Reno 1984 Nats: FF Outdoor Rubber
Larry Kruse
Rubber-powered competition at the 1984 version of the Nats produced some of the best individual contests in recent memory. Wakefield (F1B) set the pattern followed throughout the week in all four rubber events: closely bunched scores, tactical flying, and hard-to-pick air.
Wakefield (F1B)
Hank Cole set the pace in Wakefield by dropping only 10 seconds in all seven rounds to finish with 1,260 seconds. Using an electronic thermal sniffer with an attached recording drum, Hank studiously picked air right into first place. Joe Foster was close behind at 1,203, and Roger Gregory—flying an elegantly crafted red-and-white ship with semi-elliptical tips—was third at 1,193.
Best Junior was Dane Jensen, who finished eleventh overall. Best Senior was Dane’s brother Blake, who totaled a very respectable 876.
Wakefield showed a refreshing resurgence in participation, with 38 entrants. The availability of hardware, acceptable-quality rubber, and some Wakefield kits should help those numbers grow.
Coupe d'Hiver
Coupe d’Hiver matched Wakefield’s entry total of 38. While Open scores were less tightly bunched, the Senior results were very close: Bryan Fulmer, consistently a runner-up in several gas events, won Coupe Senior by only three seconds with 454, narrowly edging Blake Jensen’s 451—decided on the last flight. John Renken placed third at 231 after early dropped flights left him out of contention.
In Junior Coupe, Chris Beattie, traveling from Surrey, British Columbia, comfortably won his age bracket over Brad Douglas, who also scored well in some of the power events.
Open Coupe was dominated by “Chuck Markos.” Chuck’s whopping 876 was 4:42 better than second-place Rich Rohrke at 594. After Rohrke came Joe Foster at 575, Lew Groebe at 568, and Ken Grubbs at 565—again tightly bunched, typical of the rubber-powered events.
P-30
P-30 saw another Markos win: Aaron Markos, the preeminent Junior free flier, took first in his age group, while Melissa Anderson pressured him throughout. Scott Cover finished third in Junior. In Senior P-30, Blake Jensen decisively beat Bryan Fulmer—180 to 163—with Glenn Kusik third at 101.
Open P-30 ended in a tie for first between Stephen Bard and Barnaby Wainfan at 357. Barnaby’s Cyrano design—low-aspect wing, balsa motor tube, and pusher prop—proved effective, though it’s a strikingly unconventional configuration. Second in Open went to Marty Richardson, flying a more conventional craft to a 346 total; third place went to Hank Sperzel at 346.
Mulvihill
All you had to do to win Mulvihill this year was keep your plane airborne for 45 minutes. It was a terrific display of tactical flying and thermalling. California Wall did just that and amassed 2,700 seconds for a well-earned first place. Joe Foster finished second and Hank Sperzel third.
Senior Mulvihill again featured Blake Jensen, while Dane Jensen did better in Junior with a 592 that deprived Aaron Markos of another first-place trophy. Michael Scour, Bryan Fulmer, and Scott Cover filled out the placings in the other divisions.
NFFS Unofficial Outdoor Rubber Events
No report of rubber-powered flying would be complete without mention of the NFFS Unofficial Outdoor Rubber events, ably directed by Terry Rimert.
- Rubber Speed: Surprisingly, the number of qualifiers this year was small; this event is normally Chris Matson’s bailiwick.
- Embryo Endurance: Won by Ernie Johnson, followed closely by George Perryman and Chuck Cover. Brian Neitzke was the top Junior.
- Outdoor Helicopter: Won by George Perryman.
- Outdoor Auto: Won by George Perryman.
- Unlimited Biplane: Also won by George Perryman.
- Dick Korda event (one-flight-at-dawn): Won by Dick Siefried with 8:34; George Perryman did not win this special event.
Let’s hope the just-for-fun events continue to be a part of the Nats scene and provide a welcome counterpoint to the regular AMA schedule.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
