'91 All American Nationals: CL Combat
Bud Bodzioch
Hi, boys and girls! It's Unka Buddy reporting on the bash-'em, smash-'em crowd-pleaser at the '91 Nationals: Combat!
Pre-event processing and Slow Combat tuning
Contestants go through processing on the afternoon before the events they fly. For most events that involves inspection or judging of the aircraft. For Combat, however, you merely inform the Event Director of your arrival so you can be matched against other contestants.
Slow Combat fliers use this time to dial in their models — much like "carburetion day" at the Indy 500. During the prerace period, drivers optimize fuel systems; Slow Combat fliers make adjustments so their models will turn tightly, remain aloft at least five minutes, and run reliably. Typical adjustments include tank height, venturi/needle-valve settings, prop selection, and fuel nitromethane content (less nitro yields lower speeds but longer runs).
Why all this fiddling? Look back to the 1960s: all-out Combat models flew at 85–90 mph in those days. Some competitors longed for the era of 65–70 mph, and an unofficial Old-Time Combat event was born. That evolved into Slow Combat — and, as experts got involved, speeds have crept up. Today, supposedly laid-back Slow Combat often approaches 100–105 mph and looks a lot like Fast Combat.
Weather and early outlook
Sunday was hot and humid — a harbinger of the week ahead. Overheated engines and sub-four-minute runs were the norm. Lowering nitro to around 15% and using leaner needle settings helped some fliers, but frustration was common.
I stopped by the officials' tent where codirectors Pat Willcox and Sheila Cranfill bemoaned the shortage of Junior- and Senior-level competitors. Four Juniors pre-registered; two elected to fly in Open. Only one Senior entered (Ted Daniels of the Norfolk, Virginia area). When told he was the only entrant, he said he had come to fly and chose to compete in Open — a true sportsman. A tip of the hat to Ted.
Sunday's highlight was the unveiling by Steve Kott of one of four prototype Nelson .36 Combat engines. Its basic appearance is similar to the Nelson "Slow Rat" except for an offset rectangular intake stack. It weighs about eight ounces, has a 17mm shaft, and fits Fox mounts.
Junior Slow Combat (Monday morning)
Two entries: Matt Arunski (Manchester, Missouri — St. Louis area) and Michael Carlson (Nashville, Tennessee). Both flew current-style models powered by ubiquitous Fox engines. Combat runs double-elimination, so fliers flew until they lost twice. The first match mixed up well, with two cuts before the inevitable midair collision. Matt and Michael really got aggressive, often bouncing airplanes off each other with no major damage. When the dust settled, Michael Carlson was declared the winner after two narrow victories.
Open Slow Combat (Monday noon)
Open Slow Combat kicked off at high noon with 24 entrants. Equipment mirrored past years: roughly 500-sq-in foamies and Fox engines dominating (mostly Mk IVs and Mk VIs). The GRW fuel tank, introduced last year, was popular for its greater capacity and availability. Several novel airplanes appeared, including very long-tail arrow-shaft designs. Phil Peppin of Columbus, Ohio, opted not to fly full-length arrow-boom models because of controversy over whether an arrow-stick counts as a profile fuselage; he flew airplanes with shorter booms buried in sheet-balsa channels or conventional tail sticks. Codirectors Pat and Sheila planned to run off half the matches by 4:00 p.m. Monday and the rest on Tuesday. With temperatures in the mid-90s, they had no trouble keeping to schedule.
Officials, dignitaries, and sponsors
Among those present:
- Don Lowe — AMA President
- Vince Mankowski — AMA Executive Director (when not flying)
- Bob Underwood — AMA Technical Director
- Bev Wisniewski — Nationals CL Category Manager
- George Higgins — Nationals CL Category Director
Combat sponsors in attendance included Bob Bearden (Bear Model Products), George Carver (Carver Stereo), and Betty Fox (Fox Manufacturing).
Early standout performances
Notable early flyers included:
- Michael Willcox — flying an airplane that had no right to turn so tightly
- Mack Henry and Davey Owen — Russian-inspired designs with delicate-looking tails
- Young Dennis Cranfill — who outperformed his father Don in earlier rounds (Don later got his revenge in the semifinals)
FAI-style "follow your opponent" tactics dominated this year's flying. Don Cranfill exemplified the strategy, consistently shaking people off his tail and getting on theirs, always pushing just low enough to avoid tuck-unders. Don's consistency paid off: he finished the event without two losses, making him National Champion for the sixth or seventh time.
FAI Combat (Wednesday)
FAI day drew only seven entries for the expensive-engine event; many competitors went fishing or were saving equipment for upcoming California team trials. The eventual winner, Tom Fluker Jr., flew his 1988 models. Most Nelson engines present were the rear-valve/rear-exhaust variant, typically with short shafts.
Notable innovations:
- Joe McKinzie — structurally incorporated wing-tip weight using Lite Ply outboard wing tips
- Mack Henry — line-slicing Lay-Strait control lines, Latvian-modified Russian Typhoon engines (offering Nelson-like speeds), and Russian-style airplanes and props
1/2A Combat (Thursday)
Fifteen serious 1/2A entries turned out, with over half flying Shuriken engines. Last year's breakage problems were attributed to too-small circlips on the wristpin; moving to a slightly larger wire cured the issue. The most common Shuriken variant was the Stage 1 modified ball-bearing model (about $225).
Fliers were still learning starting and restarting techniques for Shurikens. The engines tolerate excessive primes poorly and are susceptible to crankcase floods. Some fliers held outboard wings down about 30–45° to keep fuel from draining into the engine. Airplanes tended to be larger, with much of the increase in chord; many models approached 300 square inches, featuring arrow-shaft booms and swept-back foam tails that made them look like the big fast-combat ships.
Bill Estill was the eventual 1/2A winner, flying conservatively with a stock Tee Dee on a fairly large foamie and earning reliable starts and restarts. Congratulations to this mild-mannered, soft-spoken gentleman.
AMA (Fast) Combat — Friday
On Friday morning there were no Junior entrants in AMA Fast Combat. (A reminder to parents: if your kid can fly a Ringmaster, they could have been a Junior National Champ.) Matt Arunski (St. Louis area) was the only Senior entry; one official flight was all he needed to secure his first-place Senior trophy.
At noon, the Open (AMA) Combat field opened up. Twenty-six entrants competed in the least-restricted CL Combat category. Engines to watch were the prototype Nelsons and highly tuned Fox Mk. VIs; notable tuners included George Carver (whose engine had been bored out by Glen Dye), Steve Kott (using an Al Kelly 8x6 glass prop), and others with Willy Wiley powerplants.
Friday's best match featured Richard Stubblefield versus Steve Kott. Both had exceptionally turning planes. Stubblefield was a bit faster in the flats, while Kott's ship could pull away in the corners. They battled for two to three minutes, rarely leaving one quadrant of the circle, exchanging several cuts until only two knots remained. For about 30 seconds neither could line up the kill, but finally Steve made a slightly late turn and Richard scored the kill. The crowd rose to give a long, well-deserved ovation.
Finals and winners (Saturday)
On Saturday morning the remaining competitors lined up for final rounds. It initially looked like last year's winner Gary Arnold might repeat, flying Arrowplane ships with very quick Nelsons. Unfortunately, Gary's carbon-fiber prop shed a tip and he was eliminated.
Final placings in Fast Combat:
- Michael Willcox — first
- Gary Arnold — second
- Joe McKinzie — third
- Ray Krups — fourth
- Jeff Dawson — fifth
- Mike Evans — sixth
Sites and closing
According to Vince Mankowski, next year's Nationals will be held at one of three possible sites: Oregon, back at Lawrenceville, or the new AMA headquarters in Muncie, Indiana. With construction at Muncie progressing well, there's a good chance the site will be ready. Site determination may be made at the Executive Council meeting in September. As for me, I'm pulling for Muncie. Hope to see you all next year!
SAFE FLYING IS NO ACCIDENT
This column is dedicated to the memory of Duke Melvin Fox.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
