Month: January 2019

The 2019 Revision of the FAC Rulebook has been finalized.  Find the link below this message from the CinC:

Hey Skysters! The 2018-2019 Rule Book has been edited and revised for the 2019 flying season, and is now available on the FAC website—check it out. There’s a few very minor edits which appear in blue type; major revisions will appear in red.

What ARE those major revisions? First off, we decided that DT’s don’t belong on Dime Scale models. That’s not likely to affect a whole lot of you, but for those that may have already built one into their latest 10-cent masterpiece, don’t fret. Disable it during competition you’re OK.

The OTHER big news is that we have expanded the Mass Launch race plane events. You’ll recall in the last issue of the FAC News (#305 – Jan-Feb 2019) we announced that we would be bringing back the old Bendix event? Well, we have … sort of. After much hemming and ha-a-awing and throwing of rules proposals back and forth, we finally settled on calling the new event the NAR, short for National Air Races. The NAR joins the Thompson Trophy and the Greve Race events, and gives you need-for-speed mass launch modelers a whole new hangar of aircraft to explore. Take a gander at the new event rules on page 16 of the 2018-2019 Rule Book, Rev.1. Read ‘em close, so we don’t have to waste time answering your questions when we could be out FLYING.

Also, direct your attention to the polished-up official FAC Thompson Trophy and Greve Race plane lists that are now included as appendices in the Rule Book. Refer to these lists if you’re at all unsure what event to fly your racer in. You may ask, “Where is the official NAR list?”. Well, given the catch-all nature of the NAR, we though it would be better to leave it up to YOU to populate that list. Notice the expanded date range for NAR racers, 1920-1939. You might start some of those neat Pulitzer Prize racers you’ve always wanted to model, or perhaps with some obscure high-wing racer that strikes your fancy, and go from there. If you can document that it raced, and it’s not already on the Thompson or Greve lists, it’s eligible. Speaking of high wing models, does it occur to you that we didn’t have any mass launches for high wing aircraft before? We think you’re gonna like this new event…

Aside from a few other very minor edits, that’s about it. So get your x-actos to work and get ready for some fun—spring is closer than you think….

Dave Mitchell, CinC

Always find the latest Rules and Lists on the OFFICIAL FAC RULES PAGE (click that link).

Contests – Don’t forget the online calendar!  it is filling and we have contests logged into July already, with more coming weekly.  CDs:  Get with Rick (email) and he will help you submit them – THEN check the dates after the contest has been added to the Calendar.  Members:  Check the calendar for contests you might be interested in.  Also, you will probably get an email from Rick if you are within a certain range.  Good stuff!

Kanones – Thanks go out to a couple of members for submitting names of members that passed on years ago, but were still on the Active Kanone list.  Two things following:  1) if you know of someone that is still on the Active list that has passed away, let me know, and 2) I update the online lists within the first week of the new month.  And, as always, thanks to the CDs for submitting their reports in a timely manner!

Rules Update – we are HOURS away from the annual Rules Update.  In fact, it will likely be my next post here, probably today or tomorrow.

–george