CONTROL LINE COMBAT
Rich von Lopez 8334 Colegio Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045
1995 Combat season — Top Gun Fast Combat (Tucson, AZ)
The 1995 combat season is off and running. The first major contest of the season was the Top Gun Fast Combat tournament in Tucson, AZ, held the weekend of March 18–19. I wasn't able to attend due to prior commitments, but I spoke with Chuck Rudner, Don Repp, and Pat Willcox about the contest.
There were about 40 entries from across the United States. The Whittier Narrows Regulars from Southern California fielded a large contingent and did quite well. Ever-dangerous Alan De Veuve of San Diego, CA, managed to win another big contest; his equipment is always top-of-the-line, and with quick reflexes his flying ability is outstanding.
Alan was part of the U.S. team that went to China in 1994. During some demonstration flights the rest of the team staged an "Alan De Veuve Revue," lining up and mimicking his hand and leg movements while he flew. It took him a while to notice; teams from other countries found the prank quite humorous. If you're going to win regularly, expect to become a topic of conversation.
Second place went to Chuck Rudner, who always has plenty of good equipment and knows how to use it. Chuck's new fast Nelson models are extremely light and very sturdy — it's too bad he lost five of them on his way to second place. Third place went to Mike Willcox of Houston, TX. Mike has had some of the best tutors in the world, regularly flying with Dick Stubblefield, George Cleveland, Pat Willcox, Don Cranfil, and other Texas combat pros.
Fourth place was a tie between Dick Stubblefield and Don Repp; I believe Dick won the coin flip. Junior World Champion Mark Rudner was brought back to earth by consecutive losses to George Cleveland, Dick Stubblefield, and Pat Willcox. Ron Cash and Greg Carter also showed strong performances, going seven and eight rounds respectively.
Vintage FAI F2D Combat (1975–85 era)
Doc Passen is trying to rejuvenate the FAI F2D Combat class of the 1975–85 era. He is collecting drawings and plans of combat models from that period. He does not need full-size drawings (although those would help); drawings, sketches, copies with dimensions (English or metric), or photocopies of related articles will do. Doc will redraw these plans at their original dimensions and make them available.
Doc wants to call the event Vintage FAI Combat and use the rules that were in effect for the 1978 World Championships. He also hopes to compile an engine list for those wanting to purchase vintage 2.5cc (.15) F2D combat engines; the list would include a classified section.
If you have plans or .15 engines from the era, contact:
- Doc Passen, Box 111, Jasonville, IN 47438
Some models from the 1978 era were great performers. FAI models in that period did not have venturi size or fuel restrictions, so they will be faster than many current models — this won't be a laid-back event. There were several notable engines of the era, including:
- SuperTigre G-20 .15
- SuperTigre G .15
- SuperTigre X .15
- Fox .15
- Cox .15
- Rossi .15 (one of the best and most expensive of the period)
Glow plugs and suppliers
Nelson-type glow plugs are not just for Nelson engines. Many aftermarket heads and head buttons are manufactured to accommodate these plugs, and most top-quality Russian engines come with heads that use Nelson glow plugs.
Historically the only U.S. source for these plugs was Henry Nelson. Henry's plugs work very well and tend to last a long time — in some Russian .15s they seem to last forever. Contact:
- Henry Nelson, 121 Pebble Creek Ln, Zelienople, PA 16063; Tel.: (412) 538-5282
At the World Championships I met Magic Lee, owner of Silver-Wing World Trading Ltd. On a long bus ride from the flying field to the hotel we talked about glow plugs and his hope to produce a Nelson-type plug. He sent me a few to test in December, and I've been running them in my .15s and .36s with good results. It's nice to have a second choice. Contact:
- Silver-Wing World Trading Ltd., 5F, No. 3-4, Alley 89, Lane 93, Hsing Nan Rd., Sec. 1, Chung Ho, Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C.
Tel.: 886-2-9497459; Fax: 886-2-9496225
Slow Combat Championships (Muncie, IN)
The biggest Slow Combat contest of 1994 was the Slow Combat Championships in Muncie, IN, sponsored by R. W. Howe. The event is on the 1995 schedule for September 15–17.
Prize list:
- 1st place: $1,000
- 2nd place: $500
- 3rd place: $250
- 4th place: $100
- 5th place: $50
- The first 12 places each win a .36 engine
Event details:
- Triple-elimination contest
- $50 entry fee
- 1994 champion: Andy Minor (expected to return to defend his title)
Contact for more information:
- Allen Goff, Tel.: (317) 759-7473
Miniature Aircraft Combat Association (MACA)
Have you renewed your MACA subscription/membership? Annual dues:
- U.S.: $15
- Canada and Mexico: $18
- Overseas: $25
Send dues to:
- Ross Leightlifer, MACA Treasurer, 3007 Pirates Cove, Aurora, OH 44202
Include your telephone number, AMA number, and AMA category (Jr., Sr., Open, or CD).
The monthly MACA newsletter may keep you more up-to-date than magazines, since it doesn't require the lead time of a magazine. MACA publishes technical articles, contest reports, and a list of combat suppliers every month.
International contacts
Europeans have more frequent contact with top competitors from Russia and other parts of the continent. Spanish team manager Ian McIntosh sent a list of competition items for Combat F2D, Speed, and Team Race from Centro Internacional de Aeromodelismo, S.L. It may be worth writing to them (you'll need to figure the exchange rate from dollars to pesetas).
Contact:
- Centro Internacional de Aeromodelismo, c/o Roger de Lauria, 6-B, Apartado de Correos 123, 07080 Palma De Mallorca, Spain. Tel.: 971-733633
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
