Reno 1984 Nats: CL Scale
Roland Baltes
Turnout and overview
Not exactly a massive turnout is probably the kindest way to describe the CL Scale entries at this year's Nats. Only 17 modelers in the three events—FAI, Precision, and Sport Scale—made the scene. Julie Abel and the Bauers (Matthew, Charlie) accounted for seven entries, leaving 10 others to fight for trophies.
You can't blame the flying site; the newly paved flight-line area at Reno-Stead Field provided an excellent surface for CL events plus plenty of practice area. Pre-event articles warning of temperature and density-altitude effects seemed overblown for the most part—some effect was expected, but most felt the performance degradation was far less than anticipated.
It was hot, and the wind starting about midday provided some relief but became quite heavy early in the afternoon. A dust devil tipped over a portable outhouse, and gusts even caused a shade umbrella to impale Charlie Bauer's A6M2 Zero. Fortunately, that happened after he had put in a good flight to clinch first place in FAI.
Static judging and pilots meeting
Static judging took place at the Reno Convention Center, with turn-in at 10:00 a.m. Friday and pickup suggested after 6:00 p.m. Other Nats activities limited spectator attendance for the static judging. A well-attended combined CL/RC Scale pilots' meeting Friday evening allowed CL Scale flyers to rub shoulders with some of the big names in Scale and to outline the flying plan for the next two days.
Flight schedule and crew
CL Scale Event Director Bill Peppin outlined the flying schedule: FAI first, followed by Precision and then Sport Scale. Saturday's flying got started promptly at the appointed hour.
Peppin's crew:
- Flight judges: Bert Dugan and Bob Adair
- Pull test: Bill Wisniewski
- Scoring: Cathy Underwood and Lynn Tibbles
First up on Saturday was Charlie Bauer with his Zero; a landing-gear collapse on takeoff ruined that attempt, but he had already put in a good FAI flight earlier. The other FAI entries—Julie Abel (Pilatus PC-7) and Matthew Bauer (Cessna Super Skymaster)—had attempts but did not post full scores early, which quickly moved flying into the Precision and Sport Scale events.
Flying the rest of Saturday—and the little that was done on Sunday—was largely on a "ready-when-you're-ready" basis; if there was any waiting, it was mostly for spectators hoping to see some action.
FAI CL Scale
- Charlie Bauer — A6M2 Zero: put in a flight that clinched first place despite later damage from a wind gust.
- Julie Abel — Pilatus PC-7: entered in FAI but had only attempts.
- Matthew Bauer — Cessna Super Skymaster: entered in FAI but had only attempts.
Precision Scale
Precision Scale had three entries:
- Julie Abel — Pilatus PC-7 (the Precision version with tricycle gear)
- Tom Moore — Aeronca C-3 (built at 1 in. = 1 ft.; ~36 in. wingspan; powered by a Cox .049)
- John Tatum — Fokker D-VII (Sterling kit; suffered some damage when the engine quit)
Tom Moore's Aeronca, though not the usual Precision Scale type, flew well on its Cox .049. Lack of throttle control limited some judged options, but the overall presentation and flying were good.
Sport Scale
Sport Scale saw several entries and a wide variety of types.
Top placings:
- Julie Abel — PC-7: put in a good flight and took first in Sport Scale.
- Matthew Bauer — placed second in Sport Scale.
Notable performances and entries:
- Jack Sheeks — P-26A: took advantage of calm conditions and posted the highest flight score (92) and a static score of 82.
- Mike Pratt — Zlin 226AS: posted a flight score of 91 and the top static score of 92, producing a combined total that proved unbeatable in his class.
- Roland Baltes — Junkers JU-88 (only twin entered in Open Sport Scale): flew a 74.5-point flight and had an 87 static score, finishing about 13 points behind Jack Sheeks.
- Larry Miller — Beech Bonanza: posted respectable flight scores (one as high as 89) but received a low static score (67), likely due to documentation issues despite excellent construction.
- Ted Snow — Russian IL-2 Shturmovik: scratch-built with a fiberglass fuselage, ~5 lb, Fox .45 power; flew realistically and included a bomb drop, but persistent engine-quit problems kept it from a higher placing (static 86).
- J. Patrolia — Great Lakes biplane (Sterling kit): enthusiastic aerobatics pleased spectators; lack of throttle control limited judged options and yielded a flight score of 60 and static 70.
- Charlie Bauer — Pitts: placed seventh (static 72) with several problems.
- Matthew Bauer — P-47: placed eighth (static 73) with a variety of problems.
Junior and Senior Categories
Junior:
- Mike Reynolds was the sole junior entrant. He flew a well-done, unique Fairy Firefly; it sustained landing-gear damage that was repairable, and an engine quit marred one flight, but he easily took the junior award by being airborne.
Senior:
- Julie Abel again performed strongly in the Senior category with a clipped-wing J-3 Cub. Her very respectable flight score (reported at 775 in the press materials) guaranteed first place in Senior Sport Scale.
- Other senior contestants had mixed results; some never posted official scores, while others progressed rapidly through the flight order on Saturday morning and benefited from calm conditions to post good flight scores. Coupled with the static scores, those flights largely determined the final standings.
Observations and conclusion
Turnout may have been light, but the variety of models on display was admirable—from Tom Moore's tiny Aeronca to Jack Sheeks' P-26 and everything in between. Final standings appeared influenced more by the relationship between the model and its documentation than by any one aircraft type being favored. Completing an aerobatic performance at the Nats without damaging the airplane seemed to be a major accomplishment for many competitors.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
