August 5, 2024: CL Combat

By Charlie Johnson

The normal Control Line (CL) Combat pace returned for 1/2A Combat on Monday, August 5. Electric starters are permitted, and shutoffs are not required—they're the most common cause of flame outs. Most of the models were sturdy enough to survive a ground impact, and with the changing of a propeller, they were able to get back into the air. The starters really help get those flooded engines running.

Like AMA Fast and F2D Fast Combat, the 1/2A class also has the kill rule. No matter what the score is, if there's time left on the clock, you have a chance to win by a kill (cutting the string leader). As thrilling as it might be for a contestant to score a last-minute victory, it is equally heartbreaking to the guy who has been in the lead for nearly five minutes. Obviously, a well-planned crash landing would do the trick, but good sportsmanship has generally prevailed, although one pitman said he took a leisurely walk to get the downed model.

Just as I arrived at the field, Jeff Johnson was flying a fantastic match, which ended in a fly away with the model landing in a clear area. He'd extended his arm to try to make a mismatch between models but lined up his lines with another guy's propeller. Another area of concern is the durability of the lightest legal-size line versus an F2D-style line. The light lines give a performance advantage but go poof when mixing with stouter lines.

Note from AMA: Do you have photos from the Nats that you’d like to share? If so, email them to Clarissa Poston at clarissap@modelaircraft.org. Please include a brief description in your email, naming any individuals pictured in the photo(s), the name of the event that the photo(s) were taken during, and the name of the individual who took the photo(s). Your submission(s) might be posted on AMA’s Flickr page, which can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft/albums!