NATS '78: FF Rubber
Jerry Barnette
In these days of modern technology, with high-powered Rossis and K&Bs, some people might look upon the rubber events as somewhat antiquated. But where, one may ask, can such character and tradition be found? Even the names evoke character—not piddling numbers or letters, but names like Wakefield, Mulvihill, even Coupe d'Hiver. This, friends and neighbors, is what free flight rubber is all about.
Wakefield
Seven rounds of Wakefield started off the rubber events with 18 Open entrants and one Senior. Round one started calm; what lift there was remained very light. The result was some very beautiful flights, five of which were maxes. Slack tissue caused by the very high humidity plagued many of the near-maxers. Fred Pearce had test data showing slack tissue could cost a model about 30 seconds.
The breeze gradually increased throughout the morning. By midday some of the Wakes were having trouble with the wind, which caused several bad launches. The launch line was relocated just downwind of a stand of trees, which produced less than ideal thermals. In brief, making three minutes became very difficult; few were made after round three. George Batiuk and Bob Isaacks missed the fourth-round max, leaving only Chris Matsuno with a perfect score at that point.
After the fourth round Chris changed from his 90–95 second motor-run calm-air model to a windier-weather model. In the A-1 round Hallum, Fedor, and Mattes jockeyed for position. Fedor released near Mattes; Mattes launched quickly while Hallum waited a bit longer. One competitor (Bob) launched slightly early and only made 134 seconds. Hallum managed an easy max but overran his next flight, which left him in fourth. Mattes took first with a total of 1,394 points.
Note that all of the events except A/2 and Payload were won by VIT-equipped models.
Seniors (Wakefield and small rubber)
The senior flyers had some rigorous competition. Andrew Barron won A, C, and D, with thirds in B and A. Mark Woodrey won an A event, finished second in A and B, and third in C. William Carney won B and placed second in C and D. It was a real mixed-up competition.
Rockets and larger power jobs
Rocket power was mixed in with the big Mulvihill and B Gas jobs. Most of the “fizzers” flew very well; ignition problems were kept to a minimum. There were some HL glider types powered by 50-size engines, but most used the 150. Some participants complained about not being able to test much due to limited fuel. Although the event was contested by a relatively small number, performance was still very good, with Bob Boyer setting a new Senior record. Chris Matsuno took Open, and Kevin Loeffler won Junior.
Overall, the competition was very good. The winners earned their rewards by good, hard flying. If you would like to win, do what these winners did: fly a powerful, well-trimmed, consistent model, pick the lift carefully so the model always flies in a thermal, and repeat as necessary. (Editor: Sounds easy.)
Nats / Barnette
Windy models still had relatively long motor runs. This strategy, in combination with Chris's air-picking skill and calmness under pressure, let Chris continue to max and post a perfect 1,260 score.
Coupe
Coupe was the next event. Basically two strategies prevailed: fly very early in the calm of the morning, or fly later in the thermally active part of the day and try to pick good lift. The winners, in general, finished before 10 a.m., using models normally good for two to two-and-a-half minutes in the traditional dead air.
Fred Pearce maxed out very quickly to win again the coveted NFFS Dick Black Award, using his "Buggered Up My Coupe" design. Jim Lewis's model, normally capable of 2½ minutes with its 1½-minute motor run, suffered from damp, slack tissue and came up two seconds short of the max on the first flight. That flight, along with all the other maxes, was good for second place. In general the quality of Coupe entries was very good, with several people making four maxes.
Mulvihill
Even a rubber-disinterested soul would surely sense the excitement of the Mulvihill. The Mulvihill! Interest builds days in advance, and to watch on the last day the flights of ever-increasing maxes is something special.
This year was a surprise. While most were watching the Open battle between Mark Valerius (1,342) and Jim O'Reilly (1,245), Joe Kubina (a Senior) put it to the older flyers with a 1,852 score, barely missing his seven-minute max by eight seconds; he had set his dethermalizer at 5½ minutes to help prevent losing the model. Joe not only set a new Mulvihill record, but he also won Coupe (Senior).
Last year's winner and perennial Mulvihill chaser, George Perryman, suffered the indignity of having his Great Speckled Bird burn up. Jim Lewis landed in a lake. Rubber power isn't easy, but it does have class.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
