Free Flight We re Baaaaaack!

August 4 Free Flight We re Baaaaaack! The 82 nd Free Flight (FF) National Championships gets underway Monday, August 4, 2008, at AMA s National Flying Site in Muncie, Indiana. Expectations are high for another great FF Nats week despite gas prices hovering at roughly $3.80 a gallon. As of this writing (Friday, August 1), the number of preregistered contestants is 195 virtually the same pre-nats total as last year. So, you might be wondering how is FF competition is conducted. Most events are judged on pure duration usually a total of three flights plus flyoffs. Competitors aim for a flight maximum (max), which based on the wind conditions and the size of the field. For AMA events the standard max is two minutes. When a competitor attains three maxes in a row he or she proceeds to attempt flyoff flights, which get progressively longer as the series lengthens. In most FAI events the max is usually longer (three or more minutes) and the number of regular flights preceding the flyoffs is seven. Other specialized FF events not scored purely on duration are Payload, Cargo, and the ever-popular Flying Aces Scale events. Integral to FF competition is a crucial decision fliers must make: the best possible time to launch their models. Unlike Radio Control or Control Line, FF models receive no control from the pilot once released. In a very real sense this is not free flight but automatic flight. So, what has changed for this year s FF Nats? The president of the National Free Flight Society (NFFS), Phil Sullivan, reports that a new computerized scoring system will make its debut. The complete results of each day s events will be immediately posted following the awards presentation. Sounds great, Phil! Thermals, Don DeLoach

Defending Free Flight National Champions - 2007 Event Age Competitor Hometown Score (seconds) Hand-Launch Glider (J) Chinmay Jaju San Jose, CA 205 (S) Anthony Ferrario Napa, CA 301 (O) Tim Batiuk San Juan Capistrano, CA 780 Catapult Glider (J) Daniel Vucovich Lititz, PA 223 (S) Oliver Cai Orange, CT 305 (O) Jim Lewis Macon, GA 564 P-30 (J) Daniel King New Haven, CT 304 (S) Alexandra Proffitt Lincoln Park, MI 350 (O) John Seymour Radner, OH 1139 Mulvihill (J) Larson Ringlien Charlotte, NC 344 (S) Evan Simon Commerce Township, MI 1538 (O) David Sechrist Bristol, IN 2100 Electric A (JSO) Charles Groth Batavia, IL 708 Electric B (JSO) Charles Groth Batavia, IL 1088 Payload (JSO) Vic Nippert Lake Katrine, NY 357 ROW Gas (JSO) Jean Andrews Tucson, AZ 355 Cargo (JSO) Vic Nippert Lake Katrine, NY 1973 Pee Wee 30 (JSO) Rudy Kluiber Davenport, IA 2226 Moffett (JSO) Herb Kothe Boulder, CO 1409 Dawn Unlimited Rubber (JSO) Carl Redlin Park City, UT 485 1/2A Classic Gas (J) Chinmay Jaju San Jose, CA 441 (O) Dan Berry Benton, AR 1117 A/B Classic Gas (JSO) Bob Hanford Broken Arrow, OK 900 C/D Classic Gas (JSO) Bob Mattes St. Charles, MO 1154 1/2A Gas (J) Charles Phillips New Haven, CT 149 (S) Alex Marsh Granger, IN 331 (O) Bob Hanford Broken Arrow, OK 1200 AB Gas (O) Bob Hanford Broken Arrow, OK 835 CD Gas (O) Bob Hanford Broken Arrow, OK 480 Bounty Hunter (JSO) Roger Erridge Saranac, MI 469 Hydrostar (JSO) Bob Placier Chillicothe, OH 267 Super D Gas (JSO) Bob Watson Morton Grove, IL 360 ABCD Gas (JS) Cody Secor Chino Hills, CA 480 NFFS Classic Towline (JSO) Tim Batiuk San Juan Capistrano, CA Starduster X/Mini Pearl (JSO) Bob Hanford Broken Arrow, OK 440 Jetex (JSO) Chris Matsuno St. John, MO 319 Dakota Biplane (JSO) David Acton White Plains, NY 20 Jimmie Allen (JSO) Don DeLoach Colorado Springs, CO 351 1/4A Nostalgia Gas (JSO) Keith Fulmer Mishawaka, IN 352 Early 1/2A Nostalgia (JSO) Gene Wicks Normal, IL 536 1/2A Nostalgia Gas (JSO) Keith Fulmer Mishawaka, IN 915 A Nostalgia Gas (JSO) Bob Hanford Broken Arrow, OK 1080 B Nostalgia Gas (JSO) Keith Fulmer Mishawaka, IN 1645 C Nostalgia Gas (JSO) Bob Hanford Broken Arrow, OK 720 Ignition Nostalgia Gas (JSO) Douglas Koch Reading, PA 581 1/2A Nostalgia Payload (JSO) Charles Harper Blanchester, OH 360 Nostalgia Rubber (JSO) Paul Simon New Baltimore, MI 971 Nostalgia Wakefield (JSO) Joe Williams Brookville, PA 967 Old Time Catapult Glider (JSO) Elvin Buchele Sylvania, OH 323 Old Time H.L. Glider (JSO) Tim Batiuk San Juan Capistrano, CA 323 Old Time Rubber Cabin (JSO) Paul Andrade Highlands Ranch, CO 925 Old Time Rubber Stick (JSO) Ed Hardin Kingston, TN 950 Old Time.020 Replica (JSO) Bill Schlarb South Bend, IN 575 Old Time ABC Cabin Gas (JSO) Douglas Koch Reading, PA 387 Old Time ABC Pylon Gas (JSO) Gil Morris Columbus, OH 673 CO2 Unlimited (JSO) Frank Pollard Port Townsend, WA 684 FAC Peanut Scale (JSO) Jim Miller Fayetteville, OH 132.5 pts FAC Rubber Scale (JSO) Vic Nippert Lake Katrine, NY 152 pts F1A Nordic Glider (J) Logan Tetrick Bishop, CA 1030 (SO) Andrew Barron New Haven, CT 1110 F1B Wakefield Rubber (JSO) Bob Sifleet Glen Rock, PA 1681 F1C Power (JSO) Norm Poti New Carlisle, OH 1617 F1G Coupe d hiver (J) Logan Tetrick Bishop, CA 421 F1G Coupe d hiver (SO) Brian Van Nest Bishop, CA 976 F1H A-1 Towline (J) Daniel King New Haven, CT 418 (SO) Brian Van Nest Bishop, CA 780 F1J 1/2A Power (J) Chinmay Jaju San Jose, CA 923 (SO) Faust Parker Houston, TX 1836 F1K CO2 Power (JSO) Frank Pollard Port Townsend, WA 728 F1P Power (J) Brian Pacelli Wallingford, CT 1232 (SO) Dave Rounsaville Milford, NJ 1240 F1Q Electric (JSO) Dick Ivers Arlington, MA 1260 E-36 Electric (JSO) Dohrman Crawford Dunwoody, GA 415 2

Evan Simon winds his Mulvihill at the 2007 Nats. Evan finished second in F1B at the Junior World Championships on July 31 in the Ukraine. While US Free Flighters are making lastminute preparations for FF Nats week in Muncie, the Junior Free Flight World Championships is wrapping up in Kiev, Ukraine. The USA had high hopes for a strong showing this year, thanks to an extremely talented and experienced team and the seasoned leadership of Team Manager George Batiuk. For this WC George had amassed a promising crop of young fliers and a bonus flier, 2006 individual F1P World Champion Cody Secor. Anthony Ferrario displays his F1P model at the 2007 Nats. Flash! The competition kicked off Wednesday, July 30, with F1A (Nordic towline glider). Team USA flew well, capturing the Silver medal in the Team competition. As a group, the three Americans (Timothy Barron, Kyle Jones, and Oliver Cai) dropped only one of 21 maxes. Team Gold went to the tiny European nation of Slovenia. Individually, 15 youngsters made the seven-round max-out, out of 45. Of those, eight made the first flyoff max of five minutes to earn a place in the final sevenminute flyoff. USA s Timothy Barron grabbed third place for the US with 254 seconds, behind Tomaz Slokar of Slovenia (294 seconds), and the new World Champion, Guy Zach of Israel (297 seconds). F1B (Wakefield rubber) was flown Thursday July 31, and it was a heartbreaker for Team USA s Evan Simon. Evan dropped one max by only one second in the second round. Meanwhile Paul Couteneaux of France posted a perfect string of seven maxes to win the individual Gold. Evan is a seasoned competitor who surely enjoyed this thrilling competition, though undoubtedly he d give anything to have that second round back! Third place went to Sweden s Oskar Findahl, who also dropped one round (the sixth, by 13 seconds). Other USA Team members flew gallantly: John Shailor finished in 15th place, followed by 3 Cody Secor (left) posed with Dave Rounsaville at the 2007 Nats. Cody just won his second straight F1P World Championship. Michelle Radziunas in 24th. Champion Team (of 13) was Ukraine, followed by Germany (second), Poland (third), and USA (fourth). Finally, F1P (1cc Power) was flown Friday, August 1. Expectations were high for Cody Secor defending World Champ and arguably the world s best F1P flier of any age. Cody and the three US team members flew flawlessly until the second round. That s when USA s Chinmay Jaju dropped a max, dropping him to sixth place in the final standings. Other Americans also dropped a single max: Anthony Ferrario ended in 10th place and Brian Pacelli finished 11th. At the end of seven rounds, four fliers including Secor had perfect scores. A fourminute-max flyoff was held and Secor and two other sportsmen made the max. This necessitated an additional flyoff round with a five-minute max. In this round Secor and Maciej Karczymarczyk of Poland both maxed, while Johannes Seren of Germany scored 4:35, securing for himself the individual Bronze. With two competitors remaining it was decided to hold a 10-minute flyoff the following morning at 6 a.m. In that decisive flight Cody Secor managed 332 seconds and repeated as World Champion for the USA! Karczymarczyk did 312 seconds for the hard-fought Silver. Team Champion (of eight) was Poland, followed by Ukraine in second place, and USA in third. In a final crowning achievement to round out a great week for our Juniors, Team USA was awarded the Challenge France trophy for highest cumulative time in the three events, edging out Ukraine by a score of 10,771 seconds to 10,752. Don DeLoach

RC Soaring Cross Country Wrap-up Nine teams, two days, and a 15.92-mile course was the setting for this year s Cross Country event. Saturday proved to be the more challenging day of the two with spotty lift onsite and even more elusive once offsite. Several teams ended up back at the starting point with their airplanes in the vehicle and not in the air. To fully appreciate Cross Country, one really needs to go along in the chase vehicle. I had the opportunity to ride shotgun in Skip Miller s team s convertible. Rick Lederman drove as Skip Miller and Cody Remington handled the flying duties from the back seat. It was an exciting experience helping the team with an extra set of eyes on the ground and in the air and we even managed to complete the whole course. Sadly, on Sunday Skip s airplane was involved in a midair with Dean Gradwell at the turn-around point and he was not able to continue. Amazingly Dean was able to continue to compete with his sailplane for the rest of the day and finished second. Even after being taken out of the competition early, Skip and his team managed to take first place with a total of 63.4 miles! F3B Wrap-up F3D flew four rounds on Saturday and the decision was made not to continue the contest on Sunday because not all of the competitors slated to compete were able to make it. In the end Mike Lachowski took first place, Don Barker took second, and Richard Burnoski third. X5J Extreme Begins The winches can be put away as we start Electric! Marc Gellart will be the Contest Director of X5J which is open to any electric-powered sailplane and consists of three 10-minute flights. Each second of flight time is worth one point up to the 10 minutes and points will be subtracted for going over the time limit. Motor run time is unlimited but points are subtracted from the flight time. Landings will also be scored. Jay Smith 4

Soaring: F3B NATS 2008 F3B Contestant Round1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Total Lachowski 2740.3 3000.0 2443.0 2997.6 11180.9 Barker 2826.0 2815.5 2820.3 1912.9 10274.7 Burnoski 1660.5 1636.4 2397.5 2429.0 8123.4 Soaring: Cross Country Ed Franz. Marc Gellart. Surface Condition Weather Forecasting for Air Sports Aviators - general Muncie area - from www.usairnet.com. 5 Mon.-Thurs. Friday Saturday Sunday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Accepting the third-place plaque. Cross Country winners. Cross Country Senior award winner. Cross Country second-place winners. Meet the CD Tom Kallevang, CD Cross Country Q. Where are you from? A. Wheeling, Illinois. Q. How long have you been flying? A. RC Sailplanes for 42 years. Q. What type of aircraft are you competing with? A. I am competing with Two-Meter, Nostalgia, RES, and Unlimited. Q. How many Nats have you been to? A. I have been to every Nats here at the AMA except in 2000. My first Nats was in 1986 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Marc Gellart. Q. What brings you back to the Nats? A. The people, the events, and the organization the League of Silent Flight bring me back. 6

Carter s Nearly World Famous Hot Dogs Mark Carter Q. Where are you from? A. Muncie, Indiana Q. How long have you been doing hot dogs? A. Fourteen years. Q. What is your favorite dog? A. Chili cheese dog with mustard and onions. Q. How many Nats have you been to? A. I think 14. Q. What brings you back to the Nats? A. Randa [Coats of the AMA Nats staff]. Your intrepid NatsNews reporter and photographer for the Soaring Nats tries his hand at piloting a sailplane. Far right: Meanwhile AMA Executive Director Jim Cherry grabs an opportunity to fly his own sailplane (inset). 7