CONTROL LINE AEROBATICS
Frank McMillan, 12106 Gunter Grv., San Antonio TX 78231
LABOR DAY WEEKEND, the best Control Line (CL) Stunt fliers in America competed for the privilege of representing the United States in international competition.
The Team Trials competition is held during the odd years preceding the World Championships. It is administered by the Team Selection Committee, chaired by Wynn Paul, which identifies the site, time, and judges. This is an independent committee that is responsible to AMA.
Since this is an international trials event, it is administered using the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) F2B rules. The pattern is identical to the AMA standard pattern.
However, there are differences in the scoring. The judges score zero to 10 in half-point increments. The score is then applied to a multiplication, or "K", factor. Not all maneuvers are rated on equal value; several, such as the Square Eight, have overriding high values.
Other small details may have had an impact on some of the equipment choices. Starters are prohibited, as are any form of throttle control. These factors, coupled with the pull-test disadvantage of higher-than-10cc engines, probably gave those competitors using the four-stroke engines pause to rethink—at least for the present.
In a similar format to that used at the Nationals (Nats), there was an open qualifying round on Saturday. There were two active circles with the competition divided into two groups. There were four official flights—two on each circle, and the high flight from each circle counted.
Although the number of contestants was relatively few (18), the competition was consistently hard-fought. Testimony to the high level of flying was that former World Champion Bob Gieseke and many-time Nationals finalist Windy Urtnowski just missed the final 10.
Sunday's finals format was slightly different from the qualifying rounds. There was one circle with three rounds for two high scores.
Let's get to the flying.
This was Bill Werwage's contest from the beginning. He went back to the Razor P-47 from the Nats-Concours-winning Bubble. This is the one that waits in the hangar ready for call to battle.
There is a presence with this P-47 that shows impressive drive in all phases of the pattern. Watching Bill leading, helping the model in various maneuvers with the powerful PA .61 running like an Indy-car engine, is hypnotic!
Todd Lee showed the effort he has put into developing his pattern by flying solidly throughout the competition.
With the Art-Adamsin-prepared O.S. .46 and a Wayne-Trivin-produced carbon propeller, the engine combination was superbly matched to Todd's well-used P-51-style model. He was smooth, slow (5.6 seconds per lap), and flew a very tight and accurate pattern.
National Champion David Fitzgerald was running the same "California"-style engine setup he used at the Nats. The engine, a PA .61, was retimed and ran with 15% nitro in his Star Gazer.
David was consistent and used a professional approach to get the job done. He finished in a competitive third and earned the final place on the team.
The dubious honor of alternate went to Ted Fancher, again. He had to put in excellent second and third flights to recover from a substandard first flight.
Ted was heard saying that he had been doing a great deal of flying in his profession as an airline captain and had some difficulty getting into his patterns. He was flying the familiar Final Edition with the powerful PA .61.
Don't let me give the impression that the alternate, and even the final place on the team, was locked in; they weren't until the end of the final round.
With the emphasis on high-scoring maneuvers, it is possible to have a large jump in score fueled by some outstanding, high-K maneuvers.
Going into the last round, Ted Fancher, Randy Smith, Bill Rich, and I were within 13 points of each other. We were just behind David Fitzgerald for the final slot.
Randy was flying the best he ever has in competition. Bill was back in the form that made him a consistent top-five finalist. I was flying well, but not as sharp as I was at the Nats.
As the last round unfolded, I flew early, as did David, and we basically returned scores that did not change our positions. David had to be beaten by a "big" flight.
Ted, Bill, and Randy were the last of the competitors still in it with their flights at the end of the round. It could not have been more dramatic.
As he has so many times, Ted flew well under pressure and had his best-scoring flight. Bill was next up. He was consistent but did not improve his score. Randy had some line-"sticking" problems, which affected his bottoms and shapes.
So it finished with Ted fourth, Randy fifth, Bill sixth, and me seventh.
Brett Buck flew well for eighth place, and Matt Newman garnered ninth in his first qualification. This was a significant breakthrough for Matt, and his flying deserved the recognition.
Curt Contrata keeps improving his scoring. He's a very hard worker and is supported by Randy and Bill.
The Junior competition turned out to be hard-fought. Kevin Stewart positioned himself to win in the last round with a good-scoring flight. Robert Gruber, who grows taller every minute, had a strong first flight and a good second round, so he was in the best position.
When Kevin's last-round flights fell short, Robert became the US Junior representative. They both flew well and can be proud of their accomplishments.
We have a strong team with some new representation, a good mix of experience, and the eagerness of youth. Congratulations to all.
There was some variety in the engines, with a Jett, an O.S. .46, and mostly the familiar PA .61, which runs well in everyone's hands. The airplanes were familiar to all.
There are wonderful engines and designs, but the key factors are the same as they have been for many years: hard work and dedication.
Special thanks to Warren Tiahrt, who ran the event; to Gary McClellan, the head judge; to Shareen Fancher, the head tabulator; and to the other judges and supporters. You have made the trials so enjoyable. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
