by George Dawe
It was early dawn when I awoke and prepared myself for the events that were to follow. I loaded up my flight equipment, grabbed a donut and a cup of java and headed for the airfield. As I drove down the valley and then on to the unpaved service road, I could see the mist still covering parts of the surrounding mountains. I remember thinking to myself, visibility might be a problem at higher altitudes. I started to unload my flight gear and head out to the runway. It was then, through the morning twilight I saw some other pilots arrive. No one seemed to say much, just the usual morning greetings. But every pilot seemed silently preoccupied with one questions of uncertainty... "Would my ship survive the combat that was to follow?.. Would I give the enemy better than he gives me..."
I started my engine at 0900 and taxied on to the runway. I pushed the throttle forward and watched as my airplane gradually accelerated rolling down the runway. The tail popped off the runway almost immediately. I lifted off with a slight left drift, and fed in a little rudder to correct. I did a right, downwind departure and climbed to the designated altitude. No sooner had I left the pattern when I spotted the enemy. It was a A6M2 Mitsubishi Zero! I was approaching from below and at the opposite heading. I knew I had to get some altitude. I did a 180 and approached him from below and out of the sun. I could feel my ship’s engine straining to reach altitude. The Zero was flying slower, so I was able to maneuver my airplane directly behind the enemy. I had him in my sights! I was about to let him have it when I heard aloud thud! Panic set in when I saw parts of my left horizontal stabilizer float away. From my left peripheral vision, I saw it-another airplane which was now over shooting me. The Zero’s wing man must come up from behind me, out of the sun! In the heat of the battle the wing man apparently decided to ram my ship rather than let his comrade perish!
My target enemy was now far away. I could see his wing man’s engine had quit and appeared to have a broken prop. With no immediate combat threats present, my primary attention focused on the airworthiness of my tiny fighter. I attempted a shallow left turn but the airplane became unstable with the nose tending to drop off. I put the ship into a shallow right turn and said a silent prayer as I realized the ship was responding. I knew my approximate location in relation to the airfield. I took a quick look around to locate the runway all the while fighting to keep the ship from spinning in. I maneuvered from a 45 degree angle into the down wind leg of the pattern. I started my descent as I entered the crosswind leg. I was about to chop the power when I remembered the fate of pilot, Tom Minegar.
Tom had attempted to bring in a similarly damaged ship. In a brief combat episode, Tom’s ship also sustained severe left horizontal stabilizer damage. I remembered seeing his ship "augured in" when he chopped the power on final approach. Upon inspection of the crash, there was very little of his airplane left to inspect. (In his absence, Tom was recognized for his landing attempt.)
I decided the only way my ship was going to survive was to bring it in "hot", well in access of recommended landing airspeeds. No flaps would be used on this landing! My plan was to bring the throttle back at the last second letting my airspeed bleed off as I careened down the runway on touch down. My hands were sweating now. As I pitched the ship down on final approach it began to sink to the left! I corrected as much as I could using ailerons and rudder, but I was now over the runway and too high! I had to think fast! Then I remembered a trick my flight instructor had shown me-I made the decision to slip it in. This would allow me to lose altitude fast, and if I timed it right, the ground effects from the runway might help me bring it down in one piece. (If my timing was slightly off, I might prang the prop. If I was way off, my airplane would ball up on the runway.) Needless to say, the pressure was on but there was no time to be nervous. I hauled the stick over to the right putting the airplane into a knife edge! I fed in a little left rudder. As eased off the power the airplanes nose dropped rapidly towards the tarmac. When the right wing was only inches runway, I yanked the stick left, came off the rudder and chopped the power. The airplane leveled off and fell to the runway. I was down! I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart started beating again, and I stood there, in a heap of sweat.
The crowd cheered and yelled "nice save". CD Bob Lang put away the AMA "Catastrophic" Injury forms that he had halfway completed as he watched the little model airplane approach the runway. "Wing man" Ron Stark brought his deadsticked AT6 in for landing and the loan survivor of the three combat ship heat, Gerry Sheldon, continued flying high above, earning his 25 point flight bonus with no point deductions. I just stood there, for once, speechless. The crowd had seen its first midair and the Palomar R/C Flyers second Combat Meet had begun on a wild note, and yes, my Zigg's Original Zero, although damaged, had survived!
Coincidentally, the finals consisted of the very same three flyers, defending champion Gerry Sheldon, and defending third place contestants Ron Stark and yours truly. The final heat was intense. Per the American Federation of Dogfighter Association rules (AFDA), all pilots went into the finals on equal footing with zero points. In the end Ron Stark won the event by clipping Gerry’s ribbon. The author finished second by narrowly avoiding a "cut" by the defending champions slow but highly maneuverable four stroke AT6/Zero. Gerry’s "cut against" point deductions dropped him to third place. First prize was a 704 P-47 kit provided by Hobby Shack. Second prize was a Messerschmitt BF-109 short kit and third prize was an obligatory gallon of 15% fuel. The author wants to thank all who acted as pilot judges with a special thanks to CD Bob Lang, and Field Marshall Dave Truax. Our next competition is August 8, 1998. Plan to compete or just show up and root for your favorite pilot!