Rules

Minneapolis Model Aero Club (MMAC)

Contest Events, Model Specifications and Scoring

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/mplsmodelaero/home

Published rulebook links:

Academy of Model Aeronautics – Indoor/Outdoor (AMA) – Navigate to most-current Free Flight Indoor or Outdoor rulebook

National Free Flight Society (NFFS) – Navigate to most-current year rulebook

Flying Aces Club (FAC) – Navigate to most-current rules

Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) – Navigate to “Rules”

MMAC Contest Events

Indoor Events:

Phantom Flash: (See FAC rulebook for full details, Rise-off-ground event no pushing)

Planform:                  Follow published plan “to the letter”! 16” wingspan, 3” chord, length 11-3/8”” nose bearing to rear of fin/rudder.  Removable nose-plug OK, Wing, stab and rudder mounts to fuselage may be adjustable or removable for ease of transportation, etc…

                                                   Minimum weight:       5.0 grams – Complete model without rubber

Rubber limitations:     None

Prop:                        Any commercially available 6” plastic prop, lighten as desired, drill out to add bushing allowed, but DO NOT heat/bend to change the factory pitch or add blade area with tape, etc…

                                                   Covering:              Tissue, no plastics/mylar, cover one-side of flying surfaces

Contest Format:        Count best 3 flights of 6 flights that exceed 20 seconds, unlimited sub-20 second flights allowed.  Record to full second, drop tenths of a second

Firefly: (Greg Thomas Designs kit/plan.  No governing rulebook, Rise-off-ground event no pushing)

Planform:                  Follow plan to the letter!  24” wingspan, 4-1/16” root chord, 15-3/4” length (nose bearing to rear of fin/rudder).  Removable nose-plug OK, Wing, stab and rudder mounts to fuselage may be adjustable or removable for ease of transportation, etc…

Minimum Weight:       15 grams - Complete model without rubber

Rubber limitations:     None

Prop:                        Any commercially available 6” plastic prop, lighten as desired, drill out to add bushing allowed, but DO NOT heat/bend to change the factory pitch or add blade area

Covering:                  Tissue, no plastics/mylar, cover both sides of all flying surfaces

Contest Format:        Count best 3 flights of 6 flights that exceed 20 seconds, unlimited sub-20 second flights allowed.  Record to full second, drop tenths of a second

Rubber Scale: (No governing rulebook, MMAC will not use scale judging points, hand-launch or rise-off ground with push is allowed)

Planform:                  Any sized replica of a once built, or of an “at least” published design, full scale aircraft capable of carrying a human aloft.  Landing gear required unless original had retracts - Rise-off-ground is not required, but is allowed.

Minimum Weight:       No restrictions

Rubber limitations:     None

Prop:                        No restrictions

Covering:                  Tissue for scale effect, or clear plastic if the original was the Gossamer Condor, Albatross or Penguin!  Open fuselage structure OK if original was uncovered.

Contest Format:        Count best 3 flights of 5 flights that exceed 20 seconds. Unlimited sub 20 seconds attempts allowed. Record to full second, drop tenths of a second. 

Bostonian: (See AMA Indoor rulebook for full specifications, MMAC will not use charisma points, and will allow multiple, different models per event, Rise-off-ground event no pushing)

Planform:                  Max 16” (projected) wingspan, 3” chord, Stab 50% area of wing area. Fuselage length 14” (nose bearing to rearmost part of model) Cross-section must contain an imaginary box of dimensions 1.5” x 2.5” x 3”. Fuselage must be built-up such that longerons support tension/torque of rubber motor.  Transparent front-facing windshield and side windows each a minimum of 1 square inch.  At least 2 ¾” diameter wheels spaced 2.5” apart

Minimum Weight:       14 grams – Complete mono-wing model without rubber (West Coast Bostonian).  20 grams non mono-wing model designs (Secondary flying surface > 50% primary wing area.)

Rubber limitations:     None

Prop:                        Maximum 6” diameter.  No restrictions on material, pitch or blade area.

Covering:                  Flying surfaces covered on both sides or a solid surface with minimum 1/16” thickness

Contest Format:        Current MMAC/Published: Count best 2 flights of 5 rounds. Each round may have up to 3 attempts to make a flight of 20 seconds or more, first flight over 20 seconds counts as the flight for that round.  Record to full second, drop tenths of a second

No-Cal: (See FAC rulebook for full details, MMAC waives requirement of proof of scale and color-scheme)

Planform:                  Maximum wingspan 16”, Profile fuselage, landing gear unless original had retractable landing gear, wing struts if on original.

Minimum Weight:       No restrictions

Rubber limitations:     None

Prop:                        No restrictions

Covering:                  Tissue paper, may single-cover surfaces, correct color scheme, control surface markings, numbers, canopies and windows may be paper covered, clear material not required

Contest Format:        Count best 3 flights over 20 seconds.  Unlimited sub-20 second flights can be made.  Record to full second, drop tenths of a second

AMA Lightweights: (See AMA Indoor rulebook for model dimensions)

Planform:                  Event open to models that meet one of the following AMA specifications:  Mini-Stick, Pennyplane, Limited pennyplane, Easy-B (EZ-B), Intermediate Stick, Autogyro, Ornithopter, A-6, Manhattan Cabin, ROG

Minimum Weight:       As per specific event

Prop:                        As per specific event

Rubber limitations:     No limitations

Covering:                  As per specific event

Contest Format:        Count best single flight out of 5 rounds recorded to full second (drop tenths of a second).  Each round may have a first “delayed flight” of less than 60 seconds which is eliminated if a second flight is made, regardless the time of the second flight.  If the first flight of the round exceeds 60 seconds it is the one and only flight for that round and is recorded.  The contestant may choose to use the “delayed flight” as the official flight for that round, but no other flight may be made

Butterfly: (No governing rulebook, MMAC will allow purchased models both balsa and carbon versions and scratch-built tissue paper covered models all using the commercial butterfly prop/bushing/bearing unit)

Planform:                  <future link to plans here>

Minimum Weight:       2.0 grams – Complete model without rubber

                                             Rubber limitations:     None

Prop:                        Commercially available Butterfly Prop unit (Club has extras in stock).

Covering:                  Tissue paper

Contest Format:        Count best single flight out of 5 flights recorded to full second (drop tenths of a second). Unlimited sub-20 seconds attempts are allowed.

HLG/Unlimited CLG combined:  (See AMA indoor rulebook for full details.  MMAC currently does fly Standard (12”) CLG separately from HLG and Unlimited CLG)

 Planform HLG/CLG:  100 square inch maximum projected wing area.  Stab area in excess of 50% of wing area adds to Wing area.  All surfaces to remain fixed throughout flight except for natural flexing of material of which the model is constructed.

Minimum Weight:       No restrictions

Covering:                  No restrictions

Launching:                Model must be released from a height no further than the contestants normal reach above the floor.  Glider must immediately attain an altitude at least three times the contestant’s height or ½ the available ceiling height whichever is less. 

Catapult stick:           6” length, indoors has no rubber restrictions other than it must stay attached to the handle or hand if no handle is used.

Contest Format:        Count best 2 scores of 9 flights recorded to tenths of a second (truncate hundredths of a second), all flights count - no attempts