CONTROL LINE COMBAT - 2005/05

CONTROL LINE COMBAT
Rich von Lopez, 8334 Colegio Dr., Los Angeles CA 90045
May 2005 141
The author’s Nemesis II (this is one of four that he built) and
Spectrum. Both use SuperTigre engines for power.
Different versions of SuperTigre 35: two of the rear-intake G-21s,
a front-intake G-21, and a plain-bearing C-35.
Bladders are easy to make when you have all the right
ingredients. The Goof Plugs help quite a bit. Text has details.
THESE PAST FEW months I have been at home recuperating
from surgery for tongue cancer that I had in late August 2004. I
have always liked my time off from work, but this is not the way I
wanted it to happen. On the bright side of this ordeal, the time I
have been able to spend in the workshop has been wonderful. I
have built some old all-balsa models from kits that have just been
sitting around.
In the mid-1970s, the Nemesis II designed by Howard Rush
was the hot model to have. I built a batch of them back then and
decided to construct four of them just to have around when I was
off. I also built a Spectrum from a Dumas kit.
In the 1970s, most serious Combat pilots were using
SuperTigre G-21-35 engines. I never got rid of my old
SuperTigres, so mounting them on vintage models seemed
appropriate. The models still fly well, but are most certainly not in
the same league as a Nelson- or Fora-powered airplane.
The Nemesis II and the Spectrum are tiny compared to the
models we currently fly. It was good therapy to work with balsa
throughout the structure of a model, but it’s not something I want
to do on a regular basis. There are too many advantages of foam
models compared to balsa-structured models to ever consider allbalsa
aircraft for contests again.
I almost went into shock at the hobby shop when I had to buy a
few sheets of balsa to finish the airplanes. The cost has certainly
gone way up since the last time I had to purchase it, which was
sometime in the early 1980s. The bottom line is that I now have a
fleet of balsa models I can take with me to the 1960s, when time
travel becomes a reality.
One of the weak areas of the SuperTigre G-21-35 was the rear
main bearing. The bearing used in the G-21 came with a metal
retainer that may have been brass or steel with folded-over tabs.
We used to replace them with riveted or spot-welded, retainertype
bearings. Even those would break from time to time. These
days most of us have been using bearings that use either a plastic
or phenolic type of retainer.
Knowing that the modern retainers don’t break, I decided to
find a suitable replacement for my six vintage SuperTigres. Boca
Bearings (1500 SW 30th Ave. Suite #3, Boynton Beach FL 33426;
Tel.: [800] 332-3256; Web site: www.bocabearings.com) has a
suitable bearing that will eliminate the problem of retainer tabs
breaking off and lodging themselves between the piston and liner,
thus ruining the engine. This bearing has a 28mm outside
diameter, a 12mm inside diameter, is 8mm wide, and is item MR
6001-Z/TH9/C3/C.
My SuperTigres were in all right condition since the last time I
ran them. A little fuel in the venturi and exhaust port freed them
right up, and any sign of stickiness was quickly gone.
The SuperTigre G-21 is a bit on the heavy side at 256 grams,
and it made the Spectrum so nose-heavy that loops were huge. It
was no fun to fly, so it is hanging in the workshop as a
conversation piece. The four Nemesis IIs, on the other hand,
balance well and fly great with the G-21. I may try a SuperTigre
C-35 on the Spectrum since it weighs 231 grams as I have it set
up.
If you are into vintage Combat equipment, you might recall
that SuperTigre made a rear-intake G-21-35 that generated a bit
more power than the front-intake version.
The downside was that it required a
special model because of the added
length and weight. The rear-intake
version came in at 273 grams.
I am including a photograph of these
three types of SuperTigre 35s so you can
visualize what I am referring to. I had my
fix of running vintage equipment and am
now concentrating on new projects for
modern equipment.
I have been reading on the Internet that
the Arizona fliers are putting together a
Fast Combat contest for early April that
will be named “Red Flag,” after the Air
Force’s international war games. Gary
James had a wonderful explanation on
the Internet of what Top Gun and Red
Flag were and what they were designed
to do for the armed forces. I will give
you a brief version. Gary, by the way,
flew F-14s, A-7s, and F-4s while in the
Navy.
At roughly the time of the Vietnam
War, three weapons schools were
developed to address the need for better
kill ratios and better performance from
our pilots. One of those was the Fighter
Weapons School for the F-4s, F-8s, and
F-14s. It was located at the Naval Air
Station at Miramar, California, and was
often referred to as “Top Gun.” The title
“Top Gun” was generally given as an
award/plaque to the pilot who scored
highest in weapons-delivery training.
Gary earned one of these honors.
Sometime in the 1980s, the United
States Air Force created a weapons
school of its own at Nellis Air Force
Base in Nevada. Every year the Air
Force hosts a large war-game exercise
and invites Navy and foreign forces to
participate. This exercise is called “Red
Flag,” to denote the simulated “red”
forces that oppose the “blue” forces (our
side).
I mention Top Gun because for many
years this was the name of the first big
contest of the year. It was held in
Tucson, Arizona, in March. The Top Gun
contest is dormant right now, and who
knows if and when it will return.
I do know that the burnout factor
comes into play after so many years of
running a contest. The number of
helpers and officials also drops off,
making the job of organizing a contest
quite difficult. I hope to make it to the
Red Flag contest so that the organizers
feel supported and so that I can fly a few
matches.
Mike Willcox has been producing
Combat videotapes for many years; in
fact, editing film is what he does for a
living. He spent a number of months in
Southern California, trying to kick down
the door to get into Hollywood's inner
circle. As he has learned, thousands of
other individuals have the same idea. He
has learned quite a bit, and his latest
Combat DVD is good.
Mike managed to take film of the
2004 Control Line World
Championships, compete in the contest
(defending World Champion), and
perform mechanic’s duties for Mark
Rudner and David Owen. He spent
numerous hours editing the film to
produce a DVD that is entertaining and
informative.
Viewing this DVD will give you an
idea of what the best pilots do out in the
center circle in terms of body
positioning and hand movements. There
are also some great close-up shots of
engines, models, and pilots. This allows
viewers to put faces to names they have
read about.
I am certain that Mike would love to
sell you a copy, and probably the best
way to get a hold of him is through Email
at [email protected]. I don’t
know what he is charging for the DVD,
but it is well worth the price.
Combat pilots, as a group, are rather
parsimonious, which is a polite way of
saying cheap. They are always looking
for products and items that will make
their lives easier and keep their wallets
plump.
I don’t recall if I have mentioned this
product before; if I have, it is worth
mentioning again. Goof Plugs are
designed for repairs to PVC (polyvinyl
chloride) pipe. They are perfect to use
while making bladders. Roughly $2 will
buy you a package of approximately 20
Goof Plugs, and that is enough to make 10
bladders.
The only thing you have to do is drill a
small hole in the end that you will use to
feed fuel to the engine. At the plug end,
you can cut off the small tip with a singleedge
razor blade or an X-Acto knife so
that it does not hang out, or you could
leave it on because it really does not hurt
anything. I prefer the tip off. The
photograph I have included shows how
this works.
In the past, some pilots machined plug
ends and fittings to feed the fuel to the
engine, which was way too much work for
an expendable item. I found this brand of
Goof Plugs at The Home Depot. You can
find other brands at Ace Hardware stores.
The 34th Northwest Control Line
Regionals is on for May 27-29, 2005, at
the Albany Municipal Airport in Oregon.
This is one of the biggest contests on the
West Coast. Combat events will include
1⁄2A, Fast, 80 mph, and Vintage Diesel,
and 38 other CL events will be flown.
The CD will be Craig Bartlett, 205 NE
Cedar Ln., Corvallis OR 97330; E-mail:
[email protected]. You can also
contact John Thompson at 2456 Quince
St., Eugene OR 97404; E-mail:
[email protected]. MA