There are a handful of guys in the southern CA area. Exactly where they are, I don't know, I met them at a contest in Texas .

If you pop on over to the RCCA forums, some of the CA crowd will be easy to find.

mid-airs? Umm, yeah, they happen. [X(]

Modern combat planes are built to take a hit and keep going, or at least take only minimal damage (most of the time). A lot depends on what class of combat you fly, and how your plane is built. Balsa-and-ply construction is just not a good idea! Reinforced high-density foam (not the white stuff) and various forms of plastics and composites are most common.

Still, mid-air damage does happen. guys like me who compete at the big contests build a lot of airframes, and bring lots of backups to a contest. You also get good at field repairs.

My favorate shot of a mid-air in progress: