CONTROL LINE COMBAT
Byline
Rich von Lopez 8334 Colegio Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90045
Everyone who pays attention to Control Line Combat probably knew long ago that Mike Willcox became the Control Line World Champion in 2002 in Sebnitz, Germany. Since the World Championships (WC) are held during even-numbered years, Mike will remain the champion until the next WC in 2004.
The World Championships
The next WC is scheduled to be held in our own back yard, in Muncie, Indiana. If you have never been to a WC event, this will be a wonderful opportunity to experience the highest level of competition for four types of Control Line models:
- Combat
- Speed
- Team Racing
- Precision Aerobatics (Stunt)
Control Line Combat was added to the World Championships in 1978. Mick Tiernan of the United Kingdom was the first pilot to lay claim to the title of World Champion, in an event held in his home country. In 1980 Oleg Doroshenko of the USSR won the second title in Poland. The third World Champion was American Tom Fluker in 1982 in Sweden; it took the United States 20 years to return to the top podium spot. Mark Rudner also won the 1994 Junior World Championships title.
About Mike Willcox
I have been asking Mike Willcox some questions about his background and what it takes to become a World Champion. Contrary to what most people think, Mike is not a native Texan. He was born in New Jersey to Pat and Doris Willcox. Pat is an airline pilot who was on the World Championships Combat team in 1992. Doris teaches school in the Houston area.
Mike currently lives in Redondo Beach, California, and seems to thrive on the warm weather, sunshine, and beach lifestyle. When Mike is not flying models, he can be found on his motorcycle cruising Southern California roads. He lists his occupation as television film editor. Anyone who has seen some of his Combat videos knows he has quite a talent.
Mike started flying in 1978 when he was seven years old — the same year Combat was first flown at the World Championships. He attended the WC in the USSR 10 years later. The venue at Kiev, Ukraine, was impressive for me as an adult; I can only imagine what a 17-year-old Mike thought traveling with a bunch of rowdy American Combat pilots while his parents were nine time zones away. Mike said that was where he really got hooked on international competitions: the accommodations, the competition facility, the opening ceremony with the air show — all of it combined to create an experience he wanted to repeat.
Mike has been on the U.S. Combat team several times as a pit-crew member and as a pilot. He was part of the pit crew for his father’s effort in Czechoslovakia in 1992. Mike’s first time on the team as a pilot was in 1994 in Shanghai, China. He was on the team in 1998 for another Kiev experience and on the 2000 team for the rain-soaked French WC. As you can see, it took several tries before Mike made it to the top. He has been overseas many times to gain experience and to get to know the best pilots well. He just returned from a contest in Ukraine in June, where he managed a third-place finish without his regular pit crew.
Mike is not just an F2D Combat pilot; he competes in all forms of Control Line Combat, such as Fast, Slow, speed limit, and 1/2A. He has won all of the major contests at least once, including:
- Top Gun
- Bladder Grabber
- Houston Combat Classic
- Howe Slow Contest
- AMA Nationals
He is currently dabbling in RC Combat and getting quite good at it. Although trophies and prize money are nice, acquiring the title of World Champion is Mike’s most valued accomplishment.
Practice, equipment, and models
Mike devotes a tremendous amount of time, energy, and resources to keeping his skills at a high level. That means practicing Combat more than just on weekends, constantly building models, and trying new techniques. If Mike is not at Whittier Narrows, California, flying practice matches, he can be found in San Diego flying with Darrin Albert and Greg Hill.
He goes through a great deal of equipment and fuel in a month’s flying — the price anyone who wants to rise to the top must pay. Mike uses only the best equipment available, which to him means Zholnerkevitch-built Zorro engines that he gets through Jari Valo.
Jari Valo is a Finnish speed flier and Combat pilot who knows engines and has super sensitivity in his fingers, allowing him to detect anomalies in a power plant. Jari understands how weather affects engine performance and how to adjust head clearance to compensate for atmospheric changes. These engines are strong and reliable. The AKMs are also good but can be hard to obtain and get to run at peak performance.
Mike’s models are not much different from those other top pilots use. The builder he gets his aircraft from is meticulous about details, so the models are stronger and fly a bit better than others. There is no need to worry about balance or a model wanting to come out of a turn. His equipment is fast and as good as the best at any competition.
For Fast Combat, Mike prefers the Nelson engine when it is mounted on models he and Lee Liddle developed in the Dallas area. They are super-lightweight, all-foam designs that build very quickly.
Looking ahead to 2004 (Muncie)
It will be interesting to see how many Europeans and pilots from other continents will try to dethrone Mike on his home turf in 2004. We are hoping to get a money contest together before the WC that will be open to all pilots, giving those in the United States who have never had the opportunity to fly against the best a shot. If you have extra cash you want to donate to this cause, step up — we will put it to good use.
The Europeans and other non-Americans are used to contests where they can buy beer and camp adjacent to the contest site and circles. I guess they will have to stay dry while at the 2004 WC. However, this will be a real happening for Muncie and the United States.
Transporting models and engines
Many Combat pilots worry about transporting models to and from competitions when flying on airliners. There are two known ways of sending models ahead of time:
- United States Postal Service (Priority Mail)
- USPS is reliable and will charge about $14.50 for a box that contains eight to ten models, uninsured. Expect to pay roughly double with insurance. Priority Mail will get your models to their destination within a few days.
- United Parcel Service (UPS)
- UPS is also reliable; check local rates for a similar-size box.
It is advisable to remove the models’ tails so the box is as small as possible. I have purchased a batch of models from George Cleveland’s GRS Models, set them up, test-flown them, then repacked them to go to another destination.
Engines travel with me in checked baggage along with a model magazine, photographs, and a note explaining what they are so baggage screeners have an idea and can determine they are harmless.
I used to travel with a large box and occasionally got hit with the oversized-baggage charge of $75 each way — a $150 learning experience for me going to the 2001 Team Trials in Houston. I also found out about fire ants, but that’s another story. I will share how it went with the engines in the suitcase in my next column.
—MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
