LAST EDITED ON Dec-12-04 AT 07:09 PM (CST) I've never been to a NATS, but I can relate my first ever Sr. Combat match at the '63 NW Regionals, at Sand Point NAS, Seattle. I was almost 18. I had two airplanes, both original stabilator jobs, went pretty good with an OS Max III .35. Unfortunately, my only engine went bad a week or two previously, and I couldn't afford a new one. Weird bolt pattern, so nothing else would bolt in. My club members loaned me stuff to fly, but it was a one shot deal, AFAIK. Mike Haverly loaned me a Johnson .35C, and Phil Sheckler loaned me his worst Voodoo, which had been built upside down, the fix being to cut some off the outboard wing and make it equal panels. It was black or dark blue, with hot pink silk. He said it flew pretty well, but I'd never flown it before the 1st match.
My first match was against Bob Nelson. Bob still shows up to fly D-Bat and 80mph. We got up, and I was chasing. Bob did an outside to inverted, and (woops!), I couldn't fly inverted yet, but was otherwise a reasonably good flier. Not knowing any better, I followed, came out a bit under Bob's model, and was faster. I thought to myself that I couldn't fly inverted, knew to hit down elevator, and went right through Bob's streamer, killing him. I don't remember the next match, but it was also against a good flier, and I beat him too. There wasn't time for more matches, so they tossed a coin, and I got 3rd place trophy. I don't know who won. I wasn't too happy with that, but Phil got his Voodoo back without damage, and Mike's Johnson didn't barf, so they were relieved, I'm sure.
At that time, there were quite a few active CL clubs in the Seattle/Tacoma area, and somehow we got involved in an inter-club team combat comp. It was just one club vs. another. Once we had a bash against a club from Burien or West Seattle, and one of their guys was Henry Nelson, who won the NATS not many years ago. He had a Voodoo with a Torp .35GH. We got drawn for a match, and I got in the air ok, but he couldn't get the .35GH to start. I only remember two bouts I flew against .35GH's, the other being Frank Boden, and neither got started. What was up with that? Were they tricky to start?
For awhile, I had a Johnson .36bb that I bought used from Phil Sheckler, and I never got it to start, myself. I also had a K&B Series '61/'64, which were notorious for snapping the crank behind the front bearing. Mike Haverly had the Johnson and some Foxes, so he proposed that we swap my Johnson for his K&B, which would help both of us with bolt pattern issues. One evening, we made the swap at a summer club meeting/flying session. When Mike flew his new-ish Johnson, the skirt fell off the piston. When I flew my new-ish K&B, the crank snapped off, a shaft-run resulted, the (pressed in) crankpin moved back and ground up the backplate, the posts blew out of the exhaust port in the sleeve, and generally trashed the whole POS. Off to the factory, yet again. K&B was very good about rebuilding these things, and eventually came up with a real powerhouse, tho still fragile cranks. Never had one last long enough to get fully broken-in, but still ran 108mph on K&B 100 and full 9-8 Tornado (amazing torque), no whip, no streamer.
Finally, I discovered the ST .35C, and had some durable, reliable and fast engines. I still have both of my originals. 
Steve
