by George Dawe
The Palomar R/C Flyer’s first 704 Combat Event was a smashing success. The events started with an 0800 early morning warm up. Unfortunately, radio failure claimed the ship of one unlucky pilot –- "may it rest in peace". This freak training accident left nine brave airmen ready to do battle. The spectators started to crowd through the gates at about 0900. The pilots meeting was adjourned, with the rules of engagement fully understood. Contest Director Bob "Justice for All" Lang, announced the heat pairings and declared the beginning of the first Palomar R/C Flyers 704 Combat event.
The excitement commenced as Line Marshall, Dave Truax sounded the "scramble" horn and the first sortie began. The first heat of pilots scrambled to their planes, propped the engines, and took off to defend mom and apple pie; the fatherland and strudel; or the emperor and rice balls. The first heat introduced the crowd to the weaving of airplanes carrying 30 foot streamers which resulted in the melee known as "dog fighting". Judging from the sound of the "oohs, awes and ohs" the crowd was not lacking for excitement.
Some airplanes evidenced superior speed, but seemed to lack maneuverability. Other ships had less acceleration but could turn on a dime. This resulted in a relatively even matched contest that relied on flying skill, strategy and a little luck to determine the heat winners. After the four preliminary heats were over, five "top dawg" Aces emerged.
Then klaxon sounded and the five, now veteran, airman scrambled their aircraft. The final battle had begun. All pilots were airborne after within the prerequisite one minute window. Now the crowd got what they came for! There was no holding back. Each pilot skillfully and aggressively maneuvered his fighter using time tested combat moves that dated back to WWI and were perfected in WWII. Each pilot carefully evaded unwanted penalty points by avoiding a mid air collision–not that some near misses didn’t occur, because they did! In the end, when the stand down horn blew, each ship returned to earth, still intact! As anyone one of the spectators who witnessed the event can attest, the fact that no mid-airs occurred was a true testament to the skill of the pilots and the ruggedness and quality of their little fighters.
First place was awarded to the clubs very own Jerry Sheldon, who flew his slower, but highly maneuverable AT-6 which featured a four stroke engine. Jerry accumulated 225 points. We had some visitors from other clubs that "flew in" to participate in the event. George Crandall, from Sacramento, (and "Air Kill Products") finished second with 200 points flying a Seafury. Third place resulted in a three way tie at 125 points between young Kevin Crandall of Orange County, flying an AT-6; club member Ron Stark, flying an AT-6; and the author, flying his venerable AD-1 Skyraider.
The other participants in the event included Denver Bates, (Fockwulf 190), Gary Thompson, ("Squint" Scale L-5), Jim McFaul and Bruce Wygal flying both flying P-47s.
This author would be remiss if he did not comment on Denver’s unfortunate mishap. At the start of the war, Denver’s ship looked and performed as a top notch contender. Word of the Ace’s airplane being in a pilot’s heat, sent shivers down the spine. Denver’s FW-190 literally caused pilots to cringe at the sight of it approach through the old peripheral vision. But then it happened! As Denver made a tight turn closing in for the kill on Gary Thompson’s little, helpless, and virtually unarmed L-5, all hell broke loose. The FW-190's wing ripped away from the fuselage and the awesome threat was gone almost as quickly as the FW-190 had flown. The fuselage careened to the ground in an unrecognizable heap of balsa wood. The wing was last seen floating back to Germany...
This little war story should serve as a reminder to all current veteran’s and all future fighter pilots to make sure your wing is secure. The author suggests larger wing bolts or two smaller bolts. The G-forces that these little fighters endure are enormous. For safety’s sake, make sure your airplanes control services, radio gear and flying surfaces are properly secured!
Summing it up, the event was extremely successful and fun for participant and spectator alike. There is only about six weeks till the war resumes –- don’t miss out on the fun; make sure your 704 fighter is ready to compete! As General George Patton once said: "Remember, war and peace are just two sides of the same coin. You never know which side of the coin is going to come up. So in peace time, you always have to be preparing for war". Good advise to remember if you are procrastinating completing a 704 combat ship.
The author wants to thank all who gave their time to serve as helpers. Let's hope that this event gets bigger and better as time goes on. Thank you all for a relatively smooth running event, it looked as though you all had a good time. The author wants to thank Hobby Shack and manager, Ron Schark for generously sponsoring this contest, providing first, second, and third prizes. Also, the author thanks Air-Kill Products for their sponsorship and the donation of prizes for the benefit of the Palomar R/C Flyers youth program.