I am pleased to bring to you the results of the 21st WorldWide Postal Competition, and to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and statements of encouragement which have encouraged me to carry the Postal forward for so many years – far more years than originally expected.

There have been a number of changes through these years, not least the spread of electronic communications; such were not readily available in the early years and all contacts were by what we now call ‘snail mail’ – event notices, scores and not least much printing/envelope addressing and necessary expense in mailing reports and results around the world. To this end an entry fee was in place to assist in covering costs, though this was countered by small trophies being made available to event winners, etc. As emails came into more common use I was pleased to be able to discard such fees and awards in favour of the Postal becoming a simple medium to bring modellers together worldwide to find an added incentive when flying their models locally – particularly those remote from others who flew alone with little mutual contact.

Interests flourish and wane over a period which has been reflected in various events – and, indeed, smaller ‘stand alone’ Postals – being featured, modified and in some instances finally discarded. I have had the great pleasure of being in touch with so many enthusiastic modellers through all these years … some of whom have in due course turned to other types of modelling as interests or physical abilities dictated, some have dropped out of the hobby … and sadly others have left us permanently.

Throughout all, I have constantly received comments on how the Postal has brought added interest to individual flying activities and thanks for same, which has warmed me – but I feel the time has come for me to bring this endeavour to a personal close with my own thanks and appreciation to all of you, past and present, whose direct and indirect contact and company I have enjoyed.

However, it may be that all is not lost. I have been approached by a keen modeller whom I have known for some years who expresses an interest in maintaining a similar Postal into the future. It may not have the same title, the format may differ but the intent is unchanged and I hope you will all transfer your support to Caley Ann Hand, contact and encourage her, make any suggestions that you feel might enhance the appeal of the Postal and carry on flying together. I look forward to continue flying with you under her guidance …. and finally .. thank you again for joining me through these past years. It’s been a pleasure!

Jim Moseley 19 Banner Crescent, Ajax, Ontario L1S 3S8, Canada jjmoseley@look.ca

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“Hi, fellow free flighters, I’m Caley Hand.  While in Geneseo, N.Y. for this years’ FAC Non-Nats, I found that Jim will be closing the World Wide Postal he has so graciously conducted for our community for some 21 years.  It saddened me that this would be the end of something that has brought fun into competition, and new people into our hobby.  I asked if he would mind if I tried my hand at taking the Postal over to keep it alive for all of those who have enjoyed participating in it.  I would very much like to do so, though my experience in our hobby is not all that long. 

  Let me tell you a little about myself.  I grew up in Oceanside, California.  I would sneak down to Mission Park and watch the guys fly their control line aircraft, and even saw a few flying free flight types, including what looked like airplanes burning up, which were actually Jetex.  This hooked me on flying, but unfortunately, it was something females were not encouraged to participate in. I waited until I was 53 before my courage brought me into Model Aeronautics, first in RC flying, then in around 2005 I tried free flight.  I began by finding an online group, Small Flying Arts, where Jim and others basically adopted me, and encouraged me to continue.  With their wonderful help and encouragement, I continue to enjoy our hobby. 

I’ve received so much from so many people, and I have felt one thing, and that is trying to pay forward for all that others have done for me.  I adopted, along with others, Marcelo Pricoli’s JV44 Free Flight School down in Uruguay, and continue to provide materials to keep it going.  I’ve also tried to provide local activities to both seniors and youth by teaching them how to build and fly basic rubber powered airplanes.

  Now I would like to continue by taking over Jim’s Worldwide Postal.  I am hoping that there is still interest in it, and that those who still want to participate will do one more thing to keep our hobby going.  That is to try to encourage youngsters to try participating.  The postal has always had experienced flyers, but I am hoping there will be young ‘newbies’.  I would like to open a few basic categories for those just starting.  My view of ‘newbies’ are those who have only been in it for less than two years.  I think new kids need to know they can be winners without having to compete directly against those with years of experience.  Anyway, this is just a thought, a proposal.

If there is still enthusiasm in Jim’s Worldwide Postal. I would also like those of you who are interested to suggest any other categories to include, or directions to maybe take.   Please email me at caleyannhand@yahoo.com, or write me at Caley A Hand, 6639 Datura Avenue, Twentynine Palms, California 92277 USA

ooo000ooo

Catapult / Handlaunch Glider (12”)

1. Pete Brecker G 60 60 60 60 60 60 360 KrazyKatze ‘W’ 8”

2. Pete Brecker G 60 60 60 60 59 60 359 WildKatze I I 11.75”

3. Pete Brecker G 60 60 60 60 60 55 355 KarbonKatze 8”

4. Graham Lovejoy NZ 55 60 53 51 48 45 312 Lunchbox #8

5. Graham Lovejoy NZ 55 47 42 60 48 49 301 Lunchbox #11

6. Jim Moseley C 10 21 8 29 14 50 132 Worcraft Wonder 12”

 

Catapult / Handlaunch Glider (+12”)

1. Graham Lovejoy NZ 60 60 60 60 60 60 360 Scalded Cat

2. Pete Brecker G 60 58 59 60 60 60 357 Whatsis

3. Graham Lovejoy NZ 55 47 50 46 60 35 293 RPG #4

4 Graham Percival UK 40 49 32 32 24 37 204 B.Cox #1

5. Les Sayer C 13 36 28 9 34 14 134 DanMan

 

Tip-launch Glider

No entries

 

P30 Rubber

1. Bernard Guest C 120 120 120 150 180 120 810 Pirate

2. Paul Squires NZ 120 120 120 146 506 Polecat #10

3 = Les Sayer C 120 120 120 360 Majestyk

3 = Ole Torgersen N 120 120 120 360 ?

5 =. Svein Olstad N 106 120 120 346 ?

5 = Jim Moseley C 106 120 120 346 Saturno

7 Graham Lovejoy NZ 86 99 62 247 ?

8 Vegar Neren N 95 67 83 245 ?

 

20” Rubber

1. Joshua Finn USA 60 60 60 90 120 150 540 Phantom Flash

2. Hope Finn USA 60 60 60 90 120 131 521 Phantom Flash

3. Jim Moseley C 60 60 60 180 Blue Ridge Special

4. Ole Torgersen N 56 60 60 176 Trim II

5. Graham Lovejoy NZ 49 53 60 162 Merbaby

6. George Car A 34 27 38 99 Sari

25” Rubber

1. Bill Piatek USA 60 60 60 90 (245!) 61 331 Prince Hal

2. Pete Brecker G 60 60 60 90 270 Estrella Negra

3. Curzio Santoni I 45 48 51 144 Condor

 

30” Vintage/OT Rubber

1. Ole Torgersen N 90 90 85 265 Toto

2. Graham Lovejoy NZ 80 90 90 260 Ajax

3. Ole Torgersen N 90 90 OOS – 180 Cabin

 

42” Vintage/OT Rubber

1. Ole Torgersen N 120 120 120 360 EEO-7

2. Les Sayer C 97 107 120 324 Miss Canada

 

Cloud Tramp – * indicates discarded longest/shortest flights.

1. Gary Hinze USA 51* 77 146 147 189* 370

2. Pete Brecker G 95 122* 65* 77 121 293

3. Ole Torgersen N 91* 66 78 84 64* 228

4 = Jim Moseley C 50* 74 80* 70 79 223

4 = Sam Burke C 82 84* 77 62* 64 223

6. Bud Matthews USA 111* 68 93 51 2* 212

7 = Leon Cameron UK 62* 66 71 73 71 208

7 = Hildur Lundhaug (Ms) N 75 69 64 77* 63* 208

9. Richard Barlow` C 63* 72 58 74 89* 204

10. Baptiste Pereira P 47* 87 53 56 51 160

11. Les Sayer C 56 88* 38* 51 44 151

12. Ron Boots USA 53 50 56* 29* 40 143

13. Don Smith USA 46 47 28* 40 95* 133

14. Don Martin USA 40 33 24* 59 59* 132

15. Bob Morris USA 18 50* 49 40 11* 107

16. Bobby Langelious USA 32 42* 18 22* 22 72

 

Unlimited Rubber

1. Jim Moseley C 120 120 120 166 526 Ellipsis 150

 

KK Senator

1. Craig Limber C 120 120 120 180 240 239 1019

2. Jim Moseley C 120 120 120 360 Senator 3

3. Mia Dixon (13) UK 120 120 119 359 *

4. Les Sayer C 114 120 120 354

5. Jeff Newton UK 60 70 75 205

6. Giuseppe Moschini I 120 lost 120

7. Eve Dixon (9) UK 10 5 15

 

* For Mia Dixon, a $20.00 award, kindly donated by Tom Juell

Freewheel Rubber

1. Bernard Guest C 90 90` 90 120 150 540 Senator

2. Jim Moseley C 90 90 90 120 390 Wren

3. Jim Moseley C 90 90 90 270 Senator 2

4. Les Sayer C 63 90 66 216 Senator

 

Towline Glider

1. Ole Torgersen N 90 26 90 206 ?

 

Small Towline Glider

2. Graham Percuval UK 60 57 60 177 Dab

 

A – Australia C- Canada G- Germany I – Italy P – Portugal N – Norway NZ – New Zealand UK- United Kingdom USA- United States of America

 

Bernard Guest :- Today I had a series of good P30 flights. I am flying a modified Pirate P 30 on 4 strands of 1/8th at 1800 turns. The model does over 2 minutes in all but bad sink. Times from today: 120, 120, 120, 150 (DT at 200+ meters took 2 minutes to come down), 180 (10 minute flight because I forgot to hit the DT button), 120. Senator – to be honest I don’t worry to much about torque on my Senators. I just pack in max turns (I wind outside the model like F1B) and go. I was using a 30g motor at 12 strands and ~1400 turns. I am thinking I will up this to 35 or 40 grams and 14 strands to get a better climb. Alternatively I may stay with 12 strands and get 1600 or more turns which should I’ve me a two minute prop run.

Pete Brecker :- The weather really haasn’t co-operated very much for the last 20 months, being either wet and windy, or cold/wet/windy, or just plain windy.  A big problem at my field is wind DIRECTION – any kind of drift from the East means NO free flighting due to the heavily travled road only 150 meters to the West.  Drift from any other quarter are generally OK, depending on the crops in the neighboring fields.  So far, for this Postal season, there have been only three flyable days (today Not included – May 7^th)

Craig Limber :- think I could probably have made the five minute max with the Senatir but the wind came up and I chickened out and set the D/T down to three minutes.  It still took 59 seconds to descend!  My four minute max was actually a five minute flight.  What a relief when those D/Ts activated!

Ole Torgersen : – The entry is very small this year. Difficult to get people out from the “easy chair”, but I have to add the weather has been awful the last 12 months. Rainy and windy and that does not go well with the small oldtimer models made of balsa and covered with paper. I am flying mostly alone and had some good weather during the Swedish Oldtimer Championships last year in southern Sweden.

Joshua Finn :- I had forgotten that the postal was open to the end of June and realized my lovely bride of one year and I had a series of Phantom Flash flights we could enter. The scores don’t make it clear, but her model flies much better than mine, with a number of flights in the 3 minute range. She holds the TTOMA club record with that model. We fly at our local field several nights a week and run off a series of three no-max flights each time to see who can do the best. She wins most days

George Car :- Suddenly remembered the postal on Saturday last (29th June), beautiful sunny warm day, very still, so took my old Sari (a Jaime Herder/ Ron Neve design, plan published in Airborne, to a local recreation park. The park specifically bans the operation of mechanically driven model cars/planes, but that seems to exclude electric RC models, which are flown there. Anyway, I found a big open space with no one on it. I shouldn’t have been so hasty, and should have waited for thermals, as a subsequent flight was 2 to 3 times as long as those…….

Jeff Newton :- Sorry for my late return of scores, they are rather pathetic but all I could manage on a dismal evening on St. Annes beach. Many thanks for running this comp for so many years.

Bill Piatek :- Well finally times to report. It’s been blustery here and my left knee is toast so I haven’t been able to fly much. Our park’s also been crawling with soccer. But anyway it was great today (March 13) “Prince Hal” has 4 18″ loops of 3/32. Aside from a 1/16 stab shim and a tiny gurney flap on the fin it flew right off the board. No clay no nuttin’. First 3 flights were 450 winds. The big one was 600 winds and VERY thermal assisted. Dave Thornburg (remember him from Model Builder?) chased it down for me. Last flight the wind was kicking up, as was my knee, so only 400 winds and a drop. . Our park has about 60 usable acres and a barbed wire topped 8′ chain link fence on three sides. That long flight Dave chased for me was well past the fence. He barely fits through a small gap between the gate and fence but I never would. I’m not much of a flyer and I think that’s the longest I’ve ever had that was recovered.

Simon Dixon, for Mia (13 ) and Eve ( 9)All flights were made on 25.05.13 and 26.05.13 at the  British free flight nationals.  Much better weather this year than the last 3 years, Mia’s model flew very well and she is now very confident flying it. Her younger sister Eve had 2 crashes I am afraid but it was her first contest !

Mike Myers and compatriots at the Grassy Knoll, CA.