Author: R. Van Putte
Edition: Model Aviation - 1991/10
Page Numbers: 21, 22, 23
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Radio Control: Aerobatics

Author

Ron Van Putte 111 Sleepy Oaks Rd. Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548

Event Overview

The FAI F3A Team Selection Finals were held at Duke Field on Eglin AFB, Florida, June 25–29. Any doubt regarding two-stroke versus four-stroke engine preference for top-level competition was settled during the Finals: of the top eleven fliers who qualified for the Finals, eight flew four-stroke engines. Y.S. 120 outnumbered O.S. 120 seven to one.

Winners:

  • 1st: Chip Hyde
  • 2nd: David Von Linsowe
  • 3rd: Bill Cunningham
  • Alternate: Tony Frackowiak

Site

Duke Field proved to be an excellent location for an RC aerobatics event.

  • Runway: 8,000 feet long and 300 feet wide.
  • Flying was conducted from two sites on the west side of the north–south runway.
  • Flights began at 11:00 a.m. to minimize sun problems.
  • Nearest trees (30-foot slash pines) were at least 600 feet from one site and over half a mile from the other, minimizing turbulence concerns.
  • Pilots preferred the second site because the "box" poles were easier to see; pilots rotated between sites while judges remained on a single judging line.
  • Duke Field is home to the 919th Special Operations Group (AC-130 gunships) and is used as an emergency landing site for aircraft from Eglin AFB's main runway.
  • Access was granted from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

Schedule and Weather

Tuesday (June 25) — practice day

  • Overcast, drizzly skies. Two sites were set up in light rain.
  • Practice was conducted in cloudy conditions with intermittent light rain.
  • About 40 of the 54 competitors flew practice flights; some pilots went to Pensacola where skies were rumored clear.

Wednesday

  • Morning had high clouds with low patchy clouds. Flying was delayed because vertical maneuvers entered the low ceiling.
  • Flights were suspended multiple times until the ceiling improved.
  • Rain began later, causing more delays; intermittent rain continued the rest of the day.
  • By the 6 p.m. stopping time, only about 14 fliers out of 27 had flown from each line.

Thursday

  • Mostly sunny; first and second rounds completed and the third round begun.
  • Wind mostly calm except when a thunderstorm passed nearby, producing strong crosswinds that affected several fliers.
  • After scores were normalized following round two, the top four were Steve Rojecki, Dean Koger, Steve Stricker, and Tony Frackowiak — all within two points of each other.
  • Chip Hyde was in sixth (less than eight points from the lead); Bill Cunningham seventh; David Von Linsowe ninth.

Friday

  • The third and fourth rounds were intended to be completed, but flying stopped at 6 p.m. while two fliers remained on one line and four on the other.
  • Flights had to cease at 6 p.m. because Duke Field is active and runways had to be cleared for scheduled AC-130 training takeoffs.

Saturday

  • An early start allowed completion of the remaining round-four flights shortly after 11 a.m.
  • The top 11 fliers (top 20%) began the finals shortly after noon. Top qualifiers were Chip Hyde, Tony Frackowiak, Bill Cunningham, and David Von Linsowe.
  • During the finals the wind was strong and gusty, challenging the pilots and separating those best able to handle wind.
  • After finals, the top four remained Chip Hyde, David Von Linsowe, Bill Cunningham, and Tony Frackowiak.

Engines and Noise

  • Of 54 fliers, 31 used four-stroke engines.
  • Some struggled to meet the 98 dB noise limit. A few had readings as high as 97 dB, but most readings were in the low 90s.
  • Two-stroke engines were, on average, three to four decibels quieter than four-stroke engines.

Judges, Officials, and Volunteers

Judging shortfall:

  • Only eight judges attended (four per line). Fifteen judges had been requested to allow three flight lines with five judges each.
  • The Team Selection Committee chaired the judge arrangements and had asked each of the 11 AMA district committee members for at least two judge nominees. Six district members did not submit names, and remaining committee members could not supply enough, so only eight judges were available.

Judges who attended:

  • Frank Broach
  • Jim Graham
  • Dorothy Speights
  • Don Peck
  • Dick Austin
  • J.W. Smith
  • Tim Langlais
  • Mike Dunphy

Notes on volunteers and officials:

  • Judges could not be fully reimbursed due to current financial limitations for Team Selection Finals.
  • Mike Dunphy had planned to be contest director if the event had been held in Oregon; despite disappointment, he traveled from Oregon to Florida to judge.
  • Dick Penrod flew from Pennsylvania and served four days as a line chief at his own expense.
  • Tony Stillman served as Co-Contest Director; he ran Site 2 while the author ran Site 1, with constant radio contact between them.
  • The jury (Don Lowe, Jim Edwards, Howard Crispin) had little to do; there were no protests. They assisted in decisions such as allowing a pilot to land when rain started and resume the flight later with the first unscored maneuver re-flown.

Acknowledgements

The Northwest Florida clubs did an outstanding job hosting the 1991 Team Selection Finals:

  • Eglin Aero Modellers
  • Northwest Florida R/C Modelers

Their competence and enthusiasm ensured smooth operations; staffing needs (scribes, etc.) were met without problem.

Ron Van Putte 111 Sleepy Oaks Road Fort Walton Beach, Florida 32548

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.