Precision Aerobatics
Curt Contrata 6783 Nightwind Cir., Orlando FL 32818 E-mail: [email protected]
Overview
Each year the National Championships takes on its own personality, beginning with rumors about who is coming and what they will bring, along with the anticipation of the unexpected. This year, weather was the biggest contributing factor to the mood and pace of the contest, both directly and indirectly. Wind and rain in Muncie kept practice time to a minimum, and flooding in Ohio prevented Bill Werwage from attending the contest held July 6–12.
Site and Weather
The pattern for the week was wind all day with storms each evening. The pond in front of the AMA Headquarters was so full that one morning its edge met the road. The large grass area usually used for practice was soggy and unsuitable for flying. The ground was so wet that the Beginner and Intermediate events were flown on two circles of the paved L-Pad.
Improvements at the National Flying Site included resurfacing and leveling the L-Pad and adding two new Racing circles a few hundred yards away. Although we were told there would be limited practice time for Stunt on the Racing circles, they often seemed in use. Mud along the L-Pad reduced the number of people sitting under tents along the fence line, and it was not until the Walker Cup flyoff that I saw someone sitting under a tent. The mud forced more people closer to the circles and the week lacked the usual fence-line socializing tents.
Beginner and Intermediate
Rich Peabody again ran the Beginner and Intermediate events, and the pilots enjoyed themselves. Some Beginners expressed concern about flying over pavement, but everyone adapted. The wind was manageable, though conditions were not "Stunt Heaven" air.
Classic and Old Time
Monday morning was cool and overcast with 10–15 mph wind. Classic and Old Time Event Director Gene Martine asked fliers to fuel in the pits to keep things moving because conditions were expected to worsen.
With puddles on the L-Pad and cool, driving air, Bob Hunt opened Classic with a superb wind flight, knowing he would have the best air of the day and needed to make his first flight count. He put up a solid flight that the judges rewarded and would be chased for the rest of the rounds. Gerry Phelps and John Simpson had good efforts but were pushed around by the wind. Near the end of the first round, Gordan Delaney, flying his familiar Colossus, put up a great flight that placed him within five points of Bob.
Storms were coming in fast, so a long break was called between rounds. Afternoon conditions worsened and of the 15 fliers in Classic, 11 passed on the second round. The morning scores stood and the Classic results were:
- Bob Hunt
- Gordan Delaney
- Gerry Phelps
Old Time had a different pattern. Of 14 fliers, only three passed the entire day. Despite the wind after the break, pilots completed their patterns and earned better scores than in the morning. Bart Klapinski led the first round, only a few points ahead of Jim Lee; Charles Reeves was third, flying a very pretty Victory. Scores improved in the second round but the placings did not change:
- Bart Klapinski
- Jim Lee
- Charles Reeves
Appearance Judging
Appearance judging for Advanced and Open was held in a crowded, dim room at a local country club. Fine details on darker models tended to get lost, and some mistakes went unnoticed in the low light. Despite that, two models deservedly made the 19-point front row side by side:
- Windy Urtnowski — B-25 bomber (neatly detailed and shiny)
- Bob Gieseke — Bear (a modeler's model, exceptionally well built and very appealing)
Advanced and Open Qualifying
The weather held long enough for the two days of Advanced and Open qualifying, though skies were gray and a few storms skirted the site. There was a steady breeze that worsened on the second day as a large storm front approached.
Advanced had 26 entries, fewer than in some years as several Advanced fliers moved up to Open. Rob Gruber showed up well practiced and dominated the qualifying days, flying clean patterns repeatedly. Trailing him on that circle were Orestes Hernandez and Allen Goff. On the other circle, Josias Delgado, Kent Tysor, and Rich Giacobone were close leaders.
Open had 39 entries, consistent with recent years. The U.S. World Team was back, adding excitement and tight battles for top positions.
- Circle One leader both days: Ted Fancher, chased by Todd Lee, Doug Moon, Windy Urtnowski, and Frank Williams.
- Circle Two leader every round: David Fitzgerald, followed closely (in a tie) by Bill Rich and Brett Buck. Gordan Delaney flew an impressive semiscale Tony of his own design—the only four-stroke-powered model in the top 20—which flew very well. He was chasing the leaders with Frank McMillan and Randy Smith.
Top 20 Day
Top 20 Day was the windiest Nationals day in recent memory and the worst the author had seen in Muncie. The gazebo and food tent caused strong swirling winds, especially on Circle Four. Conditions were brutal, and there were several crashes and one flyaway. Pilots in Advanced and Open passed at similar rates: roughly 25% passed in the first round and about 60% passed in the second.
Despite the conditions, some of the most spectacular flying many had ever witnessed took place. Models with less side area tended to handle the wind better; models with more side area were more susceptible to gusts. Models set up to penetrate strong headwinds had an advantage.
In Advanced several crashes occurred and many fliers could not complete the pattern. Rob Gruber passed on the second round to avoid risk. Final Advanced results on that day were:
- Kent Tysor (new RO-Jett .61-powered Strega)
- Orestes Hernandez
- Alberto Haber
In Open, Windy Urtnowski opened the day with his B-25, muscling the bomber through the pattern. David Fitzgerald and Frank McMillan followed and demonstrated that precise flying in wind was possible. Todd Lee was blown out of his Clover on an adjacent circle and crashed, prompting several fliers to pass and drop out.
Randy Smith posted a high score early that stood until Ted Fancher flew at the end of the round. Bill Rich then had bad luck: while walking his airplane to the circle after fueling in the pits, the wind picked up the tail and flooded the engine. On his second attempt the wind again lifted the tail on takeoff, catching the propeller and ending his competition.
Most scores dropped in the second round, but Richard Oliver and Konstantin Bajakine improved. Richard flew consistently all week in the wind with an SV-22 and an RO-Jett .61 engine. Konstantin worked hard to keep his light airplane in the air and amazed many with its performance in the wind.
Two of the most-talked-about flights were by Bob Gieseke and Randy Smith. Bob fell while running backward during his flight but continued flying the airplane while on his back. His Bear struggled with all its side area despite the growling PA .65 engine and a four-blade Bolly prop. Randy was hit by "Tent Turbulence" while flying his Hourglass; the turbulence blew his Katana into the wind and toward the judges. He recovered, completed the intersection and bottom turn dangerously close to the ground near the judges, and finished the maneuver—an example of staying with the airplane until the end.
Flyoffs and Finals
Saturday brought much better weather—sunny with 5–7 mph winds—providing near "Stunt Heaven" conditions for the flyoffs. The Advanced/Open flyoff finalists were:
- Ted Fancher
- Richard Oliver
- David Fitzgerald
- Konstantin Bajakine
- Randy Smith
Final Open results:
- David Fitzgerald (2003 United States National Champion)
- Ted Fancher (finished 4.8 points behind Fitzgerald)
- Richard Oliver
- Randy Smith
- Konstantin Bajakine
There were no Junior entries and four Senior entries. Senior results:
- Rob Gruber
- Christopher Rud
- Josh Condon
- Wade Schoonover
The Walker Cup flyoff was a close battle. Rob Gruber pushed David Fitzgerald hard, outscoring him on one round and finishing just 8.6 points behind in the final tally. Congratulations to David Fitzgerald on the national title.
Awards and Notes
- Concours award: Windy Urtnowski
- Rookie of the Year: Steve Millet (finished 12th)
In spite of the weather, it was a great contest.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
