FF Glider
Jerry Barnette
Hand‑Launched Glider
The first order of business was Hand‑Launched Glider, flown on Monday amid numerous but fairly small thermals. Interest in this event was very high, since the Tulsa Glue Dobbers Trophy and the National HLG Team Challenge were also at stake. The Tulsa Glue Dobbers Trophy is the only perpetual Nats trophy that has not been won twice by the same person, and there were at least four former winners in competition trying to be the first two‑time winner. Jim Lueken, trophy winner in 1977 and USFFC HLG champ this year, and three buddies drove up from San Diego (23 hours) just to fly Hand‑Launch Glider.
The conduct of the event was no different than most HLG contests—wait, watch, wait, and try to piggyback someone. The general opinion at the start was that there would probably be a bunch of people maxing out. However, the small thermals were tricky, proving once again that piggybacking is not an exact science. Three people did max out: Robert Dunham in Open, Craig Dunlop in Senior, and Bryan Fulmer in Junior. Bryan, aware that he had won first place in Junior, left the field for the day without putting up a fourth (flyoff) flight. As it turned out, Bryan was unaware of the Tulsa Glue Dobbers Trophy and missed a good opportunity to put it to the big guys. Neither of the other flyoff flights maxed, with Dunlop's flight winning out over Dunham's for the trophy. For the victory Craig used a rear‑finned Canadian design. Stan Stoy, the winner of the Glue Dobbers Trophy last year, finished second in Open. Mary Jenkins was runner‑up to Dunlop in the Senior event.
The National HLG Team Challenge was a close battle. Competition was among three‑member teams from California, Florida, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas. In the end California's Jim Lueken, Larry Sargent, and Tim Batiuk bested the Oklahoma team of Robert Dunham, Max Burgess, and Bill Baker by a scant three seconds, 791 to 788.
- Hand‑Launched Glider winners:
- Open: Robert Dunham (flyoff second to Craig Dunlop for the Glue Dobbers Trophy)
- Senior: Craig Dunlop
- Junior: Bryan Fulmer
- Tulsa Glue Dobbers Trophy: Craig Dunlop (rear‑finned Canadian design)
- National HLG Team Challenge: California (Jim Lueken, Larry Sargent, Tim Batiuk) — 791; Oklahoma — 788
A‑1 Towline
Tuesday's glider event was A‑1 Towline. As a class, this event is still misunderstood by most fliers. There were many victims of poor tows and premature releases. Most models were older designs, such as Topkicks and Jetstreams, ballasted up to the heavier FAI weight requirements. No circle‑tow A‑1 models were noticed; few even employed a keeper. No one maxed out, but A‑1 at the current FAI minimum weight is not an easy event.
The Open winner, Chris Matsuno, had a model as modern as any. The Gard‑influenced design philosophy is common to most of Chris's models. His A‑1 incorporated sheeted wings with a turbulated Gard airfoil section. The two‑piece wire‑joined wings have three panels on each side, a straight trailing edge, and a tapered leading edge. By using multiple wing panels, Chris is able to use heavier sheeting on the inner panels, medium on the middle panels, and very light sheeting on the tips—putting strength where it is needed while still maintaining a decent moment of inertia.
- A‑1 Towline winners:
- Open: Chris Matsuno (1st), Guenther Nowak (2nd), Mike Fedor (3rd)
- Senior: Susan Brown
- Junior: Aaron Markos
A‑2 Nordic
Friday's A‑2 Nordic was sparsely contested, with only 11 fliers putting in at least one flight (with four more in Senior and one in Junior). Of these, only three used circle towing.
Round one started with Chuck Markos (Lively Lady) and Don Chancey (Hyperion) circle‑towing. Disregarding the circle‑towing in progress, a straight‑tow model was launched, bringing behind it a gang of other straight‑towers. While these Nordics were descending, Markos and Chancey kept circle‑towing. Finally, Chuck got off to a good launch and a max. Chancey passed up Markos' lift but found some to his liking later and maxed. The only other first‑round max was by Mike Fedor.
Round two was a problem for many. Chancey decided to key off Markos as Don had not flown Nordic in the last five years (active instead in radio control). However, Chuck was a bit rusty, since this was only the second time he had flown all year. The result was a terrible round for both when they ended up in the same great downer: 107 seconds for one, 69 for the other. After that Don went back to picking his own air.
Round three saw much stronger lift. Glenn Clawson circle‑towed into a cloud of rising soap bubbles, launched, and climbed out nicely. This brought out a horde of other Nordics. As this gaggle drifted downwind, a bunch of A Gas models piggybacked and added to the flock. When the group drifted over the Old‑Timer area, it was enlarged again. The antiques were not about to pass up a free ride. It was a beautiful sight indeed.
Markos dropped again in round five when his stab line became tangled, which kept his stab from returning to its normal glide setting after release. As a result, the Lively Lady stalled continuously throughout the flight.
Round six saw very hot, very still, very deceptive air conditions. Fedor, Clawson, and Ron Roberti led off a large gang this round. Chancey was circle‑towing at the time, but he was unable to launch with the group when he tangled a streamer pole. The first group dropped badly even though the air had looked fairly good—flight times of 34 and 37 seconds indicate just how deceptive the conditions were. Chancey's refight was somewhat suspenseful, coming off the line rather low; after almost two minutes it started to go up to ensure the max. The air was very hot, but it was not going anywhere.
Round seven was more of the same: short flights in spite of suggestions of helpful air. Only Don Chancey maxed in this round, indicating that he had not forgotten everything during his five‑year layoff. Don's six maxes were good enough to win in convincing fashion; Markos was second and Fedor third. Brian Schuettler did a fine job, winning Senior with a score that would have been good enough for second place in Open.
- A‑2 Nordic winners:
- Open: Don Chancey (winner), Chuck Markos (2nd), Mike Fedor (3rd)
- Senior: Brian Schuettler
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
