Radio Control Combat - 2006/01

ONE QUESTION that I have heard a
number of times is, “Where is RC Scale
Combat going?” The question is prompted
by issues including a decline of participation
in Scale RC Combat as well as some
confusing conflicts between the rules of the
two most popular Scale events: 2610 and
2548.
Before I get into the issue of any
decrease in RC Scale Combat activity, I
must point out that even with any decline in
the number of Scale Combat events and
Scale fliers, Scale RC Combat is still one of
the most popular AMA rule book events.
Although it is true that the numbers show
that Scale Combat is less popular than Open
Combat, remember that the same rule holds
true in general sport-flying. A quick visit to
any club’s flying field is likely to show
many more non-Scale models than Scale
models sitting on the flightline. There are
many other AMA SIGs that would love to
have as many active fliers as RC Combat
enjoys.
So where are the Scale Combat fliers?
Well, many of them are at the Combat
events, but they are flying Open or Slow
Survivable Combat (SSC).
I am a huge supporter of Scale Combat,
but I have to admit that maintaining a
Combat squadron of Scale models is harder
than keeping the same-sized squadron of
Open or SSC models in the air. Scale
airplanes are harder and take more time to
build, are more difficult to fly, and get
broken easier than Open designs. (Okay,
those are generalizations.)
Although that is a short list of negatives,
compare it to the list of negatives for Open
and SSC. They don’t look as cool as Scale,
but that’s about it! If Open wasn’t as much
fun as Scale, you might be able to put up an
argument, but we all know that’s not the
truth. Open Combat is every bit as fun as
Scale Combat.
I’ve talked to a number of “inactive”
Scale Combat fliers who are now flying
Open, and there seems to be a common
theme to their responses. The top reason
given for flying less Scale was time—or
more accurately, lack of time—for that
category. Another issue some Scale fliers
mentioned was having two different Scale
events: 2610 and 2548.
During the Nats in Muncie, Indiana, I
talked to 2610 supporters and 2548
supporters and got the feeling that the
problem isn’t so much that the two events
compete with each other as much as it is
the uncertainty of which type of model to
build.
This, in a roundabout way, gets me to
the subject of this column. Which aircraft
designs offer the best opportunity for the
Scale RC Combat flier to build a model
that best fits into the differing rules
structures of 2610 and 2548?
I’m going to put engine differences
aside for this debate. Even if you can’t find
an engine that you are happy with for both
events, you can certainly find two engines
with the same footprint that would allow
you to swap them before any meet.
The key issues come down to size and
weight. The size of models in the 2610
event is based on 1/12 scale plus or minus
10%. The size of models in the 2548 event
is based on a 48-inch-minimum wingspan.
Almost any Combat airplane is allowed in
2610, but only fighters on the approved
2548 list, which contains roughly 60
single-engine fighters, are allowed. (I
chose to review only the single-engine
designs because despite their extremely
high “cool” factor in either set of rules,
twins are only a novelty in Scale Combat.)
I had to specify roughly 60 because a
number of 2548-listed fighters, such as the
Supermarine Spitfire and Mitsubishi A6M
Zero, had major production variants with
different wingspans. A couple of other
listed aircraft, such as the Reggiane Re
2000, Re 2001, and Re 2005, are listed
separately yet they all have the same
wingspan.
Three 2548-listed aircraft have
sufficient spans that they can be built with
48-inch wingspans and still meet the 2610
requirement for 1/12 scale plus 10%. They
are the Focke-Wulf Ta 152H high-altitude
fighter and two Fairey designs: the Fulmar
and the Firefly fleet fighters.
The fleet fighter was a British concept
that had no counterpart in the US Navy.
The airplanes were larger than most US
single-engine fighters because they were
built as two-seaters—one for the pilot and
one for the navigator (not a gunner).
Two of these designs, the Ta 152H and
the Fulmar, have been popular Scale
Combat designs during the last several
years, and the fact that they can satisfy the
size requirements of 2610 and 2548
shouldn’t hurt their popularity. As long as
the engine and scale-documentation
requirements for 2548 are met, these
models, with a removable weight added to
reach the higher weight requirements of
2548, could meet all the requirements of
both sets of rules.
Most Scale fliers aren’t going to be
satisfied with a choice of three aircraft—
particularly a choice of three relatively
obscure designs. So in order of “closeness”
to the 48-inch maximum span allowed in
2548 and still meeting the 1/12 scale plus
10% of 2610, the following top-10 list
includes some more designs that have
potential as crossover, or convertible,
fighters.
The Grumman F6F Hellcat, the famed
Grumman Ace Maker, would have a 47-
inch span at 1/12 scale plus 10%—only one
inch off the maximum allowed by 2548.
Next would be the long-spanned Republic
P-47N, coming in at 46.8 inches. Actually,
the standard-spanned P-47C and D models
also make the list with their 44.8-inch
spans, placing them ninth.
Numbers six and seven are two large,
powerful Hawker designs: the Typhoon
and Tempest V. The Typhoon could be
built to 45.7 inches and the Tempest V to
45 inches. Another famous US Navy
design, the Vought F4U Corsair, is next. It
could be built at 45 inches in span and still
be only 3 inches less than 2548’s
maximum.
Jumping to the 10th spot, we have the
HF-winged Spitfires. The extended highfighter
wing, officially called the C wing
extended, was mated to several Marks of
Spitfires, in particular the Mk V, Mk VII,
and Mk VIII. The pointy tips of the C wing
extended to give the graceful Spitfire a 44-
inch span.
Number 11 on this list begs to be
included. This airplane was arguably the
most effective fighter of World War II and
inarguably shot down more enemy aircraft
than any other fighter in history—a feat
that is unlikely to ever be repeated. The
scrappy Hawker Hurricane wasn’t as pretty
as the svelte Spitfire, but it served well on
every front.
With a span of 44 inches, a 1/12-scaleplus-
10% version of the Hurricane comes
up only 4 inches short of the 48-inch
maximum in 2548. Just the number of
interesting paint schemes available for the
Hurricane might make it worth the penalty
in span that the design would have!
Concerning that extra weight the model
has to lift for 2548, how about using
removable drop tanks? You could adjust
weight so that with them you’re ready for
2548. Take them off and you’re ready to
fly 2610! They would look great in the air
and would give you a visual reference to
which event your model was set up to