Author: MA and NatsNews Staff
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/11
Page Numbers: 18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,31,33,35,36,37,38
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Nats 2011

The first National Aeromodeling Championships, or Nats as it is commonly called, was held in 1923 in Saint Louis, Missouri. Since then, the Nats have traveled to several different locations, many of which were Naval Air Stations.

In 1996 the Outdoor Nats found a home at the AMA's International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, and the Indoor events landed at the Mini‑Dome in Johnson City, Tennessee.

85 years of competition and camaraderie

by MA and NatsNews Staff

This annual gathering draws more than a thousand top competitors and eager new participants from all disciplines of aeromodeling.

The daily activities of the event are documented in the NatsNews where each segment is reported on by a qualified reporter. What follows are summations of the 2011 Nats competition, some written by the event reporters, and some compiled from the various reports turned in for the events. Photos are courtesy of the various reporters and MA staff.

Indoor Free Flight

For the first time in the 18 years that NatsNews reporter John Kagan has attended the Indoor FF Nats, he noticed that the "young'uns" outnumbered the veterans, but the total head count remained similar to previous years.

Katie Bosman was one of the young'uns. She's a graduate of Tim Lavender's annual Flying Aces Club entourage and is now a test pilot for a major light-aviation manufacturer. Katie was John's partner in the Limited Pennyplane (LPP) Pro/Am on Saturday and then on Sunday, flying a model she built, she flew a 10:52 in the LPP National Championship. A 10-plus-minute LPP flight is the benchmark set for Pro status in the Pro‑Am, so that's one of the quickest Am‑to‑Pro graduations on record.

Tim Warren was attending his first Indoor FF Nats, but the eccentric artist was right at home. "Tim shares my affliction of being unable to use a particular construction resource unless there are reserves," wrote John. "I have 50 Harlan F1D propeller hangers—more than a lifetime supply. He collected 200 Harlan LPP propeller hangers before he got cut off. Most people are happy if they can get their hands on one Wilder winder; Tim has two."

Charlie Slater brought his sons, Morgan and Soren, to compete. Although they are self‑declared Scale model enthusiasts, the two were brought over to the dark side of Duration events at last year's LPP Pro‑Am. Soren took top honors in this year's LPP Pro‑Am, with a little help from fellow young'un and Indoor FF expert Max Zaluska. David Aronstein brought his son, Zevi, who was paired with Tom Iacobellis in the Pro‑Am. They were low in the standings, but Tom shared good information and Zevi is in great shape for next year. Tom redeemed himself by topping the 21‑contestant field in Limited Pennyplane on Sunday with a strong 15:48.

These are just a few of the fresh faces who represent the future of Indoor FF. If you have even a passing interest in the "lighter side" of model aviation, you are welcome to join us next year. It's not just fun and fierce competition, although that's a big part of it. It is also a week of great flying, hanging out with like‑minded friends, and sharing knowledge.

John wrote: "You don't have to be an expert to attend. Newcomers are strongly encouraged—we even have events designed especially for you. If you like other forms of challenging model aviation, you're sure to enjoy Indoor FF."

Event Director Abram VanDover ran a laid‑back, thoroughly organized contest. Dave Thompson handled processing duties while Graham Webster wrangled with the scoring system and debated with attendees on a variety of topics. Thanks for the great job!

"Thank you to our generous sponsors who donated valuable merchandise for the raffle and Pro‑Am prizes. Thank you also to Liz Helms, Ashley Rauen, and Rachelle Haughn, NatsNews editors, who took my ramblings and photos and produced masterpieces.

"Join us next year for the Indoor FF Nats. Jeff Hood has signed up as the event director and is sure to host an excellent contest."

Radio Control

This year's RC events were covered in NatsNews by reporters Don Grissom, Ed Franz, Jim Quinn, Gordon Buckland, Ted Kraver, Phil Cartier, Chris Hockaday, Scott Causey, Rachelle Haughn, and Matt and Allie Russell.

RC Combat

The 2011 RC Combat Nats had good weather and great flying. Some of the best pilots in the country showed up to compete. Up to 10 rounds were held each day. After completing all rounds for all events, it was clear that William Drumm III dominated the competition. William, a Wisconsin resident, finished in first place in Limited B with a score of 3,824. He flew an airplane he designed this year called the Willy Wing. It uses single U‑rail designs that are durable in case of a collision. William also won Slow and Survivable Combat (SSC) with a score of 4,508, and Open B Combat with 3,340 points. William was also the Overall Open Champion in the 2010 Nats.

The only event William didn't win was Scale 2948 Combat, which went to Eric Gilkey. Eric is the younger brother of Brian Gilkey, who has long dominated the RC Combat events at the Nats. There were many hard hits in Open B, including one round where Keith Jones flew the remaining three minutes of Combat alone because the rest of the field had been knocked out. The pilots learned not to let Bob Loescher tell them to "fly the planes like we stole them."

Overall, participation was up slightly from last year with 223 registrants, despite expectations that high gasoline prices would reduce turnout. It was hot—plenty hot. Locals testified all week to absurdly high temperatures; the local weather report stated three of the five days were the hottest in 50 years. Of the four injuries reported, only one was purely heat‑related—a miracle considering the circumstances.

RC Electric

The summer heat and strong winds made competing in this year's RC Electric Sailplane Nats anything but easy. Scorching temperatures during all four days of the contest made it difficult for pilots to stay cool. Each day was a battle with strong wind gusts, but some pilots still came out on top.

On the fourth and final day of competition, Bob Burson had a perfect flight with 10s across the board, earning him first place in the Class B Limited Motor Run (LMR) event. Burson also walked away with a first‑place finish in 1/2A, posting a score of 6,140. Other winners included Don Richmond, who took first in Class A LMR, and David Registar, who placed first in ALES.

RC Helicopters

Attendance may have been down from 2010, but the 2011 RC Helicopter Nats went off without a hitch. There was only one casualty when a nosedive claimed one pilot's helicopter, though his spirits were lifted when his son took first place in his first Nats.

Rookie David Ford walked away with the top spot in the Sportsman Class, but his father, George S. Ford, landed in fifth after a strong gust crashed his heli. Tracey Dickinson placed first in the Advanced Class, Erich Freymann won the Expert Class, and Curtis Youngblood, a member of the US team that competed in the World Championship in Italy, was named winner of the FAI F3C Class.

The race for the F3C title was the tightest, with Curtis earning a score of 3,000 and the second‑place finisher, Nick Maxwell, earning 2,938.445 points. Nick and Wayne Mann are both members of the World Championship team; Wayne also finished in the top five.

In RC Helicopter Scale there were only four entries. Static judging was held, then pilots flew simple maneuvers and freestyle. Darrell Sprayberry took first place with his Long Ranger model, Stanley Kopreski was second, and Eric Babineaux placed third.

RC Pattern

Two midair collisions in one day could have put a damper on this year's RC Pattern Nats, but didn't. Airplanes flown by Jeff Hatton and Austin Wingo collided at Site 4 on the first day of competition; both aircraft were destroyed. A few minutes later, airplanes flown by Chris Moon and Mickey Losardo also collided.

Some pilots had successful flights, and champions were named for the Intermediate and Advanced classes. Brian Stachan was named Intermediate Champion, with Houson Schweitzer coming in second. In Advanced, Joseph Szczur was crowned champion, with Scott McHarg second and Victor Diaz third.

RC Pylon

Exciting, close races were the name of the game for the 2011 RC Pylon Nats. In the Q‑40 event, 32 racers were re‑matrixed for a five‑round race. There was one flyoff to break a tie for second and third place between engine manufacturers Dub Jett of Jett Engineering and Mike Langlois, who has taken over production of the Nelson .40. Mike passed Dub around lap eight and held the lead to the end. Mike Helsel finished first overall and Lee Von Der Hey set the fast time of 1:01.81 for the contest.

The 426 Super Sport Quickie event ended with a final flyoff for the top three spots. Gino Del Ponte's Ninja nosed over slightly on launch and ground off the tips of his propeller, leaving Tom Scott and Dub Jett to battle. Tom held the lead until late in the race when he cut a pylon and moved to third, leaving Dub Jett as the first‑ever 426 Super Sport Quickie National Champion. Dub also was named the Overall Nats Pylon Champion for his performances in both the Q‑40 and the 426.

The 428 Race was also a nail‑biter. Mike Helsel won the 428, with Gino Del Ponte second and Matthew Fehling third. Fast time was set by Terry Fraser.

In the Q‑20 competition, Allie Russell was named Best Senior. Mike Helsel took first, Mike Langlois second, and Dub placed third. Lee Von Der Hey had the fastest time.

RC Scale

This year's FAI‑F4C Scale contest determined that John Buckley, who flew a Tiger Moth, will represent the USA in the FAI World Championship to be held at the Los Santa Cilia Los Pirineos airfield, near the city of Jaca in Spain in August 2012.

Fun Scale Advanced had the highest number of entries with 17. Terry Nitsch captured first place with his F‑86 Saber. Sport Scale Sportsman ended with Steven Eagle and his Nieuport 17 in first and Raymond Schmidt's BU‑133 in second, seven points back. Designer Scale multiyear winner Dave Johnson (Albatros D.V) was a scant 0.075 points ahead of Al Kretz's Dornier D023G. Al is also a past Nats winner and has represented the USA in the FAI International Championship.

In Expert Sport Scale, Robert Bush and his F‑100 finished first, one point ahead of the pack. The RC Scale Flight Achievement award was won by Billy Thompson with four excellent flights on his Fokker D.VII. The Designer Scale champion was David Johnson. The team of Dale Arvin and Jeremy Arvin captured the RC Team Scale title with an SNJ. The RC Novice Fun Scale winner was Steve Ort Jr.

RC Scale Aerobatics

After four days of tough competition, six champions reigned over the 2011 RC Scale Aerobatics Nats. Notable competitors included Igor Spektor (New York) in his second year at the Nats, Andy Fomin in his first year at the AMA Nats, and IMAC North Central Regional Director Brian Sanik in a Carden Extra 300 Pro. Three‑time National Champion Kurt Koelling returned for his 11th Nats, along with Dennis Gergits from Carden Aircraft, who helped design Kurt's airplane.

Also in the Unlimited Class were Will Berninger (Cincinnati) and Mike Milos (Ontario, Canada). Mike was champion in Intermediate at the Canadian Nats in 2008 and Advanced champion in 2009.

Champions named: Geoffrey Donati, Sportsman Class; Corey Ford, Intermediate Class; Benjamin Batts, Advanced and Freestyle; and Kurt Koelling, Unlimited Class and Bennett Cup.

RC Soaring

Ever‑changing winds meant ever‑changing leaders in the races for the Two‑Meter, Unlimited, RES, Nostalgia, and F3J titles. After eight days of heat and wind, champions were crowned.

In Two‑Meter, Larry Jolly scored 13,760 in 13 rounds, winning nearly all his rounds. Josh Glaab placed second with 13,437 and Mike Fox was third with 13,089.

In RES, Peter Goldsmith was champion with 6,976 points; Kent Nogy was second with 6,950 and Craig Greening third with 6,912.

Nostalgia trophies were handed out by Don St. Germain. First place went to Peter Schlitzkus with 6,906 points flying a Challenger; Peter Goldsmith was second with 6,673 and Don Harris third with 6,527.

In F3J, Cody Remington won with 9,991.57; Rich Burnoski was second with 9,982.11 and Jim Monaco third with 9,967.46. The top Senior was Dave Bradley, who placed outright 20th with 9,576.68 points and will be eligible to compete for the Junior Team at the F3J World Championships Team Selection contest in Florida in October.

In the Unlimited contest, Cody Remington was named 2011 National Unlimited Champion flying an Egida from Jaro Mueller. Mike Verzuh was second with 10,758 and Skip Miller (last year’s champion) was third with 10,701.

2011 Nats Management

  • Ron Morgan: Nationals Director/Manager
  • Wayne Yeager: RC Director
  • Al Williamson: RC Manager
  • Brenda Schuette: CL Manager
  • Phil Sullivan: FF Manager
  • Joe Vislay: Assistant RC Manager
  • Dave Guerin: Assistant RC Director

Event Directors

  • Gary Freeman Jr.: RC Pylon Racing
  • Craig Bradley: RC Helicopter
  • Gil Major: RC Scale Aerobatics
  • Bill Rich: CL Aerobatics
  • Dave Mark: CL Speed
  • Bob Whitney: CL Racing
  • Dick Perry: CL Carrier
  • Chris Gay: CL Combat
  • Rusty Fried: RC Pattern Aerobatics
  • Rob Glover: RC Soaring
  • Ed Franz: RC Electric
  • Phil Sullivan: FF Outdoor
  • Abram VanDover: FF Indoor
  • Rick Fraley: RC Combat
  • Dale Arvin and Paul Cain: RC Scale
  • Jack Sheeks: CL Scale

Nationals Sponsors

  • Ritch’s Brew
  • Jett Engineering, Inc.
  • Aerospace (ACP Composites)
  • Applebee’s
  • Hideaway RV
  • S&G Concessions LLC

Control Line

Control Line week kicked off July 4. CL registration stood at 175 for a week of generally good weather—cool in the mornings with light winds and hot in the afternoons. NatsNews reporters for CL included Allen Brickhaus, Tim Stone, Dick Perry, Warren Gregory, Ted Kraver, and Phil Cartier.

CL Scale

Static judging started early and by early afternoon 26 aircraft had been judged for 17 pilots and/or builders. Holding static judging on‑site under the tent for the last couple of years has cut costs and allowed fliers to take their assembled aircraft out for a test flight.

FAI (F4B) had four entries. Because of lack of European competition in recent International Championships, F4B is not being contested in 2012. Erratic winds were a problem all week. First‑prize winner in CL Sport Scale was John Brodak and Aaron Bauer took Junior/Senior Sport Scale. Aaron completed the Hat Trick with another award in Profile Scale.

Team Scale placed father‑and‑son Ken Stevens Sr. and Ken Stevens Jr. in first. Chris Brownhill won CL Profile Scale with his Hampton and Alan Goff was the National Champion in F4B. Ed Mason won Fun Scale with his four‑engine B‑17. Charlie Bauer won top Static score in Team Scale with his Bristol and Chris Brownhill took top Static in Profile Scale with his Hampton.

In FAI, Frank Beatty’s impeccable yellow Borg Parakeet took the top Static award. The AMA Grand National (sum of the Static score and all four flight scores) winner was Canadian Chris Brownhill.

CL Speed

Open 1/2A Proto winner was Jerry Rocha, second Chris Montagino, third Glen VanSant. In the Junior/Senior 1/2A Proto, first was James VanSant and second was 8‑year‑old Ivan Valishev.

In 1/2A Speed, Carl Dodge flew a single flight that was good enough for first. Chris Montagino was second and Charles Legg third. Charlie turned 80 in August and is still flying monoline and two‑wire.

Open Sport Speed record‑holder Jerry Rocha’s first and only flight won the event, followed by Chris Montagino and Glenn Lee. Alberto Caballero placed first in the .21 Sport Speed Junior/Senior division and James VanSant was second.

In F2A, Carl Dodge nearly equaled his first‑place speed from last year with a flight of 290.696 mph. Alex Valishev was second and Alberto Caballero Sr. was third.

In Senior Formula 40, James VanSant placed first. In Open, Dave Mark triumphed to be seven‑time National Champion; second was Alberto Caballero and third Chris Montagino.

Jerry Rocha won the .21 Proto event with 138.002 mph, his only flight of the day. Perky event winner was Carl Dodge with a high speed of 102.889; second was Bill Hughes and third Butch Andrews.

CL Racing

Bob Whitney has long been a dominant force on the racing circles using an F2C airplane and diesel engine. This year, several glow‑powered entries were competitive, including Canadian Les Akre and Arizonan Steve Eichenberger.

Clown Race, once an entry‑level event, has become one of the quickest and most physically demanding CL Racing events. Races are timed in 7½‑minute preliminaries and 15‑minute finals. For the finals, Les Akre recruited New Zealander Andrew Robinson and Dave Hull enlisted veteran pitman Bob Oge. Les lasted a near‑record 339 laps for the win.

Eight teams showed up for Slow Rat Racing. Jim Gall (New Jersey) with Les Akre pitting set a preliminary record of 3:01.52 for 70 laps. In the first final, Tim Stone/Bob Oge bested Gall/Akre with 7:01. In the second final, the Oge/Stone team was disqualified and Jim Demeritte/Jim Bradley coasted to 6:51 for first.

Scale Racers (modeled after Formula I air racers) saw fastest heat time by Les Akre/Dave Hull with Les’s new Lil’ Mike. Perennial Goodyear winner Bob Oge took first place.

Texas Quickie Rat featured close preliminary times; three‑up final results were Les Akre/Dave Hull 6:19, Russ Green/Mike Greb 6:22, and Bill Lee/Jason Allen 6:31.

F2C

F2C FAI Team Race was diesel day. The team of Dave Fisher and Steve Wilk, running a Cobra design, had fantastic airspeeds and came within less than two seconds of the current US record in the preliminaries. The three‑up, 200‑lap final had Dave Fisher/Steve Wilk set a new US final record time of 6:43. Aleksandr Elbert/Aleksey Topunov took second and Bob Whitney/Jason Allen third.

F2CN (simplified F2C) final best time was Dave Hallas/Bob Whitney with 8:54. Mouse Racing wrapped up CL Racing: prelim five‑lap times were Dave Hallas/Bob Whitney 2:21, Bill Lee/Russ Green 2:27, and Les Akre/Dave Hull 2:29.

Canadian Les Akre won the High Point Champion award for the second time. The National Control Line Racing Association Sportsmanship Award went to David Betz.

CL Navy Carrier

Volunteers readied the CL Navy Carrier site as the "USS Melton" was unloaded and set up. In Profile Navy Carrier, Pete Mazur’s Nelson‑powered Grumman AF2S Guardian had the highest speed of the day (90.5 mph) as well as the slowest (5.5 mph in light winds). Art Johnson’s Guardian earned second place. The Smith brothers, David and Michael, placed third and fourth.

Contestants also brought Class I and Class II Scale Carrier models, which must be within 5% of scale dimensions of the full‑scale aircraft. Pete Mazur dominated Class I and Class II with Martin MO‑1 models, and his combined wins in all three events earned him the Eugene Ely Award for highest combined Carrier scores.

David Smith of North Carolina took second in Class I after flying a full mission on his final attempt; Michael Smith of South Carolina was third and earned the Navy Carrier Society’s Rookie of the Year Award. In Class II, Dale Gleason (Texas) placed second and David Smith third.

Bill Calkins served as event director and was recognized for his volunteer contributions. Ted Kraver was center judge and Nathan Pierson served as timer.

CL Combat

Junior Rylan Rich, 10, from Magnolia, Texas, competed in 1/2A Combat. He received his first Combat lessons from veteran Dave Fisher and experienced his first cut, first line tangle, first loss, and first crash in his debut; Rylan placed fourth.

Winners in 1/2A Combat were Donald Cranfill (Lake Jackson, Texas) first with a 4‑1 score; Don McKay (Redmond, Washington) second with 3‑2; and Robert E. Smith (Roy, Washington) third with 3‑2.

In Open Combat, Donald Cranfill won with 6‑0; Pete Plunkett (Austin, Minnesota) was second with 3‑2; Phil Cartier (Hummelstown, Pennsylvania) was third with 2‑2.

F2D competitors ran roughly 60 matches in slightly more than two days in 11 rounds. Final placings were Alexander Prokofiev (South Plainfield, New Jersey) first with 8‑2; Richard Stubblefield (Kingwood, Texas) second with 8‑3; and Mark Rudner (Somerville, Massachusetts) third with 7‑4.

CL Aerobatics

Beginner and Intermediate events were flown on the grass circles. Top Junior/Senior Beginner: Gavin Barry first, Kevin DeMauro second, Samantha Hines third. Top Open Beginner: Jeff Traxler first, Robert Schroeder second, David Felinczak third. Allen Brickhaus served as CD.

Mike Stinson won Intermediate, with John Gladfelter second and John Sopka third. Bob Brookins and his crew managed the Intermediate event.

Advanced had 28 competitors and Open pilots totaled 33. Ryan Young won Advanced; Eric Taylor and Matt Colan were second and third respectively. In Open, David Fitzgerald placed first, Paul Walker second, Brett Buck third, Derek Barry fourth, and Richard Oliver fifth. Former World Champion Bob Hunt missed the top five by a quarter point.

Stunt pilots competed for Advanced and Open crowns Saturday morning. Senior competitors Samuel Niebel, Matthew Colan, and Ryan Young vied for the Senior title; Ryan Young won and went on to compete for the Walker Cup. David Fitzgerald and Ryan Young competed for the Walker Cup; David Fitzgerald won and will display the Walker Cup in his California home.

Complete scores can be found on the AMA website or in the September/October edition of Stunt News.

Outdoor Free Flight

According to Outdoor FF reporter David Mills, the fliers who competed at the 2011 FF Nats will reminisce about the heat. Each day dawned hot and stayed that way. Humidity declined midweek, but thermometers on the field read 98°–104° and the calculated heat index hovered in the "low‑teens" (°F). Winds were out of the southwest with moderate velocity, minimizing off‑field excursions, which was a blessing to many. Still, the heat took its toll and most left for home early; by midafternoon on the final day only 20 fliers remained.

P‑30 performances were heroic: 23 towed the line and only three maxed out. Jim Jennings Sr. grabbed the top spot after suffering a hard crash and overseeing group repairs for his clinching flight, scoring 810 seconds; John Seymour had 750 and Don DeLoach 655.

Old‑Timer Hand‑Launched Glider drew 14 fliers; Don DeLoach won with 252 seconds. C NosGas had 18 fliers; Gene Smith took first with 1,041 seconds. The .020 Replica event also drew 18 fliers; Jerry Rocha maxed out and beyond to win with 713 seconds.

1/2A Gas had 18 fliers; Bob Hanford won with 825 seconds. Payload drew seven fliers; Denny Dock took gold with 323 seconds.

Moffett had 20 fliers and offered a hard slog; John Seymour won with 1,278 seconds. Attrition was high and half the field didn't make their three 2‑minute maxes.

Flying Aces Club had success in Scale: Ted Allebone took first in Gas Scale. Peanut Scale and Rubber Scale drew large fields; Mike Fedor won Peanut Scale and Don DeLoach won Rubber Scale.

Classic Towline attracted many pilots; only the top three maxed and went into flyoffs. Bob Slifleet won with 1,020 seconds; Tim Batiuk and Dan Berry followed with 780 and 628 respectively.

OT Rubber Stick (Lanzo Sticks and Gollywocks) had 13 fliers; Dan Berry won with 998 seconds. Ed Hardin and Jim O'Reilly were second and third.

Mulvihill, the oldest and most prestigious rubber power FF event, topped 27 fliers. Flyoffs went into 8‑ and 9‑minute rounds. John Shailor took first with 2,846 seconds—a pending national record. John Seymour was second with 2,326 and Bud Romak and Paul Crowley tied for third at 2,258.

Among gas events, Super D drew five fliers and was a crowd‑pleaser. Joe Clawson maxed out for first with 360 seconds, Jack Marsh followed with 357, and Hank Sperzel placed third with 345. Scale 1/4A Nostalgia Gas had 11 fliers; Bob Sowder won with 480 seconds. Cargo saw Vic Nippert rack up 2,046 seconds.

The AMA and National Free Flight Society know how to pull off a big contest. Thanks to the many volunteers for their good work, especially CD Phil Sullivan.

Sources

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