1982 AMA Nats: CL Aerobatics
THE ANNUAL GATHERING of the Stunt freaks (also known as the Nationals) was held again in Lincoln, NE, and after blasting the Juniors and Seniors with 25 mph winds on Tuesday, the weather abruptly changed to pretty docile conditions which gave everybody else there a chance to really show their stuff. The best show was put on by Ted Fancher (Foster City, CA), as he was literally in the driver's seat almost all week, and his much-patched and repaired two-year-old Intimidation airplane (with an ST .46 engine) carried him to victory over second-place finisher Bob Gieseke by 1061.67 points to 1047.34 points.
Control Line: Aerobatics
OLD TIME STUNT was popular at the 1982 Nationals. It outdrew Senior and Junior Stunt combined, CL FAI Team Race, and RC Helicopter, among others. Consequently, I thought that we should look at some of the planes and engines that are popular and winning. I sent out questionnaires to some of the OTS devotees including John Miske, Doug Dahlke, Jim Lee, and Jim Renkar, and they were kind enough to write back-some at great length. All were very informative.
Control Line: Aerobatics
NOW THAT WE have all recovered from the week-long Nationals and have pasted our pictures in the scrapbook, let's look at some of the fine points of the affair. Firstly, a total of 35 officials was required to administer the Stunt Nationals. With only 47 Open entrants and a total of 56 fliers, including Juniors, Seniors, Old-Time, and Half-A who did not fly in the regular event, that's one official for every 1.6 fliers! It's not as if we had too many officials. Far from it! This time, the usually calm, imperturbable Event Director Arlie Preszler was seen on a couple of occasions to be a little tense about getting things going smoothly and with enough officials.
Control Line: Aerobatics
DESPITE a lengthy two-month series on trimming, there are a couple of other related items we should touch on. First off, let's look at engine speed and lap times. If you have to run your engine at a fast two-cycle on the ground to get the plane to complete the pattern, then you are probably in need of some engine rework. Those who use tachometers usually set their engines in the 8000-rpm range on the ground. If you have to set the engine much faster on the ground, you will no doubt experience some sagging by the engine in the difficult maneuvers. For instance, on 60/62-foot lines, a 5-second lap is pretty fast and probably means that the engine is two cycling most of the time. If your lap times are 5.6 to 6.0, then the engine is probably running a little rich and you may not have power in the maneuvers, unless you have a very powerful engine. All this is assuming that you are running an 11- or 12- inch prop with 5 to 7 pitch.
Control Line: Aerobatics
"HEY, let's go flying!" Throw everything into the dirty toolbox and take off to the field with your flying buddy so you can get in at least three flights apiece in a couple of hours. Right! Well, that's probably the way a lot of us Precision Aerobatics types set about the task of preparing for a contest or the Nationals. But, hold on. How about some planning ahead?
