Combat
Author
Greg Rose 1312 N.W. 196th St., Edmond OK 73003
Overview
The Nationals, or Nats, is a special event, and each year there seems to be something unique about it that makes it memorable. Regardless of all of the Combat, all of the scoring, and all of the flying, the 2003 Radio Control (RC) Combat Nats will be remembered for all of the water!
The rain and standing water in southern Indiana had been making national headlines for a week or two prior to the Combat events, which were held July 10–12. Record-setting rain in nearby Decatur had resulted in extensive flooding in the area.
Weather and site conditions
I drove through driving rainstorms and lightning on my way to Muncie; things did not look promising. Then on Thursday morning, when the RC Combat Nats was scheduled to start, the clouds parted, the sun shone, and the wind dropped. It looked like a perfect day for a Combat meet—at least until I saw the site.
The first hint of what we were in for was the "Road Closed" sign at the International Aeromodeling Center. A puddle blocked the road on the AMA grounds. Actually, it was closer to what I would call a pond that left the road under 22 inches of water (yes, I measured it; why not? I was soaked anyway). After seeing the flooding I was worried about the turnout for the meet, but I got really excited when I saw what was on the other side of the newly installed pond: Combat fliers, and lots of them.
The rain may have soaked the field, but it did not dampen the fliers' competitive spirits. There may not have been a dry pair of shoes in the bunch, but the place was packed with 50 Combat pilots!
With so many pilots and dry space at a premium for setting up tents and flight boxes (there was no dry space; damp was the best you could hope for), the site was churned into a slippery mud that sent several competitors down into spectacular crashes before their first models ever got into the air.
Contestant John Comerford posted an Internet comment after the Nats that read: "Barefoot combat in a mud-puddle. Makes an old man feel young again!" That statement summed up the first day of the Nats quite nicely.
Despite the slippery mud, combat began as scheduled: four rounds of Scale, with four rounds of Open Class B to follow.
Scale Combat
There were 20 Scale contestants; that was a smaller turnout than Open Class B, but the flying was no less competitive. The Ki-64 Rob and the Fairey Fulmar were commonly seen long-span models at the meet.
By the second round, three Scale fliers had pulled ahead of the pack. Chris Shepherd and A.J. Seaholm, both flying Ki-64 Robs, and 13-year-old Brian Gilkey, flying his Fulmars, appeared to have their own agendas as they swapped the top three positions back and forth, but they never let anyone else join their elite club. At the end of four rounds, the order was Chris, Brian, and A.J., with Michael Fredricks nipping at their heels with his Fulmars.
The wind picked up on the second day, with some gusts said to be coming in at 35 mph, but the Scale leaders' confidence held. The three top-placing fliers occasionally swapped places, yet continued to distance themselves from the rest of the field.
On the last day the weather finally cooperated: the field was drying and the air was almost calm. Scale fliers went up first to settle the final order. At the end of Round Nine it was Brian, A.J., then Chris. Finally, at the end of the all-important 10th round, the standings were:
- A.J. Seaholm — 3,596 points
- Brian Gilkey — 3,564 points
- Chris Shepherd — 3,244 points
Open Class B Combat
Open Class B had 43 contestants, the third-largest event at the entire AMA Nats. With so many competitors and many skilled fliers, it turned into a multiday battle of endurance. Long-span designs were dominant in this class.
By the end of the first day, A.J. Seaholm, Brian Gilkey, and Eric Cayemberg held first, second, and third places respectively. John (Lee) Liddle was trailing by only 20 points in fourth. This was his first Nats, but not his first rodeo; the veteran Texas Combat flier was just starting to show everyone what he could make his Falcon 72 do in the air.
After a nighttime thunderstorm, the second day began with a stiff wind blowing into the pits. Lee Liddle stepped up his flying and was in first place by the end of the first round of the day. Several fliers chased him until the last round of the second day—Round Eight of Open—when Lee cut 10 streamers and posted a Nats record of 1,040 points for the round!
On the last day, Lee did not waste his record-setting momentum. He turned in two respectable rounds and finished in first place with 4,760 points—1,220 points ahead of second place.
While Lee ran away with first, a battle developed for second and third. A.J. Seaholm had to fight attacks from Daniel Vaught, Ben Morrow, Brian Gilkey, and others to take second. Final Open Class B standings included:
- 1st: Lee Liddle — 4,760 points
- 2nd: A.J. Seaholm — 3,540 points
- 3rd: Daniel Vaught — 3,520 points
Slow, Survivable Combat (SSC)
In addition to the official Nats Combat events, a demonstration of Slow, Survivable Combat (SSC) Scale was held during the meet. It may only have been for bragging rights, but the participants flew into it with the same vigor they showed in the AMA events.
With SSC fliers still excited about the "Marathon before Muncie" (held in nearby Richmond, Indiana, the day before the Combat Nats started), interest in SSC and SSC Scale was high. Pilots and spectators enjoyed the various SSC rounds, including one flown at night by moonlight with light sticks on the airplanes.
Organization and thanks
If the water had not been the most memorable feature of the RC Combat Nats, the organizational effort that Bill Seaman put forth as contest director would have to be the thing people remembered first. Bill ran the event like clockwork. Pilots' meetings were held when they were supposed to be held, rounds and heats started on time, and Open Class B and Scale were both contested and finished on schedule.
Despite the sea of mud on the first day, the fierce wind on the second, and having only a half day to fly on the last day, everything fell neatly into its planned place on the schedule. Bill Seaman not only ran the most organized RC Combat Nats ever, but he ran the best-organized AMA event I have ever attended.
You deserve a great deal of praise for a job well done, Bill. Thank you for your efforts.
Final thoughts
There is no substitute for the RC Combat Nats! Everyone seemed to have a great time (even me, who had Brian Gilkey fly right through my new airplane in the fifth round), and we can't wait until next year.
Until then, build straight, fly safely, and be sure to check your six! See you at the 2004 Nats!
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
