FF Outdoor Rubber
Larry Kruse
OUTDOOR RUBBER flying began auspiciously on Monday, the second day of Outdoor competition. Lessening winds and a decided warming trend gave everyone hope that the full potential of the Badger Mountain site would be realized as the week went on.
Wakefield
Some 53 years ago Charles Tracy of Cleveland, OH, won a spot on the 1936 U.S. Wakefield team. This year his son, Dan Tracy of Maple Valley, WA, won the 1989 Wakefield event. Charles' grandson Adam finished sixth as the best Senior, pushing everyone — including his dad — for the top spot. Prior to his Nats achievement, Adam had represented the U.S. in Poland, competing in Wakefield as part of the 1988 FAI Junior FF World Championships.
- 1st: Dan Tracy
- 2nd: Hank Cole
- 3rd: Blake Jensen (within 31 seconds of Hank)
Coupe d'Hiver
Coupe d'Hiver continued to grow in popularity, largely due to easily built, high-quality kits available from U.S. distributors. Many juniors and seniors are finding success flying kit-built ships.
- Junior Coupe winner: Jonathan Bauer (age 10) — 421 seconds, flying a Champion Coupe from Champion Model Supply.
- Open Coupe winner: Joe Foster — 1,140 total.
- 2nd (Open): John Bortnak (Canada).
- 3rd (Open): James Sessums — 824 seconds.
A notable exception to the kit trend was Bill Vanderbeek, who flew a nicely proportioned NFFS Model Year Coupe to tie for sixth place.
P-30
P-30 remains the numerically largest rubber event at the Nats since its inclusion in the AMA rule book. Like Coupe d'Hiver, P-30 attracted wide participation in Junior, Senior, and Open categories.
Junior P-30:
- 1st: Toby Vanderbeek — 288
- 2nd: Jonathan Bauer — 282
- 3rd: Dwight Larks — 117
Senior P-30:
- 1st: Lance Bays — 297
- 2nd: Jason Youck
- 3rd: Dave Warren
Open P-30:
- 1st: Clarence Mather (likely flying his Sweet P-30 design)
- 2nd: Ed Melvin Chafin — 572 (one max back)
Also worth noting: John Bortnak spent significant time helping young juniors flying power events — a commendable contribution.
Mulvihill
Mulvihill day turned into a man-versus-nature endurance contest as strong winds returned and carried off many flights. Five junior fliers battled the gusts with limited success; some flights were only seconds long.
- Open Mulvihill winner: Bud Romack — managed a timed launch during a wind lull.
- 2nd: Blake Jensen — had two good launches and attempted to find clean air from inside his van.
- 3rd: Moe Whittemore — used careful preparation and launch technique.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Bert Pond and the many unnamed volunteers who served as timers, worked behind the officials' table, and filled numerous other roles to make this year's Nats a success. Bill Vanderbeek certainly is to be commended for his longtime service to the Free Flight fraternity.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
