Control Line: Combat
UNFORTUNATELY Doc Passen has had to cancel his 1/2A Money Meet which had been scheduled for the Labor Day weekend. Doc has a lot of business obligations both professionally and in modeling that were very pressing-too pressing to allow him to run the 1/2A meet. Besides his normal line of CL kits which have been selling quite well, there is now a series of RC Combat planes which are meant to be used the way we fly CL Combat. The RC market is so much bigger that if they follow his instructions with respect to flying style (mix it up, and no 200-ft. streamers!), he should be able to retire soon just on the profit from kit production.
AMA Nats: CL Combat
ONCE again the Combat fliers got the prime real estate at the National Combat Championships. Where other events were off in other parts of the region, the Combat fliers enjoyed the greatest exposure to the spectators with an excellent flying site near the AMA Nats HQ and concessions. There was enough practice area for dozens of circles, although very few fliers did much practicing because of the intense heat and humidity. Temperatures were generally in the high eighties, with several days well into the 90º range with very high humidity, too. It wasn't as bad as two years ago in Lake Charles where new record temperatures were set, but it took about 10-15 mph off top speeds, which actually made for better matches although being hard on engines and contestant endurance. Except for a few raindrops on one day, the temperature and humidity were the only detracting factors, as the wind remained at a very low level.
Control Line: Combat
PROP PROBLEMS: Last time I mentioned that we were trying the fiberglass Taipan 8 × 6 as an inexpensive alternative to the wood props normally used in Fast Combat. We had a failure with a blade flying off when we ran it up on the Hoffelt .36R, which might be understandable because of the terrifically high rpm this mill puts out. However, we've had another failure-this time on a Fox Mark V which doesn't rev nearly as high. Both props had air bubbles in the hub area-nearly 30% of the area, which doesn't help a prop to stay together. Both props were from the same production lot, so it could be that only this one batch had problems.
Control Line: Combat
NEW GOODIES: If you're one of the many who just miss out on all the trick goodies, then probably your time has now come! The replacement ABC piston/liner sets for the Fox engines are almost ready for delivery. Some of the local SoCal fliers were using them during a recent get-together, and the performance seems to be on a par with the McCollum setup. The price should be around $75, which will also get you a Venturi connecting rod-or about $20 less if you want to take a chance on the stock rod breaking and ruining your day. The last I heard was that Pete Athans was the distributor for this high-tech setup. All the price/delivery details should be worked out by the time my next column hits the streets, but if you just can't wait you can watch the MACA (Miniature Aircraft Combat Association) newsletter-or contact Pete.
Control Line: Combat
LAST SUMMER at the AMA Nats I talked to Phil Cartier about making some almost-ready-to-fly (ARF) models for those of us who don't have the time to build or are too lazy, etc. He came up with the model you see in the picture. It features a 460-sq.-in. wing, a carbon-fiber tail boom, and is almost finished. Models I've gotten from him in the past have only required epoxying the engine mount and tail in place and hooking up the controls-about an hour's work, altogether.
