Reno 1984 Nats: FF Indoor Scale
By Bill Warner
The site
The site, situated at the end of the large Convention Center building, had a few things going for it not always present at previous Nats. It was within a few steps of the registration area and the exhibit hall, so many people had a chance to see the fun. I was astonished to find that some modelers had never before seen an indoor model fly! Another advantage was that the building's ambience was not that of a sauna such as is often found in places like Ohio, Louisiana, or Illinois at this time of year when the air conditioning is turned off.
The flight duration of the models may have been lower due to the altitude and the rather cluttered ceiling, but the endurance of the fliers was markedly improved in Reno. The usable height was about 30 feet, floor-to-truss, and the width was certainly adequate for most indoor scale jobs. The fact that my Simplex Red Arrow managed to hit all of the walls was due more to the time-honored practice of bringing an untested model to the Nats than to the size of the room.
Participation and atmosphere
Participation was relaxed—partially due to the attitude many scale modelers have about having fun rather than heart attacks, and in some measure due to a lower number of entries than might have been expected. There is certainly more free air to fly in with 30 entries than with 100! Modelers helping each other is a feature of these events, and there was plenty of that: free advice (sometimes taken), the loan of tools (always appreciated), or the gift of some good Pirelli rubber (never turned down). These are the things you remember long after the winners' list is posted.
Aircraft and notable flights
The ubiquitous Lacey M-10 carried off the lion's share of the gold: first in Junior (Aaron Markos) and Senior (Brian Fulmer), and seconds in Junior and Open (Melinda Anderson and Keith Fulmer, respectively).
Conspicuously absent in any numbers were the biplanes. Carlo Godel, who came to the Nats with five Italian airplanes, had a superb 1918 Pomilio Bros. Scout which garnered 965 of 1,000 static scale points. This and Lonnie Cope's Fleet biplane were about it. Lonnie had a Currie Wot which, if not supersonic, must have made Mach 0.9 on its first flight! A bit less rubber on the following attempts made for much more scale-like promenades.
Darryl Stevens of Mission Viejo, CA, flew a very nice Gossamer Mojave Condor in Peanut. Purists who cling to the 13-in. maximum span for Peanuts may find it hard to see how something with twice that span can be considered a Peanut, but the new rules have pretty much changed things. The Condor, with under a 9-in. fuselage, is now a Peanut.
Special mention should also be given to some fine models by Frank and John Godel in Senior. John's Farman 451 was a real museum piece, while Frank's Bleriot 7 flew most realistically. One of the most enthusiastic fliers was Brian Nelitz, 15, who had never been to a contest before, though he had been building models for nine years in the wilds of Ontario. His airplanes were well built and they flew great. Ty Slade of Reno had a nice Fokker D-8 which showed promise in Junior, but it was a bit on the heavy side.
Peanut class rule changes
Notable rule changes in the Peanut class included:
- A 10-sec R.O.G. (rise-off-ground) bonus — or conversely a 10-sec penalty for choosing to hand-launch.
- A requirement to have scale rulers as part of the documentation (even though a three-view is not required to use the ruler).
- A stipulation that a model's flight points could not exceed its static scale points.
One modeler noted that the worst thing that ever happened to the Peanut event was for it to get in the AMA rule book. What would the Nats be without something to get people excited?
People, encounters, and rivalries
One pleasure of going to the Nats is meeting the people you've read about or written to over the years. One such encounter was with Sherman Gillespie of San Jose, CA, who had not been to a Nats since 1949! Master of the Glenny and Henderson, Sherman (recently retired from teaching) now has a bit more time, and we'll be seeing more of his great work soon.
A Lacey rivalry developed between Aaron Markos, who took first in Junior Peanut, and Melinda Anderson, who took second. Melinda came back in the outdoor event to reverse the order. Never get a lady mad, Aaron!
Results and highlights
- Lacey M-10: first in Junior — Aaron Markos; first in Senior — Brian Fulmer.
- Seconds: Junior — Melinda Anderson; Open — Keith Fulmer.
- Carlo Godel: 1918 Pomilio Bros. Scout — 965 of 1,000 static scale points.
- Notable entries: Lonnie Cope (Fleet biplane, Currie Wot), Darryl Stevens (Gossamer Mojave Condor, Peanut), Frank and John Godel (Bleriot 7, Farman 451).
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
