By Ken Burdick

Yes folks, it's true.

The original and still the greatest antique combat event took place once again in the Vancouver B.C., area at the Richmond flying site. Contest director this year was Adrian Duncan.

For those of you who don't know, CG (Combat Graffiti) is the brainchild of myself and Greg Davis (seen flying a match against each other at right; Ken on the left, Greg on the right. Marty Higgs photo)

Barrie Hobkirk was the architect for the rules, and they work perfectly, though a real departure from the norm in combat flying. The whole idea is to be able to build “front row” quality models of pre-1964 vintage and not have them destroyed by some guy going gonzo on the handle.

Some of the models have nearly as much time in the finish as a stunt ship, so protection of the work is of high concern. No kills, only two cuts allowed, and a center marshal to stop the match if it gets out of hand.

Each model is judged as though it were a scale event. Documentation is a must, showing the year and such things as accurate airfoil, covering materials, as well as original engine and vintage prop. Points are awarded and combined with flying points earned in the matches.

This year we relaxed things quite a bit and just had a picnic. Chili was provided to the pilots and graciously prepared by Lorna Duncan, along with the pots and pans and new camping stove. The relaxed atmosphere made it enjoyable but caused long intervals between actual matches flown. Hey -- there's a lot of catching up to do with each other, ya know.

Myth Busters

It was said to me at the Northwest Regionals this year that Marty Higgs, aka The Hippie, is a myth and really does not exist. Well, I'm here to say that's a false rumor. Marty was there -- no, really! Ken Burdick photo.

The creator of C speed, Northwest B proto (the original rules) as well as the Frankenstein series of three-port LA.25 Geezer Speed engines, is seen at left standing with Kenny-b after the action had died down. The “Hippie” is still making speed parts but only when the inspiration and time is there. He did say he would make a new “D” tank for the Louie-mobile so look out in D speed! Marty is always willing to help out any newcomer to speed so don't hesitate to contact him.

Marty brought out a Perfectly constructed “Guided Missile” with tissue covering and sporting the only McCoy redhead that was brand new -- he had to break it in! (See photo below.)

Barrie Hobkirk, who is known for his scale models and speed background, produced a near museum full of combat models ranging from a flawless T-Square, to the Scrapper, Pappy DeBol'ts All American Combateer, to a very obscure and cool Fox Rumble.

The winner of this year's Combat Graffiti is master modeler Greg Davis, with his Super Combat Streak. The engine is a Fox Black Head. The model was finished with silkspan and original colors in automotive finish with a clear-coat on top. Greg flew well and often

Me? Oh -- well, this year I attempted silk models and guess what -- they all warped. Not just a little, but a lot! Yep, Kenny-B was seen running from many a silk covered model including the Sweet Sweep. There seemed to be one area in particular, that collected crashes that could NOT be explained -- we began to call it “Area 51.” I lost three models there!

I had a bet with Barrie, that I could get a Jr. Satan (silk covered but unwarped), sporting a Tee-Dee .15 to fly over 70 mph on .018" x 60-foot lines. There were four cans of Dinty-Moore beef stew on the line here. It wasn't until I got home that I discovered the .018 lines were really .021 -- man, that thing chased me from here to there and back!

The rest is as they say, history. It was a very fun weekend for us in spite of many models “turning left, a fun time was had by all. A heartfelt thanks to all those who participated and helped set up, tear down and run the show. Adrian Duncan, Lorna Duncan, Larry, Chris Cox, Charlie Johnson and his better half.and thanks too to the Vancouver Gas Model Club for their help in making sure things were MAAC approved. If I have forgotten to include your name, please forgive me.

See the Pacific Aeromodellers Club members' write-up on the event on Facebook.

-- Kenny-b