F2D - 2004/11
By Rich Lopez
Overview
The CLWC always has exciting events. At the 2004 World Championships, FAI Combat drew 57 competitors from 18 countries. Team USA was composed of:
- Ron Colombo (Michigan)
- David Owen (Tennessee)
- Mark Rudner (California)
- Junior Holden Hill (California)
Mike Willcox of Texas was also present to defend his World Champion title.
It had been 20 years since the US hosted a CLWC, and coincidentally 20 years since an American Combat pilot had been the defending World Champion. Tom Fluker Jr. was the first American Combat pilot to attain the title.
Facilities and Organization
The 2004 WC afforded all Combat pilots ample opportunities to practice, thanks to numerous official and unofficial practice circles. In past years, a lack of practice facilities put some teams at a disadvantage; the Combat pilots as a whole appreciated the facilities that AMA provided.
Thanks to Pat Willcox for making the Combat event thoroughly professional. He ensured there were plenty of black and orange vests to distinguish teams in the circle, streamers to last the entire contest, fuel bottles with filters for competitors, extra practice fuel, quality field preparation, judges, timers, and pit workers. The result was a contest that ran smoothly and without too many protests.
Officials and Support
Judges:
- Andy and Bobby Mears
- Larry Driskill
- Roy Glenn
- Chris Gay
- Roy Krupa
Pit support:
- Howard Shenton
- Doug and Jean Powell (fuel distribution, line measurements, venturi checks, pull-testing)
Sheila Cranfill did an amazing amount of work to get all matches posted and registered in the visible-to-the-contestant computer, allowing competitors to view match results shortly after entry.
F2D FAI judges:
- Rob Olijve (Netherlands)
- Ingemar Larsson (Sweden)
- Vernon Hunt (United Kingdom)
- Mack Henry (United States)
Competition Recap
First round
- The first round did not go well for the US: Mike, Mark, and Holden lost to Xavier Riera (France), Stanislav Chornyy (Ukraine), and Dominykas Zubas (Lithuania), respectively.
- Ron and David won their first-round matches against Ivan MacKenzie (Canada) and Swedish junior Mikael Sjölund.
Mike’s loss was especially difficult because there was evidence of a second cut that judges failed to see. This is hard to remedy—similar to a missed ball-or-strike call in baseball—and Mike deserved credit for his composure.
Second day
- Mike, Mark, and David posted wins.
- Holden took his second loss against Russian junior Alexander Shalaev and was out of the competition without being able to show his best.
- Ron lost to former World Champion Mervyn Jones (United Kingdom).
Day three
- Mike and Mark continued winning, beating current European Champion Audrius Rastenis (Lithuania) and Juan Carlos Frias (Spain), respectively.
- Ron lost to Peteris Brokans (Latvia).
- David suffered his first loss against eventual third-place finisher Boris Faizov (Russia).
Round four (also flown on day three)
- Mike and Mark registered their third wins.
- David lost to Volodymyr Vesich (Ukraine) and was eliminated. Vesich used unique models with a molded Kevlar leading edge and a molded carbon-fiber engine mount; these designs limit engine adjustability for model balancing.
Mid-competition
- At this point it was notable that the Latvian team had not yet suffered a loss. The Russian team also looked strong, with three of four members still in contention and only one loss among them.
Rounds five and six
- Round five: Mike and Mark posted their fourth wins against Leonardo Silva (Mexico) and Aleksandrs Prokofjevs (Latvia).
- Round six: Mike and Mark posted their fifth wins against Alexander Shalaev and Laura Leino (Finland).
- With only seven pilots remaining, prospects looked promising for the Americans.
Final rounds
- Mike and Mark took their second losses at the hands of Russian pilots, who went on to dominate the podium.
- With Mark, Mike, and Mervyn Jones eliminated, Peteris Brokans was the only non-Russian in the final four.
- The top three finishers were:
- Igor Trifonov (Russia)
- Alexander Shalaev (Russia)
- Boris Faizov (Russia)
Alexander Shalaev showed exceptional promise and was very close to becoming the first pilot to win both Junior- and Open-class championships at the same contest.
Equipment and Engines
There was no breakthrough engine technology to report. Moscow-made AKMs appeared to have a slight edge over the strong Foras (manufactured in Ukraine) and the Russian-made Zorros. All three engines run consistently fast and are competitive in the hands of good pilots.
Other notes:
- Jari Valo takes great care in balancing and shaping propellers to get maximum performance from his Zorros.
- A few teams used Cyclons and Redkos.
- Volodymyr Vesich used a Zalp engine.
- The entire Russian team used AKMs; given their sweep of the top spots, that choice proved effective.
Teams and Observations
- Singapore’s team consisted entirely of juniors. Although they did not fare well in results, they gained experience and will be better prepared in future contests.
- The Dutch and German teams were absent this year; they will likely return in 2006.
Conclusion
Team USA can be proud of its fourth-place finish. The 2004 World Championships will be remembered as the year the Russians conquered the world in Combat. Hopefully, the US team will return the favor in future events.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
