Author: J. Oldenkamp
Edition: Model Aviation - 1997/01
Page Numbers: 48, 49, 50, 51
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US FREE FLIGHT

John Oldenkamp

Labor Day weekend at Lost Hills, California

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Regional happenings combined to tarnish the luster of aeromodeling's fabled western crown jewel, the USFFC at Lost Hills. In the days preceding the 1996 edition of the contest, a teenage arsonist admitted to setting a wildfire that eventually blazed through more than 15,000 acres, forcing the closure of most of one day and part of the next to the crucial I-5 corridor between potential contestants' home bases and the meet site.

As late as Thursday, Highway Patrol advisories suggested travelers use "alternate" routes north to Lost Hills. All were long and trying. At the same time, the US Weather Service warned of extremes of heat anticipated for the Labor Day weekend, so many folks, facing the double whammy of road delays and dangerously high (and for some, life-threatening) temperatures, simply stayed behind.

Weather and travel

  • Thursday was windy and painfully warm; early birds and organizers sat out while preliminaries were handled.
  • Very little test flying got done until Friday, which was hot but flyable as rows of vehicles increased, tents and shelters went up, and the food vendor — Jay Sloane — began dishing out specialties. Lemonade was a big seller.
  • Thermistors scattered about read between 104 and 114°F. Bob Beecroft's Radio Shack unit read 110+ all four days. Morning humidity ran about 50% and dropped to 11–12% in the afternoons.
  • Hydration was critical: many relied on Gatorade (about a gallon per day), quarts of water, and liberal sunscreen. Despite this, many were forced back to motel rooms and air-conditioned rigs; diehards endured heat-induced lassitude to keep flying.

Program changes and attendance

The 1996 USFFC schedule was trimmed somewhat. Four Scale events (Peanut, AMA Gas, Jumbo Rubber, and another Scale class) were dropped along with several marginally supported categories from 1995. FAI and Old-Timer events had begun to develop separate identities and management, and the reorganization largely succeeded in bringing clarity and efficiency to class definitions.

Contest Director Terry Kerger nevertheless put on a USFFC that offered 53 events: 25 AMA/FAI, 19 Old-Timer, and 9 Special. Entry totals were down somewhat: about 125 Old-Timer entries and 243 AMA/FAI entries, but determined and smiling faces populated the field across the three days.

Notable performances

  • High-time scorer and keeper of the Ocie Randall Memorial Trophy, Bob Beecroft, had a rough Saturday when he blew two crankcases on K&B .19s — probably due to old casting deterioration under high heat — but came back strong Sunday using .23s assembled from field parts. Beecroft edged perennial AMA Gas guru Terry Thorkildsen by a single second: 2,268 to 2,267. Beecroft's well-worn Nostalgia Lucky Lindy proved a match for Thorkildsen's modernist AMA Astrostar.
  • John Olan put on a remarkable performance in P-30: a string of six maxes in the mass launch left him uncatchable among 22 entrants. He also won the regular P-30 event.
  • Nathan Day topped the junior group in P-30 with a 546 on a dropped flight.
  • In CO2 Duration, several among the Mulvihill crowd posted three five-minute maxes. George Xenakis prevailed with 1,822 seconds over Bob Bienenstein's 1,592.
  • In 1/2A Nostalgia, Bob Beecroft's Lucky Lindy was contest high time.
  • In F1A, Bob Norton of Bakersfield showed an unusual German low-aspect-ratio F1H straight-tow model using offset tow hook geometry.
  • Open Sweepstakes winner Bob DeShields won C Nostalgia flying the Phil Kraft-designed Upstart powered by a Johnson .35 Combat engine.
  • Brian Van Nest paced Nordic F1A competition, capping a seven-round maxout under ideal conditions and completing a seven-minute flyoff round plus 308 seconds; Randy Weiler followed with 202.
  • F1C saw a tight flyoff: former World Champ Randy Archer prevailed narrowly over Doug Joyce, 300 to 298. Joe Mekina (Ohio), a relative newcomer to F1C, posted 191 in the flyoff just behind Kenny Happersett's 211.

Old-Timers and Special events

  • Taking full advantage of generous lift, Old-Timers posted many large scores.
  • Small Rubber Stick was the third-largest event with 21 entrants (Wakefield led with 26; P-30 had 22). Bob Langdon (San Diego), flying a new Casano, edged Stan Buddenbohm's Gollywock — reported as 1,938 to 1,432 — Stan falling eight seconds short of a six-minute flight max.
  • The promising new Special event PeeWee Antique (stock .020 Cox with 2.2cc fuel capacity and miniature Tambe Texaco) drew 10 fliers. Hal Cover won the event with a 990.
  • 1/2A Texaco drew 10 entrants; Wes Funk's two-flight total of 2,918 won the class.
  • Bob DeShields added to his Sweepstakes-winning efforts by winning .020 Replica (13 entrants) with a 696.

FAI and mini-FAI events

  • Wakefield remained the top draw with 26 entries despite its proximity to the October FAI Team Select Finals (also at Lost Hills). Jon Davis attributed the surge in F1B popularity to its "watchableness": the close, contained format lets fliers wind, pick air, and launch nearly elbow-to-elbow.
  • Rivalries were good-natured, competition intense, and flyoffs hard-fought. Mass launches of six to eight airplanes were common; hold too long into the late-morning doldrums and disaster lurked.
  • More than half the field dropped out in Rounds Three and Four, leaving four maxed-out for the Monday 07:00 flyoff. Results: John Sessums won with 382, Larry Norval second with 340, "Serge X" third with 320, and Chuck Dorsett fourth with 244 — all significant chunks toward the seven-minute max target.

Sunday and Monday highlights

  • Wakefield had a prime day on Sunday, but other events suffered. The Dawn Mulvihill test conducted in a cool, windy launch window caused temporary loss of several models and permanent loss of a few. Hal Cover, out-of-sight for over eight minutes, was happily reunited with his craft later when a worker spotted it among the oil rigs.
  • Bud Romak maxed early in B Pylon to secure first over Bruce Augustus (840).
  • A wall of thermals around 10:00 a.m. helped Thomas Greenhalgh and Paul Herbst, flying Crusaders, to first and second in OT Small Rubber Cabin, 661 to 455. Paul Herbst currently holds the AMA Open P-30 record.
  • Although winds howled past midnight Sunday, Monday broke crystal clear and calm—much to the relief of survivors planning to contest mini-FAI and remaining AMA events.
  • Coupe d'Hiver: Bruce Hannah posted a full-house 600 for first; other top scores included Gilbert Arroyo and Doc Zabelko (scores reported as 554 and 480).
  • F1H: Stan Buddenbohm 600, Martyn Cowley 592, Brian Van Nest 580.
  • F1J: Kenny Happersett 840 held off Bruce Augustus (755); Wes Funk had an engine overrun in the flyoff and finished third with 600.
  • B Gas: The Mennano brothers battled — Guy bested Neal's Shooting Star II, 873 to 871.
  • Moffett: Bud Romak maxed five times for a 931; Roger Gregory was second with 721.
  • Jean Andrews produced a two-flight total of 3,668 in 1/2A Texaco, her best flight being nearly 34 minutes. She also finished second in OT Power Scale behind Ron Boots' one-flight high of 829.
  • Bob DeShields recorded a convincing 829 in 4-Ounce Wakefield over Ken Lendry's 703.

Conclusion

The 1996 USFFC ended on a brighter note than it began: solid performances, generally manageable temperatures by the last day, and no major freeway congestion for the trip home. The 1997 iteration will be the 30th USFFC — bigger, better, more fun? Come see.

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