AMA and Giant Scale Racing.
As I mentioned last month in the supplemental report, the AMA has updated their standards for Giant Scale Racing and removed the additional insurance requirement for racing aircraft over 20 lbs. So what does that mean? It means that our event organizers no longer need to purchase insurance policies to cover themselves because they are covered under the AMA's policy. This means a savings to them of up to $3000. That savings can then be passed on to the participants in the form of lower entry fees. It also means that you as a participant are now covered by the AMA's insurance policy when you race Giant Scale. Now all of this doesn't come without us doing a few things differently. If you get a chance, look at the AMA's website at modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/ and look at the new standards for Giant Scale Racing under Membership Services/ Publications. The direct link to the new standards is modelaircraft.org/templates/ama/PDF-files/535.pdf. Most of what is listed is exactly the way we currently do things, including that you must be an AMA member to participate. There are some changes though, and I wanted to point these out to you so you can prepare for them. First of all, since we will be an AMA sanctioned event, we will need to follow the AMA safety code which is also listed on their website. This includes placing your name, address, and AMA number inside the airplane. It will also be necessary for the pilot and caller to wear helmets while flying. It is important that you and your caller bring your own helmets to the race with you or you will not be allowed to compete. You should bring a helmet that fits properly and will accommodate any glasses or ear protection that you will be wearing. The specifications for the types of helmets that are allowed are listed in the AMA safety code, which reads: "OSHA, DOT, ANSI, SNELL or NOCSAE approved or comparable standard". The new standards also specify that our engines must be tethered to a major airframe component with a cable or safety strap with at least 200 lbs tensile strength. A major airframe component does include the firewall or fuselage. There is also a specification on minimum battery amperage that you should be aware of, which lists a required capacity of at least 200mah per servo. So if you have 6 servos in your aircraft your battery capacity must be a minimum of 1200mah. Most of us exceed this, but I don't want anyone to be caught off guard. The last change will deal with moving our timing and scoring personnel 300 feet back from the flight line. This will make some of their jobs easier, and some of them harder. They will have a better view of the aircraft to judge start cuts and finish positions, but will need to pay close attention to which aircraft they are timing so as not to misidentify them. They will also not be there to tap the callers on the shoulder to notify them of the last lap. Loren Tregellas is working on his timing and scoring system to incorporate a vibrating/lighted clip on device that will notify the caller automatically. I am sure that some of us will think that these changes are unnecessary and burdensome, but they are a very small price to pay for what we will be getting in return. In the future, when the next AMA rulebook comes out, it is even possible that Giant Scale Racing could be added and we could be part of the NATS. I want to take this opportunity to again thank everyone who helped make these changes happen. The Executive Council, Safety Committee, and Insurance Committee of the AMA were very professional and easy to work with. Carl Maroney of the AMA was instrumental in crafting and proposing these changes, and we owe him our gratitude. Thanks to the USRA Board for their help, and in particular to VP Scott Hanbury, Loren Tregellas, and Don Moden for traveling to Muncie with me. I also want to thank Pete Bergstrom from Horizon/Zenoah for helping with our proposals, and traveling to Muncie to speak on our behalf.
Zenoah….Official Sponsor of the USRA!
Speaking of Pete Bergstrom and Zenoah, I just wanted to mention again the great sponsorship program that Pete has put together for the USRA. This year, Zenoah will be sponsoring the entire racing series with over $13,000 in prizes. Each race will be receiving multiple Zenoah engines that will be awarded to the participants! Zenoah is also placing advertisements for our series in national model magazines such as Model Airplane News and Model Aviation! Thanks again Pete, we're looking forward to racing with you this year.
West Coast Fall Race
It looks like Denny and Barbara Baker are going to be our primary event coordinators for this year's fall event on the West coast. Denny and Barbara have graciously volunteered to take some more work off of Archie, so they will be our primary contacts for race-related information. Denny and Barbara already have a few things in the works to improve the race for this year, so pay close attention to the reports and the website for new information.
2003 Racing Season is Almost Here!
Since we have some new members who are receiving this report for the first time, and for those members who haven't been paying attention the last couple of months, here is a reminder of all the great things going on for this year's racing series. First of all we have the new Formula-1GT class which is our current F-1 aircraft coupled with stock Zenoah GT-80 engines. This class will run race provided gas and props just like T-6. The new prop design has been completed and performance and safety testing are going on now. Initial tests show us that the racers will be in the 155-165 mph range…faster than a T-6, but slower than the F-1 class. The new props will be available directly from APC soon, and will be made of the standard gray plastic. They should be priced comparably to the current T-6 propeller. This class will be racing for trophies and prizes only and will not be eligible for a year-end championship. This means that entry fees for this class will be at a reasonable price. If you are just getting started in Giant Scale Racing, looking to race in another class, or are looking for a way to race with less expense and hasssle, this is the class for you. Next is the sponsorship of the F-1 class by Tom Easterday and his company California Research Tabulations. Tom is contributing $7500 in cash to be used as the purse for the F-1 class at this year's events. Tom also stipulated that we couldn't charge more than a $125 entry fee for the F-1 class since the purse would not need to be covered by the event organizer. So…..F-1 racers will be competing for big bucks and having their entry fees lowered this year! As I mentioned above, all races will be AMA sanctioned this year and covered under their insurance policy. This reduced expense to the event organizers will result in lower entry fees for all classes this year. Don't forget to renew your AMA membership, you'll need to have your card with you at the races. Also as I previously mentioned, Zenoah will be sponsoring our series this year with over $13,000 in prizes. With several engines being awarded at every race, don't you think you've got a pretty good shot at winning one?
Is this enough to get you to come and race with us this year?……….It doesn't get much better than this!
Ken McSpadden