Author: Rich Lopez
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/09
Page Numbers: 134,135
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MACA Top 10 correction

Rich Lopez [[email protected]]

In the May column, I made a mistake in giving Richard Stubblefield credit as being the first Miniature Aircraft Combat Association (MACA) number 1 pilot for the 1974 Top 10 rankings. Upon reading that column, Chuck Rudner promptly picked up the telephone and informed me of my error, claiming that I had disrespected him as MACA number 1.

The following Sunday, Chuck brought a copy of Volume 2, Number 2, February 1975 MACA newsletter to the flying field and presented it to me. There was a young man with a dark beard and a full, bushy head of hair on the cover, who vaguely resembled the current Chuck Rudner. Inside the newsletter, he was listed as the number 1 Combat pilot for 1974.

Also included in this column:

  • Houston World Cup
  • Engine-bearing diagnostics
  • WAM Fund Day
  • Live streaming contest coverage

Houston World Cup

Twenty-five North American pilots traveled to Houston, Texas, for the Memorial Day weekend to compete in a World Cup contest. Pat Willcox had petitioned the AMA for a waiver from the shutoff rule for this event, to give pilots from across the country a bit more time to get their systems working. Nevertheless, several pilots used operable systems. Alex Prokofiev showed his electronic units. The first reports are that his device is good and will undergo a few more refinements.

Mike "Emo" Willcox finished in first place in Houston, Lester Haury was second, and Bill Duane finished in third place. Emo is the 2002 World Champion and a perennial US F2D (FAI Combat) team member, so it is not surprising that he won. Emo has done a tremendous amount of work trying to promote Combat around the world and has produced several high-quality videos. He studied video production, so his integration of music, special effects, and a variety of camera angles make his videos informative and entertaining. I have listed Emo's website address at the end of the column in the Sources section. It contains the videos he has created and a number of photographs from the Houston World Cup.

Lester Haury is one of the best-prepared competitors in the country. He knows the value of having all of his models standardized and his support equipment well laid out and easily accessible. He also pays close attention to how his engines feel and flip over. Lester can tell you instantly if the engine is dry or flooded or if the glow plug is bad. This sort of knowledge comes only from countless hours of practice and engine starts. You, too, can get to the point of knowing your engines well enough to start them with just a few flips of the propeller if you pay close attention to how they turn over.

Engine Bearings

Most modern Combat engines from Russia or Ukraine come with good-quality bearings that provide many hours of reliable service. I usually run Fora, Zalp, or Cyclon engines for competition and practice. After a day of practice flying, I make it a point to generously oil each engine I ran; I use 3-In-One brand oil for this application. Having flooded the engine with oil, the first start of the day sometimes takes more time because you need to burn off all the excess oil. This is a small price to pay for having long-lasting bearings and engines that have internal parts that do not rust.

Although the rear main bearing rarely comes in contact with dirt from the external environment, the same cannot be said of the front bearing. Most engines these days have dust-cover-type thrust washers, which are designed to keep dirt out of the front bearing. In spite of using a dust cover, dirt somehow manages to find its way into the front bearing's ball races. This happens more often if you crash from time to time or fly at a dirty and dusty site.

I like to pop off the dust cover during each flying session so I can inspect the bearing and clean dirt buildup off of it. I slowly rotate the crankshaft back and forth and feel for rough spots or "ticks" in the bearing. If you encounter a tick or rough spot, try to flush out the bearing with something similar to WD-40 or brake cleaner. If the tick does not go away, it is time to remove the bad bearing and install a replacement.

Both the Foras and Zalps have reverse-thread retaining rings that hold the bearings in place. Be careful when removing the ring; you need to pretend that you are tightening it to unscrew it. You can often use a flat piece of metal or a coin to accomplish this task. Once the ring is removed, find a nut driver that fits down the crankshaft space in the crankcase that can be used to tap the bearing out.

Don't try to tap out the bearing before heating the front of the crankcase with a propane torch. I hold the crankcase by the mounting lugs with a pair of pliers, heat it, and then insert the nut driver to tap out the bearing. You can immediately fit the new bearing in place if you have it mounted on the crankshaft and use it to guide it in place.

Since the bearing will fit firmly on the crankshaft, I do not try to remove it until the engine has completely cooled. On occasion, I have had to tap the crankshaft gently from the inside of the crankcase so it will come off the bearing.

You can also tell if there is a bad bearing if you hear some unusual noises that weren't there before. Chuck Rudner is great at detecting these strange sounds. Your engine will immediately come back to full strength once it has a new bearing. Chuck would tell you to replace the rear main bearing since you have the engine apart anyway.

WAM Fund Day

In April, I had the opportunity to attend the Western Associated Modelers' (WAM) first contest of the year, called "Fund Day." The club is located in Woodland, California, just northwest of Sacramento.

The 1/2A and 80 MPH events were listed. Combat had been missing from the roster of event categories for many years, so I could not pass up the opportunity to attend the competition.

It is tradition that the appointed event director for the year provides the trophies for his or her particular discipline on Fund Day. All the entry fees went to the organization to help defray its costs.

Only four of us entered the two Combat events. Andy Prior won 1/2A, I was second, and Ed Bridant was third. I won the 80 MPH event, Lee Letchworth was second, and Ed Bridant was third. I hope this will be the start of a Combat revival in Northern California.

Live Streaming Contest Coverage

Henning Forbech and his buddies in Denmark have come up with a way of covering competitions in Europe via live streaming video. I am not sure how all of this works, but I do know that they set up a video camera in a tree that overlooked the contest circle.

I have not watched any contests as they have happened, but I will make it a point to mark my calendar and set my alarm clock the next time they do this. The website is listed in the Sources section.

MA

Sources

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.