FREE FLIGHT OLD-TIMERS
Bill Baker, 1902 Peter Pan, Norman, OK 73072
Don Bekins, president of the Society of Antique Modelers (SAM), sent the two great action photos you see here. They were taken at the 1995 SCAMPS Texaco Dawn Patrol at Taft, California. During the contest a surprise 75th birthday party was held for Sal Taibi. I calculate that if Sal was 75 in 1995, then he was 18 or 19 when he designed the Powerhouse.
SAM membership
If you are interested in joining SAM, send a SASE to:
- Larry Clark, Secretary/Treasurer
- Box 528, Lucerne Valley, CA 92356
As part of your membership you get:
- a rule book and voting privileges (for rule changes)
- a list of eligible designs
- a subscription to SAM Speaks, an excellent publication that has just about reached magazine status
George Perryman and the Korda Wakefield
While reading the reports of the 1994 SAM Champs in SAM Speaks, I noted that my old flying buddy George Perryman had won a dawn all-up-last-down event for Korda Wakefields, and that his model had soundly outclimbed the competition. I wrote to George asking for some details of his model's setup. George did not let us down. His letter, in part:
"It was a real thrill flying with Dick Korda last year at SAM Champs. He can still wind rubber good and fly like a champ. I had one of the nicest compliments from him anyone could have. I asked him to autograph my Korda wing and he said, 'I'll sign yours if you will sign mine.' This was sorta like King Kong telling me I could really grow hair.
"I built one 29-cent Burd Korda in 1939, but I failed miserably flying it in my first big contest ... I was 14 at the time.
"In 1940 I built three of Korda's 1939 Wakefield Winner, which I had pretty good luck with, but I still was not able to beat the big boys ... I waited 54 years to build another Korda Wakefield Winner. When I found out Dick Korda himself was going to compete in the Dick Korda Commemorative SAM Champs, I just had to build one. I got a picture from Ted Just (who flew proxy for Earl Stahl in that great 1939 Wakefield meet) and duplicated Korda's red model with silver prop, and USA lettering on fuselage sides.
"Due to having lengthy searches in cornfields for another two events the day the regular Korda Wakefield event was flown, I didn't have time to compete properly, so elected to save my ship for the Korda Challenge mass launch at dawn. Joe Beshar was sponsor and he wanted the old-time flavor by doing it like we used to do: no torque meters, no winding tubes, and one flight before the thermals came out. I managed to squeak out a win with a 3:03, since my Korda outclimbed the other 20 ... You can't imagine how thrilling it was to get a Korda to fly good after 54 years.
"Now for your 'scientifical' questions. I balance my Korda at 55% wing chord, which is 3.30 inches behind the wing leading edge. With the smallish horizontal stab it flies smooth there. Since the vertical stab isn't overly generous I keep the wing (forward) of the LE right at the windshield as this gives the longest tail length possible. I add lead to the nose block for balance. I use 28 strands, 35 inches long, of 1/8 FAI Tan II rubber. On the winning flight I wound in 850 turns which is near max.
"I fly my Korda right-right (R-R) and I guess most fliers are divided on R-R and R-L. I've flown rubber ships both ways and can't tell much difference. I don't add shim under the wing leading edge, but instead jack up the stab trailing edge to get incidence right. It's my taste to not have a model glide nose down; marginal wing positive incidence with the stab trailing edge up will give a flat-appearing glide.
"Bill, I sure miss you on the contest circuit. We had heaps of fun, particularly flying on the Mulvihill team together and winning in 1980 and 1982."
Editor's notes and opinions
I miss you too, George, and all the others I used to see at the SAM Champs and AMA Nationals. But I just don't like to travel anymore, and I've lost interest in competition.
Ol' George likes to play the clown bit, but he is one of the best ever in rubber events. It is true that some rubber models fly right-right safely, and my theory is that it is a matter of CG location. With a conservative or somewhat forward CG like on George's Korda, or my Conscientious Objector, R-R seems to be OK, but with the CG pushed back for ultimate dead-air glide, R-R is dangerous. Better go R-L if you don't want to use an autostab (just a matter of opinion).
I'm not going to take up space telling about recent SAM rule changes; those interested will read SAM Speaks for that. But I do want to announce a new official RC Assist event for Nostalgia-era FF designs. The rules roughly follow the NFFS free flight Nostalgia events. Although I still have no interest in competition, I will make a Lucky Lindy and a Zeek for my own thermaling pleasure.
An unofficial SAM Electric event for rubber designs is being promoted by:
- Eut Tileston
- 1800 Carmelo Dr., Carmichael, CA 95608
A SASE should get you the details.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
