BMFA Indoor Scale Nationals 20th-21st April 2024

[Pete Fardell]

The dates for the UK Indoor Scale Nats are Saturday 20th April (RC) & Sunday 21st April (FF).
That’s about five months from now, so still loads of time to finish a model and enter or even to build a couple of new ones! Venue, as usual, is the Wolverhampton University sports hall in Walsall.
Attached pics are of three models that we can expect to see there: George Kandylakis’s stunning Avro 504N and Richard Crossley’s huge and magnificent Short Shetland.
Also, for balance and to show you absolutely don’t need to be a maestro like Mr Kandylakis or Mr Crossley to be in it, my own Guillow’s Fairchild 24 kit scale entry.

More details of categories, entry fees etc. will follow shortly. Time to check your balsa supplies!

[Pete Fardell]

Good News!! The Indoor Scale Nats entry form is now LIVE, along with further information about this year's event, here: https://scale.bmfa.org/bmfa-indoor-scale-nationals-2024-entry-form-now-live

Let's finish those builds, trim those models and get those entries in! It's going to be a super year with beauties such as this in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHYtEvlQ3GI&t=15s

And Kit Scale aficionados might like to know that this year there will be CASH prizes on offer for the top three finishers, courtesy of the good people at the Vintage Model Company who are kindly sponsoring both the Free Flight and R/C Kit Scale contests. More details to follow!

[Pete Fardell]

A few people were doing some pre-Nats trimming at the Velodrome yesterday, myself included. I wanted to see if my Cessna Comet would a) take off and b) circle safely indoors, with a view to putting it in for Intermediate Scale in April. I was pleased to find that it does. The temptation is to open the turn out a bit, but outdoors I found that even a little less rudder leads it to go right instead, with bad consequences.
Here are some of its flights from yesterday, with thanks to Ian Lever for filming one of them: https://youtu.be/-gk0p8yfH6U

[Pete Fardell]

Quite a bit of Kit Scale trimming going on too. Daves Whitehouse and Crompton both made good progress with their big Stinsons, and this is Tim Horne's VMC Sopwith Triplane: https://youtu.be/acimgU-WGNg?si=Deeq7bOofg2c1KIM.
Meanwhile, I tried to get the landings sorted out on my newest Guillow's Fairchild, but... er ... didn't. I'm not sure this one bounce take-off is quite legal either: https://youtu.be/RZwwiUn6B_E?si=FjgBPSI1JFlC8CGI

Just a reminder that although the Saturday R/C event is now fully booked up, you still have until 7th April to enter the FF Sunday. So, still time not only to get your entry form completed, but to build a new Kit Scale or NoCal entry too!
And if you need any more incentive to get along there, I just heard a rumour that a certain biplane Hurricane, as seen on these very pages, might be competing this year. Now you wouldn't want to miss that!

[TheLurker]

I just heard a rumour that a certain biplane Hurricane, as seen on these very pages, might be competing this year. Now you wouldn't want to miss that!

Ahem.  A Hillson F.H. 40 if you please and it's really not that exciting and competing is putting it a bit high, attending might be nearer the mark.  

But yes, providing I don't wreck it at the next Trinity trying to sort out that low power stall and there are no domestic emergences.

Is there a sneak preview of who's entered what anywhere?

[Pete Fardell]

Is there a sneak preview of who's entered what anywhere?

Mike Stuart will know the ‘who’ bit but I don’t think anyone needs to declare their ‘whats’ yet. For me though, it’ll probably be M Blériot in Open Rubber again, the Cessna Comet in Intermediate as mentioned, and the Fairchild in KS.

[Gary Dickens]

Is there a sneak preview of who's entered what anywhere?

Mike Stuart will know the ‘who’ bit but I don’t think anyone needs to declare their ‘whats’ yet. For me though, it’ll probably be M Blériot in Open Rubber again, the Cessna Comet in Intermediate as mentioned, and the Fairchild in KS.

...and the Comper in air race?

[Pete Fardell]

...and the Comper in air race?

Yup, especially if you’re up for being my mechanic again? (I might wear asbestos gloves this time though.)

[Pete Fardell]

Not long to go now! Here are some pics of the two new Kit Scale trophies from VMC and the latest update from the Nats organising committee:

Our friends at The Vintage Model Company, (VMC), have generously sponsored both the RC and FF kit scale competitions taking place on the 20th and 21st April at Wolverhampton University, Walsall Sport Centre by providing a trophy for each competition to be awarded to the winner in perpetuity, (see pictures below), which will make a handsome addition to anyone’s mantlepiece!
VMC have also kindly donated cash prices to be awarded for 2024 to those competitors who achieve a podium place in kit scale, (1st, 2nd and 3rd place).
This means that the winner of both the RC and FF kit scale competitions, in addition to winning the stunning trophies kindly donated by VMC will also be awarded a cash prize of £60, with those in second place being awarded £30 and those in third place taking home £10.
These prizes will be awarded in addition to our usual BMFA certificates, and to the winner of the FF kit scale competition, (if a UK based, BMFA member), the Mike Goldby Memorial Trophy, which will be awarded at the BMFA annual dinner later in the year.
Our thanks are directed to our friends at VMC for their generosity, which has revitalised our 2024 Kit Scale competitions, adding a competitive edge we’ve not seen before!
Whilst our RC competitions taking place on Saturday 20th April are now fully subscribed,  there is still time to enter the FF competitions taking place on Sunday 21st April.
Entries can be made by competing the entry form here:

 https://scale.bmfa.org/bmfa-indoor-scale-nationals-2024

which will remain live until Sunday 7th April 2024.
We are also charging a fee of £5.00, (payable on the door), for those who would like to come along and spectate. The £5.00 fee covers the whole weekend and a copy of the 2024 Scale Indoor Programme (subject to availability), so why not attend on both days? Children, under the age of 16, accompanied by an adult, will be granted free admission.
The spectators’ gallery in the balcony overlooking the sports hall has a dedicated seating area and is accessed via stairs or by lift.

[TheLurker]

There's an absolutely vital bit of gen. missing from all the bumf.  Catering.  Is there any or do I have to bring a leaf piece?

[Squirrelnet]

I would take your own. There is often a burger van in the car park for the kids football outside in the morning if you fancy that - burgers and sausage or bacon rolls. Very handy for tea and coffee too.

[Mike Smith]

I understand the café will be open on Saturday but not on Sunday.

[Pete Fardell]

Just been getting a few last minute things ready. Here’s the complete list of BMFA scale class codes from the judges’ guide, which I found handy when filling in my competitor’s declaration forms. Other pic is my fleet for this year, now probably about as ready as they can be, although I will certainly be utilising the Saturday evening trimming session as usual.

[Arnold S]

Bon Chance Pierre!

Andrew

[Squirrelnet]

New declarations filled, not much of a fan of FX numbers - just another layer of cross referencing we don't need, but anyway...

I think I'm ready  I'll make up a couple of spare peanut motors tomorrow just in case. Early start Sunday morning for me, have a good Saturday evening for those going up tomorrow

[TheLurker]

Well if we're posting snaps of what we *hope* we'll be flying here are my entries (FFX3, 5) as well as my Peter Smart Tribute collection which I'll be dragging along with me just for giggles. 

I did think about bringing my Lacey M-10 for the pylon race, but knowing that some people have an utterly unfathomable dislike for the type I'm not sure that it wouldn't meet with an unfortunate accident.

Squirrelnet> ...make up a couple of spare peanut motors tomorrow just in case.
Hah, I've already done that.  It won't make a blind bit of difference to the end result, but one less thing to think about.

Squirrelnet> ... Early start Sunday morning for me, have a good Saturday evening for those going up tomorrow
Ditto. Double-oh what flaming time do you call this!?  MrsL is casting doubts upon my sanity for crawling out of a nice, comfortable, warm bed so early on a non-working day. 

[Pete Fardell]

Very nice collection, both! (Is that a scale glider I see , Lurk? Have I missed a memo somewhere?)

[Squirrelnet]

If you are tempted to bring a Lacey for the air race  I volunteer to be your pit man

[Pete Fardell]

If you are tempted to bring a Lacey for the air race  I volunteer to be your pit man

And I PROMISE not to stand on it!

[Crabby]

I can't wait to see the pics and vids you guys are gonna be taking. I wish we had a close by indoor site here. You just can't have everything after all we do have the infamous Compound, a huge outdoor site, but littered with murder victims supposidley. This is Florida after all. I guess there's always a little killin t'do!

[Slowmatch]

Have fun guys!

[TheLurker]

...Is that a scale glider I see , Lurk? Have I missed a memo somewhere?

No memoranda have been issued, but hope springs eternal.

If you are tempted to bring a Lacey for the air race  I volunteer to be your pit man

And I PROMISE not to stand on it!

Thanks Chris, if there is room in the boot of my cranky old grid I shall bring it with me.   Cinderella shall may go to the ball.

I note that you only promise not to stand on it Pete....

[Arnold S]

Good luck to everyone…

Looking forward to seeing all of the action.

For me, my mother and father in laws house, and some radiators to hang await… 

Andrew

[billdennis747]

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'm doing some flight judging and so, like all the entrants (!) I looked up the rules just to check if anything has changed (it hasn't). A few years ago I would have had the latest rule book in hard copy and it would have taken me four seconds to find the relevant page. Now, I had to do it on the BMFA website and it's taken ten minutes, with a commensurate rise in blood pressure.
I know both my computer and internet speed probably leave much to be desired so I'd be interested to hear others' experience to decide whether I need to upgrade. That might explain having to sit and watch the thing download past endless pages of RC manoeuvres but not the need for the sleuthing skills of Sherlock Holmes to find it in the first place. For example, the rule book is hidden in 'downloads' which is off the bottom of the 'More' menu which is too long for the page and disappears when I try to move it.
Is it me? Right, now where is the Judges' guide.
Anyway, good luck and qualification to all!
Bill

[Squirrelnet]

Hi Bill

Looking forward to tomorrow as well.

Is the slow speed because you are looking at it online ? I find if I download the rule book PDF it works much better . The PDF is only 1.8Mb so should run fine

I'll email you both in case you are still having problems