Control Line: Aerobatics

Author: F. McMillan

Edition: Model Aviation - 1991/07
Page Numbers: 51, 180, 181

Control Line: Aerobatics

Frank McMillan

12106 Gunter Grove San Antonio, TX 78231

Vintage Stunt Championships — Event Overview

The third annual Vintage Stunt Championships is history! With one hundred total entries in three events, it was the largest and best yet. The City of Tucson again provided a wonderfully prepared and maintained host site. After some rough weather earlier in the week, Friday through Sunday were gorgeous, with mostly light winds. Great administration, solid, consistent judging, and lots of enthusiasm made this a really fun experience for everyone.

This event is an opportunity to visit with old friends and do a lot of flying in the desert sun after the long winter. Many times during the weekend all five circles were going hot and heavy. Make plans now to come next year to share the scene, see old designs fly (some better than we remember), and, most of all, meet the people who have been part of the event since the early days.

We should recognize the former national champions who were present because they contributed to the past and, through these continuing championship series, will contribute to the future:

George Aldrich — internationally recognized for his contributions to precision aerobatics as a flier, designer, and engine developer; he flew a re-creation of the number one Nobler.
Bart Klapinski — again with us, showing he has lost none of his skills.
Bob Gialdini — two-time winner; flew a re-creation of his famous Olympic in Nostalgia.
Keith Trostle — retired Air Force Colonel, returned to flying with two beautiful models.
Ted Fancher — flew a new model of the Chief, a great performer.
Bob Whiteley — again had a super neat plane for Nostalgia, a Gialdini Olympic.
Bob Hunt — former world and national champion; a consistent Old Time flier and a current competitive force.

We all appreciate the sacrifice it takes to be a champion and thank all of you for sharing the memories. We also extend an invitation to other former national champions to come and share the experience next year.

Old-Time (Saturday)

After much hard work on Friday, the fun began in earnest on Saturday with Old-Time. Because of the large entry (46), the contest format divided the contestants into two groups and used two circles and two sets of judges, similar to Top Twenty Day at the Nationals. This worked well; we were finished with all officials by mid-afternoon thanks to everyone’s cooperation.

In the true spirit of Old-Time there were several interesting flights that drew rounds of applause and a few gasps. Mike Pratt of Montezuma, Iowa put his faithful re-creation of the Walker Fireball through the entire pattern with style and dash. The truly exciting flights were by Tony Lang in a DeBolt Super Bipe — I hope Ken Budensiek got those on video; they should be great!

This year the handicap on flapped designs was reduced to 10 points, so Chiefs and Noblers began creeping up in the standings. Non-flap airplanes still dominated, however, because the pattern is very demanding and it’s difficult to make up a handicap. There also appears to be a trend toward using older engines — Fox, Forster, and the like — similar to Antique Free Flight events. I believe this preserves the intent of these events and keeps them as close to the way they once were as possible.

Results and highlights:

1st place: Kaz Minato — All American Senior, a flawless flight.
2nd place: Darrell Harvin — a real surprise and well-deserved; also recognized for his hard work and enthusiasm at Nationals and other events.
Following places: Bart Klapinski, Bob Hunt, Mike Pratt.

Ignition Category

Ignition was recognized as a special category this year; I hope it gains popularity. Engines and equipment are readily available, and ignition flying is a kick. The standout was George Aldrich with a Go-Devil Senior on an Orwick .64 — he flew very well and the engine thundered.

Visitors from Somerset, England representing the Old Time movement included Ron Prentice and family. Ron flew a 1947 Box Car with an Ohlsson .23. Thanks for sharing your experiences; we hope you'll return with more fellow modelers next year.

Banquet and Special Awards (Saturday Night)

Mike Keville again emceed the annual banquet Saturday night. Several special awards were presented:

Best-appearing OTS model: Keith Trostle’s Yates Dragon — deservedly selected.
Hal DeBolt tribute: Hal sent a framed letter and photo of his famous Stunt Wagon 60. Floyd Carter constructed a Stunt Wagon in the original colors to complement this.
Spirit of '46 award: George Aldrich — an unusual plaque consisting of an ignition engine wired to a working system, constructed by De Hill and his wife Ruby.
OTS Spirit of '52 award: Jim Renkar.

Nostalgia (Sunday)

The more modern Nostalgia birds competed on Sunday. It was a tough contest with many excellent planes and top fliers: Noblers, Olympics, Thunderbird IIs, Veco Chiefs, and Ares. At Tucson's altitude (almost 4,000 ft) it’s difficult to realize the original engine outputs as you would at sea level; most competitors compensated by increasing nitro content in the fuel, and that worked well. Planes needed to be light to retain normal turning ability, and generally all the entries flew very well.

Keeper of the Flame and Other Recognitions

To symbolize outstanding contributions to stunt over the years, a "Keeper of the Flame" award was established. Walt Menges contributed this exceptional trophy: a sterling silver bowl mounted on a walnut base. This perpetual award was presented to Ed Southwick.

Most Improved Flier:

Darrell Harvin — received an M.E. gas engine from George Aldrich.

Thanks and Closing

Good events are the result of many hardworking people doing their thing behind the scenes. To all who contributed, our sincere thanks for a memorable weekend. We look forward to next year.

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