NATS '78: CL Combat
Summary
The 1978 Nationals drew a smaller number of contestants than recent years, but the level of competition remained excellent. Nearly all the top-name Combat fliers were present, except U.S. team members Gary Frost and Chuck Rudner, who had already left for the World Championships. The event director was five-time Nats Combat winner Riley Wooten, who organized judges and helpers and kept the competition running smoothly. Matches were scheduled at 10-minute intervals, alternated between two circles, and generally ran on or ahead of schedule.
Open Fast
Open Fast produced several upsets. Former Nats winner Dick Stubblefield failed to survive the first round. Other favorites—Sherwood Buckstaff, Howard Rush, and Mike Guthomson—also failed to make the top eight. Rich Brasher, considered a top threat with his super-fast Foxes and tight-turning Rotation Station, was eliminated when his Fox 36X-powered Voodoo came down. Unknown but excellent fliers eliminated some of the favorites.
Phil Granderson and Mike Tallman flew a competitive final. Phil Granderson emerged victorious, edging out Mike Tallman by a few points.
Notable upsets and results:
- Dick Stubblefield eliminated early in Open Fast
- Sherwood Buckstaff, Howard Rush, Mike Guthomson failed to reach top eight
- Phil Granderson — Open Fast winner
- Mike Tallman — Open Fast runner-up
F.A.I. and Open Slow
F.A.I.: Sherwood Buckstaff won F.A.I., with George Cleveland (U.S. F.A.I. Combat Team member) taking second place. Cleveland departed for the World Championships in England after the Wednesday F.A.I. event.
Open Slow: Dick Stubblefield repeated as Open Slow winner. Slow Combat ships have evolved: today's Slow ships are flying near 90 mph, turn corners, and stay out on the lines like good Fast ships. Equipment seen in Slow today would have been unheard of five years ago.
Junior and Senior Events
Turnout was low in the Junior and Senior events, but there were several good matches.
Junior:
- Tom Fluker repeated as Junior Fast winner, defeating Kyle Mathis in one of the better Junior Combat finals in recent years. Fluker also won Junior Slow.
Senior:
- Senior Fast showed the effects of fewer entries compared to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Senior Combat was among the more competitive Nats events. Despite the smaller field, the flying quality among those present was good, though the reduced numbers detracted somewhat from the excitement and color of past Nats.
Organization and Site
- Event director: Riley Wooten (five-time Nats Combat winner)
- Matches: 10-minute intervals, alternating between two circles
- Site: Same Lake Charles site used at previous Nats, in good condition
- General running: Smooth overall, with few complaints
Airplane Designs and Trends
Airplane designs are changing, with a growing number of advanced-technology foam designs performing well. Notable observations:
- Rich Brasher’s Rotation Station and Howard Rush’s designs were among the best-performing foam planes at the Nats.
- Cindy Fultz piloted a new Howard Rush foam design that incorporates special features to help it fly well upwind.
- Conventional (non-foam) designs are trending toward larger airplanes, even though the first- and second-place Fast designs were fairly small.
- Sherwood Buckstaff’s airplane is nearly 100 square inches larger than the Nemesis II, which was thought standard three years ago.
Overall, the 1978 Nationals delivered strong competition, notable upsets in Open Fast, evolving technology in airplane design, and generally well-run events despite a smaller field.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
