Control Line Combat-2011/11

136 MODEL AVIATION
The experience of competing oversees was unforgettable
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Control Line Combat Rich Lopez
This is Stanislav Chornyy of Ukraine
giving advice to Olga Shoshnina.
Andrew Nadien (L) won the 2011 New
England Cup. To his right are Mike
Willcox, Boris Faizov, and Mark Rudner.
Right: Pat McKenzie (in the blue vest) has
represented Canada at World
Championships on many occasions.
Also included in this column:
• Dreiländerpokal competition
• Fast Combat Rules F2D
• New England Cup
few test flights in before the competition
on Saturday.
It is good that we were at a northern
latitude, which saw the sun setting after
10 p.m. After a few quick flights and
some minor adjustments, we were ready
to do battle on Saturday.
Flying was tough in such strong wind,
and getting engines started became a
difficult task in the 9° C (48° F)
temperature. Back home, we would not
even bother going to the flying field in
such conditions. We figured out that we
DREILÄNDERPOKAL COMPETITION summary: The
American group of Bobby and Andy Mears and their better
halves, Arlene and Jan, along with Tom Siegler, Allen De
Veuve, Leonardo Silva, my son, Colin, and I all met up in
Karlskoga, Sweden, for the first of three competitions.
The Swedes have a beautiful club field that includes homes,
model hangars, indoor showers and restrooms, sheds, and even
rental cabins for competitors who wish to stay at the site.
During the weekend of May 28 and 29, 2011, there was a
tremendous amount of wind and a bit of rain. The decorative
flags were flying straight out and their ropes were snapping
against the poles. The windsocks also were flying horizontally,
giving a clear indication of wind direction.
Tom, Alan, and Leonardo had taken their models as checked
baggage, while Andy, Bobby, and I had arranged for the delivery
of models from Vasyl Yuvenko. These models were being
transported by Stanislav Chornyy in his large van. The downside
to this is that they did not arrive until after 5 p.m. on Friday. We
needed to work fast to assemble several models in order to get a
November 2011 137
had to keep the engines warm by running
prime through them until the match began,
otherwise they would not start.
If pilots crashed on the upwind side, it
became nearly impossible to launch
successfully from that position. Andy,
Alan, Tom, Leonardo, and I all made it to
the third round but were spectators after
that. Stanislav Chornyy took the win with
a 9-1 record over the field of 46 pilots.
Boriss Jalunins of Latvia was second with
a record of 9-2. Anton Elkin of Russia
finished third at 7-2.
With two days before we had to be in
Aalborg, Denmark, for the second stop,
Colin and I, along with Mervyn Jones and
Bill Hughes, traveled with Ingemar
Larsson to his hometown of Vanersborg.
We spent the night in a comfortable bedand-
breakfast. Ingemar gave us a tour of
the locks and we visited the local
mountains in search of moose, only to find
spectacular views of the lakes.
On Wednesday morning we had to get
up early to catch the ferry that travels
from Gothenburg to the Jutland Peninsula
of Denmark. We had sunny weather in
Sweden, only to encounter rain upon
arriving in Aalborg.
The Danes have a very nice flying site,
along with a clubhouse where there is
space to work on models. The actual
Combat site was roughly no more than 10
yards from the adjacent river. There were
strong winds, making it obvious by the
location of giant wind turbines along the
river that the winds blow on a regular
basis.
I had predicted that someone’s model
would be carried out to sea should it be
cut loose or break its lines. The river had a
strong current flowing away from the site
and the banks of the river were guarded by
large, red jellyfish. One of my models
broke its lines, shut down quickly after the
activation of the shut-off device, glided
out over the river, had a quick look at the
jellyfish, turned back toward land and
landed at the edge of the flying circle. I
don’t think Bobby Mears was too anxious
to jump in the river to retrieve my model.
Tom Siegler managed a few wins and
finished in the best position of all the
Americans in the field of 40 pilots.
Mikhail Smelkov of Russia won this
second leg of the Dreiländerpokal. In
second was fellow Russian Ivan
Pomogalov and third place went to
Stanislav “Stas” Chornyy from Ukraine.
Stas was given a yellow Dreiländerpokal
leaders T-shirt in Sweden, and with his
third-place finish retained his position
going into the final leg in Sebnitz,
Germany.
Getting to Sebnitz from Aalborg
requires a full day of driving because the
trip is more than 600 miles. Most people
left on Friday and spent the entire day on
the road. Colin and I shaved most of the
travel time off on Thursday afternoon and
had a shorter trip Friday morning.
We were happy to see sun and warm
weather in southeastern Germany so we
could finally wear shorts and T-shirts.
Sebnitz is located not too far from
Dresden and was the site of the 2002
World Championships. The site is a nice
sports complex with a beautiful soccer
stadium and a practice field—both of
which are off-limits to model fliers.
There is a restaurant that opens for
some events, and several model club
buildings include a workshop and a snack
bar. The Combat flying field is located on
a flat spot of a hill and only has space for
one circle. Just 15 yards away is the
Czech Republic border.
Test-flying could be done with as
many as three pilots in the circle. During
the competition, the on-deck match pilots
were asked to enter the circle after the
previous match had ended, but while the
other pilots still had their airplanes in the
air. With 47 pilots entered, it was
imperative to keep the operation moving
quickly, especially with no run-off circle
available. New matches began as soon as
the previous match pilots landed their
aircraft.
Viewfinder
AeroWorks Super Cub
Steven Michael Starnes,
Mount Carmel TN (email:
[email protected]),
submitted this photo which he
took at the Johnson City
(Tennessee) Radio Controllers
field on July 21, 2011.
The model, an AeroWorks
110-inch 50cc Super Cub, is
owned by fellow club member,
Greg Cowen.
The Super Cub runs on a
Hacker A60-18L 3500-watt
motor with a 12S LiPo battery,
a JR R921 nine-channel DSM2
receiver, Hitec steel gear HV
servos, and a wood 23 x 10
Xoar electric propeller.
Greg told Steven, “It’s a
blast to fly and I get 10-plus
minutes off the pack.” MA
—MA Staff
Email your high-resolution
“Viewfinder” photo and a short note
telling the airplane or helicopter
story to [email protected].
Bobby Mears must need warm weather to
fly well; he managed a third-place finish in
Germany. Stas Chornyy won and Francisco
Mons of Spain was second.
Stas was the overall Dreiländerpokal
champion, followed by Anton Elkin and
Mikhail Smelkov of Russia. The Eastern Bloc
nations still do well in CL Combat.
Fast Combat Rules F2D: The Southern
California Combat Team hosted another Fast
Rules F2D Triple Elimination Contest in
conjunction with the Sir Dale Kirn Knights
Joust in late June 2011. The 10 pilots who
entered enjoyed the leisurely paced
competition which included a Polish sausage
lunch provided by Wanda Jensen.
The sprinklers are in full operation at the
Whittier Narrows flying field, resulting in a
great field. Kevin Rennick of Phoenix put
together a fine bunch of matches to win his
first-ever competition. He has been making a
strong and concerted effort to improve his
flying skills.
I managed a second-place finish, followed
by Chuck Rudner in third. With a little help
from the contestants, the judging and
operation of the contest ran smoothly and
quickly. There may have been only one
rematch. The kill rule eliminated extra score
tabulation and the Le Mans start helped with
score separation. We intend to host more of
these events throughout the year.
New England Cup: Andrew Nadien of
Philadelphia won the 2011 New England Cup
competition on August 6, 2011. The contest
was shortened to a one-day, doubleelimination
event from the planned two-day,
triple-elimination format because of rain and
thunderstorms on Sunday.
Pat MacKenzie of Canada finished in
second place. I heard that the 11 pilots who
entered this year’s event had a great time and
enjoyed the beautiful flying site.
Mark Rudner, one of the main organizers,
will be moving to Columbus, Ohio, to take a
job as a professor at The Ohio State
University. I hope that Greg Wornell and the
other New England pilots will continue to
host the New England Cup. MA
Sources:
Dreiländerpokal (Karlskoga World Cup)
[email protected]
www.f2d.n.nu
ViKo Models
[email protected]
www.viko-shop.com
Vasyl and Victor Yuvenko
[email protected]
Miniature Aircraft Combat Association
http://maca.hobby-site.com:3535