Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / February 2007

    Sport Aerobatics (Radio Control)
    David A. Scott, 2006

    1st U.S. R/C Flight School
    P.O. Box 212
    Shawano, Wisconsin  54166
    (715) 524-2985

    http://www.rcfightschool.com

    vi + 87 pages, spiral bound paperback, landscape orientation

    $22.95

I was asked to review this flight training manual by the author.  I have
not received nor will I receive any compensation for this review, other
than the benefit of reading the manual.  My experience in competition
aerobatics is very limited.  I have placed third and second in two small
pattern primers in upstate New York--the only two times I have competed in
anything other than club fun-fly events.  I have read a great deal about
pattern competition through the NSRCA's K-Factor and hope to move on from
the Sportsman class to the Intermediate if and when I attempt another
competition.

Sport Aerobatics is the second of four flight training manuals written and
published by the author for 1st U.S. R/C Flight School:

    Primary (Solo) Flight Training
    Sport (Basic) Aerobatics
    Precision (Intermediate) Aerobatics
    Advanced Aerobatics

These four books all use the "Visual Learning System," with a multitude of
diagrams to illustrate the points being made and diagraming the exercises
to be undertaken.  Scott also has a Simulator Hints and Tips booklet
available.

Scott flies and teaches full-scale aerobatics and has a very clear vision
of how complex sequences can be broken down into small units, practiced at
that level, then reassembled and flown with greater precision.  This is
the essence of the "David A. Scott (DAS) System," which is used on all
four manuals: "This program adheres to the fundamental premise that one
must attain the basics before refinements can be attempted without
becoming obstacle's to one's success and confidence" (vi).

The basic maneuvers covered in this manual are the loop, aileron roll,
Immelman, Cuban 8, Reverse Cuban 8, hesitation rolls, and some more
complex variants built from these components.  There are three fundamental
sections aimed at picking the right airframe, installing appropriate
control surfaces, establishing good frames of reference, dealing with the
wind, and learning to read Aresti diagrams.

This manual is a workbook.  It is not meant as entertaining reading.  It
is intended for a small part of the RC world: those who want to learn how
to fly precision RC aerobatics, either for their own satisfaction or to
enter judged competitions.  To extract full value from it, the reader
should make a commitment to taking the workbook to the field and
practicing the maneuvers with a friend acting as a coach and critic.
Scott recommends one-hour practice sessions up to four times a week.

There is an old joke about a visitor asking a New Yorker how to get to
Carnegie Hall.  The answer is "practice, practice, practice."  This is
only good advice if one knows how to practice in such a way that the
practice brings about improvements in the performance.  Those who have
already learned to fly entry-level aerobatics may have lots of bad habits
that need to be broken in order to profit from the DAS system.  The goal
of the book is to teach people how to fly with purpose, both in practice
and in competition (75).  To learn from our mistakes, we have to correctly
identify the mistakes we've been making, figure out what the fixes are,
and then ingrain the corrections by repetition until they become second
nature.  That is the kind of practice that makes perfect.

In short, this book is highly recommended for those who want to lay the
foundation for flying precision aerobatics.  It is not recommended for
those who are content to flop aimlessly around the sky.

                    Marty