October 24, 1999
704 Combat

Combat returned to the skies over Johnson Field, Sunday, October 24, 1999. The action was exciting, fast, and furious. As one of the many spectators later told me, Combat is a true spectator sport.

The mid-airs were not as frequent as in past events, but the streamer cuts were more numerous and skillfully accomplished. I counted over six propeller streamer cuts one of which came from a head on approach combined with an Immelman maneuver!

The 704 event consisted of four rounds controlled by RCCA rules. Kevin Crandall, (age 15!) bested the clubs own Scott Billinski, earning 620 points with a total of three streamer cuts. Good job Kevin! Scott, hot off his fifth place finish up in Sacramento at the Pacific National Event, also had three streamer cuts and used meticulous, aggressive flying to stay in the hunt! Unfortunately, engine problems forced Scott into premature landings which detracted from his total point score. Third place went to Jim Maddocks. Jim flew a nimble 1/12 scale Japanese KI-61. Unfortunately Jim's airplane fell victim to one of the few mid-airs of the day. Nevertheless, a fine finish for Jim.

The Open competition was also conducted under RCCA rules. Tony Solo finished in first place with two kills for 600 points. In making one of his cuts, Tony made his Sig Wonder do a maneuver--I still don't know what it was, but it worked! Fifteen year old Chase Ragusa finished in second place with 360 points and one cut. Chase was often the victim of engine failure but did some nice maneuvering to stay in the air. A fine performance by Chase! In third place with 262 points (edging out yours truly by two points), was fifteen year old Manny Moya. Manny was flying one of the slowest airplanes in the event and still managed a respectable finish with some nice flying maneuvers.

Alas, I must state that my beloved creation the Eliminator was eliminated in Sundays competition. After holding the lead for two rounds with one cut, while chasing Darrin Albert's AT-6, the Eliminator was bested by an errant tree that blew right in front of it! I still do not know how it happened. The wing broke but the fuselage just kept going, and going and going..... Oh well, it was a lot of fun while it lasted (two years of combat)!

During an interlude at the event, I had the pleasure of being the first test pilot at the controls of Sureflight's prototype 2610 combat molded foam Spitfire. For the test flight the airplane utilized landing gear and a rudder and about weighed about a pound and a half. The airplane managed a perfect takeoff despite my attempt to ground loop it. I was pleasantly impressed by its stable flight characteristics despite a noticeable tail heaviness caused by poor placement of the rudder servo and rudder hardware. The airplane easily climbed on its prop, did Immelmans, loops and rolls on only a Magnum 0.15! I was so impressed I wanted to use it as a late entry in the 2105 contest! This type of molded foam aircraft is exactly what the RC combat world has been crying out for! Good luck, Sureflight and congratulations on what should definitely be a successful venture.

As all of you who were at the event were aware, Pica Enterprises has sponsored our last two events. Pica offers a variety of 2105/2610 airplanes that build quicker and have proven to be stronger, and lighter than anything I have seen. For those of you that wish to get started in 1/12 scale combat their "three pack" airplane offer is the way to go. You can purchase three aircraft from Pica at a substantially reduced price. These aircraft have new improvements such as sheeted wings and a beefed up fuselage, specifically incorporated for the combat flyer. I, of course, own a PICA Messerschmitt which flies exceptionally well. The airplane has become my everyday flyer!

Our next event is our annual AMA sanctioned Pearl Harbor classic. The event is scheduled for Sunday, December 5, 1999. I hope to see you all in attendance as either a spectator or a pilot. Finally, I have received a lot of requests from some of our club members to provide a slower combat event utilizing bigger, more visible streamers. I am actively working on creating such an event. How does 40 inch WWI biplanes utilizing a maximum of a 0.25 size engine sound? Wait till next time for more details.

Until next time, be aggressive but please fly safely!

George Dawe