1986 Nats: CL Speed
By Gene Hempel
Event officials and acknowledgements
CL SPEED report from the 1986 Nats is this month's order of business. Sometimes we contestants forget to express our appreciation to all who helped execute and administer the Speed events. If it were not for the Nats volunteers who run things, there would be no Nats.
The CL Speed Event Director this year was Bill Wisniewski. He had Fran Garzon, Santo Rizzoto, and Bob Middleton as his assistants.
Weather and general notes
There was strong competition in all events, especially in 1/2A and D. The weather for the entire week was hot and humid. The temperature hovered close to the 100°F mark with high humidity. The humidity was the thing that really got to you.
It was evident after the first day of Speed flying that if you didn't get your official flights in by lunch, the times just kept getting slower as the temperature went up. At least it didn't rain.
Some of the old-time Speed fliers showed up at the Speed circles. It was really nice to see the famous team of Harris and Shelton from Baton Rouge, LA, as was Richard Shannon of Dresden, TN. I really enjoyed talking with these fellows.
I was stunned by the number of people lined up in the pits preparing to fly when I arrived at the circles on Monday morning. This year there were quite a few Junior and Senior participants in 1/2A Speed and Proto Speed. Quite a few of them used 1/2A Mouse Racers for these two events.
Open 1/2A Speed
- 1st: Warren Kurth (Davenport, IA) — 114.46 mph (tied with Al Stegens; Warren received first when Al could not get his second official flight in). Warren flew his own Peanut-design model with an "open-faced" Cox TD .049. His fuel: 70% nitro, 10% polypropylene, 20% oil.
- 2nd: Al Stegens — 114.46 mph
- 3rd: Tom Hartrigsen (Tullahoma, TN) — 114.31 mph (modified Cox .049 with reworked K&W fiberglass prop, 4¾-in. diameter with five-inch pitch)
Senior 1/2A Speed
- 1st: Karyn Foster (Advance, NC) — 73.08 mph
- 2nd: Steve Perkins (Houston, TX) — 72.55 mph
- 3rd: Jane Johnson (Rockford, IL) — 66.20 mph
Junior 1/2A Speed
- 1st: Todd Lee (Topeka, KS) — 76.31 mph
- 2nd: Bryan Shadel (Carlsbad, CA) — 70.17 mph
- 3rd: Shane Winchester (Rockford, IL) — 54.96 mph
There were quite a few young ladies flying 1/2A Speed. I hope the trend continues — maybe the guys will get moving.
1/2A Profile Proto Speed (Open, Senior, Junior)
Note: Profile Proto Speed is a Provisional event for Senior and Open contestants.
Open
- 1st: Warren Kurth (Davenport, IA) — 101.14 mph
- 2nd: Al Stegens (Cleveland, OH) — 97.31 mph
- 3rd: Tom Hartrigsen (Tullahoma, TN) — 94.45 mph
- Note: Hilary Kahn's .21 Sport hit 127.79 mph on one flight — .01 second faster than Stegens (reported context in original notes).
Senior
- 1st: Jane Johnson (Rockford, IL) — 77.09 mph
- 2nd: Steve Perkins — 70.28 mph
- 3rd: John Holliday (Shawnee, KS) — 61.81 mph
Junior
- 1st: Todd Lee — 74.20 mph
- 2nd: Bryan Shadel — 66.32 mph
- 3rd: Shane Winchester — 54.03 mph
FAI Speed
FAI Speed day, Tuesday, found few participants since many of the "big-name" FAI Speed fliers had been participating in the Control Line World Championships the prior week.
- 1st: Billy Hughes (Bolingbrook, IL) — 136.28 mph
- 2nd: Glen Vansant (Penndel, PA) — 111.88 mph
Open .21 Sport
Open .21 Sport attracted 10 entries this year — not bad compared to previous Nats. The winner posted 165.22 mph; he was using a Supertigre X-15 engine with a modified 6 x 8 Rev-Up prop.
- 2nd: Fred and Joyce Margarido (Fremont, CA) — 159.93 mph
- 3rd: Glen Vansant — 139.15 mph
(Note: the original OCR source omitted the winner's name in this paragraph.)
Senior A Speed
There were only two entries in Senior A Speed.
- 1st: Steve Perkins (Houston, TX) — 138.94 mph
- 2nd: Greg Archer D'Evillie (New Orleans, LA) — 92.32 mph
There were no entries in Junior A Speed.
The type of .15-size engines used in A Speed varied between Rossi, OPS, K&B, and the STX. Fuel formulations varied: 75–80% nitro, 5–10% alcohol, and 18–20% synthetic oil. The Rev-Up 6 x 7-1/2 and 6 x 8 props were most commonly used, with a few fiberglass single-bladers. The majority of A Speed fliers used some form of suction feed fuel system of the uniflow variety.
First appearance: .21 Sport Speed (trial event)
This was the first appearance of .21 Sport Speed at the Nats (a trial to test popularity). There were nine entries.
- 1st: Tom Blankmann (Coppell, TX) — 138.73 mph
- 2nd: Jim Welch (Portsmouth, VA) — 133.08 mph
- 3rd: Gene Hempel (Garland, TX) — 132.68 mph
- 4th: Joey Mathison — 131.24 mph
This event is easier to fly than Formula "40." Any .21-size engine can be used, with a 10% nitro restriction. It’s a two-line control model. The four prize models for the Nats were donated by Dick Ritch of Ritch’s Hobbies; the top six contestants each received a gallon of fuel, and the top ten received trophies.
B Speed
- 1st: James Vansant (Penndel, PA) — 182.56 mph
- 2nd: Billy Hughes — 180.98 mph
- 3rd: Mike Greb (Sulphur Springs, TX) — 178.86 mph
There was only one contestant entered in Senior B Speed: Greg D'Evillie used his four attempts but did not post an official flight.
Most B Speed fliers used the setup described in M.A.'s "CL Speed" columns (April and June 1985). Typical fuel: 78–82% nitro, 2–5% alcohol, 17–20% synthetic oil. Most used a metal suction tank fuel system. The Supertigre X-29 was the dominant engine, with some K&B .29s. Rev-Up 7 x 10 two-blade props were common. Bill Hughes indicated he is molding glass props for B Speed using the Rev-Up prop as a master.
Formula "40"
This year's Formula "40" had 16 Open and two Senior entries. Open
- 1st: Glenn Lee (Batavia, IL) — 154.24 mph
- 2nd: Frank Garzon (Central Islip, NY) — 153.99 mph
- 3rd: James Vansant — 148.45 mph
- Note: K&B .65 engine dominated the event; Rev-Up 8 x 9 wood props or similar molded props were commonly used.
Senior
- 1st: Jim Ricketts (Sioux Falls, SD) — 155.34 mph
- 2nd: Greg D'Evillie (New Orleans, LA) — 150.15 mph
Formula "40", along with .21 Sport Speed, are easier to fly. Interest appears to be growing. Cooler weather helped achieve faster speeds.
D Speed
There were 13 entries in D Speed.
- 1st: Frank Garzon — 207.29 mph (Bluebird Special; OS .65 engine with refitted ABC cylinder and piston assembly; Glo-Be 4L glow plug; 9 x 13 Hughes epoxy/glass prop)
- 2nd: Bob Heywood — 202.24 mph
- 3rd: James Vansant — 196.86 mph
Frank Garzon has been flying D Speed for 26 years and calls it his favorite event. Bob Heywood joined the 200-mph club with his beautifully finished model. James Vansant, now retired, expects more time for modeling.
Jet Speed
Jet Speed was not the fastest this year but speeds remained respectable.
- 1st: Charlie Davis (Fort Worth, TX — Phire Phart) — 203.77 mph
- 2nd: Dimmitt Perkins (Houston, TX) — 196.21 mph
- 3rd: Dimmitt Perkins, Jr. — 188.99 mph
There were several Phire Phart models on the line; owners reported easy flying and reliable engine starts. Jerry Thomas' jet featured an original monoline torque unit — a photo will be shown in a future "CL Speed" column.
Social events and awards
The Speed modelers had an excellent get-together for refreshments and dinner at Paw's Seafood Restaurant, sponsored by the North American Speed Society (NASS). The evening included awarding the NASS Perpetual Speed trophies for Junior-Senior and Open Nats entrants, plus the High-Time trophy for all entrants.
- NASS Perpetual Speed trophy: James Vansant (Pennsauken, PA)
- Junior-Senior trophy: Steve Perkins (Houston, TX)
- High-Time trophy: Frank Garzon
Congratulations to the winners — let's keep Speed moving ahead!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
