CONTROL LINE AEROBATICS
Frank McMillan — 12106 Gunter Grove, San Antonio, TX 78231
This year's Vintage Stunt Championships (VSC) were attended by one of the series' originators, Mike Keville. Mike has missed the last few events because of his job in Saudi Arabia. This time he was spectating, beaming at how mature the whole format has become. Much of that maturity is due to the hard work of his wife Jo Ann, who has been directing the contest for some years.
As I've stated many times, the essence of the weekend really transcends pure competition. However, there is competition if you want it. The fun-fly aspect brings out many different aircraft, flown by the original designers. This helps recapture the feeling of years past and preserves the history of the event.
This year's event was attended by former world and national champion Bill Werwage. Bill is responsible for a huge portion of Stunt history, although this was his first visit to the VSC. Bill chose to enter one of his early designs, the Vulcan, which predates the famous Aries and USA-1. The Vulcan's classic style and multicolored paint scheme brought back many memories of the '50s. With its Super Tigre .46 it thundered through the patterns. Many of us remember those days when one particular engine would distinguish itself, seeming to be a little bit better than the rest.
Bill was a force to be reckoned with, starting with the appearance judging, held at the Roadway Inn courtyard. It was obvious that the Vulcan was ahead of the field. Later at the banquet, Bill was presented with a well-deserved Concours Award. This foreshadowed the flying events. In typical Werwage fashion he powered through Saturday's wind and Sunday's light air to a clear-cut win.
Two other competitors, Rollie and Bob McDonald, also have roots in a historically significant period in Stunt. Rollie was a very successful Nats competitor in the '50s and early '60s; Bob is following in his footsteps. Like Bill Werwage, this was the McDonalds' first visit to VSC. Bob chose one of Rollie's successful designs, the Strathmoore, named after the old Strathmoore Model Club in Detroit. The model displayed the unique I-beam, strip-rib construction that originated in Detroit and stayed a secret for many years within the club. Watching Bob fly Rollie's design showed why it has been so successful—it's an excellent design, still impressive after many years.
One of the neat things about VSC is that events aren't that predictable. Participants bring interesting aircraft to be seen and flown. Among the notable entries and flights were:
- Formula 5 models.
- Gordon Delavey's Twins.
- Don Hutchinson's semiscale Boeing Kaydet, flown by Bart Klapinski.
- Art Adamisin's two semiscale stunters: his son Dennis' Typhoon (originally published in American Modeler) and the famous Leroy Gunther Spitfire, which won the Testors Best Finish award at the 1970 Nationals.
- Charles Mackey's original three-winged stunter with flaps on all wings—it performed very well.
The real fun started after the contest was over—and Gordon Delavey was the unintentional instigator. Gordon wanted some of the attending world-class fliers to test his airplane and give their opinions. It's an extremely good model. After a few flights it became obvious that everyone watching was loudly critiquing the flying. I'm told it flies so well it was almost impossible to bounce a maneuver bottom until Ted Fancher and Dave Fitzgerald found ways. The assembled fliers thought it appropriate to hoot their displeasure.
The Old-Time Stunt competition saw the modern-competition debut of S. Calhoun Smith's Frisky Pete design, flown by Bob Hunt. Its Fox .25 wasn't cold in its test flights; Bob put up a big first-flight score. However, several time-tested combinations finally edged him out. These included Bart Klapinski with what has to be one of the best-flying Ringmasters of all time and John Wright with his well-worn Barnstormer. John finally emerged as overall winner.
As well as the Frisky Pete flew, it should be a competitor for many years to come. Bob was awarded the Old-Time Concours for his effort, which featured translucent Polyspan covering colored with dye—an impressive technique.
Tom Morris, Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA) newsletter editor, attended the event for the first time. While watching, Charles Mackey walked up and handed him a manuscript—the history of Stunt from the 1920s to the early '50s. Charles has been working on the project independently for some time and includes interviews with the pioneers of the sport. Tom intends to make copies of the history available through PAMPA on behalf of the Stunt community. Tom also showed up with the first volume of Control Line Precision Aerobatics, a publication very suitable for vintage models. On behalf of the community: thanks to Charles for his efforts.
The planned series will consist of approximately 30 books. Each book will be a compilation of published articles on a single topic from a specific time period. The first three books will be:
- Old-Time Stunt, pre-1953
- Classic Stunt, 1953–1969
- The Modern Era, from 1969
The books give a quick look at eligible designs and their construction techniques. Copies of the original articles and full-size construction drawings are available through PAMPA: 327 Pueblo Pass, Anniston, AL 36206.
It's been 25 years since the Old-Time Stunt event was started by John Miske and the Garden State Circle Burners. This same combination will host a special silver‑anniversary contest on October 8, 1995. Treat yourself and plan to attend. Events flown will include OTS, OTS II (flapped), OTS ignition, and Classic Stunt. Entry details:
- Entry fee: $10 per event
- Send entry fees to: Peabody, 175 Pinewood, Teaneck, NJ 07666
- For more information contact Contest Director John Miske at (201) 478-4227.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
