Author: Don Grissom
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/01
Page Numbers: 109,110
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Radio Control Combat - 2011/01

The benefits of RCCA membership

Don Grissom [[email protected]]

This has been another long year of Combat, with many events held across the country. One thing to remember is that without fliers there would be no Combat.

As with most other forms of aeromodeling, we have an AMA Special Interest Group (SIG) that maintains the rules and regulations and organizes and promotes our discipline. The RC Combat Association, or RCCA as we call it, has been around for numerous years.

The RCCA is the largest RC Combat organization in the U.S., and the AMA regards it as the official voice of Combat fliers. By looking at the ranks of a SIG’s membership, the Academy can tell at a glance what percentage of its membership is interested in this aspect of the hobby. So the first reason to become an RCCA member is to have your voice heard, your presence known, and your interest clearly identified.

If there were no RCCA members or only a tiny membership, the AMA, its chartered clubs, and its flying sites would have little reason to be interested in Combat; we would be on our own. Membership in RCCA gives you the credibility and strength of a national organization.

The RCCA is also your voice with the AMA when it comes to making nationally consistent rules. You can be assured that wherever you go in the U.S. to fly Combat at an RCCA- or AMA-rule-book contest, you will be flying according to the same rules you do at home.

The RCCA has the most active RC Combat website on the Internet. There are quite a few discussion forums on the subject, but far and away the biggest, most active, and most content-rich is on the official RCCA page.

Not only can you gain a tremendous amount of technical and tactical knowledge on the website, but you can also keep up with members in your area and check the rankings of who is leading the points races so you can follow what type of equipment they fly. In addition, the RCCA board of directors uses the forum, among others, to keep the membership informed of what is happening in our sport.

This past year there was an election of new RCCA officers, with Bob Loescher being re-elected as president and Danny Bronstein taking over as vice president. The treasurer, who keeps up the membership, is Keith Jones. The organization also has district representatives and appointed officers, such as Randy Hodges, who keeps the scores for the National Points System. An RCCA membership is $15 a year, which goes toward paying for the website and holding the RC Combat Nationals. Visit the site if you want to learn more.

I was recently looking through all of the models that have been written about and remembered a build-along that Lou Melancon did with the Treneff RC Battle Axe kit. It is a great review, with many pictures posted on the company’s website. Following is a portion of what Lou wrote about the kit.

Excerpt — Lou Melancon on the Treneff RC Battle Axe kit

"I needed planes for the upcoming Mid America Championships June 21st in Tennessee. In the past I scratch-built Cobras and Georgia Gorillas (from Georgia RC Aircraft Combat). This time I did not have any foam on hand, nor Coroplast, or plastic fencepost material.

"Instead of driving to different outlets to get these things, and having to buy more than I needed, I decided to get kits. I ordered the 3-pack from Treneff RC and am very happy with the results. It is a very complete kit and I can heartily recommend it.

"The plane shown is a 'Battle Axe' designed by Chris Quinn and exceptionally kitted by Treneff RC. This one is powered by an O.S. LA .15 running on 30% heli fuel, Hayes 4-ounce clunk tank, with three metal-geared micro servos, a Hitec 555 receiver, 700 mAh airborne pack and weighs 41 ounces.

"Treneff RC offers SSC and Open B versions of the Battle Axe. There are two 'parts' packages with the basic kit. The individual plastic bags contain all the parts needed to complete the plane and make up the wing saddle.

"The wing cores are each marked on the inboard root, and the wing is assembled in conventional combat fashion, then covered with bidirectional tape and then with colored packing tape. The 'Battle Axe' pressure-sensitive decals are a very nice touch.

"The fuselage is almost a completely 'bolt-together' affair. The mounting holes for the O.S. LA are already drilled and fit perfectly. The 4x40 hex bolts, washers and locknuts are supplied.

"How does it fly? Great! I set the first two planes up identically and they both launched with an easy overhand toss. I followed Treneff's recommended break-in process and was seeing 17,250 rpm on the fourth flight of each plane.

"If you are looking for a quality kit that is very complete and builds into a top-level competitive fighter, then I heartily recommend Chris Quinn's Battle Axe as kitted by Treneff RC." — MA

Sources

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