Control Line: Navy Carrier

CONTROL LINE: NAVY CARRIER

By Dick Perry

7005 Del Oso Court NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109-2930

What a great Carrier Nats! There were new models and new modelers; young modelers and experienced modelers who hadn't been seen at a Nats in quite a few years; there was a new event for older model designs; and most importantly, there was good competition, good sportsmanship, outstanding camaraderie, and a chance to catch up on what friends had been doing since the last Nats.

New models and entrants

• Several new models appeared on the flightline, including a few new MO-1s that increased the numbers of that popular design. Despite last year's bonus for multiengine models, all of this year's entries were single-engine types. Some development of twins for Carrier is underway, and as modelers work out handling and reliability, more twins may appear at future Nats.
• In Profile, Bill Calkins showed a new Martin Mauler, and Gary Hull brought a Brewster Model 340. Mike Shull's Westland Wyvern (Class I) featured working Youngman flaps like the full-scale plane. Terry Herron produced a new D4Y2 Judy in honor of his father; it was an updated version of his successful 1970s campaign model, using the same engine. The Nostalgia Profile event included a Howard Mottin–designed Starjet by John Vlna, complete with a vintage ST .35 engine.
• Pete Mazur flew models that had performed well for him in the past. They weren't new, but renewed: a flood in Pete's basement last year required extensive rebuilding of his equipment and models. Except for a slight weight gain and occasional mild warp, the airplanes returned to competitive form.

Junior and family participation

• A high point was strong turnout by younger modelers: five Juniors and Seniors made 15 entries. Several father/son teams competed: Euan Edmonds traveled from Washington with his father Tom; Ward and his father each entered five events; Dave Rowley and Dave Rowley Jr. flew in Profile Carrier; and D.J. Parr flew in Class I and Profile, with his dad Melvin Schuette joining in the Skyray event.

Overall turnout

• There were 72 total Carrier event entries this year, producing spirited competition. The expected large Texas contingent, plus a few new members among the contestants, added interest.

Thursday — wind and strategy

• Thursday morning looked promising but the wind increased. Early turbulence made the low-speed portions of flights challenging: by the end of the first hour 11 contestants faced trouble completing low-speed landings. Jim Kirby and Kelly Hite set early scores that others chased.
• Wind and occasional slow engine response caused many to miss low-speed landings on first flights. Competitors had to choose between a safe, complete effort on a remaining official flight or pushing for maximum performance at risk of another incomplete. Fewer than half the contestants earned full landing points.
• Bill Melton overcame the conditions and posted the best flight of the day, including the slowest low-speed time by a margin of about a minute. His score beat the closest competitor by 35 points, and left him with a 33-point lead in the Eugene Ely Award standings after Thursday.
• Pete Mazur's first attempt included the fastest time of the day (95 mph) but a damaged plug running lean at high speed caused balky engine performance and prevented the needed low speed. Pete finished second on the day, four points ahead of Jim Kirby. Jim later touched the ground during slow flight on an improvement attempt. Pete suffered further plug problems and aborted another attempt; his third try completed the low-speed landing but ended in the dirt five feet short of the deck because of engine trouble.
• Mike Greb managed a 100-point landing to move into fourth place. Kelly Hite and Gilbert Ruiz flew conservative flights to score 95-point landings. No other Open contestants completed flights that day.
• The event results were close, with fewer than 10 points separating all contestants behind Bill Melton. Mike Greb and Kelly Hite tied for fourth place — a rare tie for a Nats Carrier trophy.

Junior/Senior Profile

• Andy Westerheim led early in Junior/Senior Profile, but D.J. Parr closed to within 11 points with a score of 229.6 flying his MO-1. Tom Ward's first official flight put him in third; his last attempt passed D.J. by slightly more than one point for second place.
• Dave Rowley Jr. spent most of the day at the Racing circles and, when he finally made his Carrier flights, the conditions prevented him from achieving a landing. Euan Edmonds suffered a premature line-slider release on his first flight, causing extensive damage that kept him from further competition.

Friday — Class I and II

• Friday brought interesting new models and similar windy conditions. Terry Herron flew a pretty Class II Yokosuka D4Y2 Judy; his high speed of 114 mph had everyone watching, but the flight ended without a low-speed signal and was scored only as an "attempt." Mike Shull's Westland Wyvern attracted attention with flaps that moved aft and down as deployed, like the full-scale aircraft. However, the mechanism to hold the hook and flaps in the high-speed position failed after the first flight; the flaps deployed on takeoff, causing a minor crash. The release mechanism could not be repaired on the field.
• Friday's wind caused lower scores for many, but fewer incomplete flights and missed landings than Thursday. After Thursday's experience, most competitors took a more conservative approach.
• In Class II, Bill Melton's Rossi-powered MO-1 dominated high speed with a 117.1 mph top speed. A total score of 443.9 put him solidly in first place in Class II and gave him a comfortable lead in the Ely Award competition. Pete Mazur's top speed in Class II was 10 mph lower, but a better low speed moved him into second place, within two points of Bill.

Afternoon conditions and final results

• With safe scores posted and winds picking up around lunch, flying slowed. By midafternoon the sky clouded, winds subsided, and conditions became nearly ideal for low speed.
• Mike Greb and Jim Kirby achieved low-speed scores exceeding 3½ minutes in Class I. Mike moved into second place; Jim would have been ahead except for a 100-point penalty for flying a Profile model. Jim also posted the best low-speed score in Class II at more than four minutes.
• Pete Mazur posted the best high speed of the day (nine mph faster than any other contestant) and added one minute to his previous low-speed score, producing a 432 in Class I.
• Bill Melton was then 50 points out of first in Class I and needed to improve his scores across the remaining events to reclaim the lead for the Eugene Ely Award. With only one attempt left in Class II, Bill needed a near-record flight. His top speed was enough, but the wind subsided further and he could not achieve the low-speed score required. Bill won Class II and Profile events, but Pete Mazur was declared the overall champion and winner of the Eugene Ely Award.

Awards and recognition

• At the annual Navy Carrier Society (NCS) Awards Banquet on Friday evening, winners received trophies and the annual Nats awards were presented:
• Pete Mazur received the Eugene Ely Award plaque as overall champion.
• Art Johnson presented Jan Westerheim with the Carol Johnson Spirit of Volunteerism Award for her unselfish efforts throughout the competition.
• The NCS Rookie of the Year was Kelly Hite, who earned trophies in Profile and Class II.

Saturday unofficial events

• Saturday's unofficial events enjoyed outstanding weather. There were 24 entries in five events, with the most (10) in .15 Carrier. The .15 event was sponsored by friends of the NCS who donated funds for awards. Kelly Hite finished first in .15 Carrier with 218.3 points, followed closely by Jim Damerell, Melvin Schuette, and Dale Gleason. Andy Westerheim topped the Junior/Senior entries.
• The NCS-sponsored Sportsman Profile Carrier (for modelers who do not enter official Nats Carrier events) was won by John "Doc" Holliday, who edged out Charles Edmonds; Tim Ehlen finished third flying a Sig Skyray with electronic throttle control.
• Sig sponsored the Skyray Carrier event for their Skyray 35 model. Melvin Schuette placed first, followed by Art Johnson and Dale Gleason.

Nostalgia Carrier

• Nostalgia Carrier was new this year, with two classes—Profile and combined Class I/II competition. Nostalgia was conceived to keep alive models and flying styles of early Carrier; scoring used the 1975 rules and models had to be pre-1976 designs. John Brodak provided merchandise prizes, including two vintage GS kits.
• In Nostalgia Profile, Gilbert Ruiz entered a GS (Brodak) Skyrider with a green-head K&B and flew it to first place with 296 points. Tom and Roy Ward flew Sterling P-51 Mustangs to second (273 points) and third (264 points) respectively. John Vlna's Starjet finished close behind at 263.
• In combined Class I/II Nostalgia, Roy Ward's Sterling Guardian finished first with 495 points, ahead of John Vlna's Douglas Skyraider (another Howard Mottin design).
• Officials and contestants voted Roy Ward and his Guardian to receive the Roland Baltes award, honoring a strong contributor to Carrier events; the award was a print of a Grumman Guardian.

Officials, volunteers, and thanks

The Carrier modelers enjoyed three days of excellent competition thanks to many volunteers. Many chose to officiate rather than fly so others could compete—special thanks go to them:

• Bill Bischoff — organizer and overall event director
• Roy Ward — center judge
• Glenn Daggs, Doc Holliday, Tim Ehlen, Linda Gleason, Ted Kraver — flight timers
• Dave King, Art White — pull-test operators
• Lance Tweedy — recorder
• Jan Westerheim — scoring and tabulation

It's great to see younger modelers supported by family and friends, and the event benefited from the efforts of many dedicated volunteers.

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