Author: J. Ballard
Edition: Model Aviation - 1990/11
Page Numbers: 58, 59, 180, 181, 182
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CL: Racing

John Ballard

Overview

MEMORABLE. That's how I'd describe the 1990 AMA Nats held at the Mid‑American Air Center, just west of Vincennes, IN — a small regional airport between Vincennes, IN and Lawrenceville, IL. The site sat in the breadbasket of the Midwest: "corn on the left — corn on the right." The agricultural flavor and small‑town atmosphere of co‑hosts Lawrenceville and Vincennes were appreciated by most competitors. Both towns welcomed contestants, and the local papers gave liberal coverage with numerous photos.

Site and facilities

The Control Line site was in an area usually reserved for taxiing and parking full‑size general aviation aircraft and was adjacent to the large AMA Headquarters tent. While AMA staff provided restrooms and food facilities, the paved surface for the Speed and Racing circles was very poor.

  • Concrete had been poured in 12‑ft squares decades ago; the tar joints were gone and wiry weeds grew in every crack.
  • Large spalled and eroded sections needed patching; the FAST club racing team spent a little over $100 and many hours to make repairs.
  • Event Director Larry Dziak ("The Wizard") organized volunteers to police the circle, cut weeds, and patch holes.
  • Repairs used brooms purchased by Bob Fogg and Howard Shahan and drywall patching mud/plaster supplied by AMA HQ.
  • A large crater in the pilots' runout circle was filled only after several pilots twisted ankles or fell; the rough surface caused many chipped props and hung lines.
  • Net‑enclosed circles used by Speed fliers (and by Fast Rat fliers on the final day) were also patched.

Competitors did much of their own timing and helped erect the officials' tent.

Schedule and weather

The racing schedule in 1990 was slightly revised from 1989 and coordinated better with Speed activities.

  • Practice: Monday (racing competitors had Sunday as a free day; many began earnest practice Monday morning)
  • Tuesday, July 17: Scale Racing
  • Wednesday: Mouse Racing
  • Thursday: Slow Rat
  • Friday: Fast Rat (flown in a safety‑net‑enclosed area after Speed events)

Weather:

  • Sunday–Monday: unusually cool for mid‑July (temperatures in the 80s °F)
  • Tuesday–Friday: typical summer heat (90–95°F) with bright sun
  • Humidity rose during the week from ~30% to ~50%
  • A small rain shower at noon Friday occurred after the final 140‑lap Fast Rat race

Scale Racing and equipment

Scale Racing entrants in practice were generally running airspeeds giving lap times of about 14.5–15.1 seconds. Best clockings cited were:

  • Lambert–Ballard: 14.7 seconds
  • Fogg–Shahan: 14.8 seconds

Common equipment and observations:

  • Most competitors used the Rossi Mk. III (often with modified piston liner/cylinder‑head combinations and large‑bore venturis).
  • Other engines seen included the Nelson .15 and a lone Cox .15.
  • Globe II or .41 "funny plugs" were common.
  • 1990 was the first year some Nats times could be submitted as AMA National Records; applications were to be processed.

Fast Rat / Open (preliminaries and final)

Qualifying for the eight finalist slots was by ranking the best time from two 70‑lap preliminary heats. Some highlights:

  • Open prelim cutoff for final qualification: 3:09
  • Super preliminary times included Lambert at 2:45 and Ballard at 2:48.
  • The Fogg–Shahan team used a GP‑modified Rossi prepared by Tim Gilliott and one Nelson .15.

Final 140‑lap results (top five):

  1. Lambert–Ballard — 5:48.00
  2. Shahan–Fogg — 5:57.93
  3. Ballard–Lambert — 6:10.65
  4. Larry Dziak Jr. — 6:20.23
  5. Bill Bischoff — 6:20.66

Notes:

  • The first three places used GP‑modified Rossi .15 engines.
  • Any of the top entries could have won on airspeed; consistent, fast pit work proved decisive.
  • Construction differences: the Shahan–Fogg models were fiberglass, while the Ballard–Lambert team used traditional wood built‑up construction.

Mouse Racing

Mouse Racing (Wednesday) drew over 20 Open entries plus good Junior and Senior turnouts. Because of the tricky, deteriorated circle surface, Event Director Larry Dziak ran two‑up races (rather than the usual three‑up) to reduce tangled lines and wrecked equipment.

Incidents and equipment notes:

  • Even two‑up races saw lines snagged, planes towed out of control, kinked flying lines, and broken propellers.
  • Small‑wheeled Mouse Racers had the most trouble taking off and landing on the rough surface.
  • Most competitors used heavily modified Cox .049 engines.
  • Large differences in airspeed often resulted from propeller selection; the black Tornado 5x4 cut down to about 4½ in. diameter was found to be an effective, economical choice.

Results:

  • Open: Vic Garner — 4:48.29 (superb performance; lap times in low 12‑second range, while most were 13.5–14.0 sec)
  • Open runners‑up: John Holliday & Melvin Schute (Kansas) second; Ballard team third (after using three pit stops to others' two)
  • Junior: Bob Fogg Jr. — 1st
  • Senior: Daniel Gallego — 1st

FAI Team Race

The FAI Team Race attracted spectators but relatively few contestants. The visiting Russian team from Leningrad showed impressive speed in practice.

  • Alexander Ivashkin’s airplane featured a new front‑exhaust diesel engine with a baffled exhaust and performed convincingly with his Airwolf. The model featured Cobra mechanics and modified rotor/landing gear; it was both beautiful and well‑flying.

Summary and thanks

The 1990 Nats is now history. Competitors enjoyed three days of good flying. Despite the marginal paving, the site worked out after repairs; judging was consistent and by the book. Flying and sportsmanship were excellent, reflecting a maturing in the sport.

Congratulations to all the winners, and a big thank‑you to the officials and workers who made the event happen. How about a few more Scale entries for 1991?

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.