Nationals, Atlanta, Georgia May 27-29
We would like to begin by thanking the membership of Georgia Model
Aviators for allowing us to use their field for the Dixie Nationals. It was
greatly appreciated. The club had manicured the short bermuda grass
in front of the pits, and had mowed down the tall grass beyond the 600
foot paved runway. They had also installed a wireless Public Address
system that we put to good use for the contest and informing the many
spectators of what RC Combat was all about and how the scoring
worked.
We are also very happy that the contest ran safely with no incidents of
any sort. There were no violations of the Saftey line or the Pilots line
and only a single violation of the Combat Engagement line after 474
contest flights. The strong safety rules and procedures implemented
by the AMA's Special Interest Group the Radio Control Combat
Association work and work well.
We would also like to thank the photographers who contributed many
of the pictures on this page. They are Bruce Tarleton and Craig Collins
of Georgia Model Aviators. A big thanks goes to Serge and Viat
Gaidamakov of the great state of Maryland for the many photographs
they posted in their online photo album. To save space and time all
the photos on this page are "thumbnails". By clicking on any one you
will see a larger and more detailed photo.
Clyde the GMA coon hound, the Georgia State Flag, and the
flight line of combat pilots early on a May morning.
listed in two formats: the ones used for the
contest scoring and the scores that will be
submitted for National Points Standings, per
RCCA rules.
Representative and one of the
hardest working folks in Combat,
Don Pruitt, who hails from
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Saturday morning after a two hour
shower. There were 62 entries in the
four events flown at the contest
RC Combat Flier, Lou Melancon
firmly mounts early on Friday
Andrew Stanley, Steve Lamson,
Lee Liddle, Chris Handegard and
Michael DeWoody. Plaques by
Dennis Greenaway.
We began the Dixie Nationals at 1pm on Friday with WWII Scale Combat. This year we used the Provisional class rules which allow up to .25 ci
displacement engines and wing spans up 48" with all parts of the plane scaled to match the span. We also allowed existing 1/12th scale fighters that were
not on the Provisional Airplane Definition list to participate. There were 11 entrants in Scale.
by Bruce Tarleton. It shows the moment
of impact, then the planes falling away.
The Mustang flew out of the encounter
and went on to score more during the
event.
Fighters laid out for accuracy
judging.
Lima, Ohio with one of his four
P40s
launching his IL10
Scale starts with juding of airplanes for accuracy of outline, correct colors for a theater of operation, and national insignias. Since we are all new
to scale judging we fumbled somewhat with getting it right. I think we got it right. All the pilots judge each airplane in a vote by show of hands. A
plane can get one of four scores and that score is added to the total flight score for each round. If a plane does not even come close to looking like
a WWII fighter it is disallowed. Pilots must bring 3-View drawings of their planes and color markings. Not all pilots brought color markings but all
had 3-Views. A plane that has an accurate outline, national markings and a recognizable color scheme recieves a passing score but no extra
points. A plane that does not have these attributes gets a below average score and loses 20 points per round. A plane with above average scale
fidelity, additional markings such as nose art, tail numbers, panel lines, etc receives a "bonus" of 20 points per round. While the pilots were voting
some questions came up which I could not answer. For instance is a Scale 2610 plane which has been grandfathered into the contest allowed to
gain points or does it suffer because it is not to 2548 sizes? Since we didn't know for sure we awarded those that deserved to be rated as bonus a
bonus.
AIRCRAFT TYPES, CONSTRUCTION, AND POWERPLANTS
Lee Liddle and Don Grissom flew P39s. Lee's was built according to the style he has developed which is a wooden partial crutch in the fuse, the
wing pivots around a deck screw mount and is held at the rear by a flexible rubber band mount. His plane also had the "car door" type canopy
drawn in. Don's two planes were from Sureflite kits, covered with olive drab ripstop and sported Russian markings all very nicely done. Lee used
the OS FX and Don used Norvels.
Jay Fromm and Mark Cippolone had P40s and P39s that were built to stand back and squint scale standards with some very creative
interpretations of color schemes applied to them. Their planes were powered with OS .25 FX engines. Both pilots planes were heavy which caused
them some issues with launching (with a tail wind) and in turn performance. This is part of the learning curve with any new event - building planes
to the desired weight and performance standards takes time and this was their first generation planes.
Steve "Slam" Lamson had four very attractive Mitsubishi Zeros. His construction method was foam conventional with one exception. He, like Bob
Loescher, used Chris Quinns aluminum rail fuselage idea as shown in the photo below to make a strong but lightweight fighter. His planes all had
to have weight added to them to make the minimum weight requirement.
Andrew Stanley and Michael DeWoody flew almost identical P51B & C Mustangs attractively finished. These airplanes were quite robust in their
construction and followed conventional foam building techniques. Michael noted that his two planes, although built the same showed differences
in finished weight of up to 6 ounces and noted that the additional weight does affect performance.
Chris Handegard flew his own design F82 Twin Mustang in only one heat before it was mid-aired out of the event. This is a 2610 legal plane that
has been continously re-built since we saw it at the first Dixie Nats five years ago. It is powered by twin Magnum .15 XL engines and Chris gets
them singing sweetly. The F82, I am sure, will fly on again. Chris had a Bob Wallace designed and kitted TA154 with a glass fuselage and foam
wing. This was also a 2610 legal plane and was powered by a Norvel .25 AME engine. It was without doubt the fastest fighter in the event, easily
outpacing all other airplanes in straight line speed as well as continuous turning ability.
Bender and son Viat brought an armada of IL10s to the contest. This model is legal for 2610 and is grandfathered into 2548 during 2005. Next to
Chris Handegard the Gaidamakov's had the fastest planes at the event. For those of you who saw their previous generation of planes you are in for
a shock when you so how well this newest line of their fighter's flies. It is fast, maneuverable and they are getting the hang of combat and
beginning to score well. Both pilots used OS FX engines.
Bob Loescher flew Curtiss P40s, nicely marked, all powered with OS .25 FXs and like SLAM used the aluminum rail fuselage technique to build
strong fighters that flew well.
glass and foam TA152. The next photos show the ignominious ending of combat for both planes after they were taken out in mid-air collisions.
Lee Liddle of Dallas, Texas with his great
flying P39 Airacobra.
At left is Steve "Slam" Lamson with one of his
four Zero fighters. You can see in the upper
right hand photo how Slam builds his
fuselages. After Chris Handegard lost his two
planes in the first two heats Slam lent him
Zeros to fly and finish the contest. Slam and
Lee are among the most innovative combat
designers and pilots in the United States.
We flew 6 rounds with two heats per round. This allowed either five or six pilots to mix it up at one time. Flying 2548 Scale combat is hard work to get
cuts. The airplanes have lower power to weight ratios and will not sustained either vertical climbs or continuous horizontal turns (all by design and rules)
so pilots really have to plan and work at getting cuts. The contest was really decided after the first two rounds. In the first two rounds Lee Liddle almost
scored more points than any other competitor managed to get in six rounds. By the end of the second round he had racked up a 500 and 600 plus score
and was well on his way to winning.
one of his P39s in the center Don on right
is getting ready with Darin Stevens and on
the right Darin gives the P39 a mighty
heave to get it airborne.
inspection area. Viat Gaidamakov in the
center photo returns from a successful
sortie with streamer hanging from his
wing and at right is a cut in the making.
One of the fastest growing segments of model aviation is electric power systems. RC Combat needs to embrace this fast growing segment of modelers
and offer an event that suits them.
This is the first year that eCombat has been flown at the Dixie Nationals. To the best of my knowledge it was also the first time an electric combat event
was held with rules for airframes, scoring, rounds were flown and a winner recognized.
The rules were simplified: 32 wingspan maxium, one inch minimum fuselage, the planes must resemble WWII fighters and have canopies and national
insignia markings, and battery power was limited to 7.4 volts or two lithium polymer cells. A great deal of data was gathered from all the contestants and
will be posted shortly. CLICK HERE FOR EXCEL DATA SHEET WITH PLANE, MOTOR, AND SET UP SPECIFICATIONS.
35 planes entered in eCombat
Sailplanes Steetfighter.
explain conduct of contest and
scoring rules
We flew 8 rounds of combat. After the first two rounds the decision was made to fly all planes in one heat. Heat sizes
varied from 8 to 11 pilots at a time. The pilots lined up with their planes trailing 15 foot by 3/8" dennecrepe streamers.
The Line Marshall called each pilot to launch and all planes were launched in serial order down the line. When all
planes were airborne for 15 seconds the call to "Start Combat" was called and the five minute match began.
Many cuts were missed because the streamers slid off the wings as "drapes" instead of cuts. It was unusual to get
more than two cuts per round. A bonus was given for pilots who stayed aloft for the entire match. If they were in the air
at "start combat" and stayed in the air for the full five minutes they were awarded 200 points. This rule was tested to
see if a large bonus for staying out of mid-airs would lessen plane damage. It is too soon to evaluate the results of this
concept, and the participants were still discussing it when they left but after 80 sorties only one plane was damaged
enough to no longer fly the contest.
planes for the first two rounds then moved slightly closer. The wind for some of the rounds was up to 15 mph but all
the planes handled it well. Its fun to stand on the pilot line and talk trash with the other pilots because there is no
engine noise to prevent normal conversation spiced with lots of trash talking.
14 ounces, powered by BP 12
brushless motor.
electric fighters. In the foreground of the second photo is the Miles M20, the next photo shows a BF109J and the final plane is a KI61, all
powered by CustomCDR Speed Wind single stator brushless motors on 7X4 APC props. This motors spins the prop about 10,000 rpms.
DrewJets P51 Mustang -
powered by Little Screamer
Planes
EPP Mig 3
Mustang in captured German
markings
Was the best attended event at the Dixie Nats. We had 25 pilots and flew 8 rounds with four heats in each. This worked out to three heats of 6 per round
and one of 7.
Most pilots ran OS LA .15s and were quite successful with them. There are still folks who are going their own way and trying different things with the LA,
but most who are venturing away from the tried and proven techniques are having issues with the motor. That is actually a shame because the
information on how to break them in, set them up, and get them to run right has been published many times in many places.
The airplanes fell broadly into three design categories: Falcons/Cobra flying wings; Variations on the Chris Quinn Battleaxe all using the aluminum channel
fusleage, and finally the Team Seaholm Avenger designs. Performance has become very close between all planes. The planes now fly quite a bit faster
than we anticipated at the beginning of SSC, and their flying characterics, especially their continuous capabilities are among the best in combat. These
things lead to flying combat in very tight air space or what we refer to as "furballs". The furballs lead to increase mid air collisions which in turn damage
airframes. At the Dixie Nats a new scoring rule was used for the contest. Two sets of scores were kept: one for the contes and one for NPS standings. At
the top of the page you can click on the score sheet page to see how the two scoring systems compare.
Since this scoring idea was a new idea it will take awhile for pilots to adjust to it. The rule is a change in point values for flying an entire round. It has two
requirements: first you must be in the air with a full streamer at the call to "start combat" and second you must be in the air and not have come down at
any time during the contest to get your full flight points. The full flight point value was changed from 20 points to 200 points for the contest. The sole
reason for the scoring experiment was to determine its impact on reducing mid air damage.
Some of the comments that were heard during the contest were:
- All a person has to do is fly away from the crowd and keep their streamer and they will win the contest...
- It doesn't affect me till the last three minutes, then I start thinking about staying up for the match
- I never see the person who hits me
- The 200 points are too high a value
- It is having an impact on reducing carnage
- I always try to avoid mid-airs so it has no impact on me
Over the next few weeks this is likely to be one of the topics of discussion on the RCCA Forums with lots of folks expressing their opinion. My personal
feeling is that the same group of pilots need to go through three contests with this scoring change to see what happens as they become used to it.
My personal feeling is that it causes pilots to look around at other airplanes more and look for clear paths through traffic rather than just plunging it. I
think, and this is my opinion, that fewer mid-airs occur between pursuer and pursued than to "I didn't even see him coming". That makes two pilots who
never saw it coming. Maybe if one or both were looking around a little more it would reduce mid-airs, I don't know for sure, but with 200 points on the line
it becomes something to think about. Several pilots thought that the point value should be 100 points rather than 200. I asked them if they tried to keep
their streamer during combat, really consciously protected it. After thinking about it several said "no". I then asked why if they didn't protect their 120
points would they even care about 100 points for finishing the round in the air. I think, and this is my opinion if you want to change peoples behaviour you
have to really reward the behaviour you are trying to drive, e.g. reduction in mid-airs.
of his 8 rounds which propelled him to the top of the heap combined with good scoring during each match. Darrin flies an evolution of the McGrizz Bat
which now uses a dual aluminum rail fuselage. Power is the OS LA .15 on a bladder tank. The second photo is Darrin taching Dave McGinnis's engine
before launch. At Dixie as at all Georgia SSC contests all planes are tach'd every round by the pilots judge. The third photo is David McGinnis the "Mc" in
McGrizz. David's skills keep climbing and he is a real threat to take the top spot in every contest he enters. The final photo on the right shows two of our
newest SSC fliers. Jeff Scheule is on the left pitting for his brother Jeff Ellis who is piloting a second generation Skull Bandito.
14 fliers entered Open B on Sunday and we flew 8 rounds with two heats in each. We started early under a heavily overcast sky. Every competitor was
experienced and we never had to wait on anyone to get their equipment together. The competition ran like clockwork.
Normal RCCA Scoring was used for Open B and in a hard fought contest Lee Liddle again came out on top.
earned 1st place in Open B
Predator. He used a lot of
planes this weekend.
runway up to his mighty physique
of his Open B ship. Mark worked very hard this entire contest but had a
tough weekend. He is planning on hosting an event in Northern Kentucky in
two weeks.
Patrick Lanfri of Jacksonville, Florida shown at right. He flew both SSC and
Open B and is improving fast.