CL Combat
Charlie Johnson
This is the first time I've ever come back from a contest and had a week or two to think about what happened before writing up the report. Sometimes you look back on things a bit differently after having a few good nights' rest at home.
The Nationals is a real ordeal. The time there is too precious to waste by sleeping or going out to the local theater. From the time I arrived on Sunday until the following Sunday, when Paul Curtis dropped me off at the airport, I did nothing but talk about airplanes, fly a little, and watch a lot. The preceding mix of activities is common to all the modelers at the Nationals, but in different proportions. There are a very few minor complaints about this year's Nats, and they are overshadowed by all the good points.
Site and Facilities
The site turned out to be the Combat flier's dream. There was literally an unlimited amount of practice space—I counted 12 Combat models flying in separate circles at one time. The favorite practice site was right next to one of the dorms, much to the dismay of the non-Combat-flying residents. Restrooms, soft drink machines and electrical outlets were only a few paces away. The cafeteria was open for breakfast and was about 150 yards from the action; an added bonus was that you could watch Combat eliminations from your table.
Three main circles were used for competition—one each for Fast and Slow Combat, and another for FAI. They were well-marked and provided good access for judges and competitors. A minor monsoon on Monday evening softened the field. When the call went out to AMA HQ for some sand to beef up the pilot's circle, the action was immediate. The AMA officials must be given full credit for helping in every way possible. Years ago there might have been reason to complain about AMA's inability to act, but in 1980 it was all accolades for the AMA administration.
Organization and Officials
- MACA President Paul Curtis — event director (aided by his wife, Judy)
- Timers and primary helpers: Terri and Craig Cervo, Gayle Foster, Bob Beardon
- Additional helpers: Brandy Beardon, Greg Abt, Dyer, Sue Pescitani, and others
The judges spent many long hours on the field, and we owe them a lot more than mere mention can bring.
Rules and Procedures
- There were double-elimination first rounds in Fast and Slow Combat, and the usual practice in FAI.
- The 1/4A event featured a full double-elimination system, providing plenty of flying for all involved.
- FAI Combat rules required helmets for pit crews—this was the first year that the requirement was enforced.
- Two timers were assigned to every contestant to minimize timing errors.
- Streamers were only two colors—red and blue—and each pair of judges timed for only one color throughout eliminations.
Half-A Combat
Half-A Combat proved a real sleeper at the meet. It was an unofficial event promoted by Rich Lopez and sponsored by Cox Mfg. Cox provided engines through fifth place along with tons of other hardware. The event ran full double-elimination and required 22 entries along the way to get to the Finals. The finals started around noon following Junior/Senior Combat and ran until dark.
The competitive planes were .049-powered and resembled scaled-down versions of larger balsa or all-foam designs. Bud Bodzioch and Paul Smith met in the Final, with Bud the winner—thanks largely to mechanical problems suffered by Smith. Paul had previously gone the entire meet with no difficulty and used a foam mini-version of Richard Wilkens' Superstar. Rich Lopez's all-wood design with a foam leading edge was also impressive and great for getting kills.
Fast Combat techniques didn't seem to have an advantage on these 5–6 oz. models because pulling and biting power isn't great. Nylon props around 5-3 size were common, and fuel had about 30% nitro; a couple of contestants used fuel brewed by Bill Boss, which worked especially well.
Slow Combat
Slow Combat proved one thing: to win at the Nationals you have to have the best turning airplane. Models that are "good enough" for local meets fall on their faces during the tight-turning battles waged during Nats eliminations. When the dust settled, it was David Owens versus Mack Henry in the Final. Both used the Nimbler design with K&B .35 engines; the rest of the field used either ST .35s or the Fox .36, which was the most popular engine.
David and Mack are teammates—Mack had taught David many of the tricks of the trade. Both pilots made the Final match a lot of fun. David ended up with the win, but if the match were redone the outcome could easily have gone the other way, since equipment and piloting skills were almost identical. If you look closely at the picture of Mack flying, you'll see he uses "full lock" on the handle. Most people only do this when they're about to punch into the ground, but Mack seems to fly all his matches that way.
There was nothing exotic about the equipment: straightforward 400–500 sq. in. wings, blunt leading edges, and both foam and wood construction were popular. Ed Bryze used a jet in the fuel line rather than a needle valve—no adjustments. Unless there is a radical change in the weather or fuel, there really should be no need to adjust the needle once it has been properly set. If the last fight had a clean engine run, chances are you'll only mess things up by changing the settings.
Accessories like canopy, vertical fin, and stab were largely irrelevant to performance. It seemed that the basic 24-in. body and 5-in. nose moment, plus proper suction, is all that’s really needed. Many models had Fast Combat–type tails with a stab of about 4 sq. in. and a combination vertical fin/canopy of similar area.
- Duke Fox brought a new case for the .36 that had a much higher intake stack and improved suction (Marvin had used such an arrangement for years with good results).
- John Gladfelter had several of the new ST .35s with a rotary venturi; the production unit is supposed to weigh about 0.9 ounces and should produce enough power and fuel draw to make it a good choice for Slow or Fast Combat.
FAI Combat
Probably the best matches occurred in FAI Combat. There's also a lot more actual flying time at the Nats than in many other meets. The better engines run in FAI were the Fox .36, ST .35, and K&B .35, with a few .30-powered engines also seen.
Fast Combat and General Engine Notes
George Cleveland probably has the edge in performance and uses basically stock engines. He recommends:
- Find an engine with a good tight fit at the top of the stroke.
- Make sure the rest of the engine runs free.
- Add 50% nitro for power and consistent runs.
Apparently a good piston/liner fit is worth more to power and consistency than extensive rework.
Americans have adopted a more "European style" of flying—that is, following behind the other model—rather than the "intersect mode" common in traditional Fast Combat. The change in style by many top fliers has produced a dramatic rise in the number of cuts per match. I believe I saw Dick Stubblefield get six cuts in one of his matches.
To many Combat fans, Fast Combat is the main event. It still has the most entries (about 63 this year). As with other events, there was a first-round losers' bracket—which was lucky for George Cleveland. He came all the way back from a first-round loss to face Phil Cartier in the Final. Phil put a "do or die" shot on George and took the kill just before hitting the ground.
The models in the Final were total opposites: George used a familiar Force-type model with a Fox .36, while Cartier used one of his new 500-square-inch all-foam models powered by a TWA .36. The extra wing area and the TWA's power gave Cartier the edge. Foam has an advantage in Fast Combat because it can snag the string leader and lock on for a kill rather than letting the string slide over a wooden leading edge.
Most-spectacular-flying-in-Fast goes to Howard Rush—his model looked like a bumblebee on cocaine. Howard's foam tail booms let him down in two matches when they broke on impact with the soft ground. The first time his match was saved when his opponent's motor flew off with 15 seconds to go, but the second time there was no such luck.
Another surprise in Fast was Mark Smith. He seemed to get better and better as eliminations progressed and peaked in his match with Cleveland, which had to be re-flown because of a dead heat (less than a one-second airtime difference). Frustrating for the two participants, but double the pleasure for the viewers.
A memorable engine change occurred for the Detroit Combat Team when the crank broke at the start. After the engine change, their pilot charged into the air and killed his opponent.
Closing
This was a really exciting Nationals; I just wish there was room to describe all the matches and show pictures of everyone. Stay tuned to my later columns, where you'll see a lot of the top equipment used at this year's Nationals.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
