Well , our club hosted a very nice ssc 'in-club' combat meet this past Saturday for a total of 7 pilots including me( my first ). It was a blast to participate in, but frankly,........ I SUCK at trying to grab a streamer, lol ! I had 2 cuts taken by other pilots on my planes, had 2 mid-airs from other planes hit my ripper, but she kept on flying!! I lost a throttle connection on one hit, and took a little wing damage on the other, whereas the wing got knocked to one side about 2 inches but was still flying, but it sure was a twitchy plane after that hit until I was able to land. I also flew my air devil and it did well with no damage to it.
Ive just got to learn to judge my depth perception better,... maybe it will come with more practice? I was thinking I would be right on someone to grab a streamer, but heck no, I was 20 to 30 foot to the side of them !!
Oh well, there's always next time[&o]
John

John, It sure does add some spice to sport flying, doesn't it? The competition part is OK, but it's a lot of fun no matter what.

You spend most of your sport flying time avoiding other planes, its difficult at first to start going after them. Its also amazing how different backgrounds will mess with your depth perception.

Enjoy and keep after it, it will come to you.

Like Capn said. Your brain just isn't comfortable chasing another plane at first but you'll get over that.
Depth perception in this game will improve in time but regardless of how good you become just enjoy the thrill.
Take it from me. I've been flying combat for about 4 years now and I am still about the worst pilot in the nation but I LOVE it! Some guys are ticked if they don't get at least 3 cuts per round. I'm excited if I get 3 cuts per event!

aimmaintenance, your the 2nd worst pilot in the nation , I would have to be the worst. lol Yes, it was a true rush to get in there and mix it up. Thats just the thing, I wasnt afraid to get too close to a plane and tried to zoom and boom right thru the furball several times, but I guess I just wasnt close enough?
Combatpig, agreed, it sure added some hot sauce to a plain peanut butter and jelly samich
Thanks guys, Im going to keep after it. Our next combat meet will be held in October I think, and you can bet Im gonna practice between now and then.
Ive flown warbirds, a big christen eagle bipe, all kinds of 40-60 size planes, but these combat sessions are something to remember,, I LIKES IT!!
I placed 6 out of 7, and I DID get a tee-shirt, lol
Thanks for your replies gents,
John

I always say if I can just get one cut I can make it sound like I beat the world for a whole year.

If I can't get a cut but can ram somebody, well I can stretch that one too.

If I can't do that much, I'll just lie.

It's still pretty fun.

Yep! Little Johnny is a pretty bad pilot, but I finished LAST with some help from my spotter/club prez. Once he stepped on my streamer at launch, THEN for the next round he threw my plane into the dirt and it broke a prop!
The only thing I cut in the 2 rounds I did fly was another members balsa plane 1/2 in half. It was glorious Those "Rippers" are tough.
I wanted to fly my new "BattleAxe", but it flew so bad in practice I went down. I will be asking Alex for help after I patch it up.

Yeah Frank, I'll have to agree, you didnt have a great day there Saturday We'll get um next time bro!!
Agreed on your mid -air Frankie,... it was raining balsa for a few seconds there, lol
John

PS.....I did not get a T-Shirt!

Hi John,
Next time you fly let me know. I would love to come see you all. Are any folks from your club going the Mid American Championships in TN June 21st?

Hi Lou, we would love to have you at the field- come and visit us anytime.
Here is a link to us, click on events for the next dates on combat. Also, feel free to explore the site, there are lots of pictures and other good stuff. Our webmaster Nick Leo does a SUPER job with this website as you can see. In the 2008 combat pics, Im the guy with the ugly mugshot kneeling in the middle of the group picture, ( you know, the guy without any cuts!! LOL
http://birminghamrcclub.org/main.htm
Take care and like I said, come on up anytime.
John

John, your event in September is one I might be able to make. There were combat contests in Tuscaloosa in 2004 and 2005. We went to those contests and enjoyed flying in them. The folks in Tuscaloosa lost interest in combat and we haven't seen them in a while. Best regards, Lou.