1982 AMA Nats: FF Power
By Larry Kruse
Site change and conditions
The Free Flight events at the Mead auxiliary Nats site got underway a bit belatedly on Tuesday because the originally intended flying field was abandoned in favor of a back-up location about a mile north. Both sites terminated in vast cornfields less than a half-mile downwind from Tuesday's launch area, but the back-up site was more flexible. With any wind at all, models travel a long way, and expecting every flight to end in 7-ft.-tall corn was more than most fliers could accept.
Free Flighters waited for better air, packed up, moved to the old 1979 location, set up, and made the best of a sometimes marginal situation. Tuesday's southerly wind caused retrieval problems and made Class C Gas unpleasant, but conditions improved over the next three days.
Class C Gas
Bill Dunlop had the unique experience of losing his Class C Witch Hawk on a trim flight just before the contest, then finding it the next day. A varmint (more than likely a raccoon) had found it first and eaten the nylon rear hold-down mount and chewed the trailing edge of the stabilizer. Bill repaired it and finished second in C behind Gil Morris' fine-flying Matchsticks. The rest of the pack included Dick Bloomquist and Harry Murphy, both listed at 360 seconds, and Tony Italiano at 359.
In Juniors, Melanie Sanford and Carl Linstrum had brief flights. In C Senior, Draycott Hooke III was very competitive with a 310 to lead. Bryan and Brad Fulmer were prominent in the trophy derby.
Payload
Payload was flown by hand-launching because no suitable runway was nearby. Several flights terminated prematurely by blowing into downwind trees before gaining enough altitude to clear them. The girls nearly swept the hardware:
- Junior Payload: Melanie Sanford (winner)
- Senior Payload: Susan Brown (winner)
- Open Payload: Linda Brown (third)
Bill Baker won Open Payload with 292 seconds, with Jim Walston finishing a close second.
1/2A Gas
1/2A Gas was flown under near-perfect conditions on Wednesday. Drift was minimal and retrieval was relatively easy. A thunderstorm loomed to the west but only a few spatters of rain reached the flying site. It was neat to watch three or four 1/2A jobs — and a couple of Wakefields — ride the same thermal.
Gil Morris, known for Toothpicks, dominated Open with 720 seconds. Other top Open finishers:
- 2nd: C. Myerscough (one of the few California fliers present)
- 3rd: Harry Murphy (of the Indiana contingent)
- 4th: Sal Taibi
Sal Taibi frequently launched downwind to get his Orbiteer to transition on a short engine run. Bryan Fulmer won Senior with a fine 460 seconds (would have placed sixth in Open). Aaron Markos won Junior 1/2A with 272 seconds. Few Juniors entered 1/2A this year.
Kits and the Starduster
1/2A events remain popular with younger fliers due to low cost and kit availability. It would be a loss if the last 1/2A Starduster kit disappeared from shelves — it has been a mainstay of 1/2A competition, especially among Juniors. Several Stardusters were entered this year and gave youngsters a degree of success.
Class D Gas and FAI
Class D Gas and FAI, flown the same day, usually bring out large models and zooted-up engines. This year turnout was low: five contestants across the two events (none in Junior, two in Senior, three in Open).
FAI (Open)
- 1st: Gil Morris (Matchsticks/Toothpick variant, apparently powered by a Cox Conquest .15 with a heat jacket)
- 2nd: Bobby Dunham
- 3rd: R. J. Dunham
Senior FAI had only Brad Fulmer and Susan Brown; Susan suffered glide-trim problems, flying a weighted-up Midi-Pearl.
Class D Gas
- 1st: Harry Murphy (flew five perfect maxes)
- 2nd: Sal Taibi (had a chance but dropped his first flyoff)
- 3rd: B. J. Combs (two maxes and a 107)
Seniors: Draycott Hooke III and Bill Rutledge finished in that order.
Rocket
Rocket power still has proponents despite limited availability of engines and fuel. The event is lively, inexpensive, and fits small-field parameters. It would benefit from a manufacturer (Estes or similar) producing suitable engines or pellets.
At Mead:
- Open Rocket: Charles Puckett (293 sec), closely followed by Charlie Sotich and William Rogers (268 sec)
- Senior Rocket: Phil Rogers (winner)
- Senior runners-up: Susan Brown (2nd), John Renken (3rd)
- Junior Rocket: David Brown’s entry had a terminal crash 4 seconds after launch.
Class A Gas
Class A drew a sizeable entry, many fliers using an .051 in planes formerly flown in 1/2A. Jim Clem Witch Hawks, Bill Cheranult Mini-Pearls, and Sal Taibi Stardusters returned after surviving cornfield encounters.
Open A results:
- 1st: Gil Morris — 823 sec
- 2nd: Bobby Dunham — 795 sec (Motor-Vator)
- 3rd: C. Myerscough — 687 sec (had five straight maxes before dropping the fifth at 87 sec)
Senior A:
- 1st: Bryan Fulmer — 339 sec (edged Draycott Hooke III by 29 sec)
- 3rd: Brad Fulmer — 293 sec
Junior A:
- 1st: Melanie Sanford — 320 sec
- 2nd: Aaron Markos — 302 sec
- 3rd: Carl Linstrum — 299 sec
B Gas and Electric
I was not able to stay for the conclusion of all B Gas and Electric categories on Saturday, but notable results include:
- Open B: Marcy Martin — 720 sec (flying a variation of the Pearl theme)
- Open Electric: Bill Baker (converted Heco Stratowake) upset three-time Nats champ and national record holder Bill Jenkins (Electric Country Boy) by nearly 100 seconds.
Bill Jenkins was not flying his usual contest form in several events, so the Electric result was probably not a surprise to him.
Thanks and officials
A large vote of thanks to Homer Smith, Murry Frank, Bert Pond, Barbara Gero, and Sandy Frank who manned the officials' table for the entire five days at Mead. Their good humor, Sandy's folksy running commentary over the PA, and the group's dedication made the event enjoyable under the warm Nebraska sun. Thank you to each and every one of them.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
