SAM 4 AT THE 1998 SAM CHAMPS
A goodly number of SAM 4 members traveled to the 1998 SAM championships at Muncie, Indiana in September of 1998. It was a very satisfying experience for the bunch that attended. The only SAM 4 member who came away with a SAM trophy was Bob Erpelding who came in a close second in 8oz. Wakefield. Bob Edelstein finished high in several categories but only took home a trophy in C NOSGAS when he placed second. The Kansas Wakefield event drew entries from Karl Spielmaker, Ward Delano, Bob Hoffman, Bob Erpelding and Ron Fritz. Of the group, Bob Erpelding placed highest with a sixteenth place. The Pacer event drew entries from Bob Edelstein, Ken Fryling and Ron Fritz. Only Bob and Ron flew and Bob placed highest with a tenth place.
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Ward Delano, Ron Fritz, Karl Spielmaker and Ken Fryling weigh in with Bill Prensky, Free Flight Contest Director. Ward, Ron and Ken have returned to modeling after a 40+ year hiatus. All three are still active pilots and own their own full-scale planes. |
The special Kansas Wakefield and Pacer events were especially fun to enter as there were so many entries and we were flying against the best there is. There were sixteen entries in the Pacer event. Sal Taibi was entered and finished seventh in the event. There were several others who had entered their Pacers but didn't fly. Sal was gracious and autographed most of the Pacers present. That created a problem, as it was a concern for some that they would crash or lose their Pacer with that prestigious signature on their plane. Ernie Linn, designer of the Kansas Wakefield was also present and participated in the special event named after him. Ernie too autographed each plane. There was a special reception at the AMA museum for all special event participants and each was presented with a certificate of participation. Sal and Ernie were present and for some of us newcomers, it was a very special occasion, as we had never met these modelers who we have heard about all of our lives.
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Art Ryan (left), Karl Spielmaker (center), and Ken Fryling (right). Art and Karl were invaluable assistance to the newcomers. |
The 1998 SAM Champs was also the occasion to conduct a special challenge between the "Louisiana Bunch" and Michigan's SAM 4. Karl Spielmaker of SAM 4 and Vince Burton of SAM 59 had challenged each other's group to a special fly-off. The times of the five top flyers from each group were added to see which chapter had the highest combined time. The Michigan group came out on top and shared a bottle of champagne at the special event reception. There is a rumor that the Louisiana bunch has accused the Yankees of "cheating like they did in the Civil War". That might be grounds for another challenge at a future event. Could it be that these future challenge events would be flown with armed models?
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The Louisiana Bunch and Michigan Bunch prior to the Great Muncie Challenge. Vince Burton and Karl Spielmaker arranged this challenge with the help of Tom McCoy. |
Attending, and flying in, the SAM Champs is a very special occasion. We flew against the best there is but it was a very friendly competition and most competitors were more than willing to assist others in their flying. Those of us, who are comparatively new to the organization, benefited greatly from exposure to and assistance from the more experienced modelers. Hopefully, we will be those helpers sometime in future years.
Take a look at some more pictures from the SAM Champs.
