CONTROL LINE COMBAT
Rich von Lopez, 8334 Colegio Dr., Los Angeles CA 90045
January 2005 161
Juniors (L-R) Jussi Forss, Natasha Dementiev, and Ryan
Comiskey flew at the 2004 AMA Nats after the World Champs.
Nats Senior fliers (L-R) Holden Hill, Michael Comiskey Jr., Ben
Johnson, Olga Soshnina, and Mikael Sjölund.
Top Open pilots (L-R) Lennart Nord, seventh; Igor Tukubayev,
sixth; Bobby Mears, fifth; James Ehlen, fourth; Boriss Jalunins,
third; Richard Stubblefield, second; and Stas Chornyy, first.
THE SUMMER of 2004 was quite eventful, what with the Control
Line World Championships taking place in Muncie, Indiana, followed
by the AMA National Championships which included a number of
foreign competitors.
The big hit of the Nats was the F2D/Fast event, held the Monday
and Tuesday following the World Championships. Its format was
different from anything that had been done in the past, in that
competitors used F2D equipment and Fast Combat rules. This meant
that the competitors were allowed one model per bout versus the two
allowed in FAI F2D contests. It also meant that a kill would end the
match.
The F2D rules allow for a one-minute warm-up period before
launch, which usually results in simultaneous liftoff for both pilots’
models and can result in tie scores at the end of the match. The Fast
Combat rules call for instant starts and immediate launches. There
was usually a time differential from the get-go, resulting in few
rematches.
Pat Willcox had an extra set of streamers made from the same
material that was used at the World Championships, contestants had
plenty of fuel, and the fields had already been laid out to the correct
specifications.
Event Director Larry Driskill and Muffy Rudner shuffled match
cards to assure that Americans flew against foreign competitors. I
started off as the circle center marshal, and a number of others rotated
in and out of the judges’ chairs so that no one or two individuals were
tied to the job for the two days.
With the stage set, we were able to entice roughly 50 pilots to
enter the competition, including 10 Junior and Senior fliers. Everyone
caught on quickly, and we kept up a speedy pace using two circles.
Australians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Brits,
Finns, Swedes, Mexicans, and, of course, Americans joined in the fun.
The point of promoting this contest was to give everyone an
opportunity to fly against a competitor that he or she had never flown
against and to experience flying against various styles. This open
contest gave pit-crew members, supporters, and officials a chance to
participate in a true international competition.
Those objectives were without a doubt achieved. I was able to fly
with three Eastern European pilots I had never flown against before,
including Stas Chornyy from Ukraine.
Most people enjoyed the format. A few pilots did not have good
matches and were disappointed by not really being able to engage in
a good bout. They either got into line tangles straightaway or had
midair collisions early on. This can be frustrating and can cause one
to lose spirit. In spite of some of these poor-quality matches, many
more were of a much higher quality.
The AMA Fast Combat starting procedure that works so well
with our big Nelson, Fox, and Fora .36 engines did cause a slight
change in how teams operated. The truly experienced crews that
participate in Fast Combat can get their engines started and their
models in the air in one or two seconds.
The best F2D mechanics never have
the pressure of time with which to
contend. The one-minute starting and
warm-up period provides plenty of time to
get the engine started and get a good
setting, and it allows for unforeseen
problems such as a broken bladder.
At first, most of the European crews
used one mechanic to start the engine and
launch the model. The technique is for the
airplane to be held between the legs with
the inboard tip on the ground. The
mechanic is bent over to flip the propeller.
Once the engine is started, the model must
then be lifted to a launch position before
the release.
Later in the contest, teams were using
two mechanics—one to hold and launch
and the other to start. It is amazing to see
how quickly everyone caught on and
adapted in spite of language barriers.
The contest moved at a quick pace, and
we were able to get four rounds in on the
first day. As expected, some of the top
American pilots got kills with their usual
regularity. Bobby Mears, Richard
Stubblefield, James Ehlen, Chuck Rudner,
Will Rogers, and Wayne McDaniel each
had three wins after the first day and
looked to continue deep into the contest.
The non-Americans who looked good
were Stas Chornyy, Michael Comiskey of
Australia, Timo Forss of Finland, Boriss
Jalunins of Latvia, Igor Milenin of
Ukraine, Lennart Nord of Sweden, Robert
Owen of Australia, Rod Smith of
Australia, Igor Tukubayev of Ukraine,
and Volodymyr Vesich of Ukraine.
In the end, Stas Chornyy beat Richard
Stubblefield for first place and the $1,600
that went along with it. Richard
Stubblefield did get $800 in his sterlingsilver
trophy mug. Boriss Jalunins
managed to finish third and collect $600.
In addition to the prize money, the topplacing
competitors received AMA
trophies for the National Championships.
I was pleased to see the number of
European and Australian Juniors and
Seniors participating. There were brothers
from Finland—Jussi and Lasse Forss—
and from Australia—Ryan and Michael
Comiskey Jr. Mikael Sjölund of Sweden,
Ben Johnson of England, Olga Soshnina
of Ukraine, Dominykas Zubas of
Lithuania, Natasha Dementiev of
Moldova, and Holden Hill of the US took
part in the event and came away with a
placing or participant’s trophy.
Public thanks to all of this contest’s
sponsors, including James, Bobby, Andy,
and Nick Mears; George Cleveland;
Chuck Rudner; and Paul Vallins for their
generous donations to the prize money. (I
also donated.) The contest would not have
been possible without the ongoing support
of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.
I have no idea when we will have the
conditions in place to hold another such
event. It took 20 years for the World
Championships to return to the United
States, and I hope we don’t have to wait
that long for the next one. Perhaps the
Europeans will try to organize a similar
competition on their soil. Spain is the
rumored location for the 2006 World
Championships.
The Bladder Grabber in Snohomish,
Washington, continues to be the premier
Fast Combat contest in the United States.
The turnout for the 2004 edition, held July
31-August 1, was as small as I have ever
seen it. That could have been because the
World Championships and the Nats took
place earlier in the month, and vacation
time and money had been used up.
Nonetheless, the 22 participants fought
it out for the Bob Carver-donated stereo
equipment. He has been sponsoring the
Bladder Grabber since the early days,
which have to be closing in on 30 years.
His businesses have had their ups and
downs, so the prizes have varied from year
to year, but he continues with his love of
Combat and the sponsorship that keeps
this contest alive.
Many pilots have achieved success
throughout their modeling careers. Chuck
Rudner has reached a true milestone in
managing his fourth win at the Bladder
Grabber. He almost did not go this year,
and his last-minute decision to attend paid
off.
Miniature Aircraft Combat Association
newsletter editor Bill Maywald flew well
all weekend, to finish in second place. He
is a pioneer in building fuel-shutoff
devices and engine mounts and in
producing fine-quality Combat kits.
Bill took over the kit-manufacturing
business from Greg Carter and has since
refined the original Allenplane design. He
has a much better airfoil that improves the
model’s performance. You can reach Bill
at 719 Allen Dr., Corona CA 92879; Tel.:
(909) 280-9720; E-mail: wmaywald@
aol.com.
In third place was Jim Green—a local
flier from Bellevue, Washington. He had
an entire fan club cheering him on.
Nothing on the Fast Combat scene has
changed in the past several years. The
pilots used Nelson .36s, a few used Foras,
and even fewer used Fox Combat Specials
ranging from the Mark III to the Mark VI
vintage.
Dick Salter and Gary Harris finished in
the fourth and fifth positions. Jeff Rein ran
the contest and was efficient in getting
everything done quickly. This is a good
competition to put on your contest
calendar.
Bob Burch of Chicago, Illinois, has a
clever strategy for getting models to fly at
contests.
He orders whatever quantity of
airplanes he thinks he will need from
George Cleveland at GRS Models (36
Antigua Dr., Kenner LA 70065; Tel.:
[504] 443-4640; E-mail: gcleveland_grs
[email protected]; Web site: http://
pages.prodigy.net/gcleveland_grsmodels/).
He has those shipped to the event director
or to a friend near the contest. Since the
models are RTFs, he simply bolts on
engines when he arrives and then
competes with his aircraft.
After the contest, or after he has been
eliminated, he sells the remaining models
to anyone who is interested. There is no
need to pack and ship airplanes back home
this way. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 161,162
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/01
Page Numbers: 161,162
CONTROL LINE COMBAT
Rich von Lopez, 8334 Colegio Dr., Los Angeles CA 90045
January 2005 161
Juniors (L-R) Jussi Forss, Natasha Dementiev, and Ryan
Comiskey flew at the 2004 AMA Nats after the World Champs.
Nats Senior fliers (L-R) Holden Hill, Michael Comiskey Jr., Ben
Johnson, Olga Soshnina, and Mikael Sjölund.
Top Open pilots (L-R) Lennart Nord, seventh; Igor Tukubayev,
sixth; Bobby Mears, fifth; James Ehlen, fourth; Boriss Jalunins,
third; Richard Stubblefield, second; and Stas Chornyy, first.
THE SUMMER of 2004 was quite eventful, what with the Control
Line World Championships taking place in Muncie, Indiana, followed
by the AMA National Championships which included a number of
foreign competitors.
The big hit of the Nats was the F2D/Fast event, held the Monday
and Tuesday following the World Championships. Its format was
different from anything that had been done in the past, in that
competitors used F2D equipment and Fast Combat rules. This meant
that the competitors were allowed one model per bout versus the two
allowed in FAI F2D contests. It also meant that a kill would end the
match.
The F2D rules allow for a one-minute warm-up period before
launch, which usually results in simultaneous liftoff for both pilots’
models and can result in tie scores at the end of the match. The Fast
Combat rules call for instant starts and immediate launches. There
was usually a time differential from the get-go, resulting in few
rematches.
Pat Willcox had an extra set of streamers made from the same
material that was used at the World Championships, contestants had
plenty of fuel, and the fields had already been laid out to the correct
specifications.
Event Director Larry Driskill and Muffy Rudner shuffled match
cards to assure that Americans flew against foreign competitors. I
started off as the circle center marshal, and a number of others rotated
in and out of the judges’ chairs so that no one or two individuals were
tied to the job for the two days.
With the stage set, we were able to entice roughly 50 pilots to
enter the competition, including 10 Junior and Senior fliers. Everyone
caught on quickly, and we kept up a speedy pace using two circles.
Australians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Brits,
Finns, Swedes, Mexicans, and, of course, Americans joined in the fun.
The point of promoting this contest was to give everyone an
opportunity to fly against a competitor that he or she had never flown
against and to experience flying against various styles. This open
contest gave pit-crew members, supporters, and officials a chance to
participate in a true international competition.
Those objectives were without a doubt achieved. I was able to fly
with three Eastern European pilots I had never flown against before,
including Stas Chornyy from Ukraine.
Most people enjoyed the format. A few pilots did not have good
matches and were disappointed by not really being able to engage in
a good bout. They either got into line tangles straightaway or had
midair collisions early on. This can be frustrating and can cause one
to lose spirit. In spite of some of these poor-quality matches, many
more were of a much higher quality.
The AMA Fast Combat starting procedure that works so well
with our big Nelson, Fox, and Fora .36 engines did cause a slight
change in how teams operated. The truly experienced crews that
participate in Fast Combat can get their engines started and their
models in the air in one or two seconds.
The best F2D mechanics never have
the pressure of time with which to
contend. The one-minute starting and
warm-up period provides plenty of time to
get the engine started and get a good
setting, and it allows for unforeseen
problems such as a broken bladder.
At first, most of the European crews
used one mechanic to start the engine and
launch the model. The technique is for the
airplane to be held between the legs with
the inboard tip on the ground. The
mechanic is bent over to flip the propeller.
Once the engine is started, the model must
then be lifted to a launch position before
the release.
Later in the contest, teams were using
two mechanics—one to hold and launch
and the other to start. It is amazing to see
how quickly everyone caught on and
adapted in spite of language barriers.
The contest moved at a quick pace, and
we were able to get four rounds in on the
first day. As expected, some of the top
American pilots got kills with their usual
regularity. Bobby Mears, Richard
Stubblefield, James Ehlen, Chuck Rudner,
Will Rogers, and Wayne McDaniel each
had three wins after the first day and
looked to continue deep into the contest.
The non-Americans who looked good
were Stas Chornyy, Michael Comiskey of
Australia, Timo Forss of Finland, Boriss
Jalunins of Latvia, Igor Milenin of
Ukraine, Lennart Nord of Sweden, Robert
Owen of Australia, Rod Smith of
Australia, Igor Tukubayev of Ukraine,
and Volodymyr Vesich of Ukraine.
In the end, Stas Chornyy beat Richard
Stubblefield for first place and the $1,600
that went along with it. Richard
Stubblefield did get $800 in his sterlingsilver
trophy mug. Boriss Jalunins
managed to finish third and collect $600.
In addition to the prize money, the topplacing
competitors received AMA
trophies for the National Championships.
I was pleased to see the number of
European and Australian Juniors and
Seniors participating. There were brothers
from Finland—Jussi and Lasse Forss—
and from Australia—Ryan and Michael
Comiskey Jr. Mikael Sjölund of Sweden,
Ben Johnson of England, Olga Soshnina
of Ukraine, Dominykas Zubas of
Lithuania, Natasha Dementiev of
Moldova, and Holden Hill of the US took
part in the event and came away with a
placing or participant’s trophy.
Public thanks to all of this contest’s
sponsors, including James, Bobby, Andy,
and Nick Mears; George Cleveland;
Chuck Rudner; and Paul Vallins for their
generous donations to the prize money. (I
also donated.) The contest would not have
been possible without the ongoing support
of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.
I have no idea when we will have the
conditions in place to hold another such
event. It took 20 years for the World
Championships to return to the United
States, and I hope we don’t have to wait
that long for the next one. Perhaps the
Europeans will try to organize a similar
competition on their soil. Spain is the
rumored location for the 2006 World
Championships.
The Bladder Grabber in Snohomish,
Washington, continues to be the premier
Fast Combat contest in the United States.
The turnout for the 2004 edition, held July
31-August 1, was as small as I have ever
seen it. That could have been because the
World Championships and the Nats took
place earlier in the month, and vacation
time and money had been used up.
Nonetheless, the 22 participants fought
it out for the Bob Carver-donated stereo
equipment. He has been sponsoring the
Bladder Grabber since the early days,
which have to be closing in on 30 years.
His businesses have had their ups and
downs, so the prizes have varied from year
to year, but he continues with his love of
Combat and the sponsorship that keeps
this contest alive.
Many pilots have achieved success
throughout their modeling careers. Chuck
Rudner has reached a true milestone in
managing his fourth win at the Bladder
Grabber. He almost did not go this year,
and his last-minute decision to attend paid
off.
Miniature Aircraft Combat Association
newsletter editor Bill Maywald flew well
all weekend, to finish in second place. He
is a pioneer in building fuel-shutoff
devices and engine mounts and in
producing fine-quality Combat kits.
Bill took over the kit-manufacturing
business from Greg Carter and has since
refined the original Allenplane design. He
has a much better airfoil that improves the
model’s performance. You can reach Bill
at 719 Allen Dr., Corona CA 92879; Tel.:
(909) 280-9720; E-mail: wmaywald@
aol.com.
In third place was Jim Green—a local
flier from Bellevue, Washington. He had
an entire fan club cheering him on.
Nothing on the Fast Combat scene has
changed in the past several years. The
pilots used Nelson .36s, a few used Foras,
and even fewer used Fox Combat Specials
ranging from the Mark III to the Mark VI
vintage.
Dick Salter and Gary Harris finished in
the fourth and fifth positions. Jeff Rein ran
the contest and was efficient in getting
everything done quickly. This is a good
competition to put on your contest
calendar.
Bob Burch of Chicago, Illinois, has a
clever strategy for getting models to fly at
contests.
He orders whatever quantity of
airplanes he thinks he will need from
George Cleveland at GRS Models (36
Antigua Dr., Kenner LA 70065; Tel.:
[504] 443-4640; E-mail: gcleveland_grs
[email protected]; Web site: http://
pages.prodigy.net/gcleveland_grsmodels/).
He has those shipped to the event director
or to a friend near the contest. Since the
models are RTFs, he simply bolts on
engines when he arrives and then
competes with his aircraft.
After the contest, or after he has been
eliminated, he sells the remaining models
to anyone who is interested. There is no
need to pack and ship airplanes back home
this way. MA