US FREE FLIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS
By John Oldenkamp
Snapshot
Lost Hills, California — August 30–September 1.
Sandwiched between the just-concluded FAI World Championships at Sazena, Czech Republic, and the fortnight-distant SAM (Society of Antique Modelers) Championships, the 27th USFFC drew fewer of the usual suspects than in recent years. Those who stayed home dealing with jet lag, still touring the Continent, or hiding out in the workshop frantically building Old-Timers for the Henderson, Nevada, big show missed a delightful weekend of friendly, low-key competition under better-than-average conditions.
Conditions
Temperatures were tolerable, albeit a trifle humid at times, as the dregs of tropical storm Jimena wandered off course and stalled over the Northern California coast. Drift, wind, and dust cells — the triple bane of any major holiday meet — were nonexistent. Conversely, prolonged periods of calm resulted in stingy thermals that stopped many a march to maxout. Air picks were quite difficult mid-morning to mid-afternoon; those who flew too early often found no support aloft and missed top-five placings.
Field and Format
Rare for Lost Hills was the nearly sunup-to-sundown opportunity to test-fly new stuff or tweak old gear for later events. The much-ballyhooed El Niño condition may have arrived ahead of time. Given Labor Day experiences, numbers were down a bit and the competition less intense — perhaps the meet absorbed energies. Several hundred entrants, family members, spectators, and officials still made it a big deal, with enough glamour, excitement, and enthusiasm to soothe the terminally jaded.
Organization and Services
The toss site goes practically horizon-to-horizon — a complete thrill. Smooth, splendid contest management by Contest Director Allen Heinrich was a top priority. Mike Myers and a small army of tablemen and tablewomen unselfishly gave up big chunks of field time to ensure successful results. Jay Sloane, now a tradition among Free Flight contest catering, served up the usual fare — yet another USFFC amenity taken for granted.
- Contest Director: Allen Heinrich
- Tables and scoring: Mike Myers and team
- Catering: Jay Sloane
Looking Ahead
Now going 27 years young, the Lost Hills USFFC keeps its stellar venue and is a work in progress mirroring continued excellence in Free Flight, providing an ideal environment for future advancements. For 1998 one can only ask: would it be bigger, better, with easier-to-spot thermals? Awards passed out in 1997 were quite handsome.
Note: No continuing article text on this page — the page contains only photographs and captions.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
