File: 08grissom.lt1.doc
[Headline: Benefits of joining RCCA]
We are slightly more than halfway through the year and there have been some good contests throughout the country. One of the important parts of RC Combat is the community of pilots who enjoy flying. One of the ways we maintain that community is through the RC Combat Association (RCCA).
Membership to the RCCA means that you have access to the “Members Lounge” section of the website, plus your voice is heard when it comes to new classes and rules. You can also record your scores on the site so that you can see how you stack up to other pilots throughout the country. If you want more information about the RCCA, please visit the RC Combat website.
Visitor from Mongolia
In the past we have had pilots from Russia and other countries visit, as well as pilots from the US who have visited Russia to fly RC Combat. Earlier this year we had a visitor from Mongolia who decided to invade Texas for some Combat. Here is a report from Gary James on the contest.
As the cold winds of February blew, a descendant of Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan) came to North Texas with two things on his mind: conquest and streamers! Battulga Nergui is a structural supervisor for Mongolian Airlines (MIAT) and an avid RC Combat pilot.
MIAT is purchasing some new airplanes from Boeing, and Battulga was chosen to come to the US to interface with Boeing and to approve the design and manufacture of the seats that are to be installed. The company that makes the seats is located in Gainesville, Texas, which is approximately 90 miles from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Marilou Rush, wife of champion CL Combat pilot and member of the 2014 USA F2B team, Howard Rush, is in the international relations group at Boeing. Battuga was coming to Texas on company business and Howard asked if we could show him around and perhaps get in a little RC Combat.
The Mongolians have a national organization—similar but much smaller than AMA—that helps promote and regulate model aviation in that country. Armed with his trusty Futaba 7C, Battulga arrived with Combat in mind, and oh yeah—gotta do some work, too.
It was critical that he brought his own transmitter since he—and many others in Asia—flies Mode 1 as opposed to the almost universal Mode 2 configuration that we fly in the US. Other than that, the equipment that they use is identical to ours.
The event flown in Asia is modeled after the RCCA rules for Limited B. Fliers use standard 2.4 GHz radios, O.S. 25FX and AX engines, etc., but it is difficult to obtain modeling supplies in Mongolia.
Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated independent countries in the world, with a population of less than three million people. Almost half of them live in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The rest of the population live in small communities or are nomadic like their ancient ancestors. As a comparison, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex alone has a population of approximately six million.
There are no hobby shops in Mongolia and it is difficult to obtain materials by mail order. Although the streets of Ulaanbaatar have names, there are no corresponding street numbers and the postal service is notoriously unreliable.
Winter weather in Ulaanbaatar is extreme. I checked the temperature on the night before Battulga left for the US, and the mercury had dropped to -30°F. Our mild Texas winters must have felt like a tropical vacation!
Battulga’s first “attack” was on Roy’s Hobby Shop in Hurst, Texas. Owned by former Braniff Airlines pilot Roy Craig and his wife, Pat, the shop is arguably one of the best hobby shops in the country, and Battulga was able to fill his war chest with the “weapons of war” that are hard to obtain back home, such as new receivers, propellers, CA glue, and other “goodies” that we take for granted. Although the population of Ulaanbaatar is fairly large, the average income is low and not many people have the financial resources to afford a hobby, so there are no local hobby shops in the country.
The night before the event, I took Battulga to see a real Texas rodeo at the Fort Worth Stockyards coliseum. Although the Mongolians can be attributed with introducing the horse to warfare, a rodeo is not part of the country’s equestrian tradition.
With some Texas barbecue and beer for lunch, and after stocking up on supplies and doing some shopping for his wife and kids, Battulga headed out for battle. The day of Combat started off overcast and breezy with temperatures in the low-to-mid 40s. It is good that we chose to fly Limited B, because Slow Survivable Combat airplanes would have been hard-pressed to cope with the wind.
Texoma RC Club president and RCCA secretary/treasurer David Turner offered the club field for some Combat fun and Bob “Buttercup” Leone graciously provided several of his innovative Coroplast Limited B airplanes for Battulga to fly. Bob provided yeoman’s service by both providing the airplanes and pitting for Battulga and himself.
In addition to David and Bob, we had Court Jarrett, Darrell Ellison, Gary James, and LaWayne Luckey join in on the fun. The cold and the wind made for a tough day, but we got in five rounds of Combat. Streamers were cut and numerous aircraft were destroyed in the fierce battle.
After the last round was finished, Buttercup was hot doggin’ and was challenged to hit the tattered Texoma windsock. He did it and brought back the ragged trophy of its remains. The Texoma club members wanted a new windsock anyway …
At the end of the event, RCCA secretary/treasurer David Turner presented Battulga with an RCCA ball cap and a “No Cuts, No Glory” RCCA logo sticker. Although no point totals were kept, Battulga acquitted himself well and will be able to return to his homeland with both “cuts” and “glory.”
With Combat over for the day, Battulga accepted an invitation from Bob Leone to dinner and to visit the shop where he could get some hands-on experience using Coroplast for modeling. I’m sure that he will take this knowledge back to Mongolia and use it to help others in the quest for glory.
A great time was had by all, and it again proves that aeromodeling is an activity that can bridge international boundaries and bring people together.[dingbat]
SOURCES:
RCCA
www.rccombat.com
Texoma RC Modelers Club
www.texomarc.org