Indoor World Championships
Amidst a record-setting number of 40-plus-minute flights, Jim Richmond out-flew everyone to retain his World Champion title, and the U.S. team was again victorious. Warren Williams
Team
- Team manager: Bud Romak
- U.S. team members: Cezar Banks, Bob Randolph, Larry Cailliau, Jim Richmond (defending Indoor World Champion)
Seventeen other nations participated, more than at any other time in the history of international indoor flying competition.
Overview
Experience, reliability, and a large proportion of good fortune paid off for the U.S. team. Jim Richmond dominated the individual competition, winning his second consecutive Indoor World Championship (he won in Nagoya, Japan in 1984). The four-day meet was held in the lighter-than-air airship hangar at Cardington, England — a structure comparable to the hangars at Lakehurst, NJ.
Venue and accommodations
The first day was spent registering and settling in. Accommodation was equal to a quality hotel and included meals within walking distance of the hangar. Bud Romak rented a mini-bus to handle the teams' model boxes; it also served as a taxi. Driving and walking on the left side of the road took some getting used to.
Test flying
The second day was devoted to test flying. Only about half the hangar airspace was usable, and it became crowded (at one point the author counted 14 models aloft simultaneously). Wind drifts, rain drops, and generally unstable air made flying rough; several delicate models collided and fell. Permanent dividers, a crated office, machinery, and miscellaneous equipment crowded the floor and created hazards that pilots had to steer around. Overworked helium balloons were used to keep models clear of obstructions.
The U.S. team discovered a small clearing at one end of the hangar away from the confusion. Planes generally climbed well, although larger motor sizes were needed to penetrate layers of heavy, cold air. Many contestants had never flown in an air-dock hangar before; some models designed for low-ceiling buildings developed high binding or low ceilings. It didn't take long to figure out how to get models climbing to the roof.
Competition overview
Competition began at 11:00 a.m. with 51 contestants flying three rounds per day. Seventeen contestants often flew at the same time, averaging about 45 minutes per contestant, which created congestion and pressure. The first three rounds produced a remarkable number of long flights, and conditions deteriorated with rain and turbulent cold air during the later rounds.
Round 1
- Cezar Banks: Launched at 11:00 a.m. in heavy air, drifted to the end of the hangar, ballooned once, cruised at about 90 ft, and touched down at 41:34 — the first over-40-minute flight of the day.
- Bob Randolph: Launched but experienced excessive downthrust due to bent motor stick; still touched down at 41:40, beating Cezar by six seconds.
- Larry Cailliau: Took off fine but stalled under power, required steering to recenter; cruised at about 90 ft then hit a downdraft and landed at 34:15.
- Jim Richmond: Launched well, climbed slowly to about 125 ft (just under the catwalk) and came down at 41:05 — the third over-40-minute flight of the round.
- Bernard Hunt (Britain): Launched with 3,250 winds and a small propeller; looked like it might fly for an hour but hung up in the upper structure at 12:25.
A new trend among some European builders was noted: long-moment models with centers of gravity beyond 100% of wing chord and removable tail booms to carry multiple models in small boxes.
Round 2
- Cezar Banks: Damaged a motor stick preparing for flight, failed to launch, then flew a second model that stalled on launch and hung up at 13:06.
- Bob Randolph: Launched from his knees on the floor, did not center properly, ballooned and recentered with low altitude, finished at 34:17.
- Jim Richmond: Centered and climbed well, drifted into the side of the hangar and hung up at 32:15; with the altitude he had when hung up the model could have flown well over 45 minutes more.
Round 3
- Cezar Banks: Broke another motor stick on launch, returned with a new model, stalled on launch but centered and reached 85 ft, landing at 41:37.
- Bob Randolph: Posted 39:36 despite weaker climb than his first flight.
- Larry Cailliau: Excellent launch and centering, cruised near the catwalk, landed at 39:16 (his best).
- Jim Richmond: After several centerings and a balloon, the model reached about 135 ft (almost even with the catwalk) and produced the best flight of the day at 45:54.
After three rounds a new FAI mark was established when 16 over-40-minute flights were recorded.
Rounds 4–6 (worsening conditions)
Monday morning brought cold, steady rain that caused conditions to deteriorate in rounds five and six. A layer of cold, turbulent air with strong crosswind drifts extended almost halfway to the catwalk; slight lifts often failed to penetrate the layer and ballooning became necessary.
Round 4 (height of the rainstorm)
- Bob Randolph: Flew during heavy rain; three raindrops punctured the ship's slab unnoticed; landed at 43:17.
- Cezar Banks: Good launch, ballooned and recentered multiple times after hanging on beams, landed at 45:48 (his best so far).
At that point several fliers had two 40-plus-minute flights: Pentti Nore (Finland), Dave Pymm (Great Britain), Dezso Orsoval (Hungary), Jim Richmond, Bob Randolph, and Cezar Banks. But the weather worsened.
Round 5
- Jim Richmond: Flew a masterful flight in wind and rain, using ballooning expertly. Even after subtracting balloon time, Richmond set a new FAI record of 47:44.
- Other team members suffered: Larry Cailliau ended a flight at 11:36 after hanging up; Bob Randolph's fifth flight ended at 1:09; Cezar Banks had a rough landing at 3:58.
Round 6
- Bob Randolph: Flight blown away at 1:33.
- Cezar Banks: Stalled, restarted, stalled, and flipped out at 1:40.
- Larry Cailliau: Model disintegrated in the wind at :46.
- Jim Richmond passed on his last flight.
The championships closed with 20 over-40-minute flights in total.
Final standings
Team totals
- U.S.A. — 244:59
- The Netherlands — 235:53
- Great Britain — 232:40
Individual totals
- Jim Richmond — 93:38 (Individual World Champion)
- Cezar Banks — 87:25
- Pentti Nore (Finland) — 85:37
- Bob Randolph — 84:57
Awards and acknowledgments
Six Indoor World Champions attended the awards banquet: Jim Richmond, Bud Romak, Erv Rodemsky, Pete Andrews, Aurel Moraru, and Ryszard Czechowski. U.S. team members won all the trophies, including:
- Team trophy (U.S.A.)
- C.S. Rushbrooke individual trophy
- Kopecky Memorial Trophy — awarded for the second time in a row to Jim Richmond
Thanks were given to the FAI officials (including Erv Rodemsky), supporters and sponsors, Laurie Barr (executive director), Butch Hadland (contest director), George Lynn (chief timekeeper), Ian Dowsett (processing), and Reg Parham, who was seen recording the whole event for posterity.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
