Above: A ZALP-powered Yuvenko F2D model. It’s a super buy
at roughly $36, with a fair amount of effort in the shipping
process.
Left: A new ViKo F2D model with a carbon-fiber TE and Fora
engine. It’s a good buy at $40 delivered to your door.
Below: Various F2D handles. Two have adjusters for one line.
The procedure for ordering Combat airplanes from ViKo models
July 2007 161
Also included in this column:
• FAI fuel-shutoff ruling
• MACA Web site upgrade
• March Combat Madness
meet results
[[email protected]]
Control Line Combat Rich Lopez
I AM EXCITED about the new batch of F2D airplanes I received
from Igor Kolosov of ViKo Models in Ukraine. The latest aircraft
incorporate a carbon-fiber TE.
You can visit the Web site at www.viko-shop.com. You will
need to send Igor an E-mail message at [email protected] to
get the prices for the items you want.
You need to order the F2D models in batches of 10 or 20 at a
time. The boxes Igor sends them in are built for either 10 or 20
airplanes. Few of you will want that many models at a time, so the
best thing to do is combine your order with friends.
There is a substantial shipping charge of $140 for a box of 20
models, which adds $7 to the cost of each aircraft. I paid $33 per
airplane, and with shipping each came to an even $40. My bank
waived the usual $35 bank transfer charge when I told it that
Washington Mutual does not charge for this service.
ViKo also has exact ready-made lines available that require no
modifications. However, you will need to be super careful when
unwinding them the first time. The lines come wound around
themselves and taped together in two spots.
You will need to slit the tape with a single-edge razor blade or
an X-Acto knife, being careful to keep two hands on the lines lest
they jump out of your hands and into a tangled mess that will take
an hour to undo, not to mention the damage to your reputation
because of the obscenities that are sure to come out of your
mouth. Once you have laid the lines out, treat them normally and
wind them on a spool.
The non-carbon-fiber-TE models used to cost approximately
$5 less. Your airplanes will take 10-15 minutes to assemble,
07sig6.QXD 5/22/07 12:55 PM Page 161
including mounting an engine. I don’t
think you can get your good “Huntin’
dogs” ready any quicker. “Dogs” are
defined as expendable Combat models.
My models take a bit more time
because I add red-and-blue stripes, name
and address labels, and a number to each
model. The numbers allow me to keep
track of which aircraft have been trimmed
out and which ones still need testing.
I have a feeling that if Ukraine joins the
European Union we will be paying
considerably more for these models. It
took roughly two months from the time I
sent the money until the Post Office
notified me that there was a big box
waiting to be picked up.
Yuvenko Models in Ukraine also
produces some fine-quality airplanes. I
ordered and paid for a batch of Victor
Yuvenko’s aircraft while I was in Spain for
the 2006 World Championships. The wait
was long from payment to delivery: from
July to early December.
Victor sends his boxes via British Air
Cargo with the postage due. This required
a trip to British Air to get the paperwork,
followed by a trip to customs, and finally
back to British Air to collect the boxes and
pay the air-freight bill.
There was no charge for the one-hour
wait in customs or the interrogation
regarding the content of the five big boxes
and my relationship to Mr. Yuvenko. I live
approximately five minutes from the Los
Angeles International Airport, so the extra
two to three hours it took to collect the
boxes was not too bad. If you live far away
from a big airport, this may be a problem.
You can contact Victor at v-yuvenko
@ne.cq.ukrtel.net for information about
availability and prices for various model
types and designs.
An important piece of news is that the
FAI has passed a measure that requires
fuel-shutoff devices starting in January
2009. I just heard someone scream, “Oh,
no! This will kill the event!” I don’t think
so. Perhaps more communities will
welcome an event that has strong visual
appeal and is relatively safe.
In some parts of the United States
noise and random stray Combat models
are no great issues because of the open
space around the flying field. In urban
areas it most certainly is a concern.
Even in Los Angeles at the Whittier
Narrows Recreation Area I worry about
the traffic on the 60 freeway that is only
100 yards or so away from where we fly
practice matches and have contests.
Through the years a few of my “dogs”
have broken their leashes and run off.
Only one was gone for good, and it took
with it a nice Nelson rear-intake, sideexhaust
engine.
The potential of a runaway model over
the freeway seeking to impale an
unsuspecting motorist is real. Even though
an airplane that shuts off within a second
or two could make its way close to the
freeway, it would present less of a threat.
The good news with regard to this
action by the FAI is that Henning Forbech
of Denmark has a Web site—www.modelfly
vning.dk/f2d.htm—that contains step-bystep
instructions for making and installing
reliable fuel shutoffs for existing models.
He gives accounts of the various tests he
ran to check the devices’ reliability.
Those who ran the tests actually let gov
