'81 AMA Texas Nats: RC Soaring
FIRST OFF, there is no truth to the rumor that awning salesmen, ice chest vendors, and the Gatorade folks had a hand in designing the World Champs in Sacramento and the AMA Nationals in Seguin. The fact is that 100-degree heat did last through both contests, which prompted a few contestants to ask what are the days for Detroit's annual SnoFli. The site. RC Soaring at the Nats was a big success-although it could have turned out otherwise. The site was changed at the last minute (Saturday, before the Nats began) because the officially-approved field was found to be a disaster area. Also, some of the contestants were disappointed that Seguin was not used for Soaring with the main Nats events held at Brooks AFB in San Antonio. Whatever the reasons, it just didn't work out that way. (Editor's note: There are some very insightful observations on these two subjects in the general Nats report, elsewhere in this issue. RMcM.)
Tournament & Great Race VI
GREAT RACE VI . . . Easter parades, county fairs, and the grand prix circuits aren't always guaranteed sunny weekends, and for the first time in six years the Great Race can be added to that list. But as the alibi goes, you should have been here the week before-and after, for that matter. Sixteen teams entered this one-the largest field ever-with the roster including Canada and South Africa. This was to be the year of the superships-those designed strictly for cross-country racing. A month before the event, Stan Watson flew the complete course in a practice run-the second to accomplish this feat. During the week before the contest, Gary Ittner and Alex Bower of California logged 14 miles one day and 20 on another. On the official practice day before the race, Watson set out to establish an AMA Thermal Duration record and logged a 3-hr. 10-min. flight.
Radio Control: Soaring
ON PAGE 99 of the November 1981 issue of Model Aviation is the list of National AMA records. The list is current through September 3, 1981. Among the list is the most current record, dated 8-16-81. It simply states: RC Soaring-Thermal Duration, Category-Unlimited, Open class-held by Gary Ittner. And in fine print, which really should command a two-page banner spread, it simply states 8::05:13. That, dear reader, reads eight hours, five minutes and 13 seconds; and that isn't for a slope flight but for thermal duration!
Radio Control: Soaring
TWO PHOTOS from the 1981 LSF Tournament report in the December issue of Model Aviation generated an unusual amount of comment from you readers. One was Jim McIntyre's winch line retrieval system; the other was Jerry Mrlik's slim F3B design. First, the winch design: Unlike the retrieval system by Tom Greet and Ted Davey shown in the June issue of MA, which uses a light monofilament line and is carried up on tow, McIntyre's retrieves after the end of the towline reaches the ground. Built "in a hurry," as Jim said, "to see if it would work," the system appears a bit crude; but it does the trick.
Radio Control: Soaring
IF COMPETITION does nothing else, it does breed new ideas. While some of them might be suitable only for the top-notch competitor, some ideas do rub off and make Sunday afternoons more enjoyable for us hackers. Those ideas might be a simple gadget like Chuck Anderson's modified cotter pin which he uses to hold wings tightly to the fuselage (as was seen at the AMA Nationals). Or it might be the sophisticated wing construction the Swiss use in their Spartakus models.
