Vintage combat in New jersey

Yesterday I participated in a extremely cool contest/show. Many fliers yesterday presented some of their finest pieces of vintage combat equip,emt. We had Larry Scarinzi who was just basking in the fun and he was really enjoying flying some of his planes that he hasn't flown in over 40 years. There were many of Larry's designs present and he was all smiles.  Many of the top fliers from the 60's came to talk about the early days and giving out terrific building tips and engine hop ups. My son and I had a blast. Combat matches were not discouraged and my son Shawn put up 2 thrilling all out big block matches with a well known stunt pilot who enjoys a little combat now and then. Both planes were Midwest Matador's flying Fox MK 7's. The speeds were in the 110+ range. Shawn was running a bit fat on the first match, with his opponent on a tear meant that he had to really fight to stay away. He was killed in the last minute of the match.

Fast combat needs to be truly seen up close. It's a real adrenaline rush just as a spectator. The smell of  nitro and the smoke and noise really does it for me.  I was loving it and the second match really executed some terrific flying by both pilots. Both planes were dialed in and the speeds were closely matched. Shawn with 1 cut and his opponent with 1. No kill and both planes are ready for their next match.

It was very upsetting to see some of these old models fly yesterday as tradgedy would have it, some failed. The Super Satan in the picture is no longer with us due to a elevator pin failure. I witnessed this happening with amazing frequency yesterday. Some of these were not reproduction models, but rather the models that were featured in the period magazines at the time. After 3 incidents, it was decided that we would look vs fly them.


Many models were from the late 50's. The first picture is my Voodoo top left followed by my checkerboard T-Square and my checkered Netzeband Half Fast.  It was quite a sight to see how designs from yesteryear had influences on newer designs. It was awesome to see the silk covered models. Larry Scrarinzi's Stingray looked as though he just built it yesterday. The model is fully cowled in and all silked with some of the most beautiful craftmanship you could ever see. The dope finishes hand rubbed and as smooth as glass. The last picture was the award given. A exploded Fox .36X which Al one of our club members won due to his piston exploding. It does become heartbreaking when you can't go out and readily buy parts for these timesakes.  Ken