AMA Nats 1983: CL Combat
In the beginning, there was Junior and Senior Slow Combat on Monday. It took most of the day to run off four Seniors and seven or eight Juniors. (This should have been a tipoff that things were going to be pretty slow the rest of the time.) All of the events were run using the alternate elimination system, which allows first-round losers a flight against other losers, with the winner of the match going into the next round as an equal with first round winners. All contestants get at least two flights even if they lose both matches. Some of the Juniors and Seniors came to fly Combat-and others came to have fun. With the exception of Eric Parker (as a Gary Frost under-study), the rest of the winning field in both Fast and Slow was made up of the usual top finishers. Junior Combat still draws enough entrants to make it on its own, but possibly Senior, with only 4 entries, needs to be re-evaluated. Possibly a combined Senior/Novice class (which would combine the Seniors and beginning Open fliers) is needed. A lot of ideas were kicked around at the Nats, and all were aimed at doing something to give the Seniors a break.
Control Line: Combat
LIGHTWEIGHT-bah, humbug! I always figured that the guys that built all those flimsy, high-performance models would give up after awhile when the carnage got the best of them. Unfortunately, they gave up after winning all the trophies! I got the message after this year when I came out with two seconds and a lot of losses. After this year's Team Trials, I could see that my worn-out (but smooth-running) engines neede to be traded in, and the robust models needed to go on a diet. Sure, sure, I get to test the hot rods of the industry-Hoffelt Monobooms with .36Rs at 200 mph and minus 2-ft.-radius turns. And the free merchandise . . . now where did I put the last case of Nelson Mag-AAC-Titanium rear valves? (OK, I finally admit it. I have hammers and chisels for engine rework and a 1-300 pound scale for weighing models.)
Control Line: Combat
LOTS OF NOISE makes Combat more fun! It has also gotten us kicked out of many nice flying spots. I used to think I'd rather stop flying than muffle the engine-but that was before we lost our favorite flying site! Mind you, screaming engines are still more fun, but there are times when only a quiet model will do. Gary Arnold used full pipes on his models at the Team Trials to gain a performance-boost, but the side effect was a quieter engine (and more pieces to pick up when the model hit the ground under power).
Control Line: Combat
HEY, where's the engine review? I'll have to admit that I've been waiting by the mailbox for my new Bob Oge-tuned engine. I cut him a little short on lead time by not mailing the engine to him until the last minute, so the actual running tests will have to be put off until next time. I did talk with him over the phone and he explained some of the things he did to my Fox Mark V and also some of the other services he offers in the way of performance tuning.
Control Line: Combat
THE PREMIER CL Combat event, the Bladder Grabber, will be held at the Boeing Space Center in Seattle, WA July 7 and 8. The triple-elimination Fast Combat tournament will feature the cream of the crop going for $5,000 in merchandise. Last year, several former National Champions, as well as the reigning World Champion, competed. This incredible meet is sponsored by Carver Corporation, which donates the high-tech stereo components that are awarded as prizes. Howard Rush is once again acting as contact/promotion person. Call (206) 823-6018 for information on the meet as well as accommodations.
