National and world competitions
by Mark Rudner
rudner@mit.edu
This month I will cover the 2016 Nats and the US contingent’s adventures at the Latvian and Lithuanian World Cup competitions that were held in Riga, Latvia, in August.
First, I’m happy to report that Control Line (CL) Combat is still going strong at the Nats. Chris Gay, who has volunteered countless hours of his time throughout the past several years as the event director, has played a huge role in returning the Nats to the top CL Combat competition of the year. Dave Edwards has now taken on the role, and is helping to keep the Nats as a top-notch event.
Particularly important for increasing attendance, we’ve been running F2D as a triple-elimination competition on the first weekend of the CL Nats. Holding the contest during the weekend makes it much easier for many pilots who have limited vacation time to attend. I hope this tradition will continue.
The AMA has also played an important role in promoting CL Combat at the Nats by helping to develop the Combat area at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. Several years ago, nice cement center circles were installed. The grass is beautiful, and was in great shape for the competition this year. It’s an ideal site for Combat.
We did run into one potential problem, though. There was a lip around the edge of the pilot’s circle caused from the ground level dropping, which presented a possible tripping hazard for pilots as they entered and exited the circle. This raised some concerns among several of the pilots.
After the competition, we brought the matter to the attention of the AMA ground crew, and were quickly notified that extra dirt will be packed in to level the ground for future use. Everyone can rest assured that the site will be in top form for next year, and look forward to another great Nats. Thanks to the AMA for the swift response!
In F2D, we had a good turnout of 26 pilots. The longest-traveled award goes to Vitaly Kochunts, who came all the way from Riga to compete. He made the trip worthwhile, taking home the second-place trophy. Meanwhile, Igor Dementiev went undefeated and took home his first US National Championship, while Alex Prokofiev rounded out the top three places.
The action didn’t stop with F2D. Many pilots stuck around for the rest of the week, with F2D Fast (Fast Combat with F2D engines), Speed Limit Combat, ½A, and “Big Block” Fast Combat. Although I wasn’t able to stay past the weekend, from what I heard it was a great week of Combat and everyone had a good time.
Full results should be available through the AMA, but to give a short version, our new national champions are:
- F2D Fast Combat: Neil Simpson, Massachusetts
- Speed Limit Combat: Bill Maywald, California
- ½A: Chuck Rudner, California
- Fast Combat: Ron Columbo, Michigan
Lithuanian and Latvian World Cups
A few short weeks after the Nats, a group of pilots from the US headed to Latvia for more Combat. Two World Cup competitions (the Lithuanian and Latvian Cups) were held outside of Riga August 4-7. Mike Willcox, Josh Ellison, Bill Maywald, and Mark Rudner represented the US. Cary Minor and Radik Magzianov were on hand to represent Israel, and Alex Prokofiev flew for Latvia. This was the first time for Bill and Josh to experience a big international competition, and it seemed that both learned a lot and enjoyed the experience.
Alex, his father, Vasily, and Vitaly Kochunts put in a huge effort to make this double competition a first-class event. This was the second running of the competition, and the 60-pilot registration limit was reached well in advance of the event. Many of the world’s top pilots were there, making both hard-fought competitions tough.
The facilities were excellent. The competition was run at a local airport, and a large hangar was available for storing and working on equipment. The
hangar proved especially useful during rain showers. A hearty and freshly cooked lunch was also available each day for 5 euros ($5.60).
For accommodations, the organizers found a local resort with a large cluster of wooden cabins surrounding a lake. Each cabin had a kitchen (with a large table for working), two twin beds, and a loft with two more twin mattresses. The atmosphere was great, with competitors from the US, Denmark, Mexico, Moldova, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany all staying in close proximity.
Throughout the competition, Kolya Vasilkov from Ukraine was in charge as center marshal. Kolya is quite experienced, well respected, and runs a tight ship. He knows the rules well, and also understands the ways in which pilots try to get around them. He has a sharp eye and caught many things that would have slipped through the cracks with a less-experienced center marshal.
In the end, the Lithuanians ruled the day, with Vaclovas Cyzas taking first place in the Lithuanian Cup and Audrius Rastenis taking first in the Latvian Cup. In addition to the usual prizes for first, second, and third place, awards for the top teams, top score, best sportsman, and best mechanic were given out.
The organizers also ran a “Penguin Cup,” which is an extra single-elimination tournament open to all pilots who were eliminated in the first two rounds (sort of a “loser flyoff”). The Penguin Cup is a nice feature that gives unlucky pilots who were only able to fly two rounds the chance for more competition.
It has been a great summer of Combat. I’m looking forward to next summer and the chance to return to the Nats, as well as to the double World Cup in Riga if it is held again.
SOURCES:
Miniature Aircraft Combat Association (MACA)
www.macasite.org
AMA Nats
nats.modelaircraft.org
Latvia and Lithuania F2D World Cups
www.latvia-f2d.com
