1997 NATS SCRAPBOOK
Team and free flight
- Team Phelps prepares Gerry for an official CL stunt. Mary launched every flight of the .46-powered Avian.
- Jim O'Reilly (left) lends a helping hand as Carl Perkins (Prairie Village, KS) winds the rubber motor on his free-flight model.
- George Parks (Austin, TX) flew a 7-foot Westerner from Model Air-Tech plans in electric. Span 77 inches; weight 42 ounces.
- Roger Lane (Anderson, IN) prepares to launch his Fubar II in early-’70s free-flight nostalgia.
- Comparing notes: Oklahoma's Bob Hanford (left) and New York's Jean Paller prep their free-flight catapult gliders.
Racing and pylon events
- And they're off! Action is always fast and furious at pylon racing—no exception here as another heat begins.
- Three-up action in F2C (CL team racing) heat as Dave Fischer, Kenny Perkins, and John McCollum go ’round and ’round.
- Canada’s Ed Smith returns from a successful pylon race.
- NATS control-line official Bill Wisniewski inspects the winning team race engine of Willoughby/Oge.
Stunt, combat, and carrier events
- B.W. Ponder (left, Temple, TX) was ninth in Masters Pattern. Matt Vastine (Weatherford, TX), who finished eighth, assists.
- Old friends Bob Whiteley (left) and Art Adamson share memories during old-time and classic CL stunt competition.
- Going in style: the Rich and Famous combat team was well-equipped.
- Euan Edmonds (Pasco, WA) tunes his Cox-powered Skyraider entry in the unofficial .15 carrier event.
- Junior and senior carrier contestants (left–right) Euan Edmonds, Andy Westerheim, Tom Ward, D.J. Parr, and Dave Rolley Jr. entered 15 events among them.
Scale, RC and static judging
- Charlie Chambers (left) demonstrates flap and retract options on his Expert Scale P-61 Black Widow from Don Smith, Plains.
- George McGinnis (Hanson, MA) and a friend get his CL scale model ready for a flight.
- “Now, you launch it like this…” Lee Campbell (San Antonio, TX) helps a young contestant get the hang of things.
- RC scale competitors Jack Dorman (left) and Skip Mast share a few moments with Jack's OV-10. Two O.S. .325 engines power the model.
- Ready to roll: AMA District VI VP Charlie Bauer (Norridge, IL) gets set to crank up a flight in CL scale.
- Scale judges check documentation carefully during static judging at the Horizon Center in downtown Muncie.
- Past multiwinners Bob Bienenstein (left) and George Perryman check names on the perpetual trophy in the AMA Museum.
Equipment and notable aircraft
- Bob Hodges is dwarfed by his Lasoar 1200 electric sailplane. Span is 139 inches; geared Aveox on 18 cells, Graupner prop.
- RC scale competitors and supporting crew tune and ready models between flights during the soaring competition.
People, volunteers and visitors
- Wayne Mann (Randleman, NC) and fiancée Denise pose with Kalt Grand Prix. Wayne finished third in the 13C event.
- Wayne Yeager was one of many NATS volunteers who gave up their own flying to help the contest go smoothly—thanks!
- AMA District VII AVP Sandy Frank entertains the visiting Surugues (France) and others with tornado tales.
- Roland Surugue of France rented an RV so sons Pascal and Georges could compete. The boys are pilots; their father is mechanic.
- Todd Blose (left, Waco, TX) and B.W. Ponder with Todd's association pattern model. Todd finished sixth in F3A.
Moments and mishaps
- Oops! Peter J. Ferrar (Valley Cottage, NY) was so intent on chasing his airplane that he didn't see the ditch.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
