We have had arguments about BOM on this side of the pond for about as long as you have on that side, sometimes argued with endearing sentiment and sometimes with unfortunate heat. From being a lad I could not see any satisfaction in flying a model I did not build myself and even today I will not fly P30 because the rules say that one must buy the propeller.
About 15 years ago I was Chairman of the BMFA FF technical Committee and therefore responsible for the Competition rules and we were under pressure to get those rules sorted out by the many people who believed that the BOM rule was being fiddled out by the back door. I was forced to look at BOM with my head and not my. First I looked at the BMFA rule as it then stood; it had a sentence something like: THE Competitor must be prepared to explain to the Contest Director how he made a certain component. It would be laughable if it was not so embarrassing. I then looked at who was selling the materials and components that were expected to tilt the playing field and, of course, it was the same people who had been winning competitions on very flat playing fields for many years. The people doing the selling were certainly not improving their own competition chances, they were introducing a new group of flyers who were happy to buy their aeroplanes if it meant they could enjoy flying in top competition. Next I wondered if the availability of stuff to buy would deter modellers from thinking and doing for themselves. Even at that early stage I could see that that was not the case, the new materials and ideas had fired enthusiasm. If I could have looked ahead to 2012 with Jim Buxton's TLG wings, LDA, folding wings, VP propellers even on indoor models, timers and altimeters I need not have worried about stifling individual developments, they have blossomed. I had a last look at my own love of the BOM rule. I looked at one of my home built timers with its ingenious start/stop and instant release buttons and I realized that the main mechanism was actually from a 2 dollar 'Tomy' toy. I looked at my indoor winder and the plastics gears were really sold for R/C racing cars and I actually bought the 12 BA bolts (well you can't make those can you!)
It was at this point that I did a complete about turn and realized that the BOM rule must go. It was not really any of the arguments above that convinced me but the fact that NOBODY COULD WRITE A SENSIBLE BOM RULE.
Shortly afterwards Mike Woodhouse took over as Chairman. He arranged a discussion forum on BOM which was well argued and without nastiness. A little later BMFA held a vote on whether the BOM rule should go. There was a good majority for getting rid of the rule. In England now one rarely hears the BOM rule mentioned. Many people still prefer to make their own aeroplanes but I think that most have realized that it is not a matter that requires a rule.
It would be wrong of me to finish this without saying that I do realize where this takes us. If aeromodellers wish to continue with World Championships to a very high standard then the FAI will eventually have to come into line with other ruling bodies and supply the equipment to be used in Championships. Olympic sailing classes are a good example. I do not see this as a problem but an opportunity. For a long time the F1 classes have been adopted by international class flyers aiming for World Championships. This is fine but it leaves an enormous number of aeromodellers with no classes and rules to fly to. Forget things like Beginners and Juniors, put Vintage on the back burner for an occasional bit of nostalgia and for the first time in many decades give the average modeller some sensible specifications to meet and rules to fly to.
John Barker - England
Received on Fri Oct 19 2012 - 13:40:52 CEST
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