Scale World Championships Results

by Richard Crapp, British Team Member

I got back from Interlaken, Switzerland, at 12 p.m. last night (August 27). Here are some quick impressions and results.

The beginning of the week had enormous storms, then the weather was near perfect. Perfectly still in the morning and a gentle breeze in the afternoon, with temperatures in the 80º's F (25º - 30º C). The week before was all rain and the day we left, the storms were back. Lucky . . .

The setting was fabulous, on a military airfield set in the valley beneath the snow-capped Eiger and Jungfrau mountains and next to the pretty town of Interlaken and the lakes.

The hospitality of the Swiss organisers was outstanding, beginning with a cruise on the lake followed by traditional music with massed formation bell-ringing on the lakeside and continuing every night in the eating tent, including a 36-piece oom-pah-pah band dressed as chickens - hilarious! Festivities finished in the beautiful Interlaken Casino with a closing banquet and a cabaret of indoor flying and verbal engine noises that had 250 guests on their feet applauding.

100 Swiss volunteers worked on the smooth running of the event, to whom many thanks.

. . . and many thanks to Richard for letting us have these results  and fascinating report - it sounds a great event. In case you didn't see it on ModelFlight #10, here's a shot of Richard's competition Waco S3HD-A.

FOR SOME TIME NOW, I've been keen to have a go at building rather than just the assembly called for on ARTF models, but I was not really sure where to begin. As I mentioned a couple of issues ago, I'm very keen to build the SIG Citabria but did wonder if it was a bit too ambitious for a first attempt. However, encouraged by comments from Steven (Bolin) and a conversation with the guy who's recognised as a really good builder at our club, I decided to give it a go and  have just started building the ATS Kite Mk 3 (from JB Aviation) as my ongoing trainer. 

I very much like my Yamamoto 1600 trainer, but it is a bit clumsy on the ground and would appear to have some limitations when it comes to aerobatics - not that I have progressed that far yet. Anyhow, the Kite is said to be extremely strong, easily repaired if necessary, and certainly capable of taking you through to BMFA 'B' certificate level, so I thought it would be a useful model to start with. It is also manufactured locally, so if I find myself in need of spares, I can nip out to John Simpson of JB Aviation without having to wait for the postman!

I am greatly enjoying building the Kite - it is a very straightforward type of building, with sheeted box type fuselage, and so far is fitting together very nicely. I confess to having made one stupid mistake, though, which I was fortunately able to rectify! I noted the advice in the building notes to take care not to build two identical fuselage sides (i.e., two left sides instead of a left and a right) and checked most carefully as I started the construction and again when I glued the doublers in place. However, when it came to the treblers . . . ! The PVA was pretty well set by the time I came to realise my mistake and I really thought I was done for, but I was able to  remove the offending trebler by carefully and gently pushing a very sharp flat knife blade between it and the doubler and then glued the trebler back on the side to which it belonged! I don't think I'll do that again - we certainly learn from our mistakes, don't we?

I haven't been able to spend as much time at the job as I had hoped; this is as far as I've got with the Kite as I write this, but I must say it's good fun - what a hobby! I will bring you an occasional update as building progresses.