CL Scale

There are multiple Control Line (CL) events at the Nationals. They all share a bellcrank to control the elevator and fly in a circular pattern. But each CL event is very different in its purpose. The goal in a CL Scale event is to build a smaller version of a full-size aircraft in appearance and flight qualities.

Since we finished Round 1 on Friday, July 12, there were three rounds left to fly. The remaining flights were flown on Saturday, July 13, allowing the Control Line (CL) Scale portion to come to a close on Saturday afternoon.

The weather once again played a role in the scheduling for the flying portion of the 2024 AMA Control Line (CL) Scale Nats. Each pilot can fly a total of four times to determine their overall score.

Hello and welcome to the 2024 AMA Control Line (CL) Scale Nats. In this event, the models are judged on how closely they match a full-scale aircraft in outline and appearance. They are then judged on how well they are flown. You will see everything from World War I to modern-day aircraft. The models will be powered by glow engines, gas, electric, or electric-ducted fans—and even turbines have been used in CL Scale!

Once again, the winds were light and the sky was clear. The static judging area was a busy place as Control Line (CL) and RC static judging took place at the same time. New this year were the FAI entries, both CL and RC, which are judged separately according to FAI rules.

We were greeted with great flying conditions on Sunday, the last day to fly for Rounds three and four of the AMA events. With overcast skies and light winds, it didn’t get too hot which made getting good flights very possible for those who decided not to fly on Saturday afternoon.

Rainstorms put the Control Line (CL) Scale flying to a halt in the morning; however, by noon, the skies had cleared and we were able to get flying again.

Static got started early with check-in to get the models weighed, and then the pilots lined up the models to be judged. Instead of being on the flight line near the runway in the RC area, we were across the road in an open area with a large tent and plenty of room to spread out.