Outdoor FF Nats Comes to a Close

By Don DeLoach

Friday dawned clear and seasonable for the final day of the FF Nats.

This was a big day for many folks, as it included several of Free Flight’s premier events: P-30 rubber, F1S (E-36) electric, 1/2A Gas and Classic Towline. More importantly, it would be crucial in determining the week-long Nats Hi-Point winners in the various event groupings.

P-30 fliers were among the first to test the conditions. The air was smooth and the wind velocity light until about 10 a.m. I nearly got disappointed when my first two official flights, both flown before 10 a.m., were nearly sub-maxes at 2:01 and 2:05 respectively. Other expert fliers who flew a bit too early got sub-maxes including past winners, Chuck Powell and David Mills. In the end, there were only five Adult fliers who made the 3 x 120 max-out, with Frank Perkins prevailing in the end with a total of 652 seconds. Congratulations, Frank.

In Junior P-30 there was a great turnout of six fliers. Caleb Finn flew later in the day and managed the only perfect score (360). Sarah Dalecki was close behind with 355 for second. Skilly DeLoach was third.

1/2A Gas, although not as popular as it once was, still brings out some excellent competition. Faust Parker topped the field in Adult with his venerable bunter, while Caleb Finn managed 264 seconds for the win in Junior.

F1S is the FAI’s adaptation of the ever-popular E-36 event, flown in rounds. Three competitors made the flyoff and David Sechrist topped the Adult field with 720 seconds. Second was E-36 winner Jack Murphy with 707, followed by Bob Sifleet with 640.

A Nostalgia Gas had a healthy field of competitors, but no max-out was required for Bob Hanford to take the victory with 350 seconds.

Classic Towline was difficult in the choppy breeze of the afternoon.

Westerly wind and short chase direction made the 3-minute maxes land off site in many cases. Jan Langelius lost his number one model on a very long flyaway near the middle of the day and had to dig out his backup. He managed 421 seconds for the hard-fought win, followed by Jim Parker and Chuck Powell in second and third respectively.

A pleasant surprise was the good turnout for Unofficial Hi-Start Glider, an event ably enthusiastically promoted by Andy Tomasch for a number of years. Five fliers, including one Junior, made a showing this year, with Chuck Powell notching high score.

Congratulations to the Hi-Point champions! These awards are given for sustained performances in the various events throughout the week.

Junior

Skilly DeLoach 30 pts

Wes Reuter 20

Caleb Finn 18

Clay Menanno 9

Sarah Dalecki 7

Senior

Will Reuter 13

Robby Massey 5

Glider

Jan Langelius 19

Don DeLoach 15

Jim Parker 13

Jon James 13

Rocco Ferrario 11

Rubber

Dave Gerspacher 18

Greg Simon 16

Pat Mackenzie 16

Frank Perkins 14

Don DeLoach 12

Classic Gas

Dan Berry 14

Gerald Brown 13

Jim Parker 6

Alfons Menanno 4

Ruth Bane 4

Electric

Bob Sifleet 15

David Sechrist 14

Jack Murphy 13

Drake Hooke 9

Phil Calvert 9

Nostalgia Gas

Denny Dock 28

Tom Bell 25

Bob Sowder 17

Roger Erridge 16

Larry Davidson 15

NFFS Rubber

Bud Romak 9

Mark Vancil 8

Mike Kirda 8

Bob Hanford 6

Gerald Brown 6

That’s a wrap on the 2022 Free Flight Nats. The weather was very good overall, with only a half-day lost to rain. The organization and leadership were outstanding. Thanks to CD Glenn Schneider and his very capable staff of NFFS volunteers: Lisa Pacelli, Patti Lorbiecki, John Lorbiecki, Julie Parker, and the many other event directors and volunteers and gave all of us a memorable Nats. See you in 2023!

Scores can be viewed at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTbTqo_IZE33Qi4eUssAr3Tf1oQ7CNmisn_KmCIupY5cfHY0g90ebjGPvM9P973ZadYstLiBiJW-tlb/pubhtml?gid=379879557&single=true

Check out all of the photos from the 2022 Nats at https://www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft/albums