Roland Surugue actually cools the model with a bit of kerosene during a pit stop.
Tim Gillott services his team’s model during eliminations. He is
running a modified Nelson engine in a homemade airplane.
British team of Steven Smith and Colin Brown process one of
their models. Dave Rolley, John Ballard, and Tom Knoppi watch.
F2C: This event provided a unique
opportunity for many in the US to see some
of the best in Team Race compete. Although
there was a noticeable decrease in the
number of competitors at this WC and the
reigning World Champion did not attend,
there was still competition at a level unseen
in this country.
The people who helped run this event
should receive a big round of applause for
doing an excellent job. The timekeepers and
people in the line-check area were great.
Event Director Tom Fluker kept those present
on their toes and ran a smooth and orderly
WC event.
John Ballard probably walked five miles.
His responsibilities were impounding
airplanes and checking them for compliance
when fast times were turned in the heat races
and semifinals, and checking all three
airplanes at the conclusion of the final. It
takes a team to run these events, and this
group was outstanding.
Although the Jury members missed some
calls and made some I disagreed with, they
did an excellent job overall. Their consistency
was superb, and that is what you look for
from a Jury as a competitor. They are unable
to please everyone, but they did a hard job
and showed no favoritism.
The US contingent of Lenard Ascher,
Aaron Ascher, Stewart Willoughby, Bob
Oge, Tim Gillott, and Todd Ryan did not
F2C
have the strong performances that were
expected on their home turf.
Finishing 15th overall, Team Ascher was
only able to post one respectable time—
3:23.00—and two substandard times:
3:50.80 and 3:40.40. Team Ryan/Gillott
finished 22nd overall with a disqualification
(DQ), a did not finish (DNF), and a 3:38.00.
Team Willoughby/Oge finished 30th overall
and was unable to post a time, with a DNF
on Lap 1, a DQ, and a DNF at Lap 79. The
Americans were no threat in the team or
individual standings with some disappointing
performances.
After Round One of the competition,
the quick time went to the Russian team of
Yury Shabashov and Vladimir Ivanov with
3:15.90. Second quickest after the first
round were the two French teams of Pascal
Surugue/Georges Surugue and Fabrice
Picard/Claire Perret, posting strong
3:17.70s.
During Round Two, Teams Surugue and
Picard/Perret lost performance but still safely
made the semifinals. Team Shabashov/
Ivanov garnered a DNF at 49 laps. However,
other teams improved their performances
from Day One during this round. The
Swedish team of Bengt-Olof Samuelsson
and Kjell Axtilius posted a 3:17.00. Team
Steven Smith/Colin Brown of Great Britain
posted a 3:18.40, and the Russian team of
Victor Averine/Victor Martchenko posted a
3:18.00.
The third and last elimination round was
do or die for most of the teams to make the
semifinals. The three French teams took
advantage, with Surugue/Surugue posting
3:15.60, Thierry Ougen/Roland Surugue at
3:16.70, and Picard/Perret at 3:19.90.
The Ukrainian team of Valeriy
Kramarenko/Yuriy Chayka posted 3:17.10 to
secure a spot in the semifinals. Team
Smith/Brown of Great Britain upped its
second-round performance to 3:16.40, and
the Russian team of Andrey Yushchenko/
Victor Yugov took advantage of its last
chance with a strong 3:16.70.
by Dave McDonald
24 MODEL AVIATION
Photos by the author
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 3:04 pm Page 24
Ukrainian pair was second at 7:02.00, and
the Russians were third with 185 laps. The
team Gold Medal went to France, Russia
captured the Silver, and Great Britain earned
the Bronze.
From a performance standpoint, it is
apparent that the Americans are lagging
behind. Many of the outstanding teams
turned lap times in the 16.7- to 17.0-second
range in three-up traffic. That is extremely
good and maybe getting to the point where
speeds should be decreased because the
ability of most pilots is now behind that of
the equipment.
F2C is becoming a young person’s sport,
but there are few young people getting into
the fray. From a development standpoint,
F2C is coming full circle with retractable
landing gear emerging. Walt Perkins used
them many years ago. Other innovations are
the carbon wings, which are being fabricated
in molds to provide a known airfoil from
wing to wing.
The French team employed the carbon
wing and retracts during this contest.
Although they were not used on the same
model, when coupled they could prove to be
the next big step in performance.
Carbon fuselages are appearing again.
The old Vorobiev models were carbon, but
they lacked the good front ends for the
engines to be attached to. The newgeneration
airplanes do not have that
handicap.
Racing is racing. Whether it is F2C or
NASCAR, it is a team event. Just as a
NASCAR team needs a good pit crew, a
good pitman is as valuable as a good pilot in
F2C. With the normal pit stop lasting less
than three seconds, many races are lost in the
pits.
Pilots are bringing models in faster, and
a good, hot landing is free time that will not
be made up during the race if it’s lost. This
requires new innovations in wing
technology to allow the airplanes to be
caught at the higher speeds and not suffer
any failures that many of the older models
experienced.
As in other racing events, the teams with
the resources, the desire, and the ability rise
to the top in performance. The goal of a
sanctioning body is to keep technology in
check for safety and preservation of the
event. The FAI had discussed the increase in
line diameter for next time, but the talk now
is that it is being held off for at least another
cycle.
For the near future, the speeds and
performance will only increase. The limiting
factor will be how good the pilot and pitmen
are. If you want to get involved in worldclass
F2C, you must be willing to sacrifice
other events, time, and money, and be totally
committed to the event. If you are unwilling
or unable to make these sacrifices, everyone
at the World Championships level will see
your lack of performance.
For the Americans, there is always next
time!
The teams that moved on to the semifinals
were Surugue/Surugue, Ougen/Surugue,
Picard/Perret, Shabashov/Ivanov,
Averine/Marchenko, Yushchenko/Yugov,
Kramarenko/Chayka, Samuelsson/Axtilius,
and Smith/Brown. The teams whose hopes
were dashed were relegated to sitting on the
sidelines for another two years, until the
next WC.
The semifinal rounds were hotly
contested, with Surugue/Surugue posting a
world record of 3:09.06. This is
impressive, even if the race was only twoup
after one of the teams was disqualified.
No matter how many are in the circle, a
3:09.00 shows that this team has the
advantage of youth and takes the event
seriously and to a level that is not achieved
by most of the teams.
Other strong first-semifinal-round
performances were by Shabashov/Ivanov at
3:11.50 and Kramarenko/Chayka at 3:15.30.
These times would hold up, and these would
prove to be the teams that would do battle
for the World Championship!
The second semifinal round only had one
really good time—a 3:16.10—which
Ougen/Surugue posted. Other times ranged
from 3:23.00 to 3:28.00. These would not be
the times the teams were hoping for to move
on to the exciting final.
The last race, for the title, was between
the teams of Surugue/Surugue, Shabashov/
Ivanov, and Kramarenko/Chayka. It was
incredibly close until the latter stages; the
French and Russians were roughly equal in
airspeed, with only one lap between them.
However, the Russians were fouled out at
Lap 185, leaving the French with a
comfortable lead over the Ukrainians. At
this point the die was cast.
The French went on to capture the
individual title with a time of 6:42.70, the
Georges Surugue releases his model under Roland Surugue’s watchful eye in the final.
It was close with the Kramarenko model, which is taking off from its pit stop.
The French team of Pascal and Georges
Surugue with their winning model. It
features a composite wing that they made. Russian Vladimir Ivanov releases his model after a three-second pit stop.
November 2004 25
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 3:05 pm Page 25
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 24,25
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 24,25
Roland Surugue actually cools the model with a bit of kerosene during a pit stop.
Tim Gillott services his team’s model during eliminations. He is
running a modified Nelson engine in a homemade airplane.
British team of Steven Smith and Colin Brown process one of
their models. Dave Rolley, John Ballard, and Tom Knoppi watch.
F2C: This event provided a unique
opportunity for many in the US to see some
of the best in Team Race compete. Although
there was a noticeable decrease in the
number of competitors at this WC and the
reigning World Champion did not attend,
there was still competition at a level unseen
in this country.
The people who helped run this event
should receive a big round of applause for
doing an excellent job. The timekeepers and
people in the line-check area were great.
Event Director Tom Fluker kept those present
on their toes and ran a smooth and orderly
WC event.
John Ballard probably walked five miles.
His responsibilities were impounding
airplanes and checking them for compliance
when fast times were turned in the heat races
and semifinals, and checking all three
airplanes at the conclusion of the final. It
takes a team to run these events, and this
group was outstanding.
Although the Jury members missed some
calls and made some I disagreed with, they
did an excellent job overall. Their consistency
was superb, and that is what you look for
from a Jury as a competitor. They are unable
to please everyone, but they did a hard job
and showed no favoritism.
The US contingent of Lenard Ascher,
Aaron Ascher, Stewart Willoughby, Bob
Oge, Tim Gillott, and Todd Ryan did not
F2C
have the strong performances that were
expected on their home turf.
Finishing 15th overall, Team Ascher was
only able to post one respectable time—
3:23.00—and two substandard times:
3:50.80 and 3:40.40. Team Ryan/Gillott
finished 22nd overall with a disqualification
(DQ), a did not finish (DNF), and a 3:38.00.
Team Willoughby/Oge finished 30th overall
and was unable to post a time, with a DNF
on Lap 1, a DQ, and a DNF at Lap 79. The
Americans were no threat in the team or
individual standings with some disappointing
performances.
After Round One of the competition,
the quick time went to the Russian team of
Yury Shabashov and Vladimir Ivanov with
3:15.90. Second quickest after the first
round were the two French teams of Pascal
Surugue/Georges Surugue and Fabrice
Picard/Claire Perret, posting strong
3:17.70s.
During Round Two, Teams Surugue and
Picard/Perret lost performance but still safely
made the semifinals. Team Shabashov/
Ivanov garnered a DNF at 49 laps. However,
other teams improved their performances
from Day One during this round. The
Swedish team of Bengt-Olof Samuelsson
and Kjell Axtilius posted a 3:17.00. Team
Steven Smith/Colin Brown of Great Britain
posted a 3:18.40, and the Russian team of
Victor Averine/Victor Martchenko posted a
3:18.00.
The third and last elimination round was
do or die for most of the teams to make the
semifinals. The three French teams took
advantage, with Surugue/Surugue posting
3:15.60, Thierry Ougen/Roland Surugue at
3:16.70, and Picard/Perret at 3:19.90.
The Ukrainian team of Valeriy
Kramarenko/Yuriy Chayka posted 3:17.10 to
secure a spot in the semifinals. Team
Smith/Brown of Great Britain upped its
second-round performance to 3:16.40, and
the Russian team of Andrey Yushchenko/
Victor Yugov took advantage of its last
chance with a strong 3:16.70.
by Dave McDonald
24 MODEL AVIATION
Photos by the author
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 3:04 pm Page 24
Ukrainian pair was second at 7:02.00, and
the Russians were third with 185 laps. The
team Gold Medal went to France, Russia
captured the Silver, and Great Britain earned
the Bronze.
From a performance standpoint, it is
apparent that the Americans are lagging
behind. Many of the outstanding teams
turned lap times in the 16.7- to 17.0-second
range in three-up traffic. That is extremely
good and maybe getting to the point where
speeds should be decreased because the
ability of most pilots is now behind that of
the equipment.
F2C is becoming a young person’s sport,
but there are few young people getting into
the fray. From a development standpoint,
F2C is coming full circle with retractable
landing gear emerging. Walt Perkins used
them many years ago. Other innovations are
the carbon wings, which are being fabricated
in molds to provide a known airfoil from
wing to wing.
The French team employed the carbon
wing and retracts during this contest.
Although they were not used on the same
model, when coupled they could prove to be
the next big step in performance.
Carbon fuselages are appearing again.
The old Vorobiev models were carbon, but
they lacked the good front ends for the
engines to be attached to. The newgeneration
airplanes do not have that
handicap.
Racing is racing. Whether it is F2C or
NASCAR, it is a team event. Just as a
NASCAR team needs a good pit crew, a
good pitman is as valuable as a good pilot in
F2C. With the normal pit stop lasting less
than three seconds, many races are lost in the
pits.
Pilots are bringing models in faster, and
a good, hot landing is free time that will not
be made up during the race if it’s lost. This
requires new innovations in wing
technology to allow the airplanes to be
caught at the higher speeds and not suffer
any failures that many of the older models
experienced.
As in other racing events, the teams with
the resources, the desire, and the ability rise
to the top in performance. The goal of a
sanctioning body is to keep technology in
check for safety and preservation of the
event. The FAI had discussed the increase in
line diameter for next time, but the talk now
is that it is being held off for at least another
cycle.
For the near future, the speeds and
performance will only increase. The limiting
factor will be how good the pilot and pitmen
are. If you want to get involved in worldclass
F2C, you must be willing to sacrifice
other events, time, and money, and be totally
committed to the event. If you are unwilling
or unable to make these sacrifices, everyone
at the World Championships level will see
your lack of performance.
For the Americans, there is always next
time!
The teams that moved on to the semifinals
were Surugue/Surugue, Ougen/Surugue,
Picard/Perret, Shabashov/Ivanov,
Averine/Marchenko, Yushchenko/Yugov,
Kramarenko/Chayka, Samuelsson/Axtilius,
and Smith/Brown. The teams whose hopes
were dashed were relegated to sitting on the
sidelines for another two years, until the
next WC.
The semifinal rounds were hotly
contested, with Surugue/Surugue posting a
world record of 3:09.06. This is
impressive, even if the race was only twoup
after one of the teams was disqualified.
No matter how many are in the circle, a
3:09.00 shows that this team has the
advantage of youth and takes the event
seriously and to a level that is not achieved
by most of the teams.
Other strong first-semifinal-round
performances were by Shabashov/Ivanov at
3:11.50 and Kramarenko/Chayka at 3:15.30.
These times would hold up, and these would
prove to be the teams that would do battle
for the World Championship!
The second semifinal round only had one
really good time—a 3:16.10—which
Ougen/Surugue posted. Other times ranged
from 3:23.00 to 3:28.00. These would not be
the times the teams were hoping for to move
on to the exciting final.
The last race, for the title, was between
the teams of Surugue/Surugue, Shabashov/
Ivanov, and Kramarenko/Chayka. It was
incredibly close until the latter stages; the
French and Russians were roughly equal in
airspeed, with only one lap between them.
However, the Russians were fouled out at
Lap 185, leaving the French with a
comfortable lead over the Ukrainians. At
this point the die was cast.
The French went on to capture the
individual title with a time of 6:42.70, the
Georges Surugue releases his model under Roland Surugue’s watchful eye in the final.
It was close with the Kramarenko model, which is taking off from its pit stop.
The French team of Pascal and Georges
Surugue with their winning model. It
features a composite wing that they made. Russian Vladimir Ivanov releases his model after a three-second pit stop.
November 2004 25
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 3:05 pm Page 25