RADIO CONTROL COMBAT
Greg Rose, 1312 NW 196th St., Edmond OK 73003
I HAVE JUST returned from the 2001 Radio Control (RC) Combat Nationals (Nats) held at the AMA site in Muncie, Indiana. The special Nats issue of Model Aviation will cover the event in more detail, but a couple of important items came up there that I want to address in this column.
I'll lead with propeller safety. There were a few fortunately small incidents at the Nats that should serve as good reminders of the importance of safety on every flight, regardless of whether you fly for sport or in a competition.
"Beware the prop" has been said countless times, but in the heat of the moment or in a split second of careless distraction, the propeller continues to claim modeling victims. Allow nothing to distract you while the propeller is in motion.
When two people are working on starting and launching a model, be sure that both modelers have a clear understanding of who is physically restraining the aircraft.
Rear-mounted or angled needle valves help decrease the likelihood of an accident, but any spinning propeller demands a good deal of respect.
The propeller continues to be the modelers' nemesis, and we all need to work carefully and safely when we are near the propeller.
Another issue involves launching. During a model's hand-launch, the pilot or helper who is launching needs to be aware of the possibility of his or her hand getting snagged on the airframe.
This type of accident can become even more serious if the snagged modeler reacts by pulling the model, with its spinning propeller, back toward himself or herself.
When you hand-launch, be sure that you have a firm grip on the model. Take the time to clean the last flight's slippery coating of fuel off the area you need to grip for launch.
Removing jewelry, such as watches or rings, can reduce the likelihood of getting caught. Be aware of any potential snag points on the model.
This type of accident can be reduced by good planning while you build your model. Be sure that any exposed control linkages are arranged to reduce the possibility of getting caught on someone during launch.
Several manufacturers showed up at the RC Combat Nats to test-fly their new designs.
Down Home RC (Box 1725, White Bluff TN 37187; Tel.: (615) 797-4351; Web site: www.downhomercrc.com) entered with the prototype for its new Lil Bull 25 for Open-class Combat.
It was the only design flown at the Nats that used rudder control rather than aileron.
Before its first flight there was some skepticism about whether the Lil Bull 25 would be competitive against the more established Open designs, but the model's performance proved several foes wrong.
The aircraft features a foam wing with an impressive amount of dihedral, a PVC (polyvinylchloride) fuselage peppered with holes to reduce the weight, and a modular composite tailboom that allows you to quickly pull your radio, servos, or replace the fuselage.
Two of the "Tennessee Gang" from Down Home RC placed in the top five in Open class, proving that the model was capable of hanging in there with the best Open designs.
The kit will be released soon and should be available by the time this is printed. Contact Down Home RC for details.
Midget Wallop Engineering (6023 17th Ave., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6L 2N7; Tel.: (780) 469-0709; Web site: www.midgetwallop.com) already produces a 1/2 scale cut-down version of the WWII-era Wyvern for Scale Combat. The company flew several prototype models for future kits during the Nats.
A new Fairey Firefly is scheduled to be released at roughly the time this issue is mailed. The model will feature foam wings, a balsa box fuselage with a shaped foam top deck, and vacuum-formed wing air scoops and canopies. (A Firefly needs a front and a rear canopy.) The Firefly spans 42 inches and has an Eppler 203 airfoil.
Two other Fairey designs were seen in prototype form at the Nats: the Battle and the Fulmar. Both will be released sometime after the Firefly.
Kit-bashing is very popular with plastic modelers. It's common to see a plastic model in which most of the parts come from one kit, a few parts taken from another design, and perhaps a few more scratch-made, to allow the modeler to have a completely new design.
Although a more destructive form of kit-bashing was the rule in the air at the Nats, an excellent example of building using kit-bashing in Scale Combat was when Mark McCool showed up with several Curtiss P-40 Warhawks that began their lives as Revell P-51 Mustang kits.
Mark had purchased his kits without wings, then cut new foam wings for the design, added a new set of balsa tail feathers, and reshaped the nose. The result was an impressive stable of very good-looking Warhawks.
Half scratched, half kit, Mark McCool wins the newly created Kid-Sized Beauty award this month.
That's all for now. I hope to see you at next year's RC Combat Nats, but until then, fly safe, fly Combat and be sure to check your six!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
