overhead by a powerful thermal. John Re- galbuto’s long-winged Douglas Sky Pirate swooping majestically in the Modern Mili- tary mass launch. Scott Dobberfuhl’s neat T’craft and Piper floatplanes, flying high, long and looking like the real deal in the evening sky. Greg West’s big Blackburn Shark is always thrilling in the air, and John Ernst’s Airdevil Fokker FV airliner— were those curtains in the windows, or my imagination playing tricks again? Another highlight of the FAC Nats at Geneseo is the relaxed evening flying, with many contestants returning to the field for some last minute test flights, or just plain fun flying after dinner. Some attendees eat at the field, preferring to savor the long mid- summer upstate New York evenings and participate in the entertaining non-duration FAC events added in recent years. Thursday evening, July 19, saw the run- ning of the SLOW or “Slow, Low, or Wet” event which is set up similar to the BLUR with models flying over a closed course—
only here the victor is the slowest or last model to cross the finish line in the air. Dave Niedzielski, flying a Bleriot XI, won this event after making a successful crossing of the English Channel.
Friday evening, July 20, saw the running of the BLUR (Bee Line Unlimited Race) speed event for rubber powered raceplanes flying three or four abreast in heats through an 88- foot long course. Thrills and spills are the or- der of the day and once again Montreal’s Luc Martin flying a beautiful, rare, and blazingly fast Kellner-Becheran ended victorious. Saturday afternoon, July 21, came much too soon with some flyers rushing to get in their final official flights in the scale events which used a three-flight average scoring system. At the end of the day, after the final official flight was recorded, the 2012 FAC Nats passed into the record books. The flightline buzzed with activities as flyers cheerfully helped each other take down canopies, pack up and get ready for the ban- quet that evening.
The banquet was held back at the Quality Inn, in the same room where models were judged a few days prior at the beginning of the meet. An always excellent meal and some lighthearted entertainment was fol- lowed by the main event, the awards. Plaques are given to fifth place in each event. There is nothing quite like the thrill of tak- ing home an award from the FAC Nats! A few very special awards are given out in addition to the Founding Fathers Award mentioned at the beginning of this report. The Earl Stahl Award for the best FAC Scale model was awarded to the Nielson and Winther Type A biplane by Mike Isermann, and the Walt Mooney Award for the best FAC Peanut Scale model was awarded to John Kramer for his Nieuport 11 Bebe. All in all, the 2012 FAC Nationals was an- other very successful and highly enjoyable event. Who knows, perhaps your favorite full-size airplane will do a fly-by. See you at the FAC Non-Nats in Geneseo, New York next summer, skyster!
Ben Dion had fun flying his foam Bf-109 (above left). Linda Heldling (above right) helped Robert Bard with his Chambermaid and Wedel Williams Racer. Diane Courtney (below left) holds for George White in the Low Wing Military
Trainer event. Don DeLoach, of Colorado (below right), with his Cessna CR-2 from 1987 FMplans (CF765). He won nine events and both the Scale and Non- scale Grand Championships.
FLYING MODELS
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