26 MODEL AVIATION
Juniors Ben Johnson of the United Kingdom and Olga Soshnina
of Ukraine fly well during their matchup.
Mark Rudner (L) of the United States and Juan Carlos Frias of
Spain watch each other’s airplanes during a match.
Russians Boris Faizov (L), Igor Trifonov do battle. Center Marshal Vernon Hunt looks on.
F2D
F2D: The CLWC always has exciting events.
This year, FAI Combat had 57 competitors
from 18 countries. Team USA was composed
of Ron Colombo of Michigan, David Owen
of Tennessee, and Mark Rudner and Junior
Holden Hill of California. Mike Willcox of
Texas was also present to defend his World
Champion title.
It had been 20 years since the US hosted a
CLWC, and coincidentally it had been 20
years since we had a Combat World
Champion defending his title. Tom Fluker Jr.
was the first American Combat pilot to attain
the title.
The 2004 WC afforded all Combat pilots
ample opportunities to practice, given the
numerous official and unofficial practice
circles. In past years, a lack of practice
facilities has presented a problem that has put
some teams at a disadvantage. The Combat
pilots as a whole appreciated the facility that
AMA provided them.
Thanks to Pat Willcox for making the
Combat event thoroughly professional. He
made sure there were plenty of black and
orange vests to distinguish the teams while
out in the circle, streamers to last the entire
contest, fuel bottles with filters for the
competitors, extra practice fuel, quality field
preparation, judges, timers, and pit workers.
The result was a contest that ran smoothly
and without too many protests.
Judges were Andy and Bobby Mears,
Larry Driskill, Roy Glenn, Chris Gay, and
Roy Krupa. In the pits, Pat recruited Howard
Shenton and Doug and Jean Powell to hand
out fuel and do line measurements, venturi
checks, and pull-testing.
Sheila Cranfill did an amazing amount of
work to get all of the matches posted and
registered in the visible-to-the-contestant
computer. This allowed the competitors to
view the results of each match shortly after
they were entered.
The F2D FAI judges were Rob Olijve of
the Netherlands, Ingemar Larsson of Sweden,
Vernon Hunt of the United Kingdom, and
Mack Henry of the United States.
The first round of the competition did not
go so well for the US, with Mike, Mark, and
Holden taking losses from Xavier Riera of
France, Stanislav Chornyy of Ukraine, and
Dominykas Zubas of Lithuania. Ron and
David did get through the first day with wins
by beating Ivan MacKenzie of Canada and
Swedish Junior Mikael Sjölund.
Mike’s loss was particularly difficult to
take because there was evidence of a second
cut that the judges failed to see. This situation
is hard to fix since it is the equivalent of a ball
or a strike call in a baseball game. I commend
him on his composure during this difficult
situation.
The second day proved to be better for
Mike, Mark, and David, who posted wins.
Holden took his second loss when he went up
against Russian Junior Alexander Shalaev
and was out of the competition without ever
really being able to show the skill that got
him on the team. Ron took a loss against
former World Champion Mervyn Jones of the
United Kingdom.
On Day Three, Mike and Mark continued
winning, beating current European Champion
Audrius Rastenis of Lithuania and Juan
by Rich Lopez
Photos by the author
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 3:07 pm Page 26
Carlos Frias of Spain respectively.
Meanwhile, Ron took his second loss flying
against Peteris Brokans of Latvia. David
suffered his first loss while flying eventual
third-place finisher Boris Faizov of Russia.
Round Four was also flown on the third
day, giving Mike and Mark opportunities to
register their third wins. David was not so
fortunate and fell at the hands of
Volodymyr Vesich of Ukraine; this loss put
him out of the competition.
Volodymyr had unique models that
utilized a molded Kevlar LE with a molded
carbon-fiber engine mount. I had seen this
design at the European Championships in
2003, but this was its first appearance at a
WC. The disadvantage is the lack of engine
adjustability for model-balancing purposes.
At this point in the contest it was
surprising that the Latvian team had not yet
suffered a loss. The Russian team was also
looking good; three of the four members
were still in the hunt, with only one loss
among them.
Round Five was good for Mike and
Mark, who posted their fourth wins against
pilots Leonardo Silva of Mexico and
Aleksandrs Prokofjevs of Latvia. Round
Six moved Mike and Mark closer to the top
as they posted their fifth wins against
Alexander Shalaev and Laura Leino of
Finland. At this point there were only seven
pilots left, and it looked promising for the
Americans.
However, it was not to be. Mike and
Mark took their second losses at the hands
of podium finishers from Russia. With
Mark, Mike, and Mervyn Jones out of the
picture, Peteris Brokans was the only non-
Russian in the final four. Igor Trifonov,
Alexander Shalaev, and Boris Faizov swept
the top spots, finishing first, second, and
third respectively. Alexander Shalaev will
be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
He was extremely close to being the first
Junior- and Open-class champion at the
same contest.
There is no new engine technology to
report. The Moscow-made AKMs appeared
to have a slight edge over the strong Foras
manufactured in Ukraine and the Russianmade
Zorros. All three run consistently fast
and are competitive in the hands of a good
pilot.
Jari Valo takes great care in balancing
and shaping propellers to get maximum
performance from his Zorros. A few teams
used Cyclons and Redkos. Volodymyr
Vesich used a Zalp engine. The entire
Russian team used AKMs; with their sweep
of the top spots, it is hard to argue which is
the best engine.
Singapore’s team consisted entirely of
Juniors. Although they did not fair so well,
they learned a great deal and will be back
better prepared to challenge those countries
that have been flying for many more years.
We missed the Dutch and the Germans this
go-round, but they will probably return in
2006.
Team USA can be proud of its
fourth-place finish. This WC will be
remembered as the year the Russians
conquered the world in Combat. I hope
that someday the US team will be able
to return the favor. MA
Igor Tukabayev and Igor Milenin prepare Ukrainian team member Volodymyr Vesich’s
Kevlar-leading-edge models. Notice the molded engine mounts.
Lithuanians Linas Peckys (L) and Audrius Rastenis discuss preparations for a match.
Competitive Finnish pilot Timo Forss has been training his two sons to fly Combat.
November 2004 27
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 3:08 pm Page 27
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 26,27
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/11
Page Numbers: 26,27
26 MODEL AVIATION
Juniors Ben Johnson of the United Kingdom and Olga Soshnina
of Ukraine fly well during their matchup.
Mark Rudner (L) of the United States and Juan Carlos Frias of
Spain watch each other’s airplanes during a match.
Russians Boris Faizov (L), Igor Trifonov do battle. Center Marshal Vernon Hunt looks on.
F2D
F2D: The CLWC always has exciting events.
This year, FAI Combat had 57 competitors
from 18 countries. Team USA was composed
of Ron Colombo of Michigan, David Owen
of Tennessee, and Mark Rudner and Junior
Holden Hill of California. Mike Willcox of
Texas was also present to defend his World
Champion title.
It had been 20 years since the US hosted a
CLWC, and coincidentally it had been 20
years since we had a Combat World
Champion defending his title. Tom Fluker Jr.
was the first American Combat pilot to attain
the title.
The 2004 WC afforded all Combat pilots
ample opportunities to practice, given the
numerous official and unofficial practice
circles. In past years, a lack of practice
facilities has presented a problem that has put
some teams at a disadvantage. The Combat
pilots as a whole appreciated the facility that
AMA provided them.
Thanks to Pat Willcox for making the
Combat event thoroughly professional. He
made sure there were plenty of black and
orange vests to distinguish the teams while
out in the circle, streamers to last the entire
contest, fuel bottles with filters for the
competitors, extra practice fuel, quality field
preparation, judges, timers, and pit workers.
The result was a contest that ran smoothly
and without too many protests.
Judges were Andy and Bobby Mears,
Larry Driskill, Roy Glenn, Chris Gay, and
Roy Krupa. In the pits, Pat recruited Howard
Shenton and Doug and Jean Powell to hand
out fuel and do line measurements, venturi
checks, and pull-testing.
Sheila Cranfill did an amazing amount of
work to get all of the matches posted and
registered in the visible-to-the-contestant
computer. This allowed the competitors to
view the results of each match shortly after
they were entered.
The F2D FAI judges were Rob Olijve of
the Netherlands, Ingemar Larsson of Sweden,
Vernon Hunt of the United Kingdom, and
Mack Henry of the United States.
The first round of the competition did not
go so well for the US, with Mike, Mark, and
Holden taking losses from Xavier Riera of
France, Stanislav Chornyy of Ukraine, and
Dominykas Zubas of Lithuania. Ron and
David did get through the first day with wins
by beating Ivan MacKenzie of Canada and
Swedish Junior Mikael Sjölund.
Mike’s loss was particularly difficult to
take because there was evidence of a second
cut that the judges failed to see. This situation
is hard to fix since it is the equivalent of a ball
or a strike call in a baseball game. I commend
him on his composure during this difficult
situation.
The second day proved to be better for
Mike, Mark, and David, who posted wins.
Holden took his second loss when he went up
against Russian Junior Alexander Shalaev
and was out of the competition without ever
really being able to show the skill that got
him on the team. Ron took a loss against
former World Champion Mervyn Jones of the
United Kingdom.
On Day Three, Mike and Mark continued
winning, beating current European Champion
Audrius Rastenis of Lithuania and Juan
by Rich Lopez
Photos by the author
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 3:07 pm Page 26
Carlos Frias of Spain respectively.
Meanwhile, Ron took his second loss flying
against Peteris Brokans of Latvia. David
suffered his first loss while flying eventual
third-place finisher Boris Faizov of Russia.
Round Four was also flown on the third
day, giving Mike and Mark opportunities to
register their third wins. David was not so
fortunate and fell at the hands of
Volodymyr Vesich of Ukraine; this loss put
him out of the competition.
Volodymyr had unique models that
utilized a molded Kevlar LE with a molded
carbon-fiber engine mount. I had seen this
design at the European Championships in
2003, but this was its first appearance at a
WC. The disadvantage is the lack of engine
adjustability for model-balancing purposes.
At this point in the contest it was
surprising that the Latvian team had not yet
suffered a loss. The Russian team was also
looking good; three of the four members
were still in the hunt, with only one loss
among them.
Round Five was good for Mike and
Mark, who posted their fourth wins against
pilots Leonardo Silva of Mexico and
Aleksandrs Prokofjevs of Latvia. Round
Six moved Mike and Mark closer to the top
as they posted their fifth wins against
Alexander Shalaev and Laura Leino of
Finland. At this point there were only seven
pilots left, and it looked promising for the
Americans.
However, it was not to be. Mike and
Mark took their second losses at the hands
of podium finishers from Russia. With
Mark, Mike, and Mervyn Jones out of the
picture, Peteris Brokans was the only non-
Russian in the final four. Igor Trifonov,
Alexander Shalaev, and Boris Faizov swept
the top spots, finishing first, second, and
third respectively. Alexander Shalaev will
be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
He was extremely close to being the first
Junior- and Open-class champion at the
same contest.
There is no new engine technology to
report. The Moscow-made AKMs appeared
to have a slight edge over the strong Foras
manufactured in Ukraine and the Russianmade
Zorros. All three run consistently fast
and are competitive in the hands of a good
pilot.
Jari Valo takes great care in balancing
and shaping propellers to get maximum
performance from his Zorros. A few teams
used Cyclons and Redkos. Volodymyr
Vesich used a Zalp engine. The entire
Russian team used AKMs; with their sweep
of the top spots, it is hard to argue which is
the best engine.
Singapore’s team consisted entirely of
Juniors. Although they did not fair so well,
they learned a great deal and will be back
better prepared to challenge those countries
that have been flying for many more years.
We missed the Dutch and the Germans this
go-round, but they will probably return in
2006.
Team USA can be proud of its
fourth-place finish. This WC will be
remembered as the year the Russians
conquered the world in Combat. I hope
that someday the US team will be able
to return the favor. MA
Igor Tukabayev and Igor Milenin prepare Ukrainian team member Volodymyr Vesich’s
Kevlar-leading-edge models. Notice the molded engine mounts.
Lithuanians Linas Peckys (L) and Audrius Rastenis discuss preparations for a match.
Competitive Finnish pilot Timo Forss has been training his two sons to fly Combat.
November 2004 27
11sig1.QXD 8/23/04 3:08 pm Page 27