Event Details

What is WSI?

Thank you for your interest in the Western Scale Invitational (WSI), a brand new scale event in sunny Southern California!

The dates for the first WSI get together are February 7th and 8th 2009, and the event will be held on the beautiful RC flying site of the Coachella Valley RC Club (Map). Besides the competition portion of the event, modelers that are new to Scale RC will have ample opportunities to learn the ropes of scale flying and building. It is our goal in this context to provide all participants with an open and friendly environment so that we can maximize the enjoyment of our wonderful hobby and spend some great time together in the air as well as on the ground.

To participate in the competition part of WSI you need to provide one to three photographs of your scale model airplane. There are various categories, starting from off the shelf ARFs up to scratch built master pieces. - The rules section below elaborates in more detail about the different categories.

Besides these different levels of competition there is also a new scoring model that considers the era of your scale model (E.g., WWII, jets, etc.). This new form of assessing static and flight performance is one of the highlights of this meet, as it creates a more level playing field for the competitors and allows our judges to create a fairer assessment of the individual performances. As an example, if you classify 6th in the final ranking list with your WWI plane but are the first plane in your category (In this case WWI) then you are awarded the top honors for that category.

Therefore, this event is for everyone who has a fondness for scale airplanes. This includes modelers who love to fly but have limited time to build, those who enjoy the building part much more than flying, as well as everybody in between.

To participate at the WSI Feb '09 event please send an e-mail to Mel or give him a buzz at (951) 769-9083. The registration costs are $25 for both days.

How do I sign up for a WSI Event?

The easiest way to sign up for the next WSI Event is to complete our on-line registration form. You can, however, also send an e-mail to Mel who coordinates the registration process. If you opt to print your application form you may mail a copy to: WSI Registration, 615 Cypress St., Beaumont, CA 92223.

What if I am new to Scale RC flying?

Then this event is for you! - There will be expert Scale RC modelers at hand that will introduce you to the ins and outs of Scale RC modeling. They can show you how to get a good flying score, provide tips and tricks how to build and detail your scale model, tell you what good entry scale models are, and much more. Our mentors will also judge your model and assess your flights and help you putting together a flight routine that works for your particular scale model.

Directions and Lodging

The Coachella Valley RC field can easily be reached coming from Indo/Coachella eastbound on I10 and then turning onto 86S. You can use Google's map service to find the detailed directions from your location. Click on this link and then click on the "Get directions: To here" link on the white balloon in the map.

Indo and Coachella are just a few miles away from the Coachella Valley RC field. Consequently there is an abundance of motels, hotels, and even casinos in the vicinity. The organizers of the Best In the West Jet Rally that was recently held at the Coachella Valley RC field posted on their website a number of recommended accommodations and places to stay. Alternatively participants with RV can also stay overnight on the parking lot of the Coachella Valley RC field. There are no hookups but there is ample room for RVs.

Event Schedule

The WSI Feb '09 event will be held on Saturday Feb. 7th and Sunday Feb. 8th. Some of us will already be there on Friday late afternoon to start with the event setup. There will also be people staying at the Coachella Valley RC field overnight from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday. The tentative schedule is listed below - however, like life itself, this event will be dynamic. If changes in the schedule occur before the event, then we will post them here. During the event, changes will be announced and posted on the scheduling board, which is next to the announcer. If time permits every contestant will be able to fly five judged flights. The flight with the lowest score will be removed and the average score of all remaining flights will be used as the final flying score of the contest.

Saturday, Feb. 7th

		7:00 - 9:00	Setup at the field
		7:30 - 8:30	Breakfast (coffee, milk, juice, donuts, bagels, cream cheese, marmalade)
		7:30 - 11:00	Official Opening: National anthem, flag procedure, directly followed by ...
		8:30 - 8:40	Registration followed by static judging, and up to two practice flights per pilot it time permits, first come first serve. Flight before 8:30 on special request only (CD).
		8:40 - 8:50	Pilot briefing (field specific safety, event schedule, etc.) - Mandatory for all pilots
		9:00 - 11:30	Static judging
		9:00 - 11:00	Practice flights - Instructional flights for new pilots on demand
		11:00 - 11:30	Reserved for practice flights of proficient scale pilots. Pilots new to RC scale are grouped together and a flight judge critiques and comments the flights.
		11:30 - 12:15	Lunch Break with music and free or theme-based flying (request with CD) - Late static judging ends at 12:30
		12:00 - 17:00	Round 1 and 2 of flights - New pilots can get additional feedback from the two mentor judges, concerning their flight, and their model.

Sunday, Feb. 8th

		7:00 - 8:00	Setup at the field
		7:30 - 8:30	Breakfast (coffee, milk, juice, donuts, bagels, cream cheese, marmalade)
		8:30 - 8:40	Pilots briefing
		8:40 - 12:30	Round 3, 4, and 5 - Like the day before and per request the two scale mentors will help new pilots during and after their flights and if there are questions concerning the flying and building portion of the contest.
		12:45 - 13:15	Lunch Break with music and free or theme-based flying (request with CD)
		13:30 - 13:45	Group picture with all participants, organizers, and helpers, as well as planes.
		13:45 - 14:15	Planes lineup followed by pilots and spectator awards
		14:30 - 15:00	Award ceremony
		15:00	Event Closed

How is a WSI event run?

This invitational event is open to all, so if you wish to attend, you are invited. As this event is a structured scale contest (Static Judging, Flight Judging of pre-defined maneuvers), previous contest experience (AMA 512, 522 and/or Scale Masters Qualifiers) or participation at other structured contests/events is beneficial, but it is not a requirement.

Unless otherwise stated in this Rule Book, the current US Scale Masters Competition Guide shall take precedence on all matters.

Static and Flight Judging criteria for this scale event have undergone considerable changes from that of Scale Masters. The intent of these changes is to simplify documentation and judging criteria for Static Judging, and secondly, furnish uniform guidelines for executing and judging flight maneuvers and scale operations of model aircraft.

This event will have four entry classes in which to compete: Expert, Team, Advanced and Open (Same as 2008 Scale Masters Entry Categories). Expert class is where the builder and pilot is the same person. Those competing in Expert may also enter as a pilot in one Team class. The Team class is where there is both a builder and a designated pilot, and both are allowed to perform work on the model. The Advanced class is for top-level pilots that are using aircraft that are not governed by the Builder of Model (BOM) rule. The Open class is available as an entry-level for new and developing scale competitors using aircraft that are not governed by the BOM rule. Contestants may enter the Open class provided they have not previously competed in Expert, Team or Advanced.

In addition to awards and recognition being given to Class winners, awards and recognition will also be given to aircraft Category winners, regardless of Class. An aircraft's Category will be specified on a pilot's Registration form and noted on the Flight Judging Form. A contestant will now compete not only against all aircraft types in his Class, but will also compete against similar aircraft types in his selected Category, regardless of Class.

Aircraft Categories are as follows:

WW1: 1900 - 1918
Early Years: 1919 - 1928
Golden Age: 1929 - 1941
Civilian: 1942 - Present
Military: 1929 - Present
Jets: Entire Jet Era

All rules specified in this Rule Book are applicable to all competitive classes. Judging criteria for both flying and static judging are identical for Expert, Team, Advanced and Open classes.

The Official Score will be the total of static points and the average of three best flight scores when three or four flight rounds are flown. The average of four best flights will be utilized when five flight rounds are flown. . The overall winner (or Top Dog) will be determined from the Expert, Team and Advanced winners and be awarded to the contestant with the highest Official score.

The following Hierarchy Chart illustrates the competition scheme for this contest: