First Successful Pipe

Sepulveda Flood Control Basin, Summer 1965


A No-Pipe World Champion in 64 - "Wart"-powered Pink Lady

Bill Wisnewski and Roger Theobald worked a long time together to perfect a tuned pipe for F2A. A convincing World Champion in 1964, in a time when all three podium positions in speed were separated by a few KPH, Bill had invested a lot of time in a big gamble.

The state-sponsored teams of the Eastern-Bloc countries such as the Hungarian teams running the MOKI, the Czechoslovak teams with MVVS, and the USSR with engines inspired or tuned by the CAML in Moscow. (Tsentral Aeromodel Laboratory) were working on "exercises in perfection". A very poor performance was much worse than not placing in a middle-to-high position. Gambles were likely to put you at home for several years, maybe loosing a degree of state support.

The U. S. could gamble and Bill did it. When it all came together I went to "the Basin" as usual on a weekend in the summer of 1965 to find him test flying an airplane that was light years ahead of anything anywhere in F2A.

The first "TWA" - Pipe Removed

I wrote the Round and Round column in M.A.N. at that time so I took pictures, promising not to publish them until after the world champs in 1966. The aircraft and engine here are the prototypes of the ones that blew everyone away the following year with something like a 20 mi/hr.

After the World Champs I had better photos and published them. Bill did a very good article for MAN detailing what he did and how he came to do it. Digging through old negatives I found these. Beat up and all, I thought it may be interesting to some to see the very first.

The pipe was not new to motor racing but no one had had a successful implementation in model size until Wisniewski. Keeping their work quiet, even at the World Champs in 1966 he and Roger made test flights at another venue. The very first flight at the contest site was an official and also the winning flight. All the more impressive becauxe it was not full "on" during the timing. Roger easily took second, and third? The American Chuck Schutte with an Italian Super Tigre!

It Works!!

"Bonus Picture"
Victory Drink at 64 World Champs