NSRCA Logo   General Judging Guidelines  NSRCA Logo

Page maintained by Don Ramsey.  Please email me with any problems, comments or suggestions. 

All centered maneuvers should have these properties unless otherwise defined in the maneuver description or in that maneuver's downgrades.  Learn these and you have an excellent start toward becoming a better judge. Maneuver properties:

 -  Begin and end with a straight line   -  Rolls centered on lines
 -  Middle of the maneuver centered
      on the judges		   -  Roll rates the same
 -  Lines of equal length   -  Loops round
 -  Radiuses equal   -  Done within 175 meters
 -  Begin and end at the same altitude

This document is a compilation of suggested downgrades taken from the 2005 - 2006 AMA Competitions Regulations and the 2005 Sporting Code. Downgrades, which apply to either the AMA or F3A classes exclusively, are noted next to the downgrade. In certain gray areas where a judge must rely heavily on individual discretion in arriving at the appropriate deduction, a suggestion (using one or more rules as a basis) is made. Such suggestions appear in Italics. An asterisk (*) after the downgrade denotes a situation whereby the total downgrade is dependant on the severity of the error observed by the judge.

Turnarounds

Turnarounds should meet the criteria for centered maneuvers except they are positioning and altitude correcting maneuvers. The only maneuver this not apply to is the Sportsman "Straight Flight Back" which must be along the same line as the "Straight Flight Out".  What this means is that the entry and exit altitude need not be the same and leg lengths can be miss matched.  For example, a Top Hat can have all three legs be of different lengths.  The verticals can miss match to correct altitude and the horizontal can correct distance out.

MANDATORY ZEROS

Flying behind the flight line during or between maneuvers.

Landing outside the runway or landing zone lateral boundary.

Maneuver performed out of sequence

The succeeding maneuver is zeroed if a prohibited maneuver is  performed during the allowed free passes.

Execution of an illegal pass.

Scored turnaround is flown entirely out of the maneuvering area, including the entry and exit.

Touching the plane before completion of the flight.

Snap Rolls - A stall does not occur before the snap roll - a definite break of attitude and flight path must be seen.

Maneuver not completed.

Spins - Snap roll or unstalled entry into the spin

Model ends up on its back when landing.

Spins - Spiral dive of more than ½ turn.

Any gear retracts or collapses during landing.

Take-off sequence not followed - FAI only

Maneuver in progress, and any remaining maneuvers, score zero if any component of the aircraft falls off while airborne.

Landing sequence not followed - FAI only

 Failure to take-off.

 

Lines

 ½ POINT DEDUCTIONS (AMA ONLY)
  1. Slight under/over rotation or heading correction of less than 15 degrees.
  2 POINT DEDUCTIONS
  1. No entry/exit line to maneuver.
  2. Stall Turn Radius exceeding 1½ wingspans.
  3. Lack of line segments before/after a roll where one is required.
  4. No line is flown between two (2) scored maneuvers, the upcoming maneuver should be downgraded.
 1 POINT DEDUCTIONS
  1. Each approximate 15 degrees deviation.
  2. Reasonable difference in line length before/after rolls, or misrelated lines.
  2 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS *
  1. Large difference in line length before/after rolls, or misrelated lines.

 

Loops

See LINES for other possible deductions. Loops are subject to the 1 point per 15-degree rule.
1 POINT DEDUCTIONS
  1. Slight difference in radius.
  2. Each segmentation or "flat spot".
  3. Tight radius on Humpty Bumps.
  4. Each minor miscorrelation in part loop radii within a maneuver.
  5. Minor drift to one side - FAI ONLY - applies to AMA as well.
 2 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS *
  1. Each severe miscorrelation in part loop radii.
2 OR 3 POINT DEDUCTIONS
  1. Severe difference in radius.
 3 POINT DEDUCTIONS
  1. Severe drift to one side - FAI ONLY - applies to AMA as well.
Rolls

See LINES for other possible deductions. Rolls are subject to the 1 point per 15-degree rule.
1 POINT DEDUCTIONS
  1. Small variations in roll rate.
  2. Small variations in point roll hesitations.
  3. Start/stop of roll badly defined - not crisp.
 5 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS *
  1. One or more points not visible in a point roll.
  2. More than the required number of points.
2 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS
  1. Severe variations in roll rate.
  2. Severe mis-timings on point roll hesitations.
  

Stall Turns

See LINES, LOOPS and ROLLS for other possible deductions. Stall turns are subject to the 1 point per 15-degree rule.

1 POINT DEDUCTIONS
  1. Pivot radius more than ½ wingspan.
  2. Pendulum movement after the pivot.
 2 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS *
  1. Pivot radius of more than 1½ wingspans.
  2. FAI - 2 or more wingspans is a zero.

 

Snaps

See LINES for other possible deductions. Snaps are subject to the 1 point per 15-degree rule.

5 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS *

  1. Model returns to an unstalled condition during the maneuver.
  

Spins

See LINES for other possible deductions. Spins are subject to the 1 point per 15-degree rule.

1 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS *

  1. Entry into the spin not level.
  2. Wings not level during entry/exit.
  

LOOP/ROLL COMBINATIONS

See LINES for other possible deductions. Loops and rolls are subject to the 1 point per 15-degree rule.

2 POINT DEDUCTIONS

  1. Visible line between loop and roll in Immelmann and Bunt maneuvers.
  

POSITIONING

1 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS *
  1. Maneuver flown too far out to make evaluation of maneuver difficult, or flown beyond 175 meters.

1 OR 2 POINT DEDUCTIONS - FAI ONLY

  1. Turnaround maneuvers partially out of the box - within 150 meter line.

2 POINTS PER EACH QUARTER OFFSET - AMA ONLY

  1. Center maneuvers off center
  2. Turnaround maneuvers partially out of the box.
 3 OR MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS - FAI ONLY *
  1. Turnaround maneuvers mostly out of the box.

1 TO 4 POINT DEDUCTIONS - FAI ONLY *
  1. Center maneuvers off center.

 

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