travel time) to participate in the "Team Qualifier" event makes it almost prohibitive, for most; - travel time and fuel costs. In most cases these Team Qualifier events become a local event, if you live within a day's drive of the event people go without too much inconvenience.

In any case, I can think of nothing but pluses for this approach not to mention the potential growth of scale events. The only scale contest system in North America are the Scale Masters Qualifiers.

Thoughts?

Roly Worsfold - Director - NorthWest Scale Aero-Modellers - Scale Masters NW Area Director

[waconut]

Roly,
Your " Suggestion;"  Consider utilizing the concept of applying to your World Championships Scale Team committee presenting your qualification via a "resume" based on the results of events you have participated in your area? The "Team Selection" committee would set minimum standards that must be met as qualification requirements. Teams would be selected from interested applicants from all areas of the country.
E.g. Minimum 93% static and 90% flying scores.
This raises an interesting Scale Masters qualifying criteria that could be implemented as an adjunct to the current Scale Masters 30% qualifing rule.
The suggested minimum static and flying scores (93 static, 90%flying) applied to both the Expert and Team classes would provide  for a second oppertunity to qualify for the Championships benifiting both the competitors and quality of the competitors achievements during a qualifier.
Most competitors have but one oppertunity to qualify and if the competition is tight and the attendance is small, the championships also "suffers" attendance-wise.
A minimum standard as you suggest, applied to Scale Masters Expert and Team contestants at regional qualifiers would really benifit the  championships (attendence-wise), ensure quality models and pilots can qualify (especially when there are 3 or less contestants in Expert/Teamat a qualifer). I feel that this would minimize or even eliminate a contestant "chasing" another contestant, trying to overcome say a static delta of 2-3 points by having to fly 2-3 points each round.  There now would  be a benchmark set for the non-winner to qualify.
/chuck

[rcphotog]

Quote: ( minimum 93% static and 90% flying scores )

This sounds like a practicle way to increase the opertunities to qualify for the finals ( that's a good thing ) ....however, I wonder, does this mean that a contestant must bring to the finals ... "the plane with which he/she received the 93% static-score" ?
   Currently, no such mandate exsists. A contestant can qualify with one model and bring a different model to the Championships. ( a procedure which I never understood ) ...afterall, it's a particular model that qualifies ( is it not ? )

Just my two-cents.

I do think this idea is worth examning and concidering.
Ken.

[waconut]

Ken
It is my understanding that if one qualifies with one model and prior to attending the Championships, experiences a crash or some other calamity, he is allowed to bring a different model to the Championships.
We all know that other "reasons" exist for bringing a non-qualified aircraft to the championships.  Hanger queens do exist.....
/chuck

[Guy Fawcett]

Hi Roly

This would mean that the qualifying events would all have to run F4C rules in order to make any sense.  What organization is going to take on running the F4C events to create a qualifying procedure?

Guy

[Roly]

Hello Guy & All,

I don't think that it matters what rules you use as it all seems relative to me. If you can do well at Scale Masters Qualifiers such as Top Gun, the NATS or any other qualifier around the country you should do well in representing the country at the World Championships. All you are doing is flying and presenting your model in static in front of judges, if you do well relative to your peers you should do well at the world championships. All one needs to do is study up on the world championships "rules" and you can "play the game" so to speak. The flying manouvres are the same all over the world using the same standards as the World Championships. Scorring is differant however in the end if you can do well in any contests you should fair well at the world championships.
Thanks for the comments, Roly

[Flite-Metal]

There is clearly a misunderstanding here. The AMA is the NAA designated CIAM representing the
United States at any FAI model related event, Aerobatic, Scale, Free Flight, etc. To attend any FAI
event as a potential competitor you must maintain annual membership in FAI via sporting license,
then if your modeling venue is conducting a qualifier, "qualifying" to represent the United States as a
team member at an FAI international event.

Prior to the process of qualifying, a proposal must be provided the FAI CAIM officials following the
published protocol set forth in the FAI CIAM guideline. The qualifier itself is not an issue. A decision
matrix to conduct an official FAI qualifier for any of the many FAI aeromodeling events, racing, aero
batics, scale, duration, etc, is a huge financial and logistical consideration that needs to be detailed in
proposal submitted in triplicate to the FAI CIAM officials.

Proposal must provide a plan of action for conducting Qualifier and Logistical Support both physical
and financially to manage the proposed USA Scale Team FAI F4C Team to aggressively compete in
the next WSC, World Scale Championship. This to include offsetting domestic and overseas expense
on a "daily" basis. Funding a USA Scale Team FAI F4C Team is a very expensive endevor. Planning
begins 18 months before an actual qualifier is conducted.

Action of conducting a USA FAI F4C Team Qualifier is for the purpose of witnessing individual's
building and piloting skills and capabilities to replicate their full size subjects in a prototypical manner.
This, a Best Practices effort to select superior competitors to represent USA at the biennial WSC,
World Scale Championship. Winning is the intention of each and every team member, be the team
manager, 3 pilots or the 1 alternate.

The qualifier is but one of several parting points for selection of the USA FAI F4C Team members.
Criteria for participation is at the sole discreation of the FAI Team Selection Committee charged as
the officials of the USA CIAM representative.

Individuals representing the NAA at the FAI WSC, World Scale Championship are doing so not
only as modelers, but ambassadors of the NAA's chosen CIAM representative, the Academy of
Model Aeronautics and United States Of America. Team members are expected to reflect more
than modeling expertise.

Funding this endevor through corporate sponsors is a major effort which must occur before any
proposal is composed by anyone considering doing so. I won't bore you with details, but its a
wee north of what your best quess might be... ;^)

[Roly]

Hello Ed,

Thanks for the information, very good and helps us to understand the current situation.

The suggestion is to involve as many Scale Aero-Modelers across the country in the selection process. As I see it the selection process is very close to a local event where "only" those who live relatively close (within a two day drive) are involved.

It seems to me once you select a team via the proposal you can fill in the rest of the details as you explained.

Thanks,
             Roly

[Flite-Metal]

Hello Ed, Thanks for the information, very good and helps us to understand the current situation. The suggestion is to involve as many Scale Aero-Modelers across the country in the selection process.

As I see it the selection process is very close to a local event where "only" those who live relatively close (within a two day drive) are involved. It seems to me once you select a team via the proposal you can fill in the rest of the details as you explained. Thanks, Roly

[Flite-Metal]

Clearly change is the order of the day; across a broad horizon with respect to competitive flying scale modeling
in the United Sates...period. Compose and present a proposal to the CIAM committee. Make a difference in
how competitive flying scale modeling is conducted within the United States, and the United States represented
at the FAI F4C WSC.

But please don't let someone decide who's the best. Let the best prove they are!