1988 Free Flight Nats
Overview
The 1988 AMA National Model Airplane Championships became notable as the "longest Nats ever." The championships began July 23 in Tidewater, Virginia, but the outdoor Free Flight events (Scale excepted) were canceled at the Tidewater location. To make amends, the National Free Flight Society (NFFS) agreed in early September to belatedly reschedule the canceled Free Flight events, complete with unused Nats trophies. Within about nine days a viable site, a contest director, and volunteers were assembled; events were compressed into three days and held October 14–16 at Mid‑America Airport, Lawrenceville, Illinois.
Rescheduling and organization
- NFFS accepted the challenge to reschedule the canceled Free Flight events.
- The event was planned and publicized in roughly five weeks.
- Awards and trophies were shipped from Reston, VA; event directors, tabulators, and volunteers were recruited.
- The meet was held October 14–16 at Lawrenceville’s Mid‑America Airport, chosen because the corn that had impeded flying in July would be gone and Indian summer weather often persists into November.
Venue preview and supporting contest
- The venue also hosted the Tri‑County Aero Club/SAM 57 contest the weekend before (Oct 8–9). That preview showed the corn was gone and produced good flying weather aside from a brief drizzle on Sunday.
- SAM 57’s event had 88 entrants, an attractive banquet and cookout, door prizes exceeding $1,000, and a well-run awards banquet—an encouraging sign for the following Free Flight Nats.
Weather summary
- Friday: strong southerly winds 20–25 mph, sunny with temperatures up to about 75°F. Blustery and unpredictable winds persisted.
- Saturday: conditions essentially a repeat of Friday—sunny and windy.
- Sunday: rainy and cool until midafternoon, then clearing with the sun returning; winds continued.
Entries and attendance
- Total Free Flight entries: 343, only nine short of the published, pre‑registered Tidewater count for Free Flight events.
- Noticeable absence of many juniors and seniors due to school and vacation-time conflicts.
- Some classes (AMA Gas classes) averaged 35–40 entries each; Open D Gas drew 17 contenders.
Contest highlights and notable performances
- Open A Gas: Charles Caton flew his beautifully finished K&B‑powered Hummingbird to six maxes to win, handling the strong winds exceptionally well.
- Open D Gas: Marvin Mace won with his Pilfered Pearl; teammate Jim Summersett finished second by seven seconds. Bill Dunlop placed third but went OOS on his fourth max when a Seelig dethermalizer failed; the model was spotted the next day 20 miles north across the Wabash River into Indiana.
- Wakefield: Brom captured first, with Ed Konfes and Martin Richardson close behind.
- P‑30: Frank Heeb won by one second over newcomer Bill Jackson; “Gawg” Perryman finished third.
- A‑1 Towline: Bill Schiarb won with the only max‑plus.
- .020 Cargo: Robert Nichols flew the only entry, lifting 45 oz with a Cox .020.
- Electric A & B: Bob Nichols won Electric A and Electric B; both classes were poorly supported.
- Open B Gas: Tony Italiano posted three late flights and three maxes for first place. Greg Hinrichs and Bill Jenkins tied for second but Hinsrichs won the flyoff for second.
- FAI Power: Zygfryd Sulisz won over Doug Rabe; metal‑covered power models made a strong showing. Tony Hutchins brought a metal‑covered Korean power model (acquired at the Junior World Champs) that drew attention.
- Mulvihill Rubber Open: Greg Hinrichs won the individual event. The three‑man Mulvihill team title went to the Watermelon team (Guenther Nowak, Ed Konfes, Joe Macay) over the Sodbusters (Perryman, Matsuno, Brown).
- Unlimited Dawn Rubber: Flown Saturday and Sunday mornings; Ed Konfes outflew Dave Platt for the honors.
- Payload: Warren Kurth repeated as Payload champion flying the PAY‑TRIOT design (Model Airplane News, Sept 1971). Hand‑launching was permitted instead of ROG due to gusty winds. George Perryman set a record seven‑max performance in Payload using a CO2‑converted engine.
- 1/4A: Keith Fulmer won for the second year in a row; Nat Comfort took second (Max Hog missed a third max by 0.3 sec).
- A‑2 Towline / F1A: James Thornberry won A‑2 Towline; O. C. Stewart placed ahead of Andrew Barron (Barron had some landing/positioning issues in corn stubble).
- Coupe d’Hiver: Bud Brown won, with “Gawg” Perryman a close second.
- Hand‑Launched Glider: Most competitive among Junior and Senior events; Roger Wathen brought many youngsters. Junior winner: Paul Wicks. Senior winner: Paul Spangler. Open winner: Bernie Boehm. Al Beitz tied for second with Kevin Anderson.
Equipment and technique notes
- Gas flyers typically used simple fiberglass poles with Mylar tape to mark thermals, often checking other pilots’ poles rather than relying on their own.
- Rubber competitors used more sophisticated thermal detection gadgets—digital thermometers on sticks and bubble machines (commercial and homebuilt)—though strong ground winds often carried bubbles horizontally at low altitude.
- Bubbles and small thermal cues were common aids; despite horizontal gusting, there were usable thermals aloft.
Miscellany and anecdotes
- Charles Caton’s Hummingbird was praised as perhaps the finest AMA‑class model at the contest.
- Sal Taibi made his 49th consecutive Nats (disregarding WWII years) and motored across the U.S. in his 1956 Chevy.
- Bill Dunlop’s OOS model being found 20 miles away illustrated how far winds could carry aircraft at this site.
- Payload rules and Electric events drew some commentary: Payload (with CO2) seemed to provide interesting engine‑weight loading effects; Electric events were thinly supported on this side of the Rockies.
Conclusion
Despite the last‑minute cancellation in Tidewater and the compressed rescheduling, the Lawrenceville meet was a success. The field size, the long downwind chase, and the volunteer organization made the contest enjoyable even in persistent winds. The palpable appreciation for those who organized the belated Nats was evident. For those who attended, the effort to make the Free Flight championships happen was well worth it.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
