1982 AMA Nats: RC Soaring
Dan Pruss
Overview
HOT! That's the only word to describe the weather (and some of the contestant performances) at the Nats Soaring site in Lincoln. The events this year had something for everybody — not just a token one-day event for certain categories (Scale excepted). The first two days featured Two‑Meter and Standard; the third and fourth days saw Modified Standard and Unlimited flown. Scale was also flown on the fourth day.
Class Definitions
- Two‑Meter — maximum wingspan of two meters (about 78.5 in.); no limit on control functions.
- Standard — wingspan 100 in. or less; control functions limited to either rudder and elevator, or ailerons and elevator.
- Modified Standard — wingspan 100 in. or less; no restrictions on number of control functions.
- Unlimited — no wingspan or control limitations.
Entries
- Two‑Meter: 39 entrants
- Standard: 11 entrants
- Modified Standard: 41 entrants
- Unlimited: 31 entrants
Task and Scoring
Tasks for all classes were the same: seven‑minute Precision Duration with a landing bonus of up to 100 points using a four‑points‑to‑the‑foot graduated tape.
- Highest flight score: 420 points (7‑min flight at 1 point per second)
- Maximum total (flight + landing): 520 points
Officials included Ron Stanfield (scoring director), Bob Carson, Don Berger, Walt Pinn and Event Director Don Chancey, with heavy support from the Lincoln Area Soaring Society and Lincoln Sky Knights.
Weather
Temperatures bounced around the 100° mark; 101° was reached on Tuesday (the second day). Winds were a major factor — 23 mph was recorded on that day, with gusts higher. The first two days, in particular, were anybody’s contest because of the heat and gusting winds.
Two‑Meter Event
- Early rounds: After round one Carl Mohs (Madison, WI) sat in first, followed by Larry Jolly (CA), Tom Tock (IL), Jim Palmer (Dallas) and Charlie Wailer. By the end of round two Palmer moved into second. Mohs retook the lead in round three; Palmer led again at the end of round four to close day one.
- Day two: Palmer held first through rounds five and six. In round seven Leon Kincaid (FL) moved into the lead and, flying his Scooter, finished on top. Bob Dodgson (Camano, WA) placed second, Tom Tock third, and Jim Palmer fourth.
- Seniors: Dave Colling (Corpus Christi, TX) outpointed other seniors and was the top Senior in Two‑Meter.
Notable: Pat Kennedy posted the only Two‑Meter flight over 500 points during the first two days — a 6:52 flight with an 88‑point landing (resulting in a tie for 15th).
Standard Event
- Day one: Jim White (CA) led through the first day. Mike Ettel (St. Louis) briefly took the lead at the end of round two, but White regained it for rounds three and four.
- Day two: White stayed on top through round five. In round six White took a reflight due to a broken line, scored lower and suffered a broken airplane. Terry Edmonds (IA), flying a Callisto, then took the lead and held first place through rounds six, seven and eight. White finished second.
- Seniors: Dave Quist (St. Louis) was the top Senior in Standard.
Terry Edmonds recorded the only two Standard scores over 500 during the first two days (502 and 515).
Modified Standard and Unlimited (Days Three & Four)
Six rounds were flown over the last two days. The first two days had been wide open; the final two days were decidedly less so.
Modified Standard
John Brown (Pacific Soaring Association) challenged larger classes with his two‑channel, V‑tailed Icarus (a Larry Jolly design). He began the event in fourth but then dominated the rest of the contest to win Modified Standard. Bernie Olsen (Wichita, KS) pushed Brown in rounds four and five and finished second. Tom Tock claimed third, just ahead of Leon Kincaid and Terry Edmonds.
For the Seniors in Modified Standard, Richard Simpson (St. Louis) won, beating Charles Mohs (Madison, WI) and Dave Quist.
Unlimited
Larry Jolly earned laurels flying his new design, the Meteor, and won in Unlimited. Bob Gill flew his Viking (a 1978 model he had used in F3B team finals) and took second after repairing a folded wing; other top finishers included Texas Tom Williams among consistent fliers.
Notable incident: Tom Williams was within striking distance of Jolly late in the contest but suffered a poor last round when a down air gave him only a 3‑plus minute flight, dropping him out of the top places. Tom had been the only contestant to score a landing in all eight rounds during the first two days, totaling 563 landing points.
Scale
Scale entry was at an all‑time low: Ray Marvin (Denver, CO) was the sole Scale entrant. Ray flew a 1/4‑scale ASK‑18 (featured in a 1979 British magazine) and endured gentle ribbing for being the lone competitor (humorously told: "Good news, Ray — you're the only entry. Bad news — you placed third").
Awards and Special Honors
- Hi Johnson Memorial Trophy (best total performance): Tom Tock — judged the best overall performance (two third places considered best overall).
- Sid Axelrod Memorial Trophy (most novice performance): Dave Colling — presented by Mrs. Carrie Axelrod. Dave also received a $1,000 certificate toward a college scholarship and a $100 check from the Soaring Society of America. He plans to study Aeronautical Engineering at Texas A&M.
Awards were presented at the banquet; final standings appear elsewhere in the issue.
Sidelights and Trends
- Design trend: aileron‑equipped ships made a noticeable showing. While not necessarily superior in a duration‑only contest against a well‑flown polyhedral design, many fliers reported they are simply more fun to fly.
- Damage and survival: Scott Christensen flew a Mono‑Koted Metric for a day and a half and survived the wind until a tent collapse tore up the Metric’s wing. Several other contestants suffered tow or landing damage in the gusty conditions.
- Memorable remark: Texas Tom Williams on Bob Dodgson’s Eppler 214 wing — "That's good undercamber; down in Oklahoma we use them kind for hog troughs."
- Club representation: Many clubs were present from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Washington and others — indicating possible room for team competition next year.
Organization and Thanks
The meet was well run. A tip of the hat to Contest Director Don Chancey (CD for the second year in a row), Ron Stanfield (scoring), and Jim Palmer (flight line). They received excellent support from the Lincoln Area Soaring Society and Lincoln Sky Knights, who handled much of the on‑site work.
Harmony was in the air for four days in Lincoln. To be able to keep everybody reasonably happy in 100° temperatures and 20+ mph winds took excellent organization and good sportsmanship from the contestants.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
