I could be wrong, but sometimes I think SSC came along because no one wanted to confront the objections, and hassels of changing B. I sure as hell don't want to create hard feelings, but I think lots of classes is a bad thing. It waters us down. The sport of RC Dog fighting won't grow as quickly, and there will be fewer contests we all can attend.

The pilots with better gear will still have an advantage. That advantage will not be as visable to the casual observer, but more telling in the contests. As things stand now a Jett 30 can unload to 19.8k in flight, turning a 9x5 and it might fly about 15-20 mph faster than my Norvel turning a 9x4 @ 18.8k. According to Dub Jett, his 30's will be happy turning a 10x3 around 18.5k. My Norvels will only turn a 10x3 @ about 16.5k at best. That gives the Jett about 6 mph more speed but the Jett also has double the thrust over my Norvel in that situation. Turning radii will be tighter, the Jetts won't lose speed in turns and will be able to out climb anything that doesn't perform like a Jett. If you put those advantages in the hands of pilot that really knows how to wiggle the sticks, well you know what's going to happen. And if you gave me those advantages, it wouldn't make much difference. So to me it's not a money thing.

Open C can be much faster than open B, and it has to be flown farther out. Farther out is good cause the fliers need more room to turn at those speeds, and the furball is bigger. Maybe that's where pilots who love raw speed should focus their attention.

My primary class is open B. The guys with Jetts and custom machined Irvines fly faster than me. I don't care. My planes are in the upper quarter of the speed and performance envelope. My planes are competitive, even if my skills are not. I still have fun.

Once I read a comment by Jimbo B. where he wished we were all flying Stock Gremlins in one-on-one combat. I agree that is the purist form of RC Combat. A real dogfighters match, but there wouldn't be many rounds in a one on one format. I fly Gremmie Combat. It is the best school for RC ACM. But big Gremmie contests are impossible.

There are already displacement, weight and exhaust restrictions on open B planes. To limit the pitch of the prop is not a great change. I think it would do more to popularize combat than any other simple change. I think it would make combat more affordable (smashed planes and lost equipment) And I think it would make B sized combat more fun.