Author: Rich Lopez
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/11
Page Numbers: 136,137,138
,
,

Control Line Combat — Rich Lopez [[email protected]]

Also included in this column

  • Dreiländerpokal competition
  • Fast Combat Rules F2D
  • New England Cup

Dreiländerpokal Competition

The experience of competing overseas was unforgettable.

The American group — 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 Dreiländerpokal 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 on site.

During the weekend of May 28–29, 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 were horizontal, giving a clear indication of wind direction.

Tom, Allen, and Leonardo had taken their models as checked baggage, while Andy, Bobby, and I had arranged for the delivery of models from Vasyl Yuvenko. Those models were being transported by Stanislav Chornyy in his large van. The downside was that they did not arrive until after 5 p.m. on Friday. We needed to work fast to assemble several models and get a few test flights in before the competition on Saturday.

It was good that we were at a northern latitude, where the sun set 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 difficult in the 9°C (48°F) temperature. Back home, we would not even bother going to the field in such conditions. We learned 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, Allen, 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 a field of 46 pilots. Boriss Jalunins of Latvia was second with a 9–2 record. Anton Elkin of Russia finished third at 7–2.

With two days free 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 Vänersborg. We spent the night in a comfortable bed-and-breakfast. Ingemar gave us a tour of the locks and we visited the local hills in search of moose, only to find spectacular views of the lakes.

We got up early on Wednesday morning to catch the ferry from Gothenburg to the Jutland Peninsula of Denmark. We had sunny weather in Sweden, only to encounter rain upon arrival in Aalborg. The Danes have a very nice flying site, along with a clubhouse and space to work on models. The actual combat site was roughly 10 yards from the adjacent river. There were strong winds — the presence of giant wind turbines along the river made it obvious that the winds blow regularly. 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 were guarded by large, red jellyfish. One of my models broke its lines, shut down quickly after the shut-off device activated, 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 by leaving 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 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.

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 a leisurely-paced competition that 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, 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 on August 6, 2011. The contest was shortened to a one-day, double-elimination 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.

Sources

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