Aircombat - a way to live!

With sweat on your forehead, you see the ME109 pass right in front of the nose of your P-39. You pull the stick forward, and force the aircraft into a slightly diving move, to build up speed. With a halfloop quickly followed by a sharp turn, you get the ME109 right in front of you. A wave of relief rushes through you, because now you are the hunter instead of the hunted...

Aircombat
Whats this, you might ask. This must be something that I'll never experience. Well, as a matter a fact you can, because this is a very ordinary example of aircombat, the new thrilling RC-game. The idea is to tie a streamer to a little 1:12 scale warbird, and then get into the air, chasing similar models around in a funny and exciting air-circus.

Early combat
Combat with RC-models has been tried from time to time, often in the shape of radiocontrolled combat-wings, similar to the control-line variant. One of the reasons why this form of competition never made its breakthrough, is that those models are merely flying wings with no resemblance of real airplanes. They are also highly manouverable, which in many cases makes it impossible to cut the opponents streamer. 
	In mid 80s, the aircombat concept was introduced instead, with simple scale-models of W.W. II warbirds. The idea is based upon chasing streamers, but also to collect flight-time points.

The model
In aircombat, you fly a 1:12 scale model of a fighter from the period 1935-45. The model is often very simple and cheap to build, and easy to repair if crashed. In competition it might use either a .15 or a .20 engine, based upon how big the original fighter was. Only the biggest aircraft are allowed for .20 engines, among others the P-47 Thunderbolt and the Hawker Typhoon. 

The game
A competition is flown within a box limited by a safetyline, behind which it is forbidden to fly, and two sidelines 140 meters apart. Two to seven competitors fly against each other in each fight. A fight consists of a seven minutes long preparation-part, and thereafter a seven minutes long flying-part. In-between is a "readiness"-part, when all pilots must be prepared to take off. When the flying time is "scrambled", the pilots run to their fighters and try to get them airborne as fast as possible.
	Up in the air the main objective is to chase other aircraft, and with a little luck cut their streamers. At the same time one must avoid having ones own streamer cut by the enemy, and that might be tricky enough.
	Points are also given if you collide with an enemy aircraft. This is a sort of bonus, to make up for the flight-time points lost in a crash after a collission.

Aircombat Elementary Support
Aircombat Elementary Support (ACES) was founded to set a standard to aircombat rules. Most important, ACES is the organisation where fighterpilots meet and exchange experiences. ACES arrange competitions and distributes rules and newsletters to its members. Through ACES, you also get hot information about new fighter-designs and other equipment you might need.

A few models
There are a lot of 1:12 scale fighter-designs, for instance all the famous fighters from WWII, like the Spitfire, ME109, Mustang etc. But they are no beginnermodels! You should have some experience of a little faster model before you try to fly aircombat. Mustang, ME109, FW190A and Hawker Typhoon are designs that can be delivered with full-size plan and english building-instructions, from designers in Sweden.
	If you want information about Aircombat, Aircombat Elementary Support, or the above designs, you can contact me at this adress: M E, Kamnarsv.11-N111, S-226 46 Lund, Sweden.

Martin Elmberg


Points:
Minus points


Crossing safety line (applies all day)
-150

Crossing borderline
-10

Lost streamer (once per fight)
-40


Plus points


Cutting streamer off/collision with enemy A/C
+75

Time airborne. Per 4 seconds
+1




