Highlights from the F2D Team Trials
U.S. Team for the 2008 World Championships
The United States has an F2D Combat team for the 2008 World Championships in Landres, France, in late July:
- Mike "Emo" Willcox (former World Champion)
- Richard Stubblefield
- Andy Mears
No Juniors were entered at these Team Trials, so no one will be going to France in that category. The alternate pilot is Greg Hill of San Diego, California.
Team Trials organization
The Team Trials were organized by the Llano Estacado Model Airplane Club of Lubbock, Texas, and were held September 1–3. Key volunteers and organizers included:
- Bobby and Andy Mears (field preparation)
- Larry Driskill (field preparation, event management, operational briefing)
- Gene Berry, James Mears, Wayne Welch, Bentley Page, Riley Wooten (event management)
- Pat Willcox (contest scheduling and center circle duties)
- Sheila Cranfill (contest board and results posting)
Most pilots arrive Thursday and Friday; extensive test flying takes place during that time.
Arrival, practice, and models
- Approximately 95% of the models were RTFs purchased from Russia, Ukraine, or Moldova; quality and subtle differences vary by manufacturer and batch.
- Leadout placement and careful trimming are critical, especially to handle the strong west Texas winds; a few pilots built their own "foamies."
- Lubbock's elevation (~3,300 feet) affects engine and propeller performance compared to sea level.
Engines and propellers
Engines observed included:
- Many FORAs (including some no-longer-produced FORA Lieder types that had problems)
- ZALPs
- A limited number of AKMs (two or three extraordinarily fast AKMs in the hands of Andrew Nadien and Greg Hill)
- Cyclon PC7s, PC8s, PC9s (the Mears team had PC7s dialed in; Pete Athans campaigned PC8s and PC9s competitively)
- Profi (Mike Willcox running the latest version)
Notes:
- Some new FORAs and the new Profi looked promising.
- Propeller experimentation is ongoing; props that work at sea level may not be ideal at high elevation.
- Minor engine adjustments (for example, removing one 0.0015" gasket to raise compression) helped performance without breaking glow-plug elements.
Contest operations and format
- After Friday testing, competitors met at Cagle Steaks for the operational meeting. Larry Driskill presented procedures via PowerPoint (which included a real estate commercial).
- The matrix-number draw Friday night determined the first matches for Saturday morning.
- One entrant was absent but still placed in the draw; his opponents received wins by default. The author feels competitors should fly to earn wins and recommends the Team Selection Committee address no-shows.
- The matrix system was intended to avoid early repeat pairings, but several pilots were drawn against the same opponent in the first three rounds; this should be reviewed by the Team Selection Committee.
- Aside from those issues, the contest ran smoothly and rapidly. Many reflies extended rounds and there were a few fly-away incidents, none close calls.
Competitors and performance
- Several pilots showed noticeable improvement in flying and pitting skills: Mike Skinner, James McKinney, Greg Hill, Lester Haury, and Pete Athans. Lester's pit-box layout was noted for efficiency.
- Other strong competitors included Mark Rudner (limited practice due to cold weather and MIT commitments), and the Mears family (Bobby, Andy, Nick) who work effectively as a team.
- Noticeably absent were David Owen and Darrin Albert.
- Greg Hill (alternate) has prior World Championship experience as a mechanic (Muncie 2004, Valladolid 2006).
Growth of F2D and logistics
- F2D has become the most popular event across the U.S.; more contests give interested pilots more opportunities to fly in contest settings.
- It's increasingly common to ship equipment to events or buy models locally or at the contest site.
Fundraising and souvenirs
- Travel to the World Championships will be costly (weak dollar vs. euro; France is expensive). A serious fundraising campaign—through the Miniature Aircraft Combat Association or the Team Selection Committee—is recommended to defray team travel expenses.
- The author sold "VooDoo Combat Team" T-shirts and intends to give all proceeds to the team members. Riley Wooten, who designed the VooDoo and lived in Lubbock at one time, autographed shirts and kits (VooDoo, Sneeker, Demon).
Sources:
- US Team Trials: http://lubbock-team-trials.tripod.com/
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
