Welcome to Torrey Pines GullsSteve Condon – Modeler of the Year – 1992
Steve and his twin brother Scott were introduced to RC at an early age of about 4 or 5 by their father Dave Condon. Dave was into flying RC powered models in 1967-1968 and enjoyed flying a Senior Falcon. Steve and Scott’s parents arranged for them to have 2x3 tables in their bedroom for the purpose of building stick and tissue free flight planes. Now that’s a cool set of forward-thinking parents! Unfortunately, the Senior Falcon didn’t last all that long and after a crash, Dave took a hiatus from RC.
In 1971, the Condon’s came to learn of someone getting out of RC gliding and by way of this person they happened to acquire 2 radios, a Mark’s Model’s Windfree kit, a Mark’s Model’s Windward (ready to fly) and a Midwest Lil’ T-bird. This collection of gliders set the family back again on the path of RC. Soon they added a Questor and a Soarcraft Libelle and Soarcraft ASW-17 to the fleet.
At the time they lived in the Bay Area. Soon they joined the very popular South Bay Soaring Society (SBSS) in about 1972 or 1973. SBSS member Fred Weaver took the Condon sons under his instruction as coach for contests, thermalling, timing, etc. The Condons grew up flying in the club contest circuit both Standard Class, then Open Class thermal duration, and also slope races at Davenport. They used to also enjoy fun flying at Sunset Beach just south of Santa Cruz. Steve Condon served as Contest Director for the first time in 1978, a contest called “Battle of the Big Ones,” held at Curtis Junior High School. The club members of the SBSS treated all of the kids with great care and respect, realizing that youth represented the future of their organization. It is something that the Condons will always remember.
In 1979 the family moved to Orange County. They made a fresh start and focused mostly on sport flying in the Mission Viejo area. It was during this time that they also took side trips to Torrey Pines, starting to fly there in 1979 and into the 1980s. The boys attended high school at the time and did not have the time to fly in contests, nor did they join the Harbor Soaring Society (HSS) that was the large RC glider club in the area. They mainly just enjoyed flying at Kite Hill. Steve remembers serving as a witness for the second person to ever achieve LSF Level V at the age of 14.
After high school, Steve attended San Diego State University in 1982. He flew both a Bird of Time and an Aquila but life took him to the east coast for a time, and he flew with an RC club in Pennsylvania for a period of about 6 months. He moved back to San Diego thereafter and joined the TPG in 1989 recognizing some familiar faces (Don Edberg, Steve Neu, and others) as well as meeting SBSS members at contests. Initially, as a new TPG member, not only were the thermal contests at Hourglass Field in Mira Mesa but also at Montgomery-Waller Park in Chula Vista. Steve remembers attending these TD meets regularly. At one contest at Montgomery-Waller, then TPG President Bill Liscomb entered his ¼ scale ASW-20 in the thermal duration contest and proceeded to launch it off the winch and do well. This allowed Steve to get to know Bill and also form an interest in scale soaring.
Volunteering to fill a void in club management, Steve went rapidly from relative newcomer to president of the TPG. This was at the same time that local RC soaring was witnessing a considerable rise and diversity of effort. TPG member Charlie Richardson was making a popular line of slope racers and the cliff was busy with activity every weekend. Aaron Valdes was keeping thermal duration contests going, and the club was very involved in SC2 contests. F3B was also becoming a popular international competitive event, and even this new aspect of “hand launch” gliding was becoming en vogue. Add to this a group of people in the Gulls who enjoyed scale soaring and sport flying – RC gliding was very strong. At 29 years of age, Steve recognized this and set forth to focus on events and fun rather than infighting. He pulled together a fantastic and very active Board of Directors that eagerly gathered around Steve as a leader.
This included Ron Scharck, who became Raffle Coordinator and helped make the monthly meetings something everyone wanted to attend. Literally there would be 100 people at a monthly meeting, there to hear the meeting and the speaker but also there to take part in the “super raffle”. A local internet entrepreneur, Jerry Fry built the TPG website and local tech guru Tom Clarkson created a computer scoring system for contests. John McNeil, Steve Condon, Ron Scharck, Steve Stricklett and others planned for a way to get the TPG out in front on hand launch and the IHLGF was the result. In short, Steve led a team that propelled the TPG into new directions and new prosperity. It was a phase change.
In 1991, Steve Condon took a road trip to Oregon. He flew RC sailplanes at the famous Eagle Butte, and drove Highway 395 back down from Oregon and on a whim, went over Tioga pass to camp in Yosemite for a couple nights. At the time RC was not forbidden so he flew at 2m Bird of Time at Tuolumne Meadows and found the lift (and sink) to be super. The next year the entire Condon family returned to Tuolumne Meadows to camp and also fly RC - including flying in Ahwahnee Meadow in Yosemite Valley with the blessing of the ranger who only asked that they land if they heard a helicopter coming. This was great fun and very scenic stuff! In 1999, the Condons returned once again but this time Scott drove to Glacier Point. There at 3240 feet above the valley below, Scott threw a Calypso Cobra off the top while Steve piloted the RC plane from the valley below. The flight was perfect, and ended with a speed run and a hand catch, something Steve and family will never forget.
In 1992, the TPG awarded the Modeler of the Year trophy to Steve for his many actions as President that helped grow the club and its vitality for years to come. That same year, Steve was heavily focused on slope racing, traveling all over to race. He also helped encourage man-on-man slope races and helped start the 60” slope race class. In 1993 Steve served as team helper to the US team that went to the F3B world championships in Kafir Saba, Israel. In 1994 he was a pilot on the US team that went to the first F5D world championships in Australia. In 1999, he once again flew as a pilot on the US team, this time in F3B along with Joe Wurts and Daryl Perkins in South Africa. After this, while raising his children Steve refocused on occasional club contests and sport flying rather than big competition flying.
However, more recently he has become interested in GPS triangle racing with his 7 meter 1/3 scale JS1 sailplane and also the “light” class with a converted F3J Vixen, which is simultaneously challenging, exhilarating, frustrating and fun. He’s also helping boost interest in F5J in the TPG, which presents another new direction for the club, and RC soaring in general.