Radio Control Combat - 2004/05

140 MODEL AVIATION
THERE’S SOMETHING NEW
happening for the 2004 RC Combat
season, and it sounds like it’s going to be a
lot of fun. For the first time, there will be
an organized Championship Series.
With more than 100 sanctioned contests
in RC Combat expected for 2004, key
regional contests will become part of the
Championship Series. This will provide
more opportunities for large contests to be
held in different areas and be more
convenient for Combat modelers.
The first event scheduled for the
Championship Series comes as no surprise
to those who have flown in it. The Lone
Star State Championship in Paris, Texas, is
one of the few competitions that has
enjoyed better attendance than the
Nationals in Muncie, Indiana. It will be
held on March 20, 2004. It is a perfect
choice to lead off the series. Mark your
calendar and plan to spend the first day of
spring in Paris, Texas. You won’t be sorry
that you did!
The next event will be held April 17,
when Havoc Over Hamilton comes to
Hamilton, Ohio. Not only a large and wellestablished
event, Havoc Over Hamilton is
only 50 miles from the US Air Force
Museum near Dayton, Ohio. Whether you
plan to fly or only watch this event, I
suggest you schedule an extra day and visit
one of the world’s best aviation museums.
The third event in the Championship
Series will be held May 29, when Atlanta,
Georgia, serves up the delicious Southern
Fried Combat at the Dixie Nationals. Lou
Melancon, Radio Control Combat
Association (RCCA) president and
organizer of the Championship Series,
hosts the event that promises to be one of
the best contests of the year.
Moving from the South to the Motor
City area in five short days, the next event
is the Great Lakes Combat Championship,
held in Michigan June 5-6. Formerly
known as Warbirds Over Lennox, the
popular event has changed in name only as
it becomes one of the hottest
Championship events.
There will be enough time to lick your
Greg Rose, 1312 NW 196th St., Edmond OK 73003
RADIO CONTROL COMBAT
Nothing but Combat fliers as far as the eye can see at last year’s Lone Star State Championship in Paris, Texas.
With victory streamers trailing from his aircraft’s wings, A.J.
Seaholm’s Rob makes a low pass.
A Slow and Survivable Combat Hellcat is launched into
competition at last summer’s Nationals at Muncie, Indiana..
wounds and get ready for two back-toback
jewels. On July 1, the Richmond
Propbusters—the first club in the United
States to hold sanctioned rule-book Scale
Combat events—hosts the Marathon
Before Muncie for Slow and Survivable
Combat (SSC) in Richmond, Indiana.
Don’t run out of steam after this event
because when it’s over, the participants
have only one day to travel the 40 miles to
Muncie, Indiana, for the RC Combat
Nationals July 2-4. It will be three full
days, packed with more Combat action
than most can handle.
Richmond and Muncie are short drives
to the US Air Force Museum, giving you a
second chance to fit an excellent side trip
into your plans.
After this four-day marathon, there is a
brief respite before the late-season events
get underway. The Championship Series
next visits the site famous for its unique
water hazard—the flying field in Waverly,
Nebraska—for a two-day contest
September 18-19. Floatplanes aren’t
required at Waverly, but an airplane that
floats can be a definite advantage.
As I write this, exact dates for
October’s Duel in the Desert and
December’s meet in Palomar, California,
have yet to be established. You can expect
them to be a fitting close to the
Championship Series for RC Combat in
2004.
Whether it’s to fly in the event or
merely enjoy the fun as a spectator, be
sure to catch as many of the Championship
Series contests as you can!
The Radio Control Combat Association
(RCCA) Special Interest Group (SIG) is
actively looking for manufacturing sponsors
for the Championship Series. As a
manufacturer, if you are interested in
sponsoring an event, please contact Lou
Melancon for details about the advantages
of doing so. He can be reached at 5755
Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross GA
30095; E-mail: [email protected].
Up-to-date information concerning the
RC Combat Championship Series is on
RCCA’s Web site at www.rccombat.org/.
Joining RCCA is easier now than it has
ever been. RCCA can accept PayPal
payments for membership. Check the Web
site for the advantages of being an RCCA
member.
RC Combat has continued to gain
popularity, and more manufacturers are
designing and offering RC Combat kits.
One of the latest manufacturers to
introduce kits is LanierRC, Box 458,
Oakwood GA 30566; Tel.: (770) 532-
6401; Web site: www.lanierrc.com. Lanier
is presenting two kits: the Slasher for
Open Class B and C Combat and the
Ripper for SSC and Open Class A
Combat.
The Ripper and the Slasher are
contemporary Open Combat designs with
long-span wings, shortly coupled tail
groups, and sturdy construction. Designed
by Wayne Voyles, both models feature
precision-cut, high-density-polyethylene
(HDPE) fuselages and Aero-glass spars in
cut-foam wings. A unique, vacuumformed
ABS leading edge dissipates the
shock of impacts, and the models sport
sturdy Coroplast tail groups.
The Slasher spans 68.5 inches, has 591
square inches of wing area, and is 27
inches in length. The slightly smaller
Ripper spans 60.5 inches, has 456 square
inches of wing area, and is 27 inches in
length.
With a .25- to .30-size engine, the
Slasher weighs between 3 and 3.5 pounds.
Using the lighter .15-size engine for SSC,
the Ripper weighs roughly 2.25 to 2.75
pounds.
With the popularity of Lanier kits in
general, I expect to see several of these in
competition this year. I have been
promised a photo, so look for a picture of
the new Lanier Slasher and Ripper in my
next column.
That’s all for now. Until next time, fly
safely, fly Combat, and be sure to check
your six! MA
May 2004 141
Our Full-Size
Plans List
has hundreds
of models
to choose from.
See page 199
for details.
Tell them you saw it in “Modeler’s Mall”