-A A +A

Radio Control Combat

RC Combat Association
07/11/2023 to 07/13/2023
Flying Site: 
4

For detailed information see the IAC Calendar.

The objective of RC Combat is to recreate the excitement of World War II fighter combat in an enjoyable, safe competition that is interesting for the spectators and challenging for the contestants. RC Combat involves multiple airplanes, each carrying a crepe-paper streamer.  The objective is to cut the opponent’s streamer while protecting your own.  RC Combat is an inexpensive sport with aircraft that are made from a variety of materials.  There are several classes of Combat flown in the US. As of this date, the official AMA events are Scale, Open, and Slow Survivable Combat (SSC), but quickly becoming popular is the provisional (unofficial) Class B event.  Witnessing RC Combat allows you to experience the excitement as between five and eight aircraft battle one another.  Of course, the biggest thrill is to be one of the pilots. It is five minutes of pure exhilaration in the air as you compete with at least four other pilots!

Nats News

June 23, 2021: RC Combat Ends

By William Drumm III

The first two days of RC Combat went by fast. We were able to get all of the classes finished early and all that was left to fly was E-1000.

E-1000 is a class still being tested out by the RCCA. A proposal has been submitted to add it to the AMA Rulebook as the current rules are working well. E-1000 is an all-electric class with a maximum battery size of a three-cell 1,000 mAh battery. The entire design is left open because the battery size limits the performance of the plane.

June 22, 2021: RC Combat

By William Drumm III

We started out the second day with GNAT Combat. GNAT airplanes are easy to build and are quite rugged as they are built out of coroplast and are all of the same design. They use a .15 engine that is legal for SSC and use the same 8 x 3 propeller without an rpm limit. Electrics are also able to compete and be competitive.

June 21, 2021: RC Combat Begins

By William Drumm III

RC Combat kicked off once again Sunday, June 20, with Slow Survivable Combat (SSC). SSC is the most popular class that RC Combat has to offer. Only having a .15 engine and an rpm limit reduces the speed and the severity of the crashes that are bound to happen. We were slated to have five pilots at the start the day, but, unfortunately, we lost Bob Loescher due to another prop strike on the hand. It’s another reminder to always walk around to the back of the airplane to remove the glow igniter and adjust the needle valve.

2020 Outdoor Nats in Photos

The 2020 Outdoor Nats took place July 12-August 5 at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. Although the pandemic made for an interesting and complicated year, several events still took place safely, allowing competitors and AMA members to continue to enjoy our hobby.

We have created a photo gallery for this year's event. Please feel free to like, share, download, and print a few!

July 27, 2020: RC Combat

By William Drumm III

Well the first two days of RC Combat flew by. We were able to get all the classes finished early leaving only a demonstration event of E-1000. E-1000 is a class still being tested out by the Radio Control Combat Association (RCCA). The current rules we are basing this event off are working well, and a proposal has been submitted to get it into the AMA Rulebook. E-1000 is an all electric class with a maximum battery size of a 3-cell 1000 mAh battery. The entire design is left open as the battery size limits the performance of the plane.

July 26, 2020: RC Combat

By William Drumm III

We started out the second day with GNAT Combat. GNAT airplanes are easy to build and are quite rugged because they are built out of coroplast and are all of the same design. They use a .15 engine that is legal for SSC and use the same 8 x 3 propeller without an rpm limit. Electrics are also able to compete and be competitive.

Unfortunately, there were only three pilots left to compete. Bob Loescher was unable to compete with his bandaged right hand from the incident Friday.