Electric Combat at the Lone Star Nationals in Paris, Texas, March 18th-20th, 2005

The Lone Star Nationals has been the largest RC Combat event in the United States for the last three years and this year was no exception.  This year eCombat was flown as a demo event to begin defining the parameters of eCombat. Ten fliers participated in the 15 minute combat swarm.  Cuts were scored by several fliers and we all learned a lot.  Here are some of the observations: - There is a big difference between 2 cell lipos and 3 cells and for good combat all fliers need to be running the same voltage and cells. - Most of the motors made similar power and subsequent speed when rurnning at same voltage. - The airplanes were not as "survivable" in a mid-air collision as we had hoped so most of us are returning to the drawing board to improve our designs. - The planes are so easy to fly and fly so well that we tended to fly them very close.  We need to move the "combat engagement area" further out so that the airplanes are not in a small "furball" where collisions are not only probable but inevitable. - These things are an absolute blast to fly. Click on any image below to see an enlarged photo.

Jared "Family Man" Lee              Mike "Unka Mikey"                       Broken outrunner                    Nose damage to Jared's holding his Lee Liddle                   With a Lee Liddle                                                                               P51, broken motor stick designed P51                                   Spitfire, very nice!

BP-21 brushless outrunner       Power system for John                    Here is how the equipment    Bob Leone used profile on Chuck "Gunfighter"                Jaugilas "Smack" Open                   lays out on John's Smack      fuselage and airfoiled Waller's P51                                   design, only pilot not using              fuselage                                      foam wing.  Nose damage                                                      an outrunner                                                                                              to brushed GWS 350 from                                                                                                                                                                                    a mid-air.

J.P. Morere holding his own design Grumman F4F Hellcat.  Very nice plane.  Uses 1" foam for fuselage with 1/4" foam laminated on each side.  This allowed JP to recess the battery into the left side of plane as shown but still remove it easily.  Also the lamination stops short of the canopy and allowed JP to form the distinctive turtledeck of the Ironworks fighter.  The cowl slides over the GWS 350 and gearbox and is a friction fit to the motor.  Simply remove the spinner and prop to access motor and gear box.  Very clean set up and also light.