AMA Nats: CL Scale
Weather / Conditions
The wind blew. What heat was to last year’s Nats in Lake Charles, wind was to the Nats this year in Lincoln. The breeze was already 15 mph by 6:30 a.m. and increased steadily throughout the day, reaching around 30 mph by 10:30. Because of the strong winds, only a couple of flights were made on Saturday, and almost everyone passed on the first round. Event director Steve Ashby called a pilots' meeting to discuss beginning at 6:00 a.m. to get flights in before the winds rose, but Sunday dawned the same — warm with a stiff breeze already blowing.
Sport Scale
- 1st — Dick Byron (Ankeny, IA): A6M5 Zero. Built from a Royal kit and powered by an O.S. Blackhead .60. This airplane has also earned Dick a spot on the U.S. World Championship CL Scale Team.
- 2nd — Mike Welshans (Detroit, MI): Stinson SR-9 Reliant painted in American Airlines colors.
- 3rd — Orin Humphries (Spokane, WA): Beechcraft T-34C Mentor.
Precision Scale
- 1st — Jack Sheeks (Indianapolis, IN): Beechcraft Duchess. Powered by two .40 Gold Cup engines; the model weighed 12 lb including electronics and featured operable flaps and retracts. Jack’s electronic system was designed by fellow modeler Clancy Arnold.
- 2nd — Charlie Bauer (Chicago, IL): Skyraider/Dauntless II with similar electronics.
- 3rd — Orin Humphries (Spokane, WA): RA-26C Invader, which performed well in the wind.
FAI Scale
- 1st — Dale Campbell: Ryan STA built from a popular Sig kit and beautifully finished. Dale earned the highest static and flight scores of the event.
- 2nd — Ernie Violett: Skyraider in a Vietnam-era scheme, equipped with different electronic options.
- 3rd — Charlie Bauer: Top Flite Zero. The model was attractive but was caught by a gust during takeoff and winged over, leaving little chance to recover.
Notes
The number of contestants was down slightly this year. The FAI Scale Team selection event was held in Lincoln the week before the Nats, forcing some contestants to choose between team trials and the Nats.
Thanks
Special thanks to all the people who worked hard to put on the Control Line Scale event.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
