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.
'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.)
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):
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
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.
