'81 AMA Texas Nats: CL Speed
Gene Hempel
The 1981 Nationals was held just 25 miles east of San Antonio. San Antonio is a very romantic city and combines more than 250 years of its rich, traditional past with all the attributes of a busy metropolis. This year I was asked to be the event director for the FAI Speed Team Finals as well as the AMA Speed events. After observing how this year's FAI Team Finals worked out, I strongly support holding them at the Nats.
If it were not for the Nats volunteers who run things, there would be no Nats. I would like to thank the members of my staff for doing an excellent job.
Event staff
- Leland Morton — assistant event director
- Timers: Pat Hempel, Betty Morton, Linda Morton, Debra Stewart
This year's Nats site for Speed was excellent compared with many previous Nats. After sweeping the runway, the flying circles were ready for business. This year the model processing was done early in the morning (from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m.) at the field. This eliminated any need to come back later in the evening to process models for the next day. Everyone agreed that this system worked very well.
The FAI Team Finals will be covered separately in the "Competition News" section.
Tuesday
In FAI Speed, Charles Lieber of Morristown, NJ, a member of the American FAI team, turned a record-breaking speed of 165.09 mph for first, with Charles Schuette and Carl Dodge (also members of the American team) turning 160.01 mph and 147.55 mph, respectively. I would like to congratulate these gentlemen on the fine job they have done in supporting FAI Speed. It really takes a dedicated modeler to fly this event.
Class A Speed was really bustling. There were more entries this year than at the 1980 Nats. Leland Morton, using a Rossi .15, set the pace at 176.57 mph. The famed M&M team, Joyce and Fred Margarido, was second at 165.53 mph, followed by Akeshi Kusumoto of Japan at 162.24 mph. Mr. Kusumoto was using a prototype O.S. .15 which looked very similar to the Rossi .15. I do not know whether the engine will be manufactured for shipment to the U.S.
Some of the A Speed fliers were having problems trying to get their engines to come up on the pipe. Toward the end of the day, as the weather conditions changed, the engines started performing better. No Juniors or Seniors were flying A Speed.
Wednesday — A/MA Speed and Awards
A/MA Speed had Al Steegens of Cleveland, OH first with 120.59 mph, using his open-faced Cox TD .049. Warren Kurth of Davenport, IA was second at 119.47, also with an open-faced TD .049. D. J. Perkins was third with 118.99 mph. Al had a beautiful V-4 model that was finished with yellow Hobbypoxy. Al treats "A"s like fine instruments that have to be.
No report on this contest could be complete without recognizing Event Director Bob Teeple, Assistant Director Virgil Wilbur, the recorders Mitch Hawk and Judy Edgington, and Dale Wilbur, who ran the pull-test. Bob and Virgil should be complimented for running a good show that was truly enjoyable. I also must thank my wife, Lois, for gathering most of the information included in this report and for rooting so hard for me during the competition. Special recognition should also go to Geneva, George Cox's wife — I don't think he could do it without her.
I believe the spirit of this contest was best expressed by the Louisiana bunch: "We came to participate, learn, and have fun. Mission accomplished."
At the Navy Carrier dinner, the Eugene Ely Award was given to Bill Melton. Pete Mazur and George Cox were close behind for this coveted award.
This year's Formula "40" event was won by Japan's Number One Speed flier, Akeshi Kusumoto, with a speed of 153.53 mph. Mr. Kusumoto was using the new O.S. Max .40 VR-P which utilizes a nickel-plated brass sleeve and an aluminum piston. Glenn Lee of Batavia, IL used a K&B 6.5 to turn a 153.46 mph flight for second, with the Wisniewski team third at 149.57 mph.
The speeds for F-40 were relatively close, and the K&B 6.5 engine dominated this event. The majority of the F-40 fliers were using different types of glass props. There were a few homemade props in use, and some of the contestants used the Rev-Up 8 x 9N pitched down to 8 x 7. I was disappointed that there were no Seniors flying F-40 Speed.
Wednesday — B Speed
The B Speed event started at a fast pace, with the Wisniewski team turning a speed of 191.08. Bill was using a K&B .29 with a 7 x 10½ Rev-Up prop. Bill is a great believer in using castor oil in his fuel.
Dimmitt Perkins turned 181.96 mph for second using a ST X-29 for power. His model was set up as described in the CL Speed column in the April and June 1980 issues of Model Aviation. Akeshi Kusumoto turned 164.32 mph for third using a DJS .29.
The majority of B Speed models used metal suction tanks. Rev-Up 7 x 10½ Speed props were used for most models. For exhaust, it was a toss-up between the Rossi B pipe and the OPS .40 pipe; what works for one engine may not work for another.
There seemed to be more test flying by the B Speed fliers. The weather started out cool in the morning. As the temperature started rising, the needle valve setting would change. The majority of fliers waited until late in the afternoon to place their official flights. Things sure got hectic toward the 5:00 p.m. cut-off time.
Thursday — D Speed and Jets
Thursday brought out the D Speed "big boys." Akeshi Kusumoto turned 199.03 mph to capture first. He was using a 5-in. mini-pipe with a 1-in. O.D. Glenn Lee placed second with the 198.82 mph flight, and Don Benesch of Copiague, NY was third at 197.72 mph. There was quite a variety of D Speed engines — O.S., Picco, old-style ST side exhaust, and OPS.
This year's Jet speeds were not the fastest, but still respectable. Chris Sackett of Canada turned 190.20 mph, just sneaking past Dimmitt Perkins of Houston, TX at 188.41 mph. Jerry Thomas and his original "Ironclad" model turned 181.54 mph for third. Jerry said he was starting to fly more Jet since he and Chris Sackett have been flying together.
For the Speed modelers who missed this year's Nats—you certainly missed one of the best highlights of the year. There was an excellent barbeque and steak dinner on Wednesday. Everyone had an opportunity to swap war stories and complain about how Speed flying is degenerating. It appears that there were only two Juniors and two Seniors entered. I feel that Speed flying is on a steady downturn, and we need to get off our behinds and do something about it.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
