RC World Championships
Two of the three U.S. teams at the '91 FAI RC World Champs became World Champion teams, and two individuals became World Champions: Chip Hyde in F3A Pattern, and Dub Jett in F3D Pylon Racing. Springtime in October, outstanding success on the flying field, and warmhearted Aussie hospitality are just some of the memories the U.S. teams and supporters carried home from the 1991 RC World Championships, held October 20-27 at Drage Airworld in Wangaratta, Australia. Good weather, a fine site, and efficient organization on the part of Contest Director Brian Green and Event Director Henry Hutchinson combined to produce a first-rate contest.
AMA Nats Lincoln '79: RC Pattern
HOW DO you describe the world's largest contest for miniature aircraft? As reporter and competitor, I found it to be interesting and challenging, but not altogether easy! After a 16-hour drive from Ohio, we arrived in Lincoln Saturday evening, and before dark, located Nats Headquarters on the west side of Lincoln Municipal Airport. Headquarters was set up in a large no-longer-used firehouse next to one of the largest concrete aprons I have ever seen. This apron was approximately 1000 feet wide and at least a mile long! This was the site for RC Pylon, Pattern, Scale and many CL events. However, with an active runway approximately another 1000 feet to the east, airspace was definitely not unlimited.
1982 AMA Nats: RC Pattern
FOR ME, it was a long way across Iowa and Nebraska-the scenic rolling countryside recalled pleasant memories of an earlier Nats trip to Lincoln in 1979. We arrived Saturday evening about 8:00 p.m. to witness a beautiful Nebraska sunset (part of the city of Lincoln's logo!). The weather had been beautiful (low 80s, dry, and sunny) up to this point-now, if it would only hold for contest week!
AMA Nats 1983: RC Pattern
THIS YEAR'S Pattern site must be one of the best flying sites ever, for a Nationals competition. Saturday evening, July 23 found us looking for a parking space in front of the Quality Inn, Chicopee, MA. This was Nats headquarters, located about five miles from Westover Air Force Base, and crowded with contestants and families-but nothing like the crowd to follow on Sunday. With registration, check-in, and also transmitter processing on Sunday, it made for an aviation mob-but a lotta fun seeing old friends from Nats past. This was also the first surge of the largest Pattern entry in the past few years, with over 150 competitors. TX processing, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. was slow (due to the large entry) but well-organized. Dan Kahn had brought a computer-controlled spectrum analyzer by Hewlett-Packard. As you put the transmitter's antenna into the screen tube and turned it on. Suzi Stream entered your AMA number and name, and it automatically checked the bandwidth for compatibility with the new frequencies and the channel number against your entry form, making sure it was indeed on the frequency previously indicated.
