I was fortunate to attend 5 Navy NATS from 1968-1972. With this being NATS week and all, here's a few of my recollections of those really big events.

- Sleeping in hot barracks with scratchy  bed sheets and  the woolen blankets, which of course, no one used.
I think it was around $1.25 a day

-Waking up at 5  am to a reveler .  Live trumpet and  song " revelee, revelee, revelee- the smoking lamp is lit, revelee "

- Eating three squares a day in the mess hall - really good food , unbelievably  cheap and lots of it. Hey, what the heck is SOS  anyway ? This Italian kid had no idea.

-The  monstrous hangars and the all night bull sessions.  Watching repairs and guys building under the lights that  always seemed too dim. The big celebrities would occasionally appear in the evening-Carl Goldberg, Hal DeBolt, Phil Kraft, on and on.

-The incredible  Navy airshow- Blue Angels, the Flying Farmer( J-3 Cub antics), Warbirds, and static display. Military aircraft as far as the eye could see.

-The opportunity to watch other events. I had never witnessed free flight or  R/C aerobatics, Man, I thought I had died and gone to heaven !


Dan, my flying pal and fellow UMAC'er,  and I had just graduated from a  "New Joesy" high school in June 68. We were suppossed to be getting ready for college in the fall, but heck, the NATS was something we had always talked up and  I dreamt about since I started flipping props in 1961 .Nothing else mattered(well ,almost- I still couldn't wait  each month to see  the center fold spread in  Playboy. It was my older brother's subscription ( mom was furious), her not knowing ,of course ,that I read it, too.).
We crated our models, sent them to Olathe, Kansas by Greyhound bus, and took our first commercial flight ever from Newark   to  Kansas City . Mom insisted I wear a tie and a nice shirt. (everyone dressed up to go on an airline in those days).

The trip for Jr. & Sr. winners to Pensacola NAS. Got to go in 1969. A  John Wayne style  Navy DC-8  prop with canvas seats along the length of the fuse, (non- pressurized cabin) and five hours in rain and hail from Willow Grove to Pensacola. Going out for a ride  on a PT boat in the Gulf. The USS Lexington was under repair(bummer); previous years winners got to fly their models on the deck of the aircraft carrier ! Winners got to sleep in the NAVAL officers air-conditioned quarters, ate in the officer's dining hall, and swam in the officer's pool at Pensacola, oogled their dauhters. Man , we were treated like royalty and it was all free !

-It was really neat to interface with Navy people all week long. To be sure,things were still happening on the base and they made us feel very welcomed.

-A few downers...
-Having an in-grown toe nail  partially removed at the infirmary at Glenview NAS. It was free, but man, did it hurt !
Don't think the  Navy doc used anything to numb it up.
-Getting canned twice from summer jobs because I was gone over a week to go to the NATS.
-Saying so long to new friends- Most  I've never seen or heard from again

Too bad the powers to be thought the Navy Sponsored NATS was not worth the money.  My first NATS was 1964 in Grand Prairie Texas Naval Air Station.  It was out in the middle of nowhere.  George and Dorethy Watkins drove me to the NATS.  I stayed in the barricks and they stayed at a little motel just off base.  Civilian ladies were not allowed to stay on base.  The Meriwethers were there and also were my heros in competition even tho I was in my 20's and Wayne was a Junior, Ron was a Senior.  Eating Navy chow at the mess hall and swimming in the Navy pool were some highlights for this old farm boy that had just moved back to the big city.  Yes SOS(s--t on a Shingle) was one of the meals.  Traded mine for an orange and bottle of milk.  The work hangar was one of the main sites.  We set up a location not too far from Dunkin&Wright who were team racing.  Got to fly Riley Wooten in second round of combat.  Also made two complete official flights in Navy Carrier. 
Final day was the show with George Aldrich and Don Still flying Stukas in formation stunt.  Some of the winners of the prior week flying there planes.  Then the award ceremony for the champions.  Neal Armstrong presenting the awards.  Then while the Meriwether's stayed behind for Wayne's Navy cruise, Mom & Pop Watkins and I headed home.  I think I slept all the way.  Besides George would not let no else drive.  The next NATS was 1970 but that is another story.  Did I mention that is the NATS I first met Larry Scarinzi(1964).

"The trip for Jr. & Sr. winners to Pensacola NAS. Got to go in 1969."
Hi Frank!
I was there WITH YOU on that same trip to Pensacola!
Just have a little different memory of the details.
Still have some of the "stuff" from the 69' Nats.

Watching the Lunar landing while attending the NATS was AWESOME!
And then to visit where the Astronauts trained was awe inspiring!

We should compare notes from 69'

"Tight Lines!"

Wes

Wes,
It was fun, wasn't it ? As far as  recollection of details( yours and mine), it no longer really matters... What matters most is that the Navy sure treated us very, very well.

Quote from: Frank Imbriaco on July 19, 2010, 11:52:35 AM
Wes,
It was fun, wasn't it ? ... What matters most is that the Navy sure treated us very, very well.

TONS OF FUN!!!
Yes, Frank, the Navy treated us VERY WELL!

Take a plane load of kids from PA to FLA for almost a week, feed us, watch over us, take us everywhere, and BRING US BACK?
Yep! The Navy treated us VERY WELL!

"Tight Lines!"

Wes

My first Navy Nats was at Glenview Naval Air Station in 1966 or maybe 1967.....hard to remember as it was a long time ago and my memory isn't what it used to be.  I was in Denver, CO that summer, flying with my brother-in-law and we decided to go the Nationals.  We loaded our planes in the old 1960 Plymouth Valiant and headed Northeast.  We had accumulated a good supply of Riley Wooten Combat designs....mostly foam wing Vampires with Super Tigre Combat .35's and Fox .36xBB's.....along with some Sneekers and Voodoos.  I had been in the United States Naval Reserve since 1963, had some active duty and several two week training periods, so I knew staying on the base would be a blast.  It was everything described above....the barracks beds with scratchy wool blankets, the great Navy chow at low prices, the all night building sessions in the hangers and great aircraft displays.  I saw a British Vulcan bomber come into the base for a landing.......extremely impressive aircraft.  The morning of Combat competition, we went out to get in some practice flights.  Riley Wooten came out and asked us how we liked his Vampire design.  He went on that day to win first place in Open Combat, flying his Vampire with a warmed up Fox .36xBB.  By the way, if you never got to see Riley fly in competition, he flat out owned the circle.  We also saw Larry Scarinzi fly his Super Satan.  He was so much faster than his opponent, it put him at a disadvantage.  In the first round, my brother-in-law put his Vampire/Super Tigre Combat up against the Nemesis boys as we called Howard's crowd in those days.....yes....they were wearing their cowboy hats!  He went out in the first round........that Nemesis II.....what an airplane in the 1960's.  It ain't bad, even today.  By the way, Howard, how did you do in Open this year with the Nemesis/Nelson combo???  In other first round action, I put my Vampire/Fox 36xBB up against an Air Force team member and was eliminated when he took off my booms, stab, and oh yes, the streamer.  This reduced us to spectators.  The pressure was off and we could watch the rest of the competition.  It was a great experience and one that you keep for a lifetime.............TDurrill        

 
The closest I got to a Navy Nats was flying a Cox Spitfire, and trying to get the Cox Stuka
to pull out of a dive, on the apron at NAS Coco Solo, 1965.  Well former NAS.

Dave

 Fellow NAVY NATS guys
My first Navy Nats was 1967 Los Alamitos CA.  I didn't really appreciate the NATS as it was only 5-10 miles from my house.  I went home every afternoon - no NAVY chow for me.  In '68 the NATS was in Olathe KS I took a train from Southern California to Kansas City and my High School counselor's family picked me up and let me stay with them until flying began – then I got to experience the full NATS experience.  Yes those long tables with airplane after airplane.  Even at 3 AM folks were at the table in the hanger working.  The night before the Senior Stunt event I never did make it to my "rack" - maybe that's why I crashed on the outside squares.  The 45 MPH wind probably helped.   Oh the camaraderie - PTG aka Phil Granderson rebuilt my airplane after the crash – as I was so disgusted.  The wind picked it up as it was drying and slammed it into the hanger door.  I stashed it under the workbench until Dave Gierke, Keith Trostel and about 4 – 5 open fliers came around asking how come I hadn't put in my second official?  Well the rest of the story is they made me drag out the airplane and they rebuilt it.  Flying models had a picture of Keith holding the airplane – he was actually holding the tail on as the 5 min epoxy was not setting up.
Got to go on the USS Lexington in Pensacola that year - what a wonderful experience.  The USS  Lexington is now moored in Corpus Christi TX my wife and I had the opportunity to go aboard had a chance  to relive some memories.

Norm Whittle

Thanks for bringing back some of those memories...of the 67 Nats which was also the first time that my late friend Tim Dunlop, his son Vance and I had the "pleasure and pain" to attend as competitors.
Both of us shared similar moments under the lights of the hanger table..doing some late night repairs.
I "kicked" off the nose wheel pant of my Sting Ray during a practice flight the day before qualifications....and Tim busted off the entire aft end of his beautiful brand new custom stunt machine on his first OUTSIDE SQUARE CORNER.

Both Tim and I got lucky enought to make repairs in time to fly our  qualification flights the next day...(however neither Tim or I made the qualifications) but  NOT WAS ALL SAD' AND DUNG'...
We both were totally BLOWN AWAY AND TOTALLY ADDICTED to attend as many nationals as our paychecks vacation times could allow...from that year forward.

Sadly Tim passed this life all too soon...in the early 70's. Here is a shot that I have posted before...showing Tim doing an quickeee repair job...right out there on the Navy Tarmac...while I waited until that eve. to make repairs to my Sting Ray's busted nose wheel pant.
Thanks to a borrowed can of white Pactra dope from Gierke and Tim's left over tubes of 5 minute expoxy...both our stunt machines, lived to fly that next morning in front of that row of Navy judges.

Ah, yes, the REAL Nats...the NAVY Nats.  Rotating around the country every four years: NAS Willow Grove, PA; NAS Glenview, IL; NAS Dallas, TX; NAS Los Alamitos, CA.  (Earlier ones at NAS Olathe, KS.)

My first one: Willow Grove, 1953, as a 13-year old spectator.  A definite eye-opener!  After that, attended two at NAS Glenview...then on to non-Navy sites:


#2:  Glenview, 1962.  Flew two FF events.  A/1 Ambroid kit 'Jetstream' maxed on it's first flight but the D/T failed, and it was last seen heading the the general direction of Lake Michigan.  Flying buddy Dave Ek (yes, THAT Dave Ek) was 10th in Senior Stunt....and far from last).  Saw Lew McFarland win Open Stunt with his Shark 45.  Also took a great photo of 19-year-old Bill Werwage prepping his Ares, but the pic has been lost.

#3:  Glenview, 1966.  "Bagman" to a fellow from No. Ill. who flew Old Time FF.

#4:  Lake Charles, LA, 1974.  (Dare I say it?)  RC Pylon Official (Lap Counter).  Invited by LHS owner who was into that sort of thing.

#5-6-7:  Muncie, IN...CLPA judge.

Anyone who's never attended one of the old Navy Nats venues has missed the show.  The barracks sleeping arrangements, the chow in the mess hall, the ability to see FF, CL, ROW, yes, even RC, all on one site --- and let's not forget The Scale Cage (Scale entries locked behind a wired-in display area for days) --- K&B's engine repair depot...."miles & miles" of wooden workbenches jam-packed with models of every category, class and description...Speed guys test-running Dyna-Jets outside the hangar at midnight...

All I can add is:

Those who were there know what I mean.  Those who weren't, well, I'm sorry you missed it.  THOSE, my friends, were the REAL Nats.  Oh...and the entry fee?  If memory serves, something like $1.00 per event.

  A unique gathering of modelers/flyers with varied interests and skills, for sure.  I'm glad I was a member of a generation that could participate.

I flew stunt as a senior at the '49 Olathe Nat's, no idea of where I ended up. Wish I had a photo of the model and a few drawings, would make a great OTS airplane. Went to the '59 Los Alamitos  Nat's but stayed at home as I lived in the LA area then, flew about 5 free flight events, no stunt at all. Went to the '99 Nat's 50 years later and found out that Warren Tiahrt was also at the '49 nat's. Great memories, no photos.  Also was fortunate enough to attend the '50 and '53 Plymouth Internat's. Had my clock cleaned by Don Still in '49 and '53. Got the opportunity to make him aware of this a few years back!
Don

I took a bus to my first Nats in 1962.  Got my combat plane and borrowed Johnson stolen, ran out of money, got hungry, sunburned, and dehydrated, but I saw a lot of cool stunt planes and got a lot of combat practice in the evening next to the hangar.  It was great.

Quote from: Howard Rush on July 29, 2010, 12:39:21 AM
I took a bus to my first Nats in 1962.  Got my combat plane and borrowed Johnson stolen, ran out of money, got hungry, sunburned, and dehydrated, but I saw a lot of cool stunt planes and got a lot of combat practice in the evening next to the hangar.  It was great.

HOWIE!!!!!
HOW OLD WERE YOU THEN?   
Did you run away from home that day?
However, You must have known just how much your Mommie and Dadda' might be a bit concerned for allowing a 6 or 7 year old kid run off on his own....especially at such a young tender age?

He's no spring chicken by a long shot.

Quote from: Mike Keville on July 24, 2010, 06:50:16 PM
Ah, yes, the REAL Nats...the NAVY Nats.  Rotating around the country every four years: NAS Willow Grove, PA; NAS Glenview, IL; NAS Dallas, TX; NAS Los Alamitos, CA.  (Earlier ones at NAS Olathe, KS.)

My first one: Willow Grove, 1953, as a 13-year old spectator.  A definite eye-opener!  After that, attended two at NAS Glenview...then on to non-Navy sites:


#2:  Glenview, 1962.  Flew two FF events.  A/1 Ambroid kit 'Jetstream' maxed on it's first flight but the D/T failed, and it was last seen heading the the general direction of Lake Michigan.  Flying buddy Dave Ek (yes, THAT Dave Ek) was 10th in Senior Stunt....and far from last).  Saw Lew McFarland win Open Stunt with his Shark 45.  Also took a great photo of 19-year-old Bill Werwage prepping his Ares, but the pic has been lost.

#3:  Glenview, 1966.  "Bagman" to a fellow from No. Ill. who flew Old Time FF.

#4:  Lake Charles, LA, 1974.  (Dare I say it?)  RC Pylon Official (Lap Counter).  Invited by LHS owner who was into that sort of thing.

#5-6-7:  Muncie, IN...CLPA judge.

Anyone who's never attended one of the old Navy Nats venues has missed the show.  The barracks sleeping arrangements, the chow in the mess hall, the ability to see FF, CL, ROW, yes, even RC, all on one site --- and let's not forget The Scale Cage (Scale entries locked behind a wired-in display area for days) --- K&B's engine repair depot...."miles & miles" of wooden workbenches jam-packed with models of every category, class and description...Speed guys test-running Dyna-Jets outside the hangar at midnight...

All I can add is:

Those who were there know what I mean.  Those who weren't, well, I'm sorry you missed it.  THOSE, my friends, were the REAL Nats.  Oh...and the entry fee?  If memory serves, something like $1.00 per event.

You're so right Mike, my fondest memories are of the work hanger, any hour day or night there was activity. I slept inb a chais lounge under my bench between repairs and preparations. Olathe in '68, Glennview 70' 71' 72, the last was a bittersweet experience knowing that the center of my modeling universe the Navy Nats, was to be nomore. Back then I flew Free Flight exclusively, mostly gas but HLG and A-1 as well. I remember the LOONNGG lines to get a timer for an official, and the activity was so intense, the number of FF entries in those days would be staggering to us now. The beer tent, tent city, the COOLLDD showers and the Navy chow, were all great. An experience I was able to have before its extinction. Those WERE the days.

I had to post some picts from my first NATS, the 1953 Willow Grove affair.  I was a young teenager, my father dropped me and my friend off at Willow Grove one weekend and picked us up a week later.  Slept in the Navy barracks, ate Navy food, stayed up late in the hangar nights.  Flew lots of practice, flew in combat and stunt, did poorly.  Entered a twin engined, Fox 29 and 35, plane in stunt and a modified Clown in combat.  Crashed the twin in practice, flew a Fox 59 Viking, not well.  Had a great time.

Photos - sleeping on top of a three decker bunk, at the combat circles, the wing was a Mexican team entry, results of my crashes, my twin stunter, Jim Walker doing his Sabre Dance with his Fireball. 

Amazing photos Dick!
Thanks for taking the time to share these with us...(1953! Gads...I was attending Woodrow Wilson Jr. High School in DeMoines Iowa and flying Ukie...with my little Spitzeeee' 049rs'

Note the "gallery" of fans watching Jim Walker in the last photo. Looks like the 18th at one of the golf majors. Those were the days... Thanks, Dick.

Jim Walker was great.  In addition to his Sabre Dance flying, I saw him fly three Fireballs at the same time, one handle on a football helmet on his head with the throttle to that one in his mouth. 

He had a Buick convertible, I think a rare Skylark, in '53 at the Nats, and he towed an all-polished aluminum Airstream trailer with his airplane stuff in it.  I saw his R/C airplane, a streamlined thing with a McCoy .60 engine.  Amazing, for the time. 

After the '53 Willow Grove Nats, I made it back to the '69 Nats, again in Willow Grove.  This time I managed to get a Nats trophy, in R/C pylon racing. 

Frank you mentioned you were in the UMAC Club?  I was also, in the early '50s, flew behind the Elastic Stop Nut factory in Union, had great times there.  I went to the UMAC meetings riding behind my friend on his Indian motorcycle.  Geez.  My heros in that Club were Jim Hunt, Red Reinhardt, Larry Scarenzi, Leon Shulman was around there also, and Walton Hughes lived near me, in Cranford.  Great C/L memories. 

Hi Dick,
I joined the UMAC ( Union(NJ) Model Airplane Club)  as a teen in 1965. Never knew  that you were  once a member.The club produced many, many notables in the hobby- including yourself.
I'm still in touch with Larry and Leon.

Regards,
Frank

I was at the 1957 Willow Grove Nats for the entire week. I flew in several FF events. I flew FF with CO Wright,George Aldridge,Larry Conover. Over 100 entrants in 1/2 FF.
Yes George flew FF. I didn't know how famous he was at the time in CL until later in the week.  My ride home had to leave mid week so I borrowed money to get a bus back to Binghamton NY about 150 miles north.
Ed

The reason the Navy stopped sponsoring the NAT was the closing of reserve bases or the end of the Vietnam war. It was the declining numbers of kids and teen agers participating vs the cost of sponsorship that made recruiting efforts from the modeling public undesireable.

below is a quote form a AMA article regarding this along with a  line to the rest of the material

QuoteWILL 1968 be the last of the Navy-hosted Nationals? Both the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the Hobby Industry Assoc. of America are on notice that, unless certain conditions are met in 1968 - or at least, that significant progress be made toward essential objectives - Navy may drop out of the picture in 1969. Simply stated, Navy's objections are a prohibitive expense in manpower and dollars, as well as failure on our part to fulfill the original Navy objectives (of 1948) in hosting the National Model Airplane Championships.

It was exactly 20 years ago that Navy hosted their first Nationals -like 1968, also in Olathe, Kansas. Their objectives at that time were: a) To encourage the interest of nation's youth and, more specifically, the aircraft model enthusiast in the U. S. Navy and thereby further, on a long-range basis, public-understanding of the national security; b) To encourage active participation by naval personnel in the model aircraft program. To these objectives have been added two more current requirements in keeping with changing times: a) To directly and indirectly strengthen the recruiting program; b) To enhance the Navy public image in areas of internal -relations, community relations, and public information.

I am sorry to see the Navy Nats go. From all the stories I've heard it was really great. Unfortunately I just got started in CL when the Navy stopped sponsorship.

http://www.airplanesandrockets.com/resources/ama_navy_nats.htm

My gosh, all of the memories. It is really surprising how many times all of our paths may have crossed and yet we might not have truly known each other back then. That is what is so great about this thread.

Quote from: Shultzie on July 29, 2010, 07:33:32 AM
HOWIE!!!!!
HOW OLD WERE YOU THEN?   
Did you run away from home that day?
However, You must have known just how much your Mommie and Dadda' might be a bit concerned for allowing a 6 or 7 year old kid run off on his own....especially at such a young tender age?

Howard:
I was at the 68 Olathe Nats also. Obviously, did not see you then. I used to run across you at the Buder Park contests in St. Louis in the early 60's. Seems to me that your interest then was primarily Combat. Sounds like you have moved west (literally, not rhetorically).

My last Navy Nats was the last Navy Nats in '72 at Glenview. I did not go to compete, but rather to observe since I lived so close. The Nats director, Bob Voslavich (sp), asked if I would run Combat for him since he had no one to run it. I agreed. Combat was not my strong suit, so I had a terrible time as well as did the Combat contestants, I'm sure. Add to that, I brought along an R/C ship for sale that I placed on the workbenches in the hanger. It was stolen. Serves me right I guess.

What I miss about the Navy Nats is the way that you could see all of the variety of interests on the same site at the same time. Today's Nats run by each individual SIG has taken that away from us. I realize that it must be cheaper to do the Nats in the current manner, but it is much more sterile. Just read all of the posts above, and you will see what I mean

Jim Fruit

The first contest I ever saw was in Indianapolis in the late 50's.  I don't know if it was a NATS, but it was at the Naval Avionics Facility.  I had a little .049 high wing that I could barely fly in circles.  My mom and I watched the stunt circle from a short distance away and I was most impressed by a young boy flying a white twin boomer with red crosses on the wings.  After that, I set my little POS on the ground and started it up.  Nobody said, "Hey kid, you can't do that here." My mom launched and I went around in circles for a minute or so before I bounced it off the ground.  It was at that point that I was hooked.  My next plane was a Nobler...