1985 NATS: FF Indoor Scale
By Bob Clemens
It was 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 28. Inside the Base Hangar at Westover AFB, site of Indoor Peanut and AMA Rubber Scale events, the temperature had risen into the high 80s. The last two or three Easy B, Manhattan Cabin, and Pennyplane flights were floating in ever-lowering circles over the huge white-painted 200 x 250-ft. concrete floor as the first indoor Scale models took the air on their out-of-the-box trimming flights. Several hundred spectators watched from the balconies and borders of the floor. AMA Scale had 28 contestants ready to go; 27 fliers toed the line in Peanut. It would be a long, hot afternoon and early evening for them all.
Competitors and models
What the field may have lacked in quantity, it certainly made up for in quality. There were some serious Rubber Scale fliers on hand: the Eggerts (father and son), Jack McGillivray, Ken Groves, Dave Rees, David Aronstein, Jim Miller, and Don Srull, to name a few. They were flying a refreshing variety of models:
- biplanes
- World War II fighters
- a canard
- an ultralight
- antique and pioneer aircraft
Laceys and Fikes were definitely in the minority, but as always they were solid threats with their simple, light structures and ample wing areas. There were even several larger-than-Peanut Fikes competing in AMA Scale.
The Eggerts entered identical models of the Fairchild FC-1 monoplane; this was the first time this aircraft had been modeled for Rubber Scale competition. George Clapp's three-views of this historic ship, recently published in Model Aviation, provided the basis for their excellent replicas.
Open AMA Rubber Scale
A 1911 Voisin canard pusher biplane, a most unusual subject, won first place in Open AMA Rubber Scale for Don Srull. Weighing in at just 1 oz., the antique French craft had a span of about 22 in. Using a smooth underhand launch technique (biplanes can be hand-launched), Don coaxed his splendidly crafted model to near-max and max flights (90 sec.) just under the hangar beams of 61 ft. overhead. He had inadvertently left the model's scale engine and prop unit at home, but he was able to fabricate a substitute Saturday night and still take home the first-place plaque.
Battle for second and third
The real drama of the Open AMA Rubber Scale competition came in the battle for second and third, where Jack McGillivray's Isaac's Fury biplane ended in a tie with Dan Domina's Taylor Cub after both had completed their four official flights. Contest officials called for an unlimited-time flyoff with a simultaneous launch. But fate intervened: Dan's motor blew during winding-up, shattering the bottom of the fuselage (the nose opening is too small to allow the use of a winding tube). McGillivray, already wound, launched for a slow, smooth 1:36 flight.
Domina, no stranger to blown motors in his Cub, headed for his work table for a hasty repair job. Some time later, with the fuselage once again intact, he cranked 1,328 turns on the 17-in. loop of .073-in. rubber and let go for a 1:41 effort, nipping his Canadian rival by a scant five seconds.
Peanut Scale
Jack McGillivray had entered the little silver Fury in Peanut Scale as well. Here he outdid Keith Fulmer's Lacey by nearly 23 points to win. Jim Miller, flying his Niagara Falls USIC-winning Bleriot VII, finished third just ahead of Don Steebs' Micro-X Fike. Aaron Markos used a Lacey to take first in Junior Peanut. Walter Eggert flew a silver P-47 fighter to second.
Sadly, participation among younger fliers was light: only four Juniors and three Seniors flew Peanut; in AMA Scale only two Juniors and two Seniors competed.
Results and closing
The meet ended at 7 p.m., with officials and contestants alike ready for a breath of cool outside air. Ahead, for most of them, was a two-day break followed by the Outdoor Scale competition on Wednesday.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
