I just do not get it! Is the purpose of this thread how to draw more new people into scale or how to make their first attempt a failure? Lets look at the facts; new pilots are nervous, most do not have any idea that banking the wings increases stall speed, most don’t understand that G’s increase stall speed. Then to have a “expert” tell them they will be tooling way over scale speed, they put in a small engine and smash their first attempt at scale then go back to pattern, or fun flying, or what ever they were doing prior to their scale fiasco!

When a newby asks me what engine to put on his scale plane I have him figure out his wt/hp on the planes he is flying. Then I tell them to get the wt of the scale plane they want to build and see how big the engine has to be for the same wt/hp ratio 5# plane with 1.5 hp = 54oz/hp. Pick a engine that gives you 40-50oz/hp, when you finish it will still be around 60oz/hp. When you want to tool around you can, when you want to fly scale back off the T. we have a guy here a engineer and a pilot who put a .50 4c in a over wt sky shark Val because that would give him scale speed. Luckly he is now retrofitting a 90 4c in it now. The powers that be need to think about what they espouse. Scale is something you grow into, the first scale plane should be set up just like a sporter that way they can go back to what worked in the past when it gets a little harry and still have a good chance of surviving. Giving a newby such a disadvantage small engine, heavy plane for a two percent gain in score at a contest, his plane will never make the contest!

First time in competition the number one rule is “take the plane home in one peace, after having a good time flying and making new friends.” Your plane is worth way more than ten points! If the maneuver is not good do not risk the plane, blow off the maneuver but keep the plane. The next time you will nail it, that is a guarantee. Some how having to think about what you did, and being ticked off at your self for doing it all comes together the next flight. Don’t worry about speed or position, just getting as comfortable as possible, that means talk to the judges, and safety first. Once your comfortable then start to work on the finer points of scale, at practice. You will do a steve martin (jerk the stick) and or pop cycle (freeze at the stick) at least once, that will give all your “buddys” something to bust you about. But it is all for fun any how.

Joe