Radio Control: Combat
I'VE HAD MANY questions about changes in the 704 rules for Scale Radio Control (RC) Combat. It's very difficult for me to talk about these changes in this column because of the time lag between when I sit down and type and the time that you actually see the column. About three months passes between those times, and unfortunately, as I write today, I know that some of the things in my last column have changed before you have even seen them. So after a brief reassurance that no upcoming change is going to dramatically alter the face of Scale RC Combat, but rather expand fliers' options, I'm going to stick to a more "timeless" subject for this column. When 704 Scale RC Combat was first published in the AMA Competition Regulations handbook, one line read that the model had to be a "scale replica of a combat aircraft." That meant that the model's shape and color would reproduce that of the Combat aircraft represented.
Radio Control: Combat
A new day has dawned on Radio Control Combat in the US, with the attainment of official Special Interest Group (SIG) status with the AMA! This status recognizes the RC Combat movement for what it is: a growing force of RC fliers who have proven that Combat can be flown safely, and is one of the most fun events that the AMA has to offer. (Okay, maybe I'm a little prejudiced, but I still have a blast every time I fly it, watch it, photograph it, talk about it, or write about it.) As a SIG, there is a big set of footsteps in which to follow. Existing groups (such as the International Miniature Aircraft Association, the International Miniature Aerobatic Club, the League of Silent Flight, the Miniature Aircraft Combat Association, the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers, the Scale Warbird Racing Association, the Society of Antique Modelers, and the others) have done a wonderful job of promoting and developing their events and supporting their members.
Radio Control: Combat
RADIO CONTROL (RC) Combat in general, and specifically the 704 Scale RC Combat AMA event, has become one of the fastest-growing areas in modeling. The up side of the growth is the sheer number of people who have become active in RC Combat; it's literally a "the more the merrier" type of event. The other positive thing about so many people being involved is that the flow of ideas on all sorts of issues has become tremendous. Suggestions abound, with proposals for profile fuselages in 704 Scale; a "high altitude" version of Scale Combat; a World War I version of the "game" with Sopwith Camels and Fokker Triplanes battling it out; a fast-paced "jet age" version; and more.
Radio Control: Combat
"SHOCKED" IS PROBABLY the best word to describe the feeling that most 704 Scale Radio Control (RC) Combat fliers have about the passing of proposal SEB 99-1 to allow the use of profile fuselages in 704 Combat. This proposal, which was not generally seen as a positive direction by the 704 modelers, surprisingly passed muster, and will be incorporated into the 704 rules. Currently, most 704 fliers, Contest Directors, and kit manufacturers do not intend any quick change in the "status quo" of requiring built-up fuselages, but we will watch to see if the profile idea attracts many followers in 704 Combat. Stay tuned for new developments on this issue.
Radio Control: Combat
I ATTENDED A LOCAL Oklahoma club's first 704 Scale Radio Control (RC) Combat meet, and what I saw reminded me to cover a very basic, but very important item: Things were going quite well for everyone except one "unlucky" modeler whose would-be fighter had trouble staying airborne. Yet a half dozen other airplanes, all similar in size and weight, and some with even less power, flew fine. The "unlucky" model flew great straight and level; in a moderate climb, it was fairly fast and true; but try to maneuver, and wham! It would stall, snap, point its nose toward terra firma, and drop like a bullet.
