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Welcome
3D
Masters is the benchmark World-class 3D Model Helicopter
Competition
Our
Mission:
Conceived as a showcase for all the talent, dedication
and enthusiasm of the 3D helicopter pilot, 3D Masters has
retained and developed it's original founding principles:
- To
be the Number One World 3D Helicopter Competition by
virtue of it's precise reflection of the art of 3D Flying
- To
provide a progressive path for ambitious and talented
pilots.
- To
publicise and popularise 3D Helicopter Flying to the
public at large.
- To
promote and accelerate 3D Helicopter and Equipment development
within the Constructors Championship.
The
competition is held during July in or about Northampton,
England, within easy reach of the UK's central road network,
when we welcome visitors from all over Europe and Scandinavia,
South Africa, North America, Japan, Russia, and the rest
of the World.
The event is hosted by local Model Clubs, the Heli Fliers
of the Nene Valley Aeromodellers, the Milton Keynes Model
Flying Association and the Wellingborough Old Grammarians
Model Flying Association. Pilots, Sponsors and Spectators
usually make a weekend of the event by staying in accommodation
at the 3D Masters site. It gives them an opportunity to
mix and exchange ideas with like-minded people and to
watch or take part in the Evening Events.
Our Competitors may enter the competition at one of two
levels, Expert and Master, and there is
a natural and encouraged path up through the levels as
years progress.
The Expert Level is for the more experienced pilots
who may or may not be sponsored. These pilots are given
a slightly higher workload than Sportsmen, and would generally
represent the best club fliers from their respective countries.
Masters Pilots are known International Pilots who
are usually Sponsored and are anxious to ensure that their
Product is adequately represented on the World Scene.
The Masters Category is Invitational Only, in that the
pilot (or his Sponsor) should enter for the Competition
as an Expert but indicate that they would like to be considered
for the Masters Class and provide evidence of their International
Status.
Make no mistake, at whichever level the pilot is accepted,
he or she is assured of gruelling, intense competition,
an atmoshere unmatched anywhere, and the undivided attention
of an educated, knowledgeable and appreciative audience.
Judging is carried out by six Internationally-recognised
and capable 3D pilots who themselves would be out there
competing were it not for the fact that the organisers
will not accept their entries!
The
3D Masters Competition has a very testing format comprising
three separate disciplines, each assessed individually:
Set Manoeuvres. In this round of the competition
each pilot elects to fly a number of manoeuvres chosen
from a pre-published schedule. Once the entrant has chosen
the manouevres and entered the competition they may not
be altered, the pilot must concentrate on perfecting those
manoeuvres for the competition. The list of Set Manoeuvres
is changed from year to year, and the manoeuvres themselves
carry varying difficulty, or 'k' factors, which may well
influence the pilots choice.
Freestyle. The freestyle round allows the pilots
to show the audience and the judges just what they are
capable of in a totally free format. So for example they
may simply push the sticks into the corner of the box
and sort out the resulting confusion, they may carefully
consider and rehearse a sequence of their best and most
daring manoeuvres, or they may choose to use limbo tapes,
props and/or pyrotechnics to augment their performance.
Whichever, the Freestyle flights in 3D Masters are not
to be missed for their daring, dynamicism and sheer talent.
Flight to Music. 3D aerobatics is an artform in
it's infancy, and it has been demonstrated that when a
model helicopter is flown accurately to music, a rare
beauty becomes evident. Some pilots are very skilled in
selecting suitable music and developing flight routines
to best show off their ability and that of their machine,
others not quite so skilled. Whatever, we at 3D Masters
believe that Flight to Music should be an important part
of the rounded 3D pilot's repertoire, and so we provide
a forum for them to develop and practice. (The audience
love it too!)
The culmination of the event is a fly-off for the top
five pilots in each of the classes, followed by the Prize-giving
and then a Victory Flight from each Winner - ten minutes
in which to do whatever they like to wring out the stresses
and strains of the competition - and it's usually pretty
outrageous
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Please come along and join us at 3D Masters
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