The National Model Airplane Championships Will CONVENE IN SEGUIN (Texas, That Is!)
AMA Texan Johnny Clemens
The AMA National Model Airplane Championships for 1981 will be held at Seguin (pronounced "Segeen"), TX from August 2 through August 9. It will be held on the Seguin Auxiliary Airfield (U.S. Air Force) just east of this city of about 18,000 people. Seguin is about 36 miles east-northeast of the historic and beautiful city of San Antonio.
This entire area is among the most colorful, historically interesting, and exciting parts of our United States. To help locate it, Seguin is on the Interstate 10 route to Houston and is about 165 miles west of there. Seguin is 50 miles south of the Texas state capital of Austin and 250 miles below the metroplex of Dallas and Fort Worth.
Of course, the primary reason for AMAers to be interested in Seguin is a "gathering of the clan" in the interests of competitive model flying at the highest level. This competition will be divided up into some 70 events with around 600 awards. Champions will be chosen in every category of aeromodeling where there is recognized competition. (The only exception will be the Indoor flying events, which require very special facilities. This year's Indoor Nationals will be held at Northwood Institute in West Baden, IN. Dates for the Indoor Championships are June 21, 22, 23, with test flying June 20.)
For the model flier who has a problem finding large enough flying sites in his home area, he or she will find that, when we convene in Seguin, there will be p-l-e-n-t-y of flying space. And the paved ramp and runway areas are probably the best and the s-m-o-o-t-h-e-s-t we've ever used. You should be able to choose at least a mile-long downwind launch site, no matter where the wind is from. This fine Air Force Auxiliary Field is actively used by Randolph Air Force Base, and so is kept in good condition.
Since this is an auxiliary field, there are no permanent buildings we can use. Portable facilities will be brought in to house the contest headquarters, hobby supply shop, greeting area and so forth. For registration the first couple of days and for processing and Scale judging, we will be privileged to use the Guadalupe County Coliseum (Seguin is the county seat) in the south part of town. This building is the cultural and activity center of the community.
And you are right! It will be hot in Seguin in August, but it has been hot everywhere we've gone in August! But there's something this area has that we haven't found anyplace else: there are two huge nearby public caves where the temperature never varies from 70 degrees! Also, to assure you that the summer climate is reasonable, Seguin is just a few miles from San Antonio, which is the ninth largest city in the United States. That many people must find it a pleasant and beautiful place to live.
For those of you who will be concerned with fuel mixtures, carburetors, gas engines and the like, the declared altitude of Seguin is 520 feet above sea level. The same information source mentions that the average temperature in the July–August period is 81 degrees.
For your personal satisfaction and pleasure, you may want to set your own "carburetor" to consume what is probably the best German food and the best Mexican food in the country when you visit the Seguin, San Antonio, San Marcos, and New Braunfels area. This part of Texas was settled by Germans who brought much of Old Germany with them. And of course the Spanish-speaking Mexican people were already here. And if you are the conservative steak-and-potatoes type, you will find an abundance of fine eating places all over. But please sample the German and Mexican foods!
Dormitory housing for the Nats will be just a short drive north of Seguin in the exciting and colorful community of San Marcos. The dorms are on the beautiful campus of Southwest Texas State University, which is on a hilltop overlooking some beautiful city and countryside. Enrollment is over 15,000, and this is the alma mater of Lyndon B. Johnson.
The campus where the dorms are located also overlooks famous Aquarena Springs on Spring Lake, where mammoth natural springs form the San Marcos River. This was a famous watering stop even back in the days of the Spanish explorers. It now has a Submarine Theater with entertainment, exciting glass-bottom boats, a golf course, an outstanding restaurant, and a Swiss Sky Ride to cliffside Hanging Gardens and old mission ruins.
A prehistoric earthquake along the Balcones Fault runs through this area. Wonder Cave—the cave entrance is within the city limits of San Marcos—has a constant 70-degree temperature and is a popular tourist attraction.
San Marcos is also the home of the Central Texas Wing of the famous Confederate Air Force. The World War II military aircraft are preserved in flying condition at Gary Field (San Marcos Municipal Airport).
New Braunfels is the most "German" of these charming communities, and once a year hosts for 10 days the "Wurstfest" where about 175,000 celebrants purchase nearly 50 tons of delicious sausage and wurst prepared from old family recipes. New Braunfels has a wealth of historic houses with restaurants and museums housed now in many of them. Comal Springs, one of the world's largest, discharges up to 355,000,000 gallons of pure natural limestone-filtered water into the city's Landa Park.
Just down the road a piece from New Braunfels is the "Queen City" of this entire part of a very colorful world. San Antonio has been probably best known through the stories of the birth of what is now Texas, a region which had existed under six different flags. The historic stand of Texas' heroes against Santa Anna at the Alamo is a legend familiar to all. The Alamo can be visited every day near the heart of downtown San Antonio. There are other famous and beautiful missions also to be visited in the area, with tours organized for your enjoyment.
There is a beautiful River Walk (or river boat ride) on the San Antonio River through downtown San Antonio. The city also has an excellent zoo, beautiful parks, and fine museums. If all of this poking around and being a tourist has made you thirsty, there are some wine-tasting wineries in the area, and there is even a brewery trip available in the hospitable city of San Antonio.
More detailed information may be had by writing to the Chamber of Commerce of any of the cities mentioned.
I have had the opportunity to personally enjoy even more than I have told you about here. I would highly recommend a trip to this historic and beautiful part of the world of Texas—even if we weren't having the National Model Airplane Championships here.
In spite of my glowing descriptions of all the distractions around to catch your fancy, we will convene in Seguin, and we hope you will attend and accept a warm and friendly Texas welcome. It looks like a return to a closer-knit and more friendly physical layout, and that means more fun!
Start in plenty of time! And don't forget anything—especially your spouse and the kids! They will find plenty to do. Don't forget your model planes, fuel, plenty of glue, and for sure your RC transmitter. Remember, too, to bring your appetite, your smile, clean underwear and socks, your camera—and of course a little bit of money.
We'll convene in Seguin—Texas, that is! Y'all come, ya hear?
RC Pattern at the '81 Nats: New Procedures
It won't be the same as last year! One of the most noticeable changes in the RC Pattern event at this year's Nats will be the absence of qualifying rounds. All five days of competition will be flown on the rounds basis.
Another change will see Pattern being flown only in the afternoon. Pylon Racing will be flown in the morning hours (7:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.), and Pattern will be flown from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
All four Pattern classes will be flown each day. It is anticipated that at least one round in each class will be flown each day. Depending on the number of entrants in Pattern, perhaps more than one round can be flown each day. Any round not completed on a flying day (except for Friday, the last Pattern day) will be continued on the following day.
Pattern class winners will be selected on the basis given in the 1980–81 AMA rule book, paragraph 38.13 (page 40). This says, in a nutshell, that a contestant's score will depend on how many rounds he completes: the score of one flight; the higher of two flights; the sum of the two best of three flights; or the sum of the highest three flights, if four or more flights are flown. You can see that all of the serious competitors will have to fly every round, or lose an opportunity to better their scores.
There'll be a lot of Pattern flying at this year's Nats!
No Camping at Nats Site
Air Force regulations will not permit overnight camping at Seguin Auxiliary Air Base. Nats visitors and contestants who desire to camp during their stay at Seguin are urged to seek camping information from the local Chamber of Commerce. (There are at least 13 RV parks in the area. Contact Seguin-Guadalupe Chamber of Commerce, 111 E. Center St., P.O. Box 710, Seguin, TX 78155; telephone (512) 379-6382.)
Unofficial Events at Texas Nats
Despite the fact that there are 60 separate AMA rule book events at the Texas Nats, there will also be a host of special events organized by clubs and individuals which are held "outside" of the regular Nats schedule.
Free Flight and control-line unofficial events will be held at the main Nats site, but the unofficial RC events pose the usual problem: there are already two sites for the official Nats RC events. Pattern, Scale, and Pylon are to be flown at Seguin Auxiliary Air Base, while Soaring and Helicopter flying will be done several miles away at a satellite field, a necessary inconvenience to preclude RC frequency interference. In turn, this means that a third flying site will be necessary for the Old-Timer events. At the present time, the exact location of this site is not known. If information becomes available before Nats time, CN will publish it. Otherwise, check the bulletin boards at Nats HQ.
Remember: all of the unofficial events operate outside of the Nats management and have their own entry fees, timers, judges, officials, and awards.
Control Line Events
John Pond is overseeing the Old-Time Stunt event, for models designed prior to 1950. There are two classes: glow-engine and ignition-engine. Wynn Paul has 1/2A Stunt (Jr., Sr., and Open classes). Rich von Lopez and Steve Hills will run 1/2A Combat (combined age groups; .049/.051 engine; .012 x 35-ft. lines; double-elimination; Fast Combat rules). All three of these events will be held on Thursday afternoon. Bill Lee will be involved with Super Slow Rat Race and Big Goodyear (date not known at this time).
Radio Control Events
John Pond is also the coordinator for the Old-Timer RC events: Texaco, Limited Engine Run, and Antique. These are scheduled for Wednesday.
Free Flight Events
Cargo, Embryo Endurance, and Unlimited Rubber Biplane (write to T. Rimert for rules) will be flown on Tuesday, with the NFFS the proponent of these events (and more, to be listed below).
Wednesday will see a host of events flown: Helicopter, Autogiro, Ornithopter, Rubber Speed, and Rubber Distance. Although Terry Rimert is the coordinator of these events, other organizations—such as the McDonnell-Douglas FF Club for Rubber Speed/Rubber Distance—will have more direct involvement in running them.
Thursday morning, the Dick Korda Open Rubber event (one flight — high time wins) will be flown.
Friday, another host of events is scheduled: Old-Timer FF Gas, Classes A, B, and C; 30-second Antique; .020 Replica; Rubber Stick and Rubber Cabin, all under the general auspices of John Pond. George Perryman is sponsoring a Jr. Rubber event. Bill Baker is sponsoring a Twin Pusher event.
Awards Banquet
The Old-Timer Awards Banquet will be held on Friday evening. Cost and location were not known at the time this article was prepared.
For More Information
Prospective contestants in any of these events who desire more information should contact the sponsor of the event or one of the coordinators:
- William Baker, Twin Pusher sponsor, 1902 Peter Pan, Norman, OK 73069.
- W.R.A. Lee, CL Racing, 3522 Tamarisk Ln., Missouri City, TX 77459.
- Richard Lopez, 1/2A Combat Director, 7742 Redlands St., Apt. D2039, Playa Del Rey, CA 90291.
- Wynn Paul, 1/2A Stunt Director, 1640 Maywick Dr., Lexington, KY 40504.
- George Perryman, Jr., Rubber Sponsor, 3644 Lake Dr., Smyrna, GA 30080.
- John Pond, Old-Timer Events Director, 4269 Syoko Circle, San Jose, CA 95136.
- Terry Rimert, NFFS Unofficial Events Director, 367 Orange Ave., Baldwin, FL 32234.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
