'92 SAM CHAMPS: Brings Out Droves of Dedicated Free Flighters
Harry Murphy
Photo captions
- "Too windy," said Richard Thompson as he returned his beautifully built full-scale McCoy .60-powered Lanzo Bomber to his station wagon. The daily wind velocities kept a number of contestants—including many of the free flight contingent—from competing.
- John Pond (seated), Bill Bowen, and Ted Dock discuss the proper way to wind the rubber motors of John's Twin Pusher.
- Jim Kutkuhn's twin-finned Pacemaker Commercial Rubber entry, a rare design with streamlined styling.
- Texan Charlie Bruce with this rare O&R .23-powered Porlock Puffin, his entry in the 30-Second Antique event.
- Top Gun of OT Catapult Glider was 76-year-old Ralph Schlarb—heart pacemaker and all. Son Bill was 5 seconds behind him.
- Ed Mates' fine-flying X-Fighter won the Compressed Air event. The air tank is an Evian-brand bottled-water container.
Championships overview
Initial activities connected with the 26th Annual Championships of the Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) exploded into action on the Fourth of July on the neat and well-groomed campus of Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana.
Although the official SAM Champs didn't begin until Tuesday, the doors of the spacious Bob Green Auditorium opened at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, 1992, for the 23rd annual Grand National Collect-O-Gether of the Model Engine Collectors Association (MECA).
Arriving modelers cast a watchful eye on the cloudless sky as they emerged from vehicles in the parking lot, and many commented about the warm temperature and minimal wind drift. Would this day be representative of the weather for the ensuing week? Only time would tell.
Most modelers spent at least an hour and a half perusing the rows of tables loaded with relic engines, engine parts, old kits, magazines, and other vintage modeling paraphernalia before checking in at local hostelries, the university dorms, or motels across the Wabash River's Red Skelton Bridge in and near Lawrenceville, Illinois. At some point everyone headed to the Mid-American Air Center to assess the battlefield conditions for the upcoming week.
The wheat was gone and the soybeans were about ankle deep, but the corn was there in abundance—at a tolerable height and a comfortable distance downwind if wind direction and velocity behaved. The familiar expanses of hard-surfaced runways and taxiways provided assurance that the site would be adequate.
Arrivals mingled in groups to exchange greetings with old friends. Some made last-minute test flights to nail down final adjustments. As the sun sank to the horizon, many returned to Vincennes to watch the downtown Fourth of July fireworks display.
Going downtown, we were surprised to find a street carnival in progress. At 5:00 p.m. there was a full-blown parade with bands, the governor of Indiana, a Catholic bishop, and other dignitaries. Following the public fireworks show at dusk, it was off to lodgings for a good night's rest after a busy day.
Championships details
Sunday
At 8:00 a.m. the SAM Chapter 57-sponsored two-day Nostalgia Gas (NosGas) meet got under way with warm sun and winds at 5–10 mph. Eight scheduled NosGas events had been divided into a two-day program, with entry levels for the five basic classes from 1/4A through C averaging about 30 contestants per event—a fine turnout.
Guy Eaves was the first to win on this initial day. His scaled-down Midwest Sniffer beat an army of 80%-scale T-Birds by nearly a full minute, posting a total just a few seconds short of five maxes.
Bob Johannes placed his K&B Greenhead .19-powered Ramrod 600 far out in front in Class A with a time just a few seconds short of eight maxes. Denny Dock was a distant second flying a scaled-up Provincial powered by an O.S. Max .15.
O.C. Stewart posted a seemingly out-of-the-running score of just under three maxes with a Forster .35-powered Spacer in Class C, but the time held up to win. O.C. made several preliminary test flights (some denting the model), and large pieces of chrome Mylar covering would fly off the wings while the model zoomed aloft. He had added the Mylar over the original tissue covering, and apparently the adhesive wasn't ideal—crazy, but O.C. had the last laugh.
A near-maxout occurred in the fourth and final event of the day when Bill Prensky's Simplex .19-powered Spearhead Jr. pulled up just two seconds short of three maxes in the Small Ignition event. The total was good for first place ahead of Gene Bowers' hot-climbing Arden .19-powered .47 Zeek.
The Sunday evening dinner hour at the Vincennes Executive Inn concluded with a tremendous thunderstorm that provided spectacular lightning and some explosions on high-tension towers across the street from the motel. These scared those standing under the motel's entrance canopy waiting for the downpour to subside. Subsequent street flooding lasted a few hours afterward (including in front of the dormitory where I was staying); the water was about 2½ feet deep in places.
Monday
Expecting the worst in the water and mud department when we arrived at the airport the following morning, we were pleasantly surprised to find little evidence the storm had dropped much rain there. This day enjoyed the best flying weather of the week: warm sun, comfortable near-cool air, and 5–10 mph easterly breezes taking drifting models down the main runway—the ideal conditions we had hoped for.
Guy Eaves again led the trophies in the 1/2A event, this time with a Cox .049-powered Fubar, posting six maxes—two more than John Bortnak's Black Widow-powered Top Banana. While the Top Banana is popular on the West Coast, it's almost unheard of in Midwest competition.
Keith Fulmer used an enlarged solid-red Zeek with a Dooling .29 to win Class B by a two-max margin over Emmett Holt and Dick Hall, both flying O.S. Max .29-powered Spacers. Tom Lucas' Atwood .60-powered six-foot Playboy Sr. floated overhead frequently; he posted six maxes to win the NosGas Large Ignition event.
I (this writer) also posted six maxes with a '47 Phoenix; however three were engine overruns caused by a faulty ignition cutoff timer—foiled again!
Bob Rother's PAA Master was the only NosGas PAA load to get airborne. PAA load hasn't been widely popular since the '50s, and the new NosGas rule book even divides the event into two classes, so widespread popularity may take time.
With two days of NosGas concluded, attention turned to the SAM Champs itself. The traditional Champs bean feed took place at the Executive Inn on Monday, with a fine array of vittles and everyone winning a raffle prize worth much more than the meal ticket. Only SAM Champs Manager Don Sachtjen could accomplish such a feat.
Tuesday
The dreaded wind began and held steady for the next four days. Not ideal, but contestants persevered since everyone battled the same elements. The day was cloudy and rain materialized in the afternoon, making the cornfields muddy.
Contest Directors Bud Brown (Free Flight) and Bill Brenchley (RC) were ready at their locations at the 8:00 a.m. start, though many contestants waited for the weather to improve. Within an hour most were competing.
In the FF .020 Replica event it was Guy Eaves again, setting the pace with four maxes. Mitch Post took Class C Fuselage with a Super Cyclone-powered Playboy Cabin, posting five maxes in his return to flying after an extended illness. John Bortnak and Bob Edelstein flew Canadian Wasp entries to one-two finishes in FF Class B Pylon.
Rubber-powered models seemed less affected by the wind than gas models; winning scores in Rubber events more than doubled comparable Gas events that day. Ray Factor bested Don Reid in the Gollywock (Small Rubber Stick) class. "Gaw" (George) Perryman and his Lanzo design scored 1,080 seconds in Large Rubber Fuselage—the highest rubber total of the week. "Gaw" also posted the best time in the one-flight mass-launch Twin Pusher event, a popular spectator attraction.
The RC Assist contingent on the extreme west end of the field had problems with brisk breezes. Three contestants were lined up for first flights in the I/A Texaco event; these underpowered aircraft struggled to climb against the wind. After an ROG (rise-off-ground) launch from the runway, models were required to land in the grassy area between the runway and the taxiway—landing elsewhere negated the flight score. Some were blown too far downwind and earned zero scores, leading RC fliers to join free flighters in downwind treks to retrieve models.
The Class C Glow LER (Limited Engine Run) event saw many large vintage models overpowered by comparison—Nelson, Rossi, and other racing motors took wind penetration in stride. Lanzo Bombers by Fred Mulholland and Dale Tower topped the field of 49 entrants. Fred also won the Class A Ignition LER with a scaled-down Playboy Sr. (ironically, three out of four entrants used Elfin .249cc diesel engines; the event could be relabeled Class A Diesel LER).
Jim Reynolds and a Playboy won the Ohlsson .23 event using an Ohlsson .23. A late afternoon thunderstorm curtailed serious competition for the remainder of the day.
Wednesday
Clouds and rain lingered in the morning but dissipated as the day wore on, leaving only persistent wind.
Free Flight Class B Fuselage was won by John Bortnak with an ignition-converted O.S. Max .25 in a So Long. Only seven of the 36 registered entrants attempted official flights against the southwest "horizontal air."
Class C Pylon saw 13 of 41 entrants fight the elements. Bob Johannes won with a New Ruler powered by an O&R .60 sideport.
Large Rubber Stick was won by Richard Thompson using a Wallenhorst Stick design. Richard competes in both FF and RC Assist categories and builds exceptionally neat models.
Small Rubber Fuselage was won by Don Reid, whose Double Feature bested George Perryman's Jabberwock.
OT Catapult Glider drew 43 entrants and epitomized the day. The South Bend father-and-son team Ralph and Bill Schlarb captured the top two slots with only five seconds separating them. Ralph, 76 years young and sporting a pacemaker, continued to show remarkable skill.
Up at the RC Assist area at the west end, Antique classes and a special Brown Engine event were staged:
- Antique event: L.A. Johnston's Fox Eagle-powered Dallaire hung airborne for the longest total time.
- Pure Antique event: Lamoine Schrock's Lanzo Bomber, sporting a McCoy .60, took top honors. In fact, the top seven places went to Bombers.
- Brown Engine event: Although vintage models were underpowered against the wind, 28 of 39 entrants got airborne. Bob Perr's Kloud Queen eked out a victory over Skip Williams's Air Chief.
- 1/2A Scale Duration: Cox reed-valve engines were common. Walt Geary's Cessna AW was declared the winner.
Thursday
With the rain gone, Thursday and Friday remained quite windy. Skies gradually cleared and humidity rose toward Friday.
FF Gas events staged both Class A Pylon and Fuselage categories:
- A Pylon: Don Reid's Elfin 2.49D-powered Ranger won by a good margin.
- A Fuselage: Don became a double winner with an Elfin-powered So Long.
The new reproduction Elfin diesels proved superior in performance to many ignition-engine counterparts in both FF and RC Assist categories.
Other Thursday highlights:
- 37 Wakefield: George Perryman led the list in this gum-band event with his aging Ying design.
- OTHLG (Old-Time Hand-Launched Glider): Guy Eaves was the only entrant to post three maxes with a Joe Hervat design.
- 30-Second Antique: Tom Lucas, with his Atwood-propelled Rambler, was the only competitor to max out, then added a fourth max to prove consistency.
- RC Texaco: At the RC Assist site, 41 of 58 models took to the air despite the wind. Bombers took the first four places; the top three used O.S. .60 four-cylinder engines. Tom Botkin edged Larry Davidson in a close finish.
- Class A Glow LER: Gil Morris's Kerswap was top design; Kerswaps swept the first three places. Bob Peru was the top gun.
- Class B Ignition LER: A Bomber-heavy event; Larry Davidson's McCoy .29-powered entry won.
- Ohlsson Sideport: All entries used O&R .60s. Eut Tileston's Taylor Cub beat 31 entrants. Eut's Cubs are marvelous to watch; as a one-design flier, he avoids a workshop cluttered with plans he'll never build.
Friday
Friday felt like the windiest and hottest day, with high humidity. Sylvia's Porkburger stand sold out of lemonade as dry tongues sought relief.
The free flight group had several special events left, but activity was light—many competitors were spent after a long week and downwind "corn trap" retrievals.
- Slag Engine / Ohlsson .19/.23 Sideport Cabin events: Bob Edelstein won both events with a Megow Ranger and a So Long, respectively.
- Gas Scale: Jon Bortnak's Skyfarer won.
- Rubber Scale: Bud Brown's Puss Moth won.
- Compressed Air: Ed Mates's X-Fighter gave the best in-flight performance I've seen in this event—believe it or not, a maxout.
- Commercial Rubber: Don Reid's Korda CRS posted the only maxout in this event, completing the week's free flight schedule.
RC Assist events remaining:
- Class C Ignition: Larry Davidson's Playboy Sr., with an O&R .60, captured this event from 65 original entries.
- Class B Glow LER: Pete Rafferty's Bomber topped 26 actual fliers of 36 entered. L.A. Johnston's old Beit Blitzkrieg, sporting an H.B. .25, placed second; Tut Tileston's Taylor Cub was fourth behind Bill Tibb's Bomber in third.
- OT Electric: Some entries suffered insufficient power against the wind and couldn't reach the specified grassy landing area. Bombers filled the top five, all using O.S.-size electric motors. Dave Tower posted a strong score to win over George Chaplik.
Finale
After a fine banquet at the Executive Inn, it was pack-up time and the trip home. Certain individuals deserve special thanks for carrying off this weeklong affair for the enjoyment of all who attended. To the Contest Directors and their numerous backups and aides-de-camp, we offer a sincere but admittedly insufficient "thank you." And to the workhorse and Contest Manager, Don Sachtjen, we say, "You're one hell of an efficient guy!"
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
