Documentation Example (with illustration)

Rather than echo something you may have read elsewhere, I want to take a moment to describe what is required to prevent your documentation from looking like most of what judges typically look at. "Wait a minute...you say...don't I want my documentation to be just like everyone else's?". In a word...NO! This is not a critique of your documentation. This is intended to explain in simple terms the contest experience as if you have never entered a contest... 

Cover Page:
The cover page is not the cover of your documentation binder. While clear covered binder artwork can look attractive and professional. A cover page must contain specific information as your declaration of what, who, where, and when as it relates to construction of the model you enter in the contest. A photo of the full size aircraft you are replicating can be of great value when placed on a cover page.

Photo of the full size should be one taken at a favorable angle in support of your model. Remember, you are selling your fidelity to the 1:1 to judges as if you are a salesman making a first sales call on a potential customer. It is all in the presentation! You never get a second chance to make an excellent first impression. In the world of competitive flying scale modeling binders prepared as a sales presentation will always stand out among all others. Cover page should contain a brief history of "the" aircraft you built and entered in contest.

Take a look at our cover page example...click here. Photo incorporated in heading discloses elements of the 1:1 at the Yanks Museum in Chino that are not easily observed elsewhere in the documentation. Image validates our scale fidelity and attention to details like the mechanical linkage inboard and parallel to landing gear struts. Photo shows two modern vhf antennas on the top wing. Other binder photos may not adequately show features to "earn" the score you deserve. The best defense against this is proactively composed documentation.

Remember the contest is a comparison of your skill to duplicate, aka replicate, visual documentation you compile to present to judges for comparison to your model to determine how accurately you did so. Score is known as "fidelity to scale". All scores start out at 100% of fidelity. During comparison of documentation deductions occur as a result of contradictions to accuracy (fidelity).

For example...the documentation binder you are being shown was created to illustrate the most common problem for competitors. All color images in the example are of a UC-43/D-17S 489, N51746 the Yanks Museum used in their example of YC43 38-139.

Remember you are replicating an explicit man carrying aircraft. Make sure everything you are supplying judges, is very clear and distinct. This, of course, is "constantly" being done to your advantage.