Page 49 - MFW June 2025

V intage

SIG

Allan Knox

I mentioned concerns about the future of Vintage either IC or electric so they could be used for the ever
competition due to falling participation at the Nats in my popular R/C Precision and Duration classes not to
last report. This has prompted the SIG committee to mention a Texaco class or two.
rethink the classes and rules along the lines of ideas
expressed over the last couple of years. While the current Ken McMillan selected one of my real favourites, Henry
rules have served us well, it is felt we need to slim them Struck’s New Ruler from 1940. This one is an absolute
down, condense and simplify. classic and the second one I have seen restored. Ken has
replaced the old sparky with a Dual Sky electric motor and
To that end a proposal has been prepared and worked 6S battery that should see it launch to 1000 feet in 20
through with fliers with the following goals: seconds making it very competitive. He has installed
Reduce the number of classes substantially, standardise radio, built a new cowl and generally tied up the covering
around common rules and simplify tasks with the goal of etc. It has flown and he reports it goes really well on the
making vintage more accessible and able to be flown with lower powered batteries he has for now.
fewer different models.

Things reviewed In line with these goals included:
• Doing away with classical and vintage as
separate periods and replace with Vintage as just
pre 1975.
• Standardising spot landings for all classes.
• Combining electric and IC classes where we can
and having common tasks and target times to
allow this.
• Doing away with age bonuses.
• Doing away with minimum wing loadings.
• Other minor details.
Hopefully some you will have had input into all this over
the months.

We hope to have the new rules in place for the next Nats.
The current NDC calendar will use the old rules as
currently published however. Ken McMillan with the revitalised New Ruler.

Revitalising old models. Geoff Pullen picked up a very special model that was a
I feel there have been a lot of fine old models built over the real favourite of Ian’s. It’s a full sized Hayseed. Geoff has
years and some them still languish in the rafters of acquired an OS 4 stroke motor for it and is converting it to
workshops across the nation. It maybe that they no RC. Ian was a purist and flew it FF with a sparky up front
longer have a place in modern sport flying or their of course. The model has some history too. There is a
builders have passed on or moved into other modelling commemorative decal on it that recalls a day in 1986
endeavours. when it flew away from the CMAC field on Miner’s road
and finally landed after 1 hour and 50 minutes at an inland
Recently I put a call out to my Christchurch club members junction near Aylesbury. I wondered how he got it back but
to see if anyone had a golden oldie that could be when recounting this story to club mate, Craig King, Craig
refurbished and used for vintage flying. The appeal said, “I remember it well, I was the one who chased it!” It
produced a number of prospects and some in particular seems wind speed was low that day but he still had to jog
had real promise. A couple were built by Ian Henry who along the whole time keeping it in sight as he jumped
was an outstanding FF modeller and longstanding fences and negotiated water races and hedges. It would
member of the club way back when it first started in the descend tantalisingly only to rise again a number of times
40s. Ian passed away some years ago but Mark Venter before finally coming to earth. A check on Google maps
had the models in his workshop and generously passed suggests it did about 13.5 KMs! Needless to say Craig
them on. was young and fit back then. Come to think of it, he is still
pretty agile and is the guy we look to when a tree needs
Models like these were free flighters but I was hoping climbing to retrieve a model. I guess this flight would be as
they would go to new R/C vintage fliers for conversion to near as we could get to the original USA Texaco flights of
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