CL Combat

CL Combat

Author

Charlie Johnson

Overview

What might have seemed like a low-key Nats in a sleepy part of Washington State turned into one of the most fun and exciting Nationals in memory. Some competitors made long drives — Jim Gall from New Jersey and John Kupinski from Michigan — while many others flew. The Combat flying site was probably the best in the past decade: beautiful grass, good parking, and stores and restaurants just a few blocks away.

Site, Weather, and Accommodation

• The flying site offered excellent public exposure, helped by stories in the local news and the presence of a Soviet contingent.
• Weather timeline:
• Sunday: cool and drizzly during the air show
• Tuesday: hot
• Wednesday: hotter
• Thursday: windy
• Friday & Saturday: nice weather for Fast Combat
• Motels: plentiful and very inexpensive. Richland proved to be middle-America pleasant — reasonable prices, good food, friendly people.
• Headquarters: Shiloh Inn provided ample space for meetings, a hobby shop, processing, and a scenic view of the Columbia River. On-site communications gear and a generator supplied power for heat guns and drills used in field repairs.

Organization and Sportsmanship

Howard Rush served as Event Director, providing solid organization and humorous PA commentary. Officials' communication has improved thanks to radio headsets and longer-range gear used to contact AMA HQ. Notably, this meet displayed exceptional sportsmanship: no protests, no tempers, and no rule-book conflicts — a refreshing change from past Nats.

Soviet Contingent

A small contingent of modelers from Leningrad included two Combat fliers:

• Alexander Guievskii — more of a pitman who flies Combat for fun
• Ed Kozlovskiy — a full-time Combat flier

Dan Rutherford and Bob Carver lent models to the Soviet visitors: Dan provided planes and some 1/2A models for Alexander, and Bob furnished models Ed used in Fast Combat. The Russians were primarily interested in seeing America and having fun, but they also hoped to take a trophy home. Their presence added a real spark to the meet and drew plenty of public interest. After events, a brisk market developed for Soviet equipment — autographed models went for $20–30 and engines up to around $120.

Slow Combat

• Slow Combat ran on Monday with 15 entrants in a double-elimination format.
• Equipment and flying:
• Most models were Fox-powered, with hard tanks, foam wings, and extended tail moments. Some models exceeded allowed overall length by nearly a foot due to long tail moments.
• Profile bodies were appearing on bombers; carbon boom types seen elsewhere were largely absent here.
• Dan Rutherford introduced a light, strong floral covering material that proved durable in crashes and gave his models an attractive appearance.
• Key competitors:
• Tom Fluker: very fast engine runs, occasional cutouts, exceptional turning; ultimately won first place.
• Jeff Rein: showed turning and crispness comparable to Fluker.
• Dan Rutherford: good planes, just a bit behind Fluker.
• Ed Kozlovskiy: borrowed models, lost a plane during competition; ended up tangled in a bizarre line tangle with Glenn Salter but landed undamaged.
• Notable match: John Kupinski vs. Ed Kozlovskiy — Kupinski flew coolly under Kozlovskiy multiple times while Kozlovskiy made low passes and scored cuts.

FAI Combat

• Only five entries (similar to last year), likely reduced by world championships and team trials drawing fliers away. The Soviets' presence inspired additional entries — Phil Granderson entered after learning the Russians were coming.
• Results and equipment:
• Howard Rush won, flying his 1984 world-championship airplanes ("Rushpuppies").
• Tom Fluker and Phil Granderson also turned in strong performances; Granderson flew heavier, slower models but did well without carbon props.
• The Soviet fliers used distinctive Russian flying-wing designs with paper-covered foam leading edges and a twin-exhaust engine layout (one exhaust above and one under the leading edge).
• Bizarre incidents:
• Howard's streamer hook was driven into his boom by an opponent's engine hit, requiring the boom to be ripped open.
• Fluker experienced a fly-away in his match with Kozlovskiy. Fluker had added a fresh streamer to try for air points; Kozlovskiy targeted the streamer and won by cuts and air time.
• FAI matches were often decided by small mistakes; Kozlovskiy later acknowledged taking an entire streamer on the first pass as a costly error.

1/2A Combat

• The windy day matched the worst conditions seen at previous Nats, creating takeoff and flight problems for many 1/2A models that lacked wind penetration.
• Eliminations were exciting to watch but challenging for contestants; Jim Womack survived with consistent, determined flying.
• Awards presentations were festive and unorthodox — Mike Petri (listed in accounts as Mike Petit in one instance) even dumped two gallons of ice water on Jim Womack during the ceremony.
• Alexander Guievskii, initially out of the trophy round, flew for sixth place when Dan Rutherford's model suffered an engine failure in the trophy match; Dan was pleased his misfortune allowed Alexander another chance.

Fast Combat

• Fast Combat drew the largest field with about 35 entrants; equipment quality and flying were first-rate.
• Format: full double-elimination, running until noon Saturday and providing a relaxed pace.
• Typical equipment: Fox .36 engines, a variety of fuel regulators, ABC and AAC liners, carbon props, ultralight construction, and some very large models; few carbon tail booms were seen.
• Winner: Norm McFadden won the Nationals for the second consecutive year (Sherwood Buckstaff had previously done it twice in the mid-1970s). Norm may have flown the best plane, though other top contenders included Rudner, Carver, and several others.
• Spectators: large crowd, including a young girl wearing an Ed Kozlovskiy Fan Club T-shirt.
• Sportsmanship award: Dan Rutherford received the Good Sportsmanship Award following Fast Combat.

Hospitality and Legacy

The Soviet fliers stayed with local non-modeling host families, many of whom came to the field to watch. Overall reaction to the Nats was overwhelmingly positive: "Lots better than we expected" was the common response. The Soviet contingent made the event memorable — a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both Americans and Russians — and likely foreshadows more foreign contestants at future Nationals.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.