CL Navy Carrier
Dick Perry
THE 2011 NATS offered some of the best conditions for Carrier flying we've enjoyed for quite a few years. Though participation was down a little, and many of the usual participants did not attend for one reason or another, we did see some new contestants, new equipment, and some participants returning after long absences.
Gene Wielms and Paul Smith both entered Nostalgia events after long absences from the Carrier circles. David Smith and his brother, Michael, were back, and Michael entered the official Carrier events for the first time. His performance earned him the Navy Carrier Society's Rookie of the Year award.
There were a few new electric-powered models this year with some different motors and controllers appearing as the events evolve and modelers gain more experience. John Vlna had new electric models for .15 and e-Profile, and Pete Mazur had a new e-Profile model as well.
The most popular model this year was the Grumman Guardian profile designed by Bill Calkins and kitted by Brodak Manufacturing. The model was used in the e-Profile events and flown to first (Pete Mazur) and second place (Art Johnson) in AMA Profile.
These aircraft were modified by shortening the wing and adding a few other minor changes as described in the Navy Carrier Society newsletter a couple of years ago. The end result is a very competitive aircraft. Pete’s Guardians were patterned after the prototype XTB3F without the subrudders that are prone to damage if the model is built with a kit.
Engine choices continue to be quite varied among competitors and the high-speed results they achieve. The exception is the Nelson engine in Profile. The two highest speeds in Profile were both achieved with Nelson engines.
Electric-powered model performance in high speed continues to improve with Pete Mazur’s highs in AMA Profile and e-Profile virtually identical at slightly more than 90 mph.
The Great Planes ARF Combat Corsair was seen in both electric Class II, entered by Pete Mazur, and in AMA Class II, entered by David Smith.
The 2.4 GHz spread spectrum radios were
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
