my first Nats was Willow Grove 1957 as a jr flying speed ,never did get an official flight in.   My most Memerable was Glenview 1966, where i was on the USAF team.  i was stationed in Hawaii and had to go to japan to q

  sorry, had to go to japan to qualify for the AF world wide in San Antonio tex, John Brodbeck sr and Bob Dunham were the CD's in japan  .  In Tex i met up with my friend Capt Keith trostle , i was #2 on the team and got to pick my helper for the Nats and that is how a capt got to chase free flight planes for a two striper .did you light the fuse Keith, no i thought you did,, last time we saw that plane,  spent the week between athe AF worlds and the nats at Keith's folks 500 acre farm in kansas .it was great go out the back door and put a ff up.  The USAF team won the team trophy and i was again #2 on the team ,i gave Keith time to go over and fly stunt Ha Ha and he ended up 5th, and he hasent quit yet,

how come we got no Miss anything?

We can probably thank Gloria Steinem and her crowd of 'libbers' for that.....though maybe we want to give it a try!

Thanks for a another great story.  I haven't went back to check if I posted this or not.  I remember Larry Scarinzi very well at the 64 NATS in Grand Prairie Naval Air Station.   In my early 20's and fresh off the farm.   What an experience that was.  First time away from home, but had my adopted parents to watch over me even tho they had to stay in a motel off base.  Was right next to Wright & Dunkin in the work hangar.  Also the Meriwether's kept an eye on me.  To see Neil Armstrong handing out the Championship Trophies in which Wayne Meriwether was Junior Champion and Dubb Jett Senior Champion.   The Open Champions name slips my memory at this time.   It wasn't until 1970 that I got back to another NATS.   I remember meeting quite a few stunt grunts at the 74 NATS in Lake Charles.  Remember the flags for the tall masted schooner my team mate and I was working on.   Sure glad those things go out lawed.   If only I could write half as well as some of you guys I might start on my life time.   Back in  the early days it was Combat, Navy Carrier and Rat Racing(rat was not an  official event yet).   By the way thanks for the story of the "Caprice".

Quote from: john e. holliday on December 17, 2012, 06:37:33 PM
. . . The Open Champions name slips my memory at this time . . . 

Woody Blanchard?  He won it several times in that era.  Flew many FF and CL events.

The only two Navy Nats I went to were at Glenview NAS in 70 and 72. What an experience. Those were the days. Carrier was full of flyers . I think 72 was the year for the for three decks and if you didn't get on deck in five minutes you went back down a very long list. Tough to get a flight. Met Roland Baltes, what a great guy. Ray Wilman the Guardian man, Harry Higley, Dave Wallick, Terry Heron's Judy, what a rocket. Speed pits were a plethora of stars, The Neeson Brothers, Dodge, Stegans, the Browns including Mary Lou. Being an AirForce vet out in 67 I still had a taste for SOS. Navy chow was great. Millions of combat ships being built in the hanger. Free flight ships falling into the middle of circles. Those were the days and I remember the Navy Nats fondly.
Wayne

Quote from: bob whitney on December 14, 2012, 07:18:25 PM
  sorry, had to go to japan to qualify for the AF world wide in San Antonio tex, John Brodbeck sr and Bob Dunham were the CD's in japan  .  In Tex i met up with my friend Capt Keith trostle , i was #2 on the team and got to pick my helper for the Nats and that is how a capt got to chase free flight planes for a two striper .did you light the fuse Keith, no i thought you did,, last time we saw that plane,  spent the week between athe AF worlds and the nats at Keith's folks 500 acre farm in kansas .it was great go out the back door and put a ff up.  The USAF team won the team trophy and i was again #2 on the team ,i gave Keith time to go over and fly stunt Ha Ha and he ended up 5th, and he hasent quit yet,

When I was in USAF basic training at Lackland AFB, July 1965, the Air Force was having their C/L qualifications right across from where we would drill. It was so hard to "cage" my eyeballs and not look at all those beautiful models.

The USAF Team turned into a screw job for me.  In 1970 I was planning to join The Navy, but switched to the USAF on the theory to that I would rather fly in The Nats than judge.  In 1971 & 72 I couldn't try out for the team because students couldn't take a break from training.  In 1973 I was back from the war and ready go out for the team.  I was shocked to find out that the Air Force had cut back its sixteen competitive sports to two: basketball and golf.  

It was sort of a wash.  If I had stayed with The Navy I wouldn't have had to judge at The Nats.   In retrospect I think to USAF Team was a not-so-subtle way of taking a jab at The Navy for hosting The Nats.

I was at the '72 nats. Remember trying to sleep under the work tables, while my father got his combat planes sorted out. In his first round of fast combat his lines were cut. i do remember the huge hanger full of airplanes, not to mention building a rubber powered plane. At the age of nine I thought there would be many contests in my future. Unfortunately my father's friend(sic) whos' garage we were building in left his wife, taking everything my father had collected over twenty years. He decided to go salmon fishing on Lake Michigan after that. I still try and get him to fly a couple times a year. He still tells me that airplane modellers ar ethe greatest bunch of people he has ever been associated with. I agree.

Steve

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading through this oooooold thread.  Brought back a lot of memories about my first two Nats in '59 and '67.

Ted

I attended two Navy Nats, 71 and 72. In 71 went as member of the USAF model airplane team. 1972, flew combat which, Murray Frank was the event director. Went five rounds. Most memorable match was against Bill Rutherford. My pit man, John Deaton couldn't get the motor to start. About four minutes into the match, John got the motor started and just almost threw the plane into the air, Just as Bill flew over. Killed him on the way up. I heard all sorts of words from Bill at that time. Pure dumb luck.
Also remember the hangers full of people at all hours. Mary Lou Brown flying her jet speed plane at dusk. Just a red blur going around.

I just found this thread.

My first NATS, I think, was 1962 at Glenview, IL.  I was working my first job out of college at Teletype Corp. in Skokie, IL.

I was mostly flying R/C and some stunt.  I really didn't prepare for NATS, but a week prior, I bought a Voodoo Double kit, and built them both in a week.  The only stunt engines I had were a couple of K&B 35 green heads.

Entering combat, I was quickly destroyed by the team from Mexico.  I think I looked pretty good out there, but this other plane kept appearing from nowhere and eating my streamer.  That was my last combat effort.

Floyd

Quote from: bob whitney on December 14, 2012, 07:18:25 PM
  sorry, had to go to japan to qualify for the AF world wide in San Antonio tex, John Brodbeck sr and Bob Dunham were the CD's in japan  .  In Tex i met up with my friend Capt Keith trostle , i was #2 on the team and got to pick my helper for the Nats and that is how a capt got to chase free flight planes for a two striper .did you light the fuse Keith, no i thought you did,, last time we saw that plane,  spent the week between athe AF worlds and the nats at Keith's folks 500 acre farm in kansas .it was great go out the back door and put a ff up.  The USAF team won the team trophy and i was again #2 on the team ,i gave Keith time to go over and fly stunt Ha Ha and he ended up 5th, and he hasent quit yet,

What year were you on the AF team? I was on the last one, 71.

I stopped in and viewed the '64 Nats and entered in 1965, '69, and '70.  I was surprised that you could just go the Nats without some sort of local qualifying.  There were so many good entries you didn't go with the expectation of winning, just competing in The Big One.

We had so many local contest back then, we didn't know what people were doing 100 miles away.  The Nats was an education.

This all had to do with the draft and recruiting budgets.

The Army had the draft from around 1940 to 1970.  The Air Force had airplanes and the offer of living in a house on or off base.  The USAF never drafted anybody.

The Navy had a big recruiting budget to get men to join up and live on a ship in peacetime.  I doubt that opening a base up to The Nats once a year even put a noticeable dent in their budget.  Chump change compared to a Blue Angels show.

With the end of the draft and the Vietnam War, the Navy Nats and the USAF team went by the wayside, along with a lot of other military inducement programs.

Paul Smith.  The National Model Airplane Championship is open to anyone with AMA membership (or equal).

It really shouldn't be called that, because it is nothing more than a very big contest.  Winning something at the Nats doesn't mean that you are the "best of the best".  That honor goes to those invited to the "Internationals", where only the top few are invited.

In the past, the Nats was rotated around different parts of the country.  Now, those within commuting distance to Muncie have the advantage over those more expert modelers who are just too far away to attend.

F.C.

SOOO glad this thread has survived 5 years of chatter. Amazing that so many have similar recollections. I recently heard that  US Senator Proxmire was the one who spear-headed the  killing  of the NAVY NATS.

I remember him as a tall, thin, and  bald- headed man.  If true, I must  add to that description : "CREEP !!!!!!"

Thanks to all who responded. I'm certain  that I crossed paths with many of you at a NAVY NATS.

Hope more will take the time to share  their experiences.

   ...Somebody say Dawn Cosmillo?...

Dawn is a  Jersey native  and we are the same age. Unfortunately, she didn't know  me then(or now) and I was too shy to strike up a conversation with an attractive girl ; much less one who could outfly me blindfolded.

I think she was every young modelers dream girl along with Annette Funicello.

We've tried several times to invite Dawn to the VSC ... with help from De Hill & Larry Scarinzi ... all to no avail.  If I understood correctly, she's just not interested ... is today a Grandmother living somewhere in Florida.

I just noticed this topic. My first Nats was also the last Navy Nats at Glenview 1972. Myself and a young Senior camped out in a pup tent right beside the runway. Great time except for the rainy night. Not very good campers. We were there for the whole week but each of us only entered one event. I was flying some carrier then and the rules were that if you flew profile you couldn't fly the scale events and vice/versa. I flew profile. The plane performed very well with it's Fox .36x r/c plain bearing motor but I missed my landings. He washed out early in Senior combat. Lots of memories are still strong. I took about a half dozen of Larry's Super Satans out for him. He flew out and we met up with Duke and Larry flew for him. I really enjoyed meals in the mess hall and got to see The French Connection for 25 cents at the theater. I got to spend some time with the Browns at the speed circle and that got me cranked up on that event! Some years later George taught me to fly R/C and then introduced me to Pylon racing. The speed and rat guys would practice until dark and the jet would just be a red glow going around at 180 or so! Just the experience of going was extremely illuminating. There I was able to witness and observe the very highest level of model competition. The desire to be 'as good as those guys' has kept me busy (on and off) since then!

Hey Tommy, I was there also and tried to fly Class II with my McCoy .60 powered Guardian.   Also remember Ray tried to keep two decks going.   Over 200 profile entries.   Still think it should have been separate from scale carrier.   At our contests attendance dropped off considerably when they changed it so a person could fly all three classes.

When I die, I want to come back and 'wake up' in a Navy Nats hangar, 1950-1966!