July 28, 2021: Outdoor Free Flight

By Rick Pangell

Okay … second-guess the wind and move the NFFS trailer, but as all good Free Flighters know, the wind never shifts.  Ultimately, the trailer came back to home but different locations sprung up according to the best places to fly an event.  The weather was hot, but absolutely gorgeous for Free Flight.

The wonderful thing about Free Flighters is they all cheer on high-scoring competitors and are truly happy for them.  Comments at the field are all the same, the Nats is one place where you can come to renew friendships, meet some really top-notch fliers, and come together for camaraderie, and today was no different.

The best way to describe the flying is “heavily contested events.”  Winner posted scores with incredible performances. 

F1B – 18 fliers with the top 7 tied … flyoff  required

F1J – 6 fliers with the top 4 tied … flyoff required

1/2A Classic – 10 fliers with Dan Berry first, followed by Jim Hack Jr. and Jim Bradley

1/2A Classic.

Big “B” Gas – Guy Menanno topping the field with a stunning 1350,  Ronnie Thompson at 982 and Jim Parker third with 872.

B Gas winners.

B NOS Gas.

Mike Fedor chugged all alone in cargo with a score of 720.90.  Cargo is one of those ancestral events from the days when Pan American airline sponsored events.

E 36 … wow has this event really taken off (no pun intended). 

E 36.

Three Juniors competed, with Clayton Menanno taking first with a 5-max score of 600, Skilly DeLoach in second with a 558, and Caleb Finn in third. He was a bit shy getting his photo taken at the awards, but we got him to smile.

Clayton Menanno.

Senior/Adult … 20 fliers (!) all in there. Harry Grogan third with a score of 1080 seconds (over 9 maxes), Josh Finn took second with a score of 1649 (over 13 maxes), and in first Taron Malkhasyan put up an incredible score of 3360 seconds, running 28 consecutive maxes for new E36 everything records. What an accomplishment. I suppose he could have just kept going, but time ran out in the contest!

Bob Sifleet launches his E36 model.

B Gas – Gene Smith took first with a score of 1296, nearly doubling the second-place finish of Scott Lapraik with 663 and third-place flier Joe Mollendorf at 626.

I think it was during this event that Denny Dock put is model into the dumpster over by the maintenance sheds and it fit nicely inside. Jim Hack Jr. was timing and the model was clocked at 2:03—plenty to spare!

Denny Dock.

OT ABC Cabin had two entries, with John Oliver inching out over Dick Kacmarsky. 

NFFS Small NOS Rubber had seven fliers, and again, the first place scored high. Mike Kirda had a score of 1020 seconds, with Gerald Brown in second with 776 and Bobby Hanford only two seconds behind at 774.

NFFS One Design Rubber for the Dynamo design had four fliers and Bill Vanderbeek topped them, with Chuck Markos in second, and Don DeLoach following in third. Chuck Powell took the fourth position.

Chuck Markos.

Outdoor Catapult was a blast. The “pen” was really crowded with fliers, timers, and just about everyone else wanting in on the excitement. Seven Juniors flew with Skilly DeLoach winning.  Two Seniors flew too … William Reuter in first with Hailey Mattson second.

HL Catapult Seniors.

The adults … 30 fliers (!) Four maxes was the bar to get into the top three, which Rocco Ferrario, Tim Batiuk, and Brian Van Nest managed to do in respective order.

FAC Flying

FAC Low Wing Trainer

1. Don DeLoach
2. Pat Murray
3. Ted Allebone

FAC Low Wing Trainer.

High Start Scale Glider

1. Dave Niedzielski
2. Wally Farrell
3. Chuck Powell

FAC High Start Glider.

OT Rubber Stick

1. Dunkin McBride
2. Clete Shankel
3. Ted Allebone

Rubber Stick.

Dime Scale

1. Wally Farrell
2. George Bredehoft
3. Pat Murray

FAC Dime Scale.

Jimmie Allen

1. Wally Farrell
2. Ted Allebone
3. Dan Driscol

Jimmie Allen contest winners.

Again ... a full listing of the AMA and NFFS results can be found online here at: <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQvK5AG4nak53UDqXsc-1yYwALglL6jGa5KE6qemd4m9v4Xqp5HYrJp9DFx2qhrqZ2tYgnGQnaYuM7r/pubhtml?gid=379879557&single=true>

Cut and paste this into your browser for a full look. See more photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft/albums/72157719597138251.

Alex Andriukov.

Aram Schlossberg's winding belt.

Brian Pacelli winding.

Brian's motor broke.

Buddy wives.

Bud Romak, happy 94th birthday!

Bud Romak receives award.

Dave Sechrist.

Dohrman Crawford, congratulations.

Dohrman getting his Blue Max.

Drake Hooke.

Good launch!

I'll find it.

Ed Hardin.

Ed launching.

F1B gaggle ... really.