CL Aerobatics
Wynn Paul
Results — Precision Aerobatics (Senior/Open)
Les McDonald won the 1980 Nationals in CL Precision Aerobatics. He returned from the World Championships with the skill to take his first Nats title. His margin over Bob Hunt was a mere 16 points (spread over two flights). Bill Werwage finished third, 2.5 points behind Hunt.
- Winner: Les McDonald
- 2nd: Bob Hunt
- 3rd: Bill Werwage
Senior champion and retirements
Twenty of the 21 Senior fliers breathed a sigh of relief as David (Dave) Fitzgerald made his final pattern as a Senior competitor, concluding a five-year span with five National Championships in Precision Aerobatics. Ever since winning as a Junior in 1976, Fitzgerald flew the same expert pattern, improving each year, with the same Sig Chipmunk and Max .35 engine. Kevin Capitanelli was absent; Dan McClellan was the closest challenger. Two-pattern totals were 955.66 to 906.00.
Half-A, Junior and other divisions
- Half-A Stunt (Open): Wynn Paul beat Bob Baron, 4700 to 4620.
- Senior Half-A: David Fitzgerald.
- Junior winner (Precision Aerobatics): Jim McClellan.
Jim McClellan (Burlingame, CA) rose from 3rd place last year to Junior Champion in 1980, flying a Gieseke Nobler kit plane with a built-up wing, Max .35 engine, Hobbypoxy paint, 38 oz., and a Rev-Up 10-6W prop.
David Fitzgerald is a sophomore at San Jose State University, majoring in aeronautics. He holds pilot ratings for private, commercial, instrument, and instructor, and is working on multi-engine.
Nationals conditions and entry size
Because the Nationals were held in Ohio, wind and rain were persistent throughout the week. Entries were large:
- Open: 55 fliers actually flew
- Senior: near-record 21 participants
- Junior: low, with just 3 entries
There were a number of crashes. Notable incidents:
- Ted Fancher crashed on Saturday morning of the final-Finals when a pushrod clevis broke.
- Gene Martin (Concours D'Elegance winner) also had a pushrod clevis break after the first day's qualifying, totaling his magnificent plane; he continued with a backup.
Field, circles and event organization
The four official circles for Stunt were in good shape thanks to Event Director Lanny Shorts and Assistant Director Bill Howe. Practice area was limited until an active ramp was opened for about four additional practice circles. Racing events were moved into what would ordinarily have been the Stunt practice area.
Recommendation from the meet: CL administrative personnel should plan for at least eight practice circles for large Nats turnouts, in addition to the four official circles, to avoid ad-hoc practice-area disputes.
Equipment and notable planes
Les McDonald flew the 1976 World Champion plane: a D-tube wing with a 57-in. span, weighing about 55 oz., powered by a much-modified K&B .40 with a Garner Dykes piston ring and other modifications.
- Bob Hunt: Genesis, smaller foam-wing version, 56-in. span, Max .40 FSR.
- Bill Werwage: 62-in. span I-beam wing, Max .40 FSR.
Senior division competitiveness
The Senior division was especially competitive with 21 fliers. Only eight were from the Ohio-Indiana-Illinois area, so travel distance was not a dominant factor. Places 2 through 6 were separated by only 27.5 points per pattern (final scores were the sum of two scores). Using two circles, with fliers appearing before each set of judges, proved efficient for the 21 entries.
Some Seniors flew equipment typically seen in Open competition:
- Jeff Anderson: ST .40 with a Garner Dykes ring
- Andy Blank: Max .45 with 14-6 prop cut down to 12-6
- Tim Williams: Martine-modified ST .46 engine
Open appearance judging
Open appearance judging (Tuesday night) has become a Nationals highlight. Instead of individual judging lines, all airplanes were placed on an auditorium floor and arranged by points so pilots and spectators could compare planes and gather ideas.
Top appearance scores:
- 19 points: Gene Martine's Mauler (exceptional woodwork, enclosed muffler, cheek cowl hint, outstanding finish, full cockpit detail, wheel pants)
- 17 points: Stan Powell, Arlie Preszler, Lou Wolgast
- 16 points: Dennis Harkai, Bob Hunt, Bill Werwage, Bob Whitely
Open qualifying and semi-finals
Open qualifying ran two days with the 55 fliers spread over four circles. Each flier flew before two sets of judges; the best score from each day was added to form the qualifying total. Two circles proved very tight (many fliers capable of qualifying), while the other two had only a few contenders. Three fliers were seeded on each circle to spread top competitors. The consensus was that the present qualifying system is the best solution to date.
First-time Nationals qualifiers and placements:
- Kirk Mullinix — tied for 14th (Rookie of the Year, tie)
- Lou Wolgast — tied for 14th (Rookie of the Year, tie)
- Jim Coll — 16th
- "Windy" Urtnowski — 17th
- Lee Uberbacher — 18th
- John Poynter — 20th
Friday semi-finals began with rain (one-hour postponement). Weather varied between drizzle and calm to moderate wind. Semi-final scores (top finishers):
- Bob Hunt: 1050.5
- Les McDonald: 1037.75
- Ted Fancher: 1033.0
- Bill Werwage: 1031.5
- Bob Barron: 1017.00
Bob Whitely and Wynn Paul tied for 6th place in the semis.
Judges, scorekeepers and pit bosses
Judges for Precision Aerobatics:
- Art Admasin
- Chuck Delano
- Bill Fitzgerald
- David Fitzgerald
- Bob Gieseke
- John Laws (eighth straight Nats as a judge)
- Lee Lorio
- Dan McClellan
- Joe Reinhard
- Bill Zimmer
Scorekeepers:
- Sharen Fancher
- Joyce Shorts
- Suzi Howe
Pit bosses:
- Bob Overmier
- Tim Williams
Final-Finals and Walker Cup flyoff
The final-Finals and combined Walker Cup flyoff were Saturday morning. It rained at the field but stopped in time for the contest. Flight draws for the three rounds (seven fliers) were:
- Les McDonald: 1-1-2
- Bob Hunt: 3-7-7
During warmups, Ted Fancher had a pushrod clevis break in level flight, totaling his two-year-old Excitation. With help from friends he installed an engine in an imitation profile and flew the first profile in the Walker Cup flyoffs since 1949.
After two rounds:
- Les McDonald: 1028.5 (lead)
- Bob Hunt: 1015.50 (tied with Barron)
- Bob Barron: 1015.50
- Bill Werwage: 1010.5
Barron had identical scores of 507.75 for Rounds 1 and 2.
McDonald's last flight scored 513.00. Werwage needed 525.26 to win but scored 507.50 and still had shape problems. The contest boiled down to Bob Hunt's final flight; he scored 509.50 and fell short by 15.25 points on the best-two-rounds basis. Les McDonald won his first National Championship after being World Champion twice.
Banquet and PAMPA meeting
Approximately 80 people attended the Saturday night banquet, which included a short business meeting of the Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA). Officers elected for the new year:
- President: Keith Trostle
- Vice-President: Arlie Preszler
- Secretary-Treasurer: Wynn Paul
- Directors: David Hemstrought, Bob Gieseke, Ted Fancher
Awards were presented, the Walker Cup was presented to Les McDonald, and the evening concluded with good food and brief speeches.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
