Hope everyone is having a good 2016 with high expectations... Time flies and life is like a river; you never touch the same water twice, but at least we can remember when and where we touched it.. I left off with the 1962 and the combat event. Remember, our group won big. Pete Jaden won Junior combat
and finished 3rd in Junior stunt (except for a little help I gave him with the wing) with a plane he built all by himself... Sherwood Buckstaff won Senior and I won Open. The final flight between Carl Berryman and myself is one to go down in history and is even talked about today by anyone old enough to remember.
Carl and I had flown for first in many contest but our goal was to meet in the finals for first at the Nationals... After two days of combat matches we were finally the only two left and would finally get our wish. We had pitted for each other during all the other matches but now would have to get others to help pit.
This was not much of a problem as we always started our own engines at that time..... Just needed someone to launch and do other little things.. We had always said that if we ever met at the Nationals it would be decided in the air, not on the ground. Besides, what could go wrong, we are pros!! LOL I was afraid I was at a disadvantage as the Voodoo was a stock kit that was too heavy and way nose heavy, but it had served me well the rest of finals day.. Remember I had my best planes stolen the night before finals day and I hadn't planned to have to use it... Everything goes normal as we go into the circle and get ready for the final flight.. Carl and I go through the regular routine ( you know; lets have a good match, may the best man win, yatta, yatta) You have all been there no matter which event you are flying....... We get ready to start, I get a bump, the starting signal is given and Carl yells I have a blown plug. No problem we will wait on you.. However there was a problem, I forgot to disconnect my battery while Carl replaced his plug.. He got a bump and said let's go and immediately started.. Second problem, while waiting still hooked up my plug was gone. While I changed my plug everyone was yelling at Carl to go up but he would not and said we were going up together which we did. We had one of those great, clean, long matches before I finally killed him giving me first place.. It was a sweet but bitter victory as Carl has always been one of my best friends, both in person and in modeling. The sad thing is we never got to repeat this once in a lifetime event..... I guess that is why it is once in a lifetime!!!
RW