1985 NATS: FF Outdoor Rubber
Abram Van Dover
Overview
The rubber events at the 1985 NATS experienced a mix of weather — rain in some rounds, wind on others, and one nearly perfect day of thermal lift and light drift. Modelers who completed the seven rounds of Wakefield flying saw the full range of conditions. George Perryman was dominant in many Rubber events, but several East Coast fliers also claimed top honors.
Wakefield
Wakefield turned into a very wet event. The rain moved in during the third round, and many models suffered. The winner, Joe Macay of Southfield, MI, posted all max flights plus a flyoff flight — a testament to a consistently reliable model. Other stalwarts such as Martin Richardson, Bob Sifleet, and Jack Minassian also maxed but were beaten in the flyoff.
A big lesson from Wakefield: models must be well sealed and waterproofed. Poorly sealed models quickly lost their trim and gained significant weight when wet.
Coupe
Coupe fliers faced steady wind. Early ominous rain clouds moved out by 9:30 a.m., but the wind persisted for the rest of the day. Despite conditions, Coupe was popular with over 30 entrants; no Juniors attempted to fly.
Top results:
- Open winner: Chuck Markos, Deerfield, IL — 506 sec (flying a brand new Coupe)
- 2nd: Ed Pelatowski — 502 sec
- 3rd: George Perryman — 426 sec
Brainbusters (Hampton, VA) placed three members in the top eight:
- Ed Sullivan — 4th place
- Hewitt Phillips — 5th place
- Reid Hull — 8th place
P-30
P-30 was the most popular Free Flight event with 69 entrants. Juniors and Seniors had notable participation for only the second time.
Open:
- 1st: Larry Pelatowski, Ansonia, CT — 475 sec
- 2nd: Bill Passarelli, Jericho, NY — 472 sec
Juniors:
- 1st: Rod Loerger, Shrewsbury, PA — 333 sec
- 2nd: Ed Pelatowski — (could not emulate his father's Open win)
Fourteen Juniors flew P-30.
Seniors:
- 1st: Robert Tabita, Youngwood, PA — 272 sec
Pennsylvanians took the first four places in the Seniors; New Yorkers took the last two. Event officials, led by Frank Murray and Sandy, disqualified some fliers whose P-30 props had been modified. As Sandy said, "If they don't like the way they came from the store, they're illegal."
Unlimited
Friday morning featured the Big Boys for the Unlimited event. Gunter Nowak entered a notably large model with a 94-inch wingspan and 8 oz. of FAI rubber. George Perryman again sent off his Big Speckled Bird and won, underscoring the event's popularity. Twelve fliers entered the official event. Participants preparing prior to the 7 a.m. launch were given a 15-minute period to ready their models.
Mulvihill
Saturday provided the ideal conditions for Mulvihill — almost no wind and clear skies. Thirty-two entrants made ready, including three Juniors and two Seniors. George Perryman led the field and even gave advanced tips on flying Mulvihill models. Eight fliers made the flyoff; the contest was a string of maxes until Perryman outflew everyone. Reportedly, he was going for a 9-minute flight at last count.
Unofficial Events
Terry Rimert of Jacksonville, FL, ran the unofficial events and did an outstanding job. He encourages more participation; these contests are fun and low-key but do require practice.
Biplane Rubber:
- Winner: George Perryman
- Strong competition from Ed Konefes, Wauconda, IL, flying a well-trimmed Korda biplane; after test flights and added fin area the model performed beautifully.
Rubber Speed:
- Top competitors: Terry Rimert and Donald Lockwood
- Winner: Donald Lockwood — his model, called the "Curtain Rod Ring Special," used curtain rod rings to reinforce the fuselage.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
