2024 RC Helicopter Introduction

By Tim DiPeri

The 2024 AMA Nats has been in progress for several weeks. This week, at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, model helicopter pilots are arriving from all around North America to compete with model helicopters in a variety of classes and difficulties.

This is the very first time that American Radio Control Competition Helicopter Society (ARCCHS), a brand-new special interest group (SIG), will be managing the competition, as well as the team selection portion of the event. This new SIG has a group of directors with over 100 years of combined experience!

The actual competitions being flown consist of three basic main areas of events:

1. Scale (AMA 518, Sport Scale, Team Scale)
2. Precision Pattern Flying (AMA Sportsman, Advanced, and Expert; F3C)
3. Precision “3D” Flying (F3N)

Scale: All pilots earn point values from the precision of their model compared with its full-size counterpart. Items like paint details, cockpit, landing gear, and much more are compared to the pilot-provided full-size documentation for accuracy.

Additionally, each pilot must fly a prescribed set of maneuvers, as well as some chosen maneuvers. Judges will determine precision and quality of performance (size, speed, etc.) for each maneuver.

The main difference between the three levels of Scale has to do with the weight of the score. Sport Scale will weigh a little higher on the flying portion of the total score. Team Scale is the same as AMA 518, but it requires one builder and one pilot (different people).

Precision Pattern Flying: AMA has listed three different categories of precision flying, each with varying levels of difficulty. The Sportsman class is comprised of hovering and aerobatic maneuvers that are designed to be safe to fly with no “nose in” hovering or autorotation. Advanced is the next ramp in the challenge, and Expert is the most difficult. You should always follow the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale [FAI]/F3C preliminary maneuvers.

F3C is a class that will be flown by anyone and will define the US team for the 2025 competition in Europe. Schedule “P” signifies Expert preliminary rounds, and schedule “F” signifies finals rounds, which obtain more difficulty.

Precision “3D” Flying: F3N is the newest FAI helicopter category. F3N competition has three primary components: fixed specific choices of complex maneuvers (varying levels of difficulty), Freestyle (pilots’ choice), and Freestyle with music (pilots’ choice). The scores are combined to provide a final placement. The F3N competition will determine the pilots that will represent the US in 2025 as well.

For details on AMA maneuvers, visit www.modelaircraft.org.

Note from AMA: Do you have photos from the Nats that you’d like to share? If so, email them to Clarissa Poston at clarissap@modelaircraft.org. Please include a brief description in your email, naming any individuals pictured in the photo(s), the name of the event that the photo(s) were taken during, and the name of the individual who took the photo(s). Your submission(s) might be posted on AMA’s Flickr page, which can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft/albums!