Wingbuster Invitational

NEIL SIMPSON, DICK SHERMAN,

PAUL KUBEK & MATT STAS

ARE TOP FOUR

“LIL SHERM” TAKES SPORTSMAN

OCTOBER 5, 2003 - MIDDLEBORO, MA – The temperture was cool, the air crisp and a strong breeze had an edge to it, a great New England October day, a great day for Formula GX combat. The Wingbuster club field was, as usual, in perfect shape, thanks to the efforts of Norm Thibeault, the club member in charge of the grounds. Ten New England pilots were in attendance and ready for action.

Round one saw Joe Fustolo and Matt Stas get off to good starts both posting two cut wins. In the first match of round two Joe and Matt hooked up, in a good match that Joe won two cuts to one. Round two also saw Paul Kubek get past Jim Carpenter by the same score. Meanwhile, Dick Sherman and Neil Simpson were flying steady and were in the in the hunt, posting respectable cumulative scores through round two. Going into round three Joe was the clear leader with 1350 points followed by Dick (1030pts), Paul (1025pts), Matt (1025pts) and Neil (920pts).

In the first match of round three Dick got past Joe with a one cut win, in a match, where a bad line tangle was the deciding factor. Following that match Paul Kubek got an airtime win over Matt Stas. Next, Neil got past Brian Stas two cuts to one, in a well flown match. Later in round three Jim Carpenter used a one cut win over Rick Clark to emerge as a contender. Going into the final round Dick had 1650 points followed by Neil (1645pts ), Paul (1545pts), Joe (1450pts), Jim (1430pts), Brian (1225pts) and Matt (1125pts).

The last four matches of the final round would determine the trophy winners. In the first of these matches Matt Stas and Rick Clark flew to a one cut apiece draw. In the next match Jim Carpenter and Brian Stas mid-aired, very early, knocking both pilots out of contention. In the semi final match Neil Simpson got an airtime win over Joe Fustolo, when Joe encountered engine problems. The last match saw Dick Sherman and Paul Kubek square off, however, a violent mid air, just after the halfway point, hurt both their cumulative scores. The final order of finish was Neil (2165pts), Dick (1850pts), Paul (1745pts),and Matt (1635pts). Richard ( “Lil Sherm” ) Sherman finished fifth overall, with 1630 points, taking home the Sportsman gold in the process.

Four out of the top five flyers used OS Max 32SX powered Yankee Nipper or Yankee Nipper clones with GRW tanks. Paul Kubek used a OSFP35 powered, bladder tanked foamy. Thank You to Rick Clark who cd’ed this contest and did a lot of work behind the scenes to bring it to fruition. Thank You to the Wingbuster Model Airplane Club for the use of their great facility.

Wingbuster Invitational

10 contestants (8 from MA )(2 from NH)

20 matches ( 3 mid-airs )

(E) Neil Simpson-E.Brookfield, MA 2165pts

(E) Dick Sherman-Andover, MA 1850pts

(A) Paul Kubek-Brockton, MA 1745pts

(A) Matt Stas-Kingston, MA 1635pts

(S) “Lil Sherm”-Andover, MA 1630pts

(E) Joe Fustolo-Stoughton, MA 1550pts

(E) Jim Carpenter-Salem, NH 1530pts

(S) Rick Clark – Hingham, MA 1430pts

(A) Brian Stas-Kingston, MA 1325pts

(S) Jeff Vader-Franklin, NH 1210pts