CL: Navy Carrier
Joe Just
Overview
Cooperation was the word at the Control Line Navy Carrier competition at the 1990 AMA Nationals. As rookie John Vina, recipient of the Navy Carrier Society's Rookie of the Year award, said, "One of the things that impresses me most about Carrier fliers is their willingness to help each other out during competition!"
The Carrier events at the Mid‑America Nats were highly competitive. Entries were up, equipment was top‑notch, innovative, and reliable. The competitors also benefited from a new carrier deck provided through the AMA and the planning and construction efforts of designer Gerry Deneau and crew Mel Schuette and "Doc" Holliday.
Site preparation and volunteer effort
Before flying began, competitors and volunteers helped prepare the site and flying circle. Art and Carol Johnson assisted with preparations the day before official flying started. Other helpers included Roy Stewart, Leo Whittenberg, Tom Wilk, Simon Bosworth, Jim Brown, Brenda Schuette, Robert and Carolyn Groh, and many others. After the awards on Saturday, fliers stayed to dismantle the deck and pack it away for storage until next year.
Profile Carrier (Thursday)
Weather: gusty winds that increased through the day; hot and muggy.
Twenty Open contestants began their quests. Highlights and top results:
- 1st — Pete Mazur, Spearfish — 3352 points (used the wind to advantage)
- 2nd — Bill Melton, Grumman Guardian — 3308 points
- 3rd — Marc Warwashana — 3218 points (early leading flight)
- 4th — Gary Hull, Kingfisher (Glen Dye 36) — 3192 points
- 5th — Mel Schuette, MO‑1 (K&B 58) — placed fifth
- 6th — Carlos Aloise — impressive low‑speed flights (five minutes plus)
Rookie John Vina impressed the Navy Carrier Society with consistently steady, well‑prepared flying and was awarded NCS Rookie of the Year.
Junior and Senior divisions
Entries were down slightly, but competition quality remained high.
- Junior: Kevin Warwashana (Canton, MI), flying a K&B 58‑powered Spearfish, posted a personal best of 2149 points to win Profile Carrier Junior.
- Senior: Chad Dinerman flew an ST .35‑powered Seagull to first place in the Senior division.
Kevin's personal best and the enthusiastic advice and cheering among Carrier fliers were noted as contributing factors to the strong performances.
Classes I and II (Friday)
Scale Carrier events brought out the heavier scale models and fierce competition.
Class I highlights:
- 1st — Herb Patrick, MO‑1 (K&B 6.5) — used a very fast high‑speed portion combined with a superb three‑minute slow flight
- 2nd — Bill Melton — placed second after difficulty finding the right slow‑speed setup
- 3rd — Joe Dzialo — Avenger with an innovative exhaust system
- Fastest high speed (Class I): Pete Mazur — 17.07 seconds
- Junior contestant Jason Kegel used his Testor .35 effectively.
Class II highlights:
- 1st — Pete Mazur, MO‑1 (Webra Speed .61) — best high‑speed time 16.56 seconds; won Class II
- With his Class II win and performances across classes, Pete Mazur also accumulated the most total points in the three regular Carrier classes and was awarded the Eugene Ely award by the Navy Carrier Society.
- 2nd — Joe Dzialo, Bearcat (Rossi .60) — very light and impressive model
- 3rd — Bill Melton — unable to find the right slow‑speed combination
NCS Banquet and Awards
The annual Navy Carrier Society banquet was held Friday night at K‑J's in Vincennes. NCS President Joe Just presented:
- The Eugene Ely award to Pete Mazur
- The Rookie of the Year award to John Vina
During the meeting the NCS addressed sound issues and discussed ways to increase carrier participation.
Unofficial events (Saturday)
Turnout for unofficial events varied.
- Sportsman: turnout down from 1989; Mike Greb won with 211.4 points.
- 15‑size ships: six entrants; Bill Bischoff's MO‑1 led the pack, but "Doc" Holliday's .049 Ringmaster Jr. stole the show with an almost‑silent slow‑speed run.
- Sig‑sponsored Skyway 35 Carrier: five fliers participated. Four used the Sig Skyraider adapted to three‑line configuration; the event showed interest in alternate model choices and configurations for Carrier flying.
Closing
The 1990 AMA Nationals Carrier events showcased strong competition, innovative equipment, and a spirit of mutual support among competitors and volunteers. With the deck dismantled and packed away, fliers look forward to returning in 1991 to compete, challenge, and help one another. You are invited to join them.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
