Combat Advances

This is where we discuss pilot recognition. What do you do to recognize Sierra Hotel pilots? Tell us your ideas!

Moderator: hbartel

Post Reply
jfromm
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2002 1:53 pm
Location: USA

Combat Advances

Post by jfromm »

I think Lee Liddle has advanced combat technology faster than anyone and made it available to the masses faster than anyone previously. My runner-ups are Tattoo and Dr. Evil.

My Question:

Who do you think advanced RC Combat the most and the fastest?
Wingman
Posts: 285
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2003 3:27 pm
Location: USA

Post by Wingman »

I agree with your list of contributors, but you will have to also consider AJ Seaholm with that bunch. His AVENGERs have been revised over 10 times in a 5 year period, and kits for the 972/964 (Open B) and 972S (SSC) became available last year. This year, both the 1072 and sscAVENGER are available to the masses.
Cajun
Posts: 2020
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2001 10:22 pm
Location: USA

Post by Cajun »

I would have to agree that Lee has probably done more to advance the technical designs of combat for the average pilot. All one has to do is look at the number of pilots flying Cobras and Falcons all around the globe. And, Lee has no secrets. He shares all of his developments freely on the forums with anyone interested.

Dr. Evil probably did more to get new dedicated combat designs started than anyone. AJ's Avenger may proved to be the best design going, but first we must see it flown succcessfuly by a bunch of everyday, run of the mill pilots. The pilots flying it now are the top dawgs who could win combat contests with a flying brick. While that makes a design look good, it doesn't really prove it's worth to the masses. We will see in a season or two if the average pilot thinks it will make him a contender.

In my mind the person who has done the most to spread interest in combat around the country would have to be Lou Melancon. He surely has persuaded more pilots and more clubs to try combat than any of us. And he did it strictly on the strength of his personality and power of persuason. Agreed, that's quite different than advancing the technical aspect of the sport, but Lou's the reason we have so many pilots flying Cobras, Avengers, Batricks, and Chokers. Without the increase in combat interest that Lou engineered in his stint as RCCA President none of these designs would have progressed outside of the local playground. <font color="red">So, my vote goes to Lou as the person who advanced RC Combat the most and the fastest.</font id="red">

I am very proud to know and be associated with all of these "movers and shakers". They have all been good for the sport/hobby and they are all very nice guys to be around[^][8D].
Don Pruitt
Posts: 314
Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 9:46 am
Location: USA

Post by Don Pruitt »

<font face="Arial"><font size="3">
Cajun,
Hear, Hear, your comments are spot on.
</font id="Arial"></font id="size3">
User avatar
boiler
Posts: 3336
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 8:16 pm
Location: Ohio
Contact:

Post by boiler »

Since I'm a damm yankee, my first contact with rc combat was Andy Ponicillo to get me interested and then Rick Fraley and Mike Fredricks. I wanted to fly rc combat really bad that first year, but I was still trying to master my trainer while I was the only one in the air. I traveled to all meets within a 2 hour drive to learn what was going on and began to help out with judging in the last few. I got a bulk box of bat tricks from Mike at the last meet that year to get ready for the 2003 season. I flew my first combat ship on January 1 for a few minutes at our club's unofficial New Years Day fly in. It took me 2 meets before I got my first cut and that was near the last heat in Paris. After that meet I found out about Ben Morrow, Stan Irwin, and Lee Liddle. When I went to Dixie I realized who Lou was and what he was doing for combat. I must say all the combat pilots have workded to do whatever they can to help people get going in their part of the country. Last year at Paris I connected Kirk Adams with his handle and realized how much he has done for combat on the East coast. On the forums we sometimes argue with each other about how to grow combat, but is obvious that we are all on the same page in our intent. As long as we agreee to disagree but work for the same goal we should be fine. Some of us may have to realize we need compromise in order to move forward for everyone. I personally fly whatever class is being flown by what ever rules exist. Changing the rules or class is argued forever but we shouldn't get bent out of shape if we don't get our way. Fly what you want at home in the club and see if you can generate more interest. A lot more experimentation can be done at that level and then we can share success stories. Travel a little and fly whatever you can with the existing classes and rules. You may find out that all combat is fun. I have.[:D]
Lou Melancon
Posts: 2389
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2001 5:16 pm
Contact:

Post by Lou Melancon »

This is done by memory and at my age I suffer from CRS:

<ul><li>The designer of the orginal combat plane the GREMLIN</li>
<li>Doug Haacke, Greg Rose and many others for forming and promoting the American Scale Dogfighters Association</li>
<li>Jim Bodnar who gave us ways to toughen up our planes
</li><li>Rick Fraley and the Wolfpack for the TREX which led to much better flying open planes</li>
<li>Curt Zigler, manufacturer of the Ziggs Originals line of foam WWII fighters. Early proponent of foam designs for combat</li>
<li>Earl Seaholm for the Montana Mauler which was the Grandaddy of today's Open planes</li>
<li>Kraut and Tattoo for showing us all what could be done with coro </li>
<li>Richard Oliver for the Raptor the first of the profile fuselage Open B planes</li>
<li>Dave West for using coro and good design to make quick building scale planes like the MIG 7</li>
<li>PICA for kitting a number or 1/12th scale Warbirds to make it easy to build and fly Scale combat</li>
<li>JKA Aerotech for pionering easy to build durable Scale airplanes</li>
<li>Mike Fredricks for the most excellent Open B Bat Trick, covering with Ripstop Nylon and using glass rods for spars</li>
<li>Neal Rohrke of Waverly RC for his constant promotion of high quality scale kits and investing in the import of high quality almost ARFs from the Czech Republic</li>
<li>Lee Liddle for the Falcon, Cobra, bladder fuel systems, electric designs and Roy Appleton for kitting planes with EPP leading edges</li>
<li>Joe Chauvin and Mark Mozo for the Predator, Panther and Panther X which are among the best and most durable combat designs of all time</li>
<li>AJ Seaholm for advances in airfoils and long wingspan high performance combat designs then making them available at low cost</li>
<li>Stan "the Dreaded Skull" Erwin for manufacturing HDPE fuselages with excellent kits in the Bandit,and Bandito</li>
<li>Lanier RC for kitting the Wayne Voyles/Larry Killingsworth designed Ripper/Slasher</li></ul>

I am sure I have missed many like Jeff Weiss who really promoted scale combat, Bob Wallace who kitted many excellent planes, Kirk or Curt who made many kits available, and the list goes on, please correct my memory and add those who pioneered and perservered to give us what we have today.
ptsullivan
Posts: 232
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2002 1:04 pm
Location: USA

Post by ptsullivan »

Jess Walls and Joe Geiger (I think that is their names) should be added
to the list. They were not too involved in RCCA as we know it but they
were the guys behind the Battle Floyd, which until the 60+ inch wing
was a very popular open design.
Lou Melancon
Posts: 2389
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2001 5:16 pm
Contact:

Post by Lou Melancon »

Pat,
I bought 30 Battle Floyd's from Joe in 2000 to get combat going here. Still think they were some of the most fun planes I ever owned.

You are right Joe Geiger very much belongs on the list. I met him when he was vacationing in South Florida in 2003 and attended the West Palm Beach contest as a spectator. A great guy and real supporter of combat.
montague
Posts: 1639
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2002 3:24 pm
Location: Maryland
Contact:

Post by montague »

And don't forget, y'all are still getting your tails kicked on a semi-regular basis in SSC by what is, in many ways, a derivation of a battle floyd to this day.
Lou Melancon
Posts: 2389
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2001 5:16 pm
Contact:

Post by Lou Melancon »

Kirk,
The plane has something to do with it, but the man on the sticks has a lot more to do with its winning.
Cajun
Posts: 2020
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2001 10:22 pm
Location: USA

Post by Cajun »

Your right Lou, but I suspect any of the top dawgs could still kick most our butts with a plain old Battle Floyd. It was and probably still is a very good basic design.[8D]
montague
Posts: 1639
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2002 3:24 pm
Location: Maryland
Contact:

Post by montague »

Lou,
Maybe so, but I don't think I'm *that* good of a pilot, and certainly not good enough to fly at the level of folks like Lee if I had noticeably inferior gear. I've gotta pass the TX around on my SSC plane a bit, it's not a sexy looking plane, but I think the handling will surprise a lot of people. But I'm getting far afield.

The point I was joking about was that my Rapier design is very Floyd-like, and two of my older Rapier MkI's are actually Floyd fuses that have been modififed. I use coro instead of wood, and do a few other things to improve on the basic Floyd design. But if you look at it, you can see the Floyd influence. The airfoil I use (and that I later used in my Firebrands with success and now have in my new "secret" projects), I also developed after talking the to the Floyd guys on the phone about how they did their airfoil. It's NOT a Floyd airfoil, but it's simular. So, yeah, I'd include those guys in the list of people with an impact on combat.
Post Reply