69th Annual Southwest Regionals Control Line Championships - Tucson Az.

[Jim Hoffman]

Attached is the flyer for the 69th Annual Southwest Regionals Control Line Championships.

STUNT, COMBAT, CARRIER

Christopher Columbus Park in Tucson Az.  (Same site as VSC)

Saturday and Sunday Jan 26/27, 2019    (weekend before Superbowl)
CD is John Callentine

Same info also posted in the “Events” section

[wwwarbird]

 Just noticing and thinking about the "69th Annual" in this title, and thinking how impressive and admirable that actually is nowadays in our hobby. With VSC and a few other events I know Tucson has been a hotbed of C/L activity for years, but is this really 69 consecutive years for this event? Just curious, and if so how about some history, and some good 'ol photos?

[Brett Buck]

I highly recommend that anyone who can make it to the contest to do so! It always runs like clockwork, great bunch of guys to fly with, and usually good weather. You may even be able to meet a glittering array of celebrities, like David Fitzgerald, and celebutards (modesty forbids...) . And you can check out the gem and mineral show, too, and the Pima Air Museum!  What the heck better are you going to do in the middle of winter?

     Brett

[Jim Hoffman]

I don’t have any photos to show of the very early SW Regionals.  I recall they were covered in the model magazines of there.  Here is what I do know:

I first attended the SW Regionals in Jan 1980.  It was held out in the desert at the Buckeye airport about 30 miles west of Phoenix.  The AAA contest featured FF, control line and some RC assist FF events.

In the mid to late 1980’s the Buckeye airport had deteriorated and may have been no longer available to us.  The FF and CL portions were split and held respectively in Eloy and Tucson Az.  The CL portion continues; Eloy remains a popular FF site and I suspect some version of the FF SW regionals continues there.

Below is an excerpt from the Phoenix Model Airplane (PMAC) website that speaks of SW Regionals origins.  They are a FF group.  The verbiage is from FF master Al Lidburg
https://freeflight.org/community/pmac/    The website has a photocopy of the PMAC “First Meeting Minutes” dated 13-August 1934

"PMAC eventually acquired permission to use the Cactus Airport, at the corner of Cave Creek and Cactus, for a flying and contest site. This small airport served crop dusters and little else, but it boasted of a paved circle for control line flyers and a lot of space for free flighters. The first few Southwest Regional Model Airplane Championships, which is quite a lofty name for a beginning effort – and it is still used today, contest took place at Cactus in 1951. SW Regionals in those days had events for free flight, control line and radio control and the events were organized and sponsored by PMAC. Through the years, SW Regionals events evolved, with the constant element every year being free flight. After Cactus, PMAC club flying took place at 32″d St. and Cactus [now the site of a large subdivision, as is Cactus Airport]; Dynamite Blvd and Cave Creek [now the site of a veteran’s cemetery]; and 38th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road [now another subdivision].
Locations for SW Regionals include Cactus Airport, Luke Auxiliary Field #3 [NW of Phoenix], the Buckeye Airport, and most recently, two locations near Eloy, AZ. Eventually, the SW Regionals was taken over by a group called the Southwest Regionals Modelers Association, Inc. that represents the interests of all concerned modelers, although SWRMA is not directly connected with PMAC. Funding was obtained that will permit the SWR to continue indefinitely. Considering that 2004 marked the 54th annual SWR, chances are good that the contest can and will continue for many years.
In recognition of the years of service by the Websters, our flying site is known as Webster’s field, and we were fortunate to have Quintin and his wife Nancy at a recent SWR handing out the free flight awards."
 

[FLOYD CARTER]

The only "history" of the SW Regionals that I can offer is my own entry in 1950.  The contest was held at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport!  I guess there wasn't much airline traffic in those days, so they had space to offer.

The only plane I brought  bombed out from a leak in the fuel tank, and I didn't even get a chance to fly.

[Brett Buck]

Looks like good weather for the Southwest Regionals. David and I are planning on being there both days, and I highly recommend the contest for anyone who can make it. I would also note that there is usually *plenty* of time after official flying each day, and nothing else much I plan on doing, so we will probably be available for advice and coaching, bar the unexpected.

     Brett

[Sean McEntee]

I don’t have any photos to show of the very early SW Regionals.  I recall they were covered in the model magazines of there.  Here is what I do know:

I first attended the SW Regionals in Jan 1980.  It was held out in the desert at the Buckeye airport about 30 miles west of Phoenix.  The AAA contest featured FF, control line and some RC assist FF events.

In the mid to late 1980’s the Buckeye airport had deteriorated and may have been no longer available to us.  The FF and CL portions were split and held respectively in Eloy and Tucson Az.  The CL portion continues; Eloy remains a popular FF site and I suspect some version of the FF SW regionals continues there.

Below is an excerpt from the Phoenix Model Airplane (PMAC) website that speaks of SW Regionals origins.  They are a FF group.  The verbiage is from FF master Al Lidburg
https://freeflight.org/community/pmac/    The website has a photocopy of the PMAC “First Meeting Minutes” dated 13-August 1934

"PMAC eventually acquired permission to use the Cactus Airport, at the corner of Cave Creek and Cactus, for a flying and contest site. This small airport served crop dusters and little else, but it boasted of a paved circle for control line flyers and a lot of space for free flighters. The first few Southwest Regional Model Airplane Championships, which is quite a lofty name for a beginning effort – and it is still used today, contest took place at Cactus in 1951. SW Regionals in those days had events for free flight, control line and radio control and the events were organized and sponsored by PMAC. Through the years, SW Regionals events evolved, with the constant element every year being free flight. After Cactus, PMAC club flying took place at 32″d St. and Cactus [now the site of a large subdivision, as is Cactus Airport]; Dynamite Blvd and Cave Creek [now the site of a veteran’s cemetery]; and 38th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road [now another subdivision].
Locations for SW Regionals include Cactus Airport, Luke Auxiliary Field #3 [NW of Phoenix], the Buckeye Airport, and most recently, two locations near Eloy, AZ. Eventually, the SW Regionals was taken over by a group called the Southwest Regionals Modelers Association, Inc. that represents the interests of all concerned modelers, although SWRMA is not directly connected with PMAC. Funding was obtained that will permit the SWR to continue indefinitely. Considering that 2004 marked the 54th annual SWR, chances are good that the contest can and will continue for many years.
In recognition of the years of service by the Websters, our flying site is known as Webster’s field, and we were fortunate to have Quintin and his wife Nancy at a recent SWR handing out the free flight awards."

Hola Jim,

      Yes the FF portion of the SW Regionals is still in operation out in Eloy.  It was last weekend I believe. I flew it several years ago.  The drive out there is interesting.  Lots of run-down and abandoned buildings. Made me a bit uneasy, as it looks like some of the...business trips I go on