April 2003 145
THE YEAR 2003 will mark the Miniature Aircraft Combat
Association’s (MACA’s) 30th year of existence. For those of you who
are new to Control Line (CL) Combat, MACA had its origins in the
midwest part of the United States and was started by a group of
Combat aficionados who were interested in the event’s promotion,
exposure, and well-being.
A few of MACA’s organizers are still involved in the event, and
others have faded into the long-forgotten past. Howard Rush, Gary
Frost, Gary James, Neal White, and Tom Southern were among the
individuals who made MACA a reality. Somewhere in my archives I
have my original MACA membership card signed by Howard Rush.
This was before he wore the clown suit and became a respectable tiewearing,
espresso-drinking yuppie living in the Pacific Northwest.
Howard and Neal had designed successful Combat models: the
Nemesis and the Bosta. If Howard comes down to Southern California,
I will have him autograph a still-in-the-box Nemesis kit. The Bosta
was an elliptical-wing design that was a bit more difficult to build than
the average Combat design. Most of the Bosta’s successes were at the
hands of Chicagoland’s favorite son Bob Burch.
Gary Frost was MACA’s first president and has still not been able
to collect on the pension that was offered to him at the time. Most of
the early officers had to take real salary-paying jobs to make certain
they could afford the luxury of being called a MACA officer. MACA
has always been a volunteer organization, with most of the officers
donating time and money to keep it going.
The newsletter MACA News holds the organization together and
provides the members with something they can touch. (There is also a
Web site.) Tom Southern was the first newsletter editor, and he must
have run up some good telephone bills with all of those long-distance
calls from Texas to Missouri, Indiana, and many other states.
I learned about MACA in American Aircraft Modeler magazine
while I was reading Howard Rush’s Combat column. There was a brief
mention of MACA and an address to contact to get information. I have
been a member since day one in 1973.
The MACA Top 20 started out as the MACA Top 10. We were
trying to recognize those pilots who were consistent in placing high in
many contests throughout the year. I was interested in having the top
pilots assigned a national number they could wear or display on their
models. The idea was to model the Top 10 after what the American
Motorcycle Association did for its Grand National top racers. The
number-one plate was given to the number-one rider to use for an
CONTROL LINE COMBAT
Rich v
on Lopez, 8334 Colegio Dr., Los Angeles CA 90045
Howard Rush no longer uses the Nemesis design. This is his storebought
model, photographed before it ran off into the woods.
Edwin Brzys (Livonia, Michigan) mounts the fuel bladder outside
the model on top of the wing.
Darrin Albert (San Diego, California) has been going to many
contests recently, and he bought out Kustom Kraftsmanship.
04sig5.QXD 1.23.03 3:21 pm Page 145
146 MODEL AVIATION
1-800-909-3632 • fax 217-351-3590
Fults Tooling • P.O. Box 155 • Savoy, IL 61874
VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE AT :
www.fultstooling.com
AND SEE OUR NEW SCORPION LINE INCLUDING
HEAVY-DUTY NOSE & MAIN GEAR!
Fults Nose Gear • Scorpion Line • Custom Struts
Don’t break another prop!
CALL or VISIT online today!
The perrffectt
llandiing gearr
solluttiion!!
entire season. This would be difficult for
MACA since everyone was an Academy of
Model Aeronautics member with a five- or
six-digit number.
The original concept was to only count
Fast Combat points, since that was the
premier event. The Northern California pilots
wanted points from Western Associated
Modelers (WAM) to count as well. MACA
agreed, and WAM BC Expert-class points
were included.
WAM had some top-quality pilots who
could hold their own against anyone in the
country. Neal Carpenter, Norm McFadden,
Rich Brasher, Gary Kearns, Ron Sheldon,
Terry Prather, Ed Bridant, Doss Porter, Drew
Lance III, Mike Petri, John Salvin III, and
many others participated in some fierce
WAM contests. I had a win or two at WAM
contests 50 pounds ago.
The new Top 20 will be out soon and has
been changed somewhat to include almost all
of the Combat events. The number-one
recognition goes to the pilot who can amass
the most points in 1⁄2A, Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), Slow,
Fast, and Speed Limit contests. I don’t
believe diesel contests count. For the Top 20
pilots, there are free T-shirts and the respect
of their peers. I will give you the final results
in my next column.
If you are interested in joining MACA,
send a check for $15 to MACA Treasurer
Gene Berry at 4610 89th St., Lubbock TX
79424.
As the officially recognized Special
Interest Group of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics, MACA will make
recommendations on rules changes. If you
want a voice in rule matters, a MACA
membership would be in your best interest.
MACA needs active members who are
willing to write technical articles, contest
reports, or give their opinions on any
Combat-related items.
This year the Bladder Grabber will be
moved to August 2-3 in an effort to get dry
weather. I have not heard the actual date for
the Riverside Combat Challenge in California,
but I suspect that it will be the last weekend in
June. In 2002 the Bladder Grabber offered
$16,000 worth of prizes to the top five placing
pilots. It is well worth the trip to Snohomish,
Washington, for this contest.
In Southern California the annual Toys for
Tots Contest was held the weekend of
December 7-8, 2002. This is primarily a
charity event that offers modelers a chance to
compete in one last contest for the year.
Combat World Champion Mike Willcox won
the 1⁄2A and the 80 mph events. The entry fee
for the Toys for Tots event is a new,
unwrapped toy that will find its way into the
hands of a needy child.
Again I hosted the annual Beach and
Brunch 1⁄2A Combat “Last Kill of the Year”
event on December 31, 2002. This is a Tee
Dee .049 contest held to see who will have
bragging rights for getting the last kill of the
year. We start with a brunch at my house,
followed by a short trip to the famous beach
site for a fun-filled four hours of flying. A
homemade trophy is given to the first person
who gets a kill, then it is passed on to the next
person who gets a kill. The last person to
score a kill gets to keep it. This is a great way
to finish off a year.
In 2003 you will probably see more and more
1⁄2A events on 42-foot lines. The Cyclon and
Fora .049s are so powerful and reliable that
the 35-foot lines make them way too fast to
have any decent Combat matches. The trend
seems to be to host a 1⁄2A contest on the
Friday that precedes a Fast Combat weekend.
The speed-limit events, be they 75 or 80 mph,
will continue to grow and afford the novice
and returning Combat pilot a chance to
compete in a fun event.
I like the speed-limit concept as an entrylevel
event. There is no restriction for models
or engines, so any old klunker will do as long
as it does not exceed the speed limit. The
official Slow Combat event is on its deathbed
and may pass away this year. It was a good
idea when it started, but big, heavy models
that required Nelson power and were hitting
110 mph took the event out of the entry-level
pilot’s reach. F2D, or FAI Combat, will
continue to have a strong following of
competition and sport fliers.
This year’s Team Trials will probably be
held the weekend before the AMA National
Championships in Muncie, Indiana. The
availability of FAI equipment has made it a
popular event. Most of the FAI engines are
reliable and produce a great deal of power on
10% nitro fuel. They usually do not blow
glow plugs and are easy to start, making them
an attractive sport-flying option. The F2D
models also have less pull than the firebreathing
“Mogombo”-powered Fast Combat
models.
Plenty of good equipment is available
from a variety of sources, making Combat an
easy event in which to get involved. Gone are
the days when the pilot who could start his or
her engine won the match. The pilots who win
most contests are well practiced and apply
their skill. Yes, luck still enters the equation,
but good preparation and practice help foster
good luck and eliminate bad luck. MA
DISCERNING MODELER...
ELECTRONICS FOR THE
7 Cylinders: $94.95
3-5 Cylinders: $79.95
EDR-103M Super GrowLite!
Multi-cylinders?Ask for the
Ultra-simple installation!
Light! Less than 35 grams
NO interference! Works with all Rx’s!
Single, Twin-cylinders, Twin-engines
PLUS... EASY, SAFE Starts!
Enjoy RELIABLE, S-L-O-O-W IDLE
It doesn’t get better than this!
GLITCH-PROOF
YOUR AIRPLANE!
Installing servos the
FRUSTRATING OLD WAY?
You gotta have one of these!
ElectroDynamics
1-800-337-1638 (Orders)
Website: http://www.electrodynam.com
Info: 1-734-422-5420
Fax: 1-734-422-5338
ED
®
®
MasterCard VISA®
®
Only
$44.95
EDR-203
•••
Optically isolate Rx & Servo power!
Amplified control signal drives!
Isolate 6 control channels - easily
expandable to more channels!
With
remote
LED
$39.95
Only
EDR-103
SERVO-CISER
04sig5.QXD 1.23.03 3:22 pm Page 146
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/04
Page Numbers: 145,146
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/04
Page Numbers: 145,146
April 2003 145
THE YEAR 2003 will mark the Miniature Aircraft Combat
Association’s (MACA’s) 30th year of existence. For those of you who
are new to Control Line (CL) Combat, MACA had its origins in the
midwest part of the United States and was started by a group of
Combat aficionados who were interested in the event’s promotion,
exposure, and well-being.
A few of MACA’s organizers are still involved in the event, and
others have faded into the long-forgotten past. Howard Rush, Gary
Frost, Gary James, Neal White, and Tom Southern were among the
individuals who made MACA a reality. Somewhere in my archives I
have my original MACA membership card signed by Howard Rush.
This was before he wore the clown suit and became a respectable tiewearing,
espresso-drinking yuppie living in the Pacific Northwest.
Howard and Neal had designed successful Combat models: the
Nemesis and the Bosta. If Howard comes down to Southern California,
I will have him autograph a still-in-the-box Nemesis kit. The Bosta
was an elliptical-wing design that was a bit more difficult to build than
the average Combat design. Most of the Bosta’s successes were at the
hands of Chicagoland’s favorite son Bob Burch.
Gary Frost was MACA’s first president and has still not been able
to collect on the pension that was offered to him at the time. Most of
the early officers had to take real salary-paying jobs to make certain
they could afford the luxury of being called a MACA officer. MACA
has always been a volunteer organization, with most of the officers
donating time and money to keep it going.
The newsletter MACA News holds the organization together and
provides the members with something they can touch. (There is also a
Web site.) Tom Southern was the first newsletter editor, and he must
have run up some good telephone bills with all of those long-distance
calls from Texas to Missouri, Indiana, and many other states.
I learned about MACA in American Aircraft Modeler magazine
while I was reading Howard Rush’s Combat column. There was a brief
mention of MACA and an address to contact to get information. I have
been a member since day one in 1973.
The MACA Top 20 started out as the MACA Top 10. We were
trying to recognize those pilots who were consistent in placing high in
many contests throughout the year. I was interested in having the top
pilots assigned a national number they could wear or display on their
models. The idea was to model the Top 10 after what the American
Motorcycle Association did for its Grand National top racers. The
number-one plate was given to the number-one rider to use for an
CONTROL LINE COMBAT
Rich v
on Lopez, 8334 Colegio Dr., Los Angeles CA 90045
Howard Rush no longer uses the Nemesis design. This is his storebought
model, photographed before it ran off into the woods.
Edwin Brzys (Livonia, Michigan) mounts the fuel bladder outside
the model on top of the wing.
Darrin Albert (San Diego, California) has been going to many
contests recently, and he bought out Kustom Kraftsmanship.
04sig5.QXD 1.23.03 3:21 pm Page 145
146 MODEL AVIATION
1-800-909-3632 • fax 217-351-3590
Fults Tooling • P.O. Box 155 • Savoy, IL 61874
VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE AT :
www.fultstooling.com
AND SEE OUR NEW SCORPION LINE INCLUDING
HEAVY-DUTY NOSE & MAIN GEAR!
Fults Nose Gear • Scorpion Line • Custom Struts
Don’t break another prop!
CALL or VISIT online today!
The perrffectt
llandiing gearr
solluttiion!!
entire season. This would be difficult for
MACA since everyone was an Academy of
Model Aeronautics member with a five- or
six-digit number.
The original concept was to only count
Fast Combat points, since that was the
premier event. The Northern California pilots
wanted points from Western Associated
Modelers (WAM) to count as well. MACA
agreed, and WAM BC Expert-class points
were included.
WAM had some top-quality pilots who
could hold their own against anyone in the
country. Neal Carpenter, Norm McFadden,
Rich Brasher, Gary Kearns, Ron Sheldon,
Terry Prather, Ed Bridant, Doss Porter, Drew
Lance III, Mike Petri, John Salvin III, and
many others participated in some fierce
WAM contests. I had a win or two at WAM
contests 50 pounds ago.
The new Top 20 will be out soon and has
been changed somewhat to include almost all
of the Combat events. The number-one
recognition goes to the pilot who can amass
the most points in 1⁄2A, Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), Slow,
Fast, and Speed Limit contests. I don’t
believe diesel contests count. For the Top 20
pilots, there are free T-shirts and the respect
of their peers. I will give you the final results
in my next column.
If you are interested in joining MACA,
send a check for $15 to MACA Treasurer
Gene Berry at 4610 89th St., Lubbock TX
79424.
As the officially recognized Special
Interest Group of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics, MACA will make
recommendations on rules changes. If you
want a voice in rule matters, a MACA
membership would be in your best interest.
MACA needs active members who are
willing to write technical articles, contest
reports, or give their opinions on any
Combat-related items.
This year the Bladder Grabber will be
moved to August 2-3 in an effort to get dry
weather. I have not heard the actual date for
the Riverside Combat Challenge in California,
but I suspect that it will be the last weekend in
June. In 2002 the Bladder Grabber offered
$16,000 worth of prizes to the top five placing
pilots. It is well worth the trip to Snohomish,
Washington, for this contest.
In Southern California the annual Toys for
Tots Contest was held the weekend of
December 7-8, 2002. This is primarily a
charity event that offers modelers a chance to
compete in one last contest for the year.
Combat World Champion Mike Willcox won
the 1⁄2A and the 80 mph events. The entry fee
for the Toys for Tots event is a new,
unwrapped toy that will find its way into the
hands of a needy child.
Again I hosted the annual Beach and
Brunch 1⁄2A Combat “Last Kill of the Year”
event on December 31, 2002. This is a Tee
Dee .049 contest held to see who will have
bragging rights for getting the last kill of the
year. We start with a brunch at my house,
followed by a short trip to the famous beach
site for a fun-filled four hours of flying. A
homemade trophy is given to the first person
who gets a kill, then it is passed on to the next
person who gets a kill. The last person to
score a kill gets to keep it. This is a great way
to finish off a year.
In 2003 you will probably see more and more
1⁄2A events on 42-foot lines. The Cyclon and
Fora .049s are so powerful and reliable that
the 35-foot lines make them way too fast to
have any decent Combat matches. The trend
seems to be to host a 1⁄2A contest on the
Friday that precedes a Fast Combat weekend.
The speed-limit events, be they 75 or 80 mph,
will continue to grow and afford the novice
and returning Combat pilot a chance to
compete in a fun event.
I like the speed-limit concept as an entrylevel
event. There is no restriction for models
or engines, so any old klunker will do as long
as it does not exceed the speed limit. The
official Slow Combat event is on its deathbed
and may pass away this year. It was a good
idea when it started, but big, heavy models
that required Nelson power and were hitting
110 mph took the event out of the entry-level
pilot’s reach. F2D, or FAI Combat, will
continue to have a strong following of
competition and sport fliers.
This year’s Team Trials will probably be
held the weekend before the AMA National
Championships in Muncie, Indiana. The
availability of FAI equipment has made it a
popular event. Most of the FAI engines are
reliable and produce a great deal of power on
10% nitro fuel. They usually do not blow
glow plugs and are easy to start, making them
an attractive sport-flying option. The F2D
models also have less pull than the firebreathing
“Mogombo”-powered Fast Combat
models.
Plenty of good equipment is available
from a variety of sources, making Combat an
easy event in which to get involved. Gone are
the days when the pilot who could start his or
her engine won the match. The pilots who win
most contests are well practiced and apply
their skill. Yes, luck still enters the equation,
but good preparation and practice help foster
good luck and eliminate bad luck. MA
DISCERNING MODELER...
ELECTRONICS FOR THE
7 Cylinders: $94.95
3-5 Cylinders: $79.95
EDR-103M Super GrowLite!
Multi-cylinders?Ask for the
Ultra-simple installation!
Light! Less than 35 grams
NO interference! Works with all Rx’s!
Single, Twin-cylinders, Twin-engines
PLUS... EASY, SAFE Starts!
Enjoy RELIABLE, S-L-O-O-W IDLE
It doesn’t get better than this!
GLITCH-PROOF
YOUR AIRPLANE!
Installing servos the
FRUSTRATING OLD WAY?
You gotta have one of these!
ElectroDynamics
1-800-337-1638 (Orders)
Website: http://www.electrodynam.com
Info: 1-734-422-5420
Fax: 1-734-422-5338
ED
®
®
MasterCard VISA®
®
Only
$44.95
EDR-203
•••
Optically isolate Rx & Servo power!
Amplified control signal drives!
Isolate 6 control channels - easily
expandable to more channels!
With
remote
LED
$39.95
Only
EDR-103
SERVO-CISER
04sig5.QXD 1.23.03 3:22 pm Page 146
