Radio Control: Soaring
Ace of the Deuces! Don Edberg, flying a clipped-wing Sagitta, outpointed 62 other fliers in the Second Annual Two Meter World Cup (2MWC) this past January. Sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Silent Flyers and the Antelope Valley Soaring Association, Edberg, who also is a member of the 1981 U.S.A. F3B Team, scored 5,864.4 points out of a possible 6,000-and needed nearly every point to win. Although Don had four 1,000-point rounds out of the six, Jerry Krainock had five. Only a 724-point mark in the first round, Speed, flawed Krainock's otherwise perfect score sheet. Unlike the F3B Speed task, where timing is for a run of 150 meters up and back, this Two Meter classic has fliers run the course for four lengths (laps, by F3B definition) of the course. Edberg clicked it off in 39.5 seconds, for the fastest time of the meet.
Radio Control: Soaring
GLASS ELEPHANT. One of Great Britain's hottest fliers is Sean Bannister. Having represented that country in the past two World Championships for sailplanes, Sean is among the finalists for this year's UK team selections. Their team finals are in May. Over the years, Bannister's Algebra series of sailplanes won him all sorts of awards and titles, and his hottest creation has his speed times approaching the eight-second mark! When we glider folks talk of sailplanes, and of Duration flights by the hour and Distance by the mile, it seems incongruous to talk of eight-second flights. However, it is a mark of a well-designed, well-tuned ship to be able to slip through 300 meters of air, including a turn, and bump into eight seconds doing it.
Radio Control: Soaring
ALMOST F3B. To most Soaring enthusiasts, the classification F3B strikes terror in their hearts-and thumbs. It has the fliers quickly reminisce about that last wing they saw fold on two, and if F3B is at the heading of a column, the reader suddenly becomes interested in Helicopters. But please read on. First off, let me say that F3B isn't a European concept in sailplane flying and competition. The LSF, back in 1971, proposed a three-task concept, that is, Duration, Distance and Speed. The proposal was accepted, and the ideas have been part of the AMA rule book since then. The Italian aero club took the concept, modified the rules, proposed them to the FAI, and that's where we are today.
Radio Control: Soaring
TOLEDO. Otto is back. For the contest-goers of the early Seventies whose trophy racks display awards of no higher than second place, the name Otto is instantly synonymous with Snoopy, Challenger, and of course, Heithecker. If you joined our quiet sport since 1976 you might have heard of the legend of how a guy swept the East Coast Soaring Society's contest in 1972 and 1973 and was the ECSS champion for those years. Then when the ECSS expanded into the National Soaring Society in 1974, Otto took on all comers that year and was NSS Grand Champion. At the SOAR Nats of that same year he beat out about 160 others to add that silver cup to his collection. His Challenger was the plane to beat in those years. Plans were available-they still are-and other fliers built and flew the model, but the Heithecker/Challenger combination was, for most of us, unbeatable.
Radio Control: Soaring
RECORDS-OFFICIAL. The San Fernando Valley Silent Flyers went out in force last May 9 and claimed 20 new AMA Soaring National Records. Most noteworthy ws Jerry Krainock's new Open Distance, Unlimited class, record of 66 miles! That bettered-you can call that battered-the record set last year by Jack Hiner by over 20 miles! Krainock flew a Paramount, a plane designed a few years back by Ed Slobod who also designed the Pierce Arrow, Paragon, and Ridge Rat. Krainock's time for the 66 miles was three hours and 15 minutes. According to the report sent by Krainock, the following records were also set that day (and were probably broken by the time you read this, because the club had scheduled more Record Trials):
