Slope Combat in CO


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jj
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Slope Combat in CO

Post by jj »

OK, so I haven't flown slope combat quite yet although I have some planes ready. There are quite a few slope sites in Colorado. Apparently there is a good amount of combat on an informal basis close to Boulder at the Power Lines. The big event is at the Super 77th site www.super77th.com and that is about an hour and a half west of Denver. I guess there is a big windy mountain top there where they fly.

For the rest of my powered combat friends here is what slope combat is about. You build a relatively indestructable glider (yeah the Survivable aspect is really practical when there is not a prop hanging out in front), then you fly the plane in slope lift, then you try to bash another plane out of the sky. If both planes hit terra firma, then no points. If one plane still flies and the other hits dirt the downed pilot has to add a point to the kill sheet of the plane that won. If it is doubtful who got the kill, noone gets a point. Last years event had 240+ kills recorded. they literally have 20+ planes up in the air at once. You fly until you get killed or your 2600 mah battery pack starts running low and needs a recharge.

I've managed some slopeflying so far but have yet to get into a combat match. I'll post more when I find out what this is really like.
jj
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Post by jj »

ZenManiac
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Post by ZenManiac »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jj</i>
<br />Event info at
http://super77th.com/sections.php?op=vi ... le&artid=9
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
<font size="2">Can we get a hot logo for the RCCA like they have? [:p] Do I have a "second" to my motion?

Image</font id="size2">
Lee Liddle
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Post by Lee Liddle »

Combat is combat. I prefer chasing streamers, but if I lived near an event like this, I`d give it a try for sure.
RH
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Post by RH »

jj, are you talking to any of these guys to get the scoop on their building techniques and such? Sound pretty appealing. I learned to fly with a sloper and wouldn't be adverse to giving it another go. Best flying conditions were when your eyes were watering from the wind speed and the dirt, sounds like they've definately got the wind!

r
jj
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Post by jj »

RH,

I've got three slopers built so far. One is a Moth and is fast plane but not for combat. the second is a zagi glider I've had for year and probably fits the bill ok. The third is a stryker without a motor and with some of the nose sanded down. I got the base wing kit and threw it together. I added a glass spar along the bottom for strength.

What they fly most are Super Bees or other wings that are EPP with 3 to 5 carbon fiber spars. They use standard servos. Apparently they hold up real well. I flew out by Bear Creek Lake, actually Mt Carbon, (near Morrison) last weekend and caught some nasty heavy wind. Great flying. If you want to borrow my Zagi sloper for a month or two, no problemo.

Hey maybe there is a good slope around Palmer Divide we could meet at?
ZenManiac
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Post by ZenManiac »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Lee Liddle</i>
<br />Now I see how they can hit each other. 20 up? How do you not have a midair?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
<font size="2">
Here's a video from the CombatWings.com site:

http://www.combatwings.com/catalog/imag ... combat.asf

Obviously, no penalty for crossing the pilot line [;)]

If you like scale combat (and I know you do), then check out Leading Edge Gliders http://www.leadingedgegliders.com/

And probably one of the best slope websites I've found: http://www.slopeflyer.com out of (of all places) Milwaukee. You'll find lots of Greg's photos in Model Avaition. Reviews of planes, lists of slope sites by state, and even podcasts of Greg's road trips.</font id="size2">
slam
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Post by slam »

i've always wanted to try slope combat. too bad florida is FLAT.

nice video off the beach. i think that has to be the most hospitable location i have ever seen. most videos i have seen, if you crash your plane you almost need to repell to get to it.

slam
THend
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Post by THend »

It is hardly fair to the sloper dudes..our style of combat makes up pretty darn good slope combat pilots..

They get all excited, I just laugh and laugh...

But, it is fun...flying non-stop as much as you can, knocking guys out of the sky..
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o1moregil
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Post by o1moregil »

When I use to Live in Modesto California me and a friend saw a cuple guys in Los Banos Having some fun by a huge canal with these(los Banos is aprox. 1 hour from Modesto), we wanted to get closer to the guys but never figuerd out how to get to the other side of the canal[:(].
jj
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Post by jj »

Not much in the way of slope sites near Midland Gil.

Lots of mountains and wind here in CO. Not as good as a steady breeze off the ocean, but plenty good on many days. Only other downside is lightning when you're up on a mountain top.

I'm getting a Tuffplanes ME-109, but will likely also get a Predator Bee as they are put together up here near Golden CO and seem to win the most local contests. I'm sure I've got the combat skills to go up against these guys but the lack of a throttle is kind of hard to deal with.

http://www.tuffplanes.com/Products/Mess ... Me109.html
jj
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Post by jj »

Got a taste of slope combat. This is fun although it depends on the wind and or thermals holding up. Lots of exercise hiking up and down the slope to retrieve the airplane when you get taken out. Key thing is quick reaction time to recover prior to hitting the dirt or trees. very different from SSC or Open B. People tend to fly in a pack to have a shot at hitting another plane without too much strafing. Fun, especially for a very windy day that might be on the heavy wind side of traditional combat. The more wind the better.
jj
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Post by jj »

I got to fly in the 2007 Super 77th slope event and it was a blast.

We had at least 22 planes up at once. Yes, more than twenty two airplanes at once. You put either 1,000 or 2,600 mah battery packs in the planes because you typically fly for 20-45 minutes at a crack, unless you get killed. Then you take a few minutes to get some water and go right back up again. Wow.

The techniques are strange as everyone tries to fly close together to enable more hits. The scores don't reflect the totality of the event because if you go down while trying to score a kill it results in no kills or deaths for either person. It is amazingly hard to get a kill and often you can take yourself out in the process.

The Super 77th event and location is great. Beautiful scenery although it takes about 30 minutes of off roading to get to the site. Winds were variable from practically nothing to constant 40+ mph. You need a light lift plane and a gale force wind plane.

I dragged my brother Vic out for day 2 (his birthday no less) and he did pretty well. Yeah we finished 21st and 22nd out of 37 competitors, but given we were rank amateurs at our first event we did pretty well.

Check out the video and picture links on the super 77th or foamie combat site. The ME-109 is mine along with the Zagi in the second pic. You need to check out the videos.

http://www.super77th.com/modules.php?se ... _album.php

http://www.super77th.com

BTW a couple of these folks are interested in 3696. Perhaps next year we might bring some 3696s to fly for those periods when the wind dies down.
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o1moregil
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Post by o1moregil »

WOW! Beautiful scenery!!!! Looks like it will be a good work out retreving the downers.
jj
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Post by jj »

Yeah, I got a bit of a work out, but even though the slope is at about 11,000 feet altitude it is not real steep. Might have a few flat-landers wheezing a bit. [:p]

On the other hand some guys would try to fly out a pause in the wind / thermal conditions. Often you can fly out a bit and pick up another thermal. In a few cases people flew out, and out, and out and then hit some serious sink[xx(] Had two guys who probably had to hike a mile out to get their planes.

BTW, the official "up" count is 27 planes up at the same time.

Twenty Seven up at once is pretty intense. I think we have a Guiness Book of Records stat here for simultaneous combat participants.

Tip: Do NOT take your eyes off your plane when flying with 26 other airplanes. [;)]
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