1986 Nats: RC Helicopters
Event details
The National Contest Helicopter event was held July 28–30, 1986, in Lake Charles, LA. Event director Frank Dykes and a crew of volunteers ran the contest on schedule despite extreme heat and humidity.
Site and organization
- The original site, Burton Coliseum, proved unsuitable: too small and adjacent to an airport and power lines.
- Contestants gathered 40 signatures requesting a more suitable site. The LARKS offered their home field in Sulphur, which provided runway, grass, and a clubhouse.
- Two flight lines were set up, each with three judges, allowing two rounds of FAI and one round each of Intermediate and Novice on Monday afternoon.
Conditions
- Temperatures exceeded 100°F with high humidity and minimal wind.
- Despite the heat, rotor RPMs were up and no engine overheating was reported.
- Only one minor crash occurred during the contest.
Judges and scoring
- After the first day, judges' marks averaged high, tending toward a point spread of 7–10 instead of the usual 4–10.
- High scoring is acceptable if consistent, but it closes the spread between competitors and reduces the range of scores.
Participation
- Total competitors: 43
- FAI: 18
- Intermediate: 13
- Novice: 10
- Scale: 2
Results
#### FAI
- 1st — Curtis Youngblood (age 17)
- Aircraft: GMP Competitor with DDF rotor head
- Power: O.S. .61
- Radio: J.R. Century Seven single-stick
- Hover rotor RPM: ~2,200
- Notes: Won after five rounds and took Best Senior. Strong maneuvers included point pirouette, autorotations, hesitations and four-point maneuvers.
- 2nd — Robert Gorham (1985 champion)
- Aircraft: GMP Cobra Jet Ranger
- Power: O.S. engine
- Radio: J.R. PCM 9
- Hover rotor RPM: ~1,800
- Notes: Led after four rounds but was passed by Youngblood in the final round. Finished about 19.5 points behind.
- 3rd — Mike Mas
- Aircraft: Schluter Champion
- Radio: J.R. Unlimited
- Power: Enya engine
- Notes: Past national champion returning to competition.
- 4th — Ted Schoonard
- Aircraft: Champion Mechanics Heim Jet Ranger fuselage
- Power: Enya engine with Hatori header pipe (believed)
- Radio: Futaba PCM
- Notes: One of the few pilots performing aerobatics.
- Remarks: Currently FAI allows contestants to pick optional maneuvers, which has tended to favor hovering followed by autorotation. There is discussion about possibly moving to a set mandatory schedule.
#### Intermediate
- 13 contestants.
- Results:
- 1st — Mike Dance (Schluter Champion)
- 2nd — Dave Robertson (California Model Imports gas-cl powered Fox)
- 3rd — Dan Melnik (Baron Star 55)
- Notes: Scores were very close; Mike bested Dave by 1.5 points, and Dan was another 3.5 points back.
#### Novice
- Results:
- 1st — G. Sawyer (Champion)
- 2nd — M. Seedman (Cobra)
- 3rd — N. Black (Champion)
- Notes: Novice scores were also tight.
#### Scale
- Only two contestants, but both models were excellent.
- 1st — Steve Mintz
- Model: Robinson R-22 (based on a CMI kit)
- Details: Added ~2,000 rivets, screws, and scale hinges; R-22 uses two cyclic-axis gyros plus a tail gyro for exceptional stability.
- Scores: Static 1,570; Final 2,869
- 2nd — Herb Mitchell (New York)
- Model: Kolb 80 fuselage
- Details: Used Peka blades
- Scores: Static 1,285; Final 2,305
Closing
This was a very good Nationals despite the demanding weather. Frank Dykes and his crew deserve thanks for making the contest successful. Congratulations to the winners, and best of luck to those aiming for Lincoln, NE in 1987. Practice hard!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
