Dixie-Gal
CLASS-A GAS is the most hotly contested event in free-flight power competition today. I feel this is due to a number of factors: availability of a number of good factory engines not requiring tuning, a good manageable size model, FAI power influence and, above all, spectacular performance. One only needs to check entries in A-gas at the Nats or the U.S. Free Flight Champs at Taft, or note the contests requiring a fly-off to settle final standings, to confirm this popularity. As with most free-flight models Dixie-Gal came about in an effort to build a better mousetrap. I had always admired "Geodetic" or "Union Jack" structures and for some time have eyed the 1/2-A Galaxie by Vic Cunningham.
Free Flight: Old-Timers
THE U.S. FREE-FLIGHT Championships held over the Memorial Day weekend at Taft, Calif. were truly memorable. An adequate list of events spanning two days keeps the Old Timer enthusiast hopping to get his flights in between all that great companionship, endless variety of airplanes and constant activity. Beautiful weather and abundant thermals make the 5-minute max somewhat reasonable, but not easy. Drift is minimal at Taft keeping chases realistic yet maintaining your admiration for Mr. Honda and his airplane chasing machines.
Free Flight: Old-Timers
Put a Stop to it! Compared to a glow engine an ignition engine has quite good fuel economy. If you've never dwelt on the thought before, you surely will the first time your timer fails to stop the engine and your ship climbs until it's out of fuel. My Ohlsson 60 Playboy Senior climbed to a mere speck in the sky recently on a stock tank of fuel. Over-runs have plagued free flighters for decades and probably will for more to come but that's small consolation to you. Excluding the occasional failure to start the timer on launching, timer malfunction, erraticness or just plain mechanical failure can set your building schedule back months to say nothing of the cost of replacing a lost model.
Radio Control: Old-Timers
IN THE EARLY days of Free Flight the science of "air picking" was not widely practiced. Thermal flights were often credited to the design of the model and one only need read a few early advertisements telling of 20-minute flights on a 30-second motor run to be convinced that this is the model for you! Contests were won on the strength of one good flight, often with the timer and contestant in hot pursuit by automobile. Of course, many airplanes and engines were lost forever. The life expectancy of a model was short indeed. If the testing didn't get it, a fly away surely would; a fact verified by the skimpy finishes common to the period.
Free Flight: Old Timers
ANOTHER event: I can almost hear the hue and cry as I write these words. A few columns back we discussed a proposed new event. Nostalgia, developed mainly on the west coast to promote models designed and flown during the period from the close of WW II to December 1956, with some encouragement from the midwest to extend the dates to include January 1943 through 1945. Most reader comments on this event could be summed up by "who needs it?" "There are already more SAM events than I can build for now!" I now find myself discussing yet another "event." Actually I don't want to call it an event as I am not advocating another form of Old Timer competition but rather another form of Old Timer fun.
