Four-Stroke Rally
Event overview
On a beautiful early-fall weekend in Cincinnati, the explosion of interest in four-cycle model engines and the planes to go with them became clear. The First World Engines/Hamilton Hawks Four-Cycle Rally drew over 100 registered participants and more than 120 planes of a surprising variety.
It was early in the spring when members of the Hamilton Area Wireless Kontrol Society first started talking with World Engines President John Maloney about holding a low-key event for the increasingly popular four-cycle engines. Within three weeks of the first announcement, it became obvious that the number of people interested in the planned rally was far greater than first estimated. When pre-registrations passed 50, it was decided to try limiting entries to 100. That effort failed when people from as far away as Alabama, South Carolina, Minnesota and upper New York State chimed in with late entries after the 100 mark had already passed.
Notable aircraft and displays
Sprang up on Saturday morning were the expected biplanes and high-wing ships, with a good number of Stik-type sport planes also in evidence. The unexpected included several World War II–era scale planes, such as Bob Karlsson's magnificent Wildcat Navy carrier fighter powered by the O.S. 1.2 four-cycle. If there was any doubt about the ability of relatively low-revving four-cycle engines to pull a WWII plane with authority and realistic speed, the Wildcat laid it to rest.
Another high-tech hit at the rally was brought by Jerry Gardner of Ft. Smith, AR: a Nosen Cessna 310 twin powered by a pair of O.S. Gemini twin-cylinder engines. Synchronized by a Jomar electronic sync system, the four-cycles hauled the over-30-lb. ship around with no trouble at all — and with a very realistic sound.
Awards and highlights
- Pilots' Choice for Best of Show: Duane Campbell's beautiful Pober Pixie in one-third scale, powered by a Kavan Twin.
- Most Realistic Flight: U.S. Scale Team Manager Cliff Tacie's colorful Sig Clipped-Wing Cub with a Gemini Twin, noted for perfectly scale-like aerobatics.
The Hawks Club planned a few low-pressure events for the rally, but competition was unnecessary to participate. Many, like Tacie and Karlsson, elected to just enjoy the flying.
Prizes and manufacturer presence
John Maloney and World Engines donated what seemed like a whole shipload of O.S. four-cycle engines for the affair. Half were given as prizes for the competitive events and the other half were awarded as "door prizes" by drawing from the list of participants. The big prize for Best of Show was one of the jewellike Kavan Twins, with a second one raffled off to help underwrite the Hawks' expenses.
The Rolls-Royce of four-cycle engines right now seems to be the Kavan Twin. At least three planes powered by Kavan Twins were flying at the rally. Owners got an extra benefit during the weekend as the manufacturer, Franz Kavan, came in from West Germany with his daughter and a couple of factory demonstration models, plus a pilot to fly them. The Kavan-powered demo planes received the personal touch of their maker; half a dozen demonstration flights featured plenty of high-G aerobatics and 90 mph low inverted passes.
Flying, frequency and atmosphere
Frequency allocations were a big problem with the huge attendance, but the final count showed just under 450 flights for the weekend. There were frequently six or seven ships in the air at once, but there were no midairs; only two crashes were recorded during the event.
It was astounding to glance up and see the sky filled with airplanes and hear practically no noise. Spectators and pilots alike commented on the relaxed atmosphere that the quiet four-stroke engines produced: one could sit in the sun and watch the goings-on along the flightline while holding a normal conversation with friends.
Future prospects
With recent changes in international competitive rules and the constant emphasis on noise control, the future of the four-cycle engine looks bright. Right now, these engines are coming only from foreign manufacturers, but if the turnout at the First World Engines/Hawks Four-Cycle Rally is any indication, there is plenty of demand to spur development by domestic companies. Most of the modeling spectators at the big event went away convinced that it was high time to get 'strokin'.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
