CONTROL LINE COMBAT
Rich von Lopez, 8334 Colegio Dr., Los Angeles CA 90045
WE HAVE GONE through the bulk of another Combat season since I last wrote a column. I was in the process of getting ready for a trip to Seattle, Washington for the Bladder Grabber when I wrote the October column.
The Bladder Grabber has always been a well-attended competition that features the biggest pot of gold for the podium finishers; the year 2001 was no exception. Advertised prizes were in excess of $16,000, and some 36 pilots from across the country did their best to cash in.
Bob Carver is the man responsible for all of the Sunfire stereo equipment that makes up the bulk of the prizes.
This was the first major outing for the new Fora 36 Combat Special. George Cleveland of GRS Models has invested in the production of this engine.
George, along with his son Mitchell and lifelong buddy Richard Stubblefield, campaigned the new engine in black. They did alternate with their tried-and-true Nelsons. The Nelson Combat Special is the standard of the event by which all others are judged.
The Fora 36 did look impressive during some of the “psych-out” test flights Friday. It is amazing how tight a model that exceeds 500 square inches can turn when there is a good engine, a good propeller, and 40% nitro.
George and company had a box full of new Wakkerman-style Fast Combat models that worked really well. Chicagoland’s Bob Burch joined the Texas-Louisiana group in its effort to use up the box of new models.
Fuel-shutoff devices were required and tested prior to each match. There were a couple of failures; the most notable belonged to Howard Rush. The swing-arm device he was using failed and allowed his model to become a runaway dog.
I warned Howard that it was bad luck to have a dead-dog sticker with the name Lopez on it. To this day, that dog has not returned home.
When talking about his models, Howard Rush has used the term “dogs” for many years. When one competes in Fast Combat, one is hunting for the kill with a dog.
Dead-dog stickers are used to symbolize elimination from the tournament after the third loss at the Bladder Grabber. Half the fun of being at a big contest is all the stories and jokes that old friends tell.
Part of the Bladder Grabber adventure is to eat some of the seafood for which the Pacific Northwest is so famous. The people in that part of the world drink lots of good-quality coffee, and cherries are in season that time of the year.
Chuck Rudner came from behind to win his third Bladder Grabber. Mitchell Cleveland of Louisiana was second. Teammates Mike Willcox and Lee Liddle finished third and fourth respectively. Both live in the Dallas, Texas area.
The ever-dangerous Mike Petri from the San Francisco Bay area finished in fifth place. Mike and Lee have a very interesting foam model design that is quick to build and light.
Bill Hayward, editor of the Miniature Aircraft Combat Association (MACA) newsletter, has been trying to make the Riverside, California FAI Combat Challenge one of the premier competitions in the country.
The weekend of Aug 11-12, 2001 saw 33 of the best pilots in the country gathered to do battle for the $1,000 first-place, $750 second-place, and $500 third-place prize money.
This has to be one of the best venues in the country for model flying. The competition is held at the American Youth Soccer Organization fields, which provide enough space for everyone to have his or her own practice circle.
The grass is well-kept and watered on a regular basis — perhaps too regular. The sprinklers went off in the middle of the competition, but it actually felt good during the heat of the day.
Bill makes it a point to include a hamburger-and-hot-dog lunch both days for the contestants.
Bill's contest has come of age and will be on everyone's must-attend list.
Roy Krupa made the trek all the way from Dallas, Texas to show everyone that he has what it takes to win a major contest. Rumor has it that that night he was heard howling for joy in an alley out behind my house.
There was only one shutoff failure that I can remember the whole weekend. Several models were cut loose, but the shutoffs worked perfectly. The circles were placed far enough away from the pits and spectators to make this a very safe contest.
The other major contest I attended was the United States F2D Combat Team Trials, held in Houston, Texas August 31-September 2, 2001. This contest moves around the country and is held every two years.
The top three finishers will have the honor of presenting the United States at the Control Line World Championships. The 2002 edition will be held in Sebnitz, Germany the week of July 14-21. This is a golden opportunity to try your skills against the best the world has to offer.
Richard Stubblefield organized the event and even planned the monsoon-type weather we had the whole weekend. It rained Thursday, and it was raining Friday, which prevented any test-flying. It rained hard Saturday morning then on and off the rest of the day.
We flew between rain showers and thunderstorms. We had to cross as much as eight inches of water to get to the flying circles. The cement center circle pads made the bout conditions bearable; anything less would have made the footing impossible.
There was more rain Sunday, and we finished the competition Monday.
Did I mention the Solegnosis that were present throughout the competition, not only as spectators but as active contestant-biting carnivores?
This was my first encounter with these feisty little swarming creatures. Six weeks after the competition, I am still sporting evidence of their feasting on my ankles.
You may not recognize the scientific term Solegnosis, but you probably know what fine ants are. If it was painful it would almost be humorous to watch a man running into the standing water, slapping at their ankles trying to get the ants off their bodies.
These tenacious little insects even made their way into the outer bays of one of Chuck Rudner's models. If there is an infestation of these creatures in Southern California, you will know who to blame.
There were 29 entrants from across the country hoping to make the team. They were: Mike Evans, Mack Henry, Ron Macionni, Bob Burch, Bob Mears, Ron Colombo, Andrew Nadien, George Cleveland, John Giszefske, Chuck Rudner, Ed Bryz, Mitchell Cleveland, Tom Fluker, Mark Rudner, Rich Tupper, Andy Mears, Mike Willcox, Lou Scanone, Chris Gay, Richard Stubblefield, Derek Ellison, Nick Mears, Roy Krupa, Lee Liddle, Skyler Skelley, Don Caniff, David Owen, Larry Skelly and me.
When all was said and done, Mike Willcox, Don Caniff, and Rich Tupper were left standing. Mike will be the veteran of the team, although he is the youngest of the bunch.
Don Caniff has made the team in the past but elected not to travel to foreign soil to fly the event he loves so much. I hope he will make the trip to Sebnitz; he demonstrated to everyone present that he was the head of the class.
Rich Tupper was the "dark horse" of the field. I cannot remember the last time he finished at the top in a major competition. His flying was on target, and he won't get pushed around the center circle by any of the European pilots.
We wish them the best of luck. Do us proud, guys.
There really wasn't any new equipment. There was an abundance of better-built Russian/Ukrainian-style models from the MZikland (Uzielov?) model factories. I was impressed by the performance of the A.K.M. Moscow-built engines.
In a previous column I called this engine a "KTN" by mistake. As Mack Henry pointed out to me, the KTMs were competition motocross machines of yesteryear. I knew that; I guess this old hard drive isn't as good as it used to be.
The A.K.M. will pull a bigger propeller with more pitch while the other engines have to rev higher on smaller blades.
I flew against David Owen's A.K.M. and could easily see the difference. The Billy Goat engine I was using is no slug, but it was outrun by the bigger propeller.
Fly models, have fun, and share the hobby with someone you know. Me
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
