Models ready for static point awarding
Static point awarding
Briefing prior to Saturday competition start
This year's Openscale was 19th competition in a row, competition whis is with no doubt the most important event in M-min category. Where I nostalgically dig in my memory, the May competition in Medlanky was always the first competition for the season and the most interesting one - after winter everybody came to show new miniscales, built during the winter, in spite the fact that there were more M-min competitions these days, sometimes five a year (olders will shed tears when remembering forgotten names such as Frenštát, Boleráz u Trnavy, Borač). That is history now, but I'm pleased to announce that this Openscale was a proof that M-mins are built again during the winter and there models to observe on first spring competition. Plus this category is no longer Brno only, more the opposite.
Apart from M-min main competition there were other events attached to Openscale - rubber powered oldtimers of BV-1 and BV-3 categories, scale and semiscale models powered by Rapier motors (Rapiers have their report in corresponding section of this server). Thanks to Bernard Guest initiative there was also competition of rubber powered scale models according to FAC rules (introduction of these categories is in separate article here).In particular there was Jumbo Scale category, with specific rules and small attendence and there were FAC exhibition events with mass takeoff. There we expected many models, mainly as it is possible to fly with common M-min and peanut models, more common in Czech Republic. However, the competitors were saving their models for the main M-min competition, so WWI and WWII mass launch did not happen at all and peanuts had only three models attending. So there was only one FAC subcategory - Schneider Trophy. Mass launch brought nice change and excitement into usual Openscale. Bernard's idea was to bring more foreign modellers to Openscale. I don't know whether the reason is our strong currency or whether Brno is just too far, but unfortunatelly Bernard Guest was the only foreigner competing. Where are the times when there were so many foreigners on Openscale!
In Jumbo Scale there was Bernard Guest with Northrop flying wing, which did not fly very well, as expected. I was more touched with beautiful and well flying miniscale of three engine airliner Dewoitine, built by Robert Pajas.
Three engine airline...
Nice flight shot of ...
Monstrous flying win...
Huge propeller was a...
Racer by Bernard Gue...
Mass launch of model...
Winner of Schneider ...
Brainstorming of Rap...
There were many oldt...
Dramatic mass launch...
Peanut Levasseur L´o...
Saturday evening - s...
But let's return to M-min category. This year there were 34 models in total. The truth is that seven of them did not fly at all, but it is still number not seen in years. And what is encouriging the most - there was a number of new and so far not seen models. Lets introduce the models on following photograph, ordered according to final position:
The competition itself started on Saturday at 4p.m. with hand launches, followed by off the ground starts (well, from the 1x2m table). This year we had absolutely gorgeous weather - miniscalers dream one - it was warm, little cloud from time to time, no wind or very calm wind, thermics - and that lasted for both days. Basically the necessary condition for high flying times. And here is the biggest paradox of this year's Openscale - both maxims were reached only by Lubomir Koutny with both his models, P-63 Kingcobra and MIG DIS. So the winner was known. Both oldish models fly with very long, not very dynamic powered flight, so the models are capable of long flights even without thermic. Models were really happy with the weather, in wind and turbulent conditions the results might have been different. Other modellers were unlucky in their takeoff moemnt, or their models were avoiding the thermic. However, we have to admit that three maximums of other modellers models are not very much. Second position, also not exactly new MIG I-224 by Pavel Stranik usually finds the thermic, this time it was not lucky and the flight corresponding to the original high ceiling fighter was made only one. Very beautiful and equal flights were made by Adam Jenik and his Fairchild PT-19 Cornell. This beautiful miniscale model was introduced on Rudolf Drnec memorial last year. Another nice and good flying model was not very well known Aero A-102 by Jiri Hermanek. Good flights using thermic were shown by Jiri Merta with his Aero C-104 and Antonin Krizka with Avia BH.1 Exp., in spite the fact that both miniscales are not very suitable for long flights. Nice flights were performed by juniors from Salezian model club with well-established Dornier Komet. But they could not overperform Antonin Krizka with Itoh, the winner of junior category. Large and simple Komet has high maximum which is hard to reach.
The winner - MiG DIS...
Preparation of multi...
Correctly made takeo...
Flight shot of MiG D...
P-63 Kingcobra by Lu...
Kingcobra takeoff wo...
MiG I-224 by Pavel S...
Contest flight of Mi...
calm wind enabled to...
CompAir 7 by Petr Ko...
One can make it to t...
Aero C-104 by Jiří M...
Avia BH.1 Exp, by An...
Itoh by Antonín Křiž...
Preparation for off ...
Boys from model club...
But I don't want to be just praising the good flights and knowing that objective criticism has also its value, I want to mention also those who did not reach good positions. And I will start with myself - for the second year in a row I was trying to trim Martinsyde Buzzard towards good flights with no result. Model had its days as F4D scale category model, but outdoors flying is not its strong feature, actually it was not. After bad ground takeoff it was damaged and ended up its life in flames and small pile of ashes. Adam Jenik brought to Openscale his new nice Tank Ta-152H, but the flights were not very long. It was not surprising as the thing for propulsion was far from the propeller, it was more the air brake. Let's hope that next time the model will be equipped with something capable of exchanging the rubber power into thrust. Another new Tank Ta-152C made by Dusan Garba did not make any better, but I do not know the reason. Not very good flights were shown by Me-209 by Petr Mikulasek. It used to be very competitive model but the famous times are over and new models would be recommended. But that is not just the case for Petr, there are more of us like that. Surprisingly not very good flights were made by new, beautiful and not commonly seen Bolchovitinov by Standa Cerny. I do not know where the problem might be, as for the first look the model has everything necessary to become well flying miniscale. Also SE-5a by Antonin Krizka is certainly capable of more than 30sec flights. Miloslav Stodulka had trouble to trim his nice threeplane Fokker Dr.I., but that is understandable as this type is not ideal for miniscale model. But I'm puzzled why there wea not a single competition flight by Martin Huk and his Miles Magister, Viktor Lukac and his P-51H Mustang and Chilton, as those models have the right proportions and are very nicely built. The same holds for Douglas Skyraider by Bernard Guest, older modellers might remember that M-min model of this type (but not in such level of detail) was lost in Medlanky when it flew away from its maker - Vladimir Kunert.
Pavel Stráník prepar...
Here you can see Buz...
... and here is its ...
Me-209 by Petr Mikul...
Not all the offgroun...
Miloslav Stodůlka ha...
Fokker dr.i during t...
Fokker being prepare...
The working efforts of the modellers was outstanding, note for illustration: Ruja, who on Friday evening went to my workplace to paint the decals on his Rapier model had an idea (when seeing red yeys of other modellers) to make a little survey: how long the modellers were working on their models the night before the competition. From 14 modellers asked only three (!) went to sleep in reasonable time, the average goingtobed time was half past two in the moerning, and the record was five in the morning, followed by one hour sleep and trip to Brno to Openscale.
So that was Openscale 2008. I have not register everything, not everything was caught by Ruja and his camera. But after years we had one great miniscale event. So thanks for organizing the event go to Lubomir Koutny, who was occasionally nervously oscillating between organizer and competitor. The same thanks goes to the locations of low and high air pressures that are responsible for ideal miniscale weather. And we can not forget the timekeepers, lead by Honza Dekanik, they spent two days by watching the planes, clicking the stop watches and writing down the flight times, with no chaos or frustration, comparing to the last year.
The results were announced with the Medlanky Major present, the prizes were representative, the winners got their cups and all juniors were rewarded in the frame of Petrik's Cup for the up to 15 years old modellers.
The next year Openscale is jubilee year, twentieth. Miniscale modellers should not only be looking forward, but they should also built a new model. And the others are welcomed as audience.
[Felda]
P.S. As all the photos do not fit into the report, and we do not want to throw them away, here is the aggregate gallery with all 173 photographs .
P.P.S. Results of the competition in PDF format in Czech (96kB).
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