About Combat Flying
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So, you're interested in some Combat on the slope? Well, I can virtually guarantee that combat-style sailplanes bring some of the most excitement that you can get out of flying radio controlled aircraft...
Combat isn't really for the beginner, but once you've had a chance to sharpen your flying skills and you can fly without getting all flustered, you're probably ready! Plus, most combat planes are nearly indestructible, so as long as you don't hit anything valuable, like human body parts or that expensive car parked nearby the slope, it can be a safe entry point for even the beginning pilot.
Most combat planes available these days are made of one or more different kinds of foam construction or a hybrid of foam and other materials. The construction is really different than that of the typical kits of balsa and other materials. Most of the planes are made entirely of rubberized foam plastic. The foam is sometimes expanded polystyrene or EPS (the same stuff that styrofoam coffee cups are made of), colored foam (like blue, pink, or gray urethane foam), Expanded Polypropylene (EPP), or the newer Expanded PolyOlefin (EPO).
Often, the combat plane of choice is a flying-wing configuration, as there's just less parts to break off during an encounter in the air. However there are many different types of combat planes available, such as warbirds or even jets. I have sometimes taken electric power planes, removed the motor, added a bit of noseweight, and flown them as a combat warbird.
Combat Success Story
An example combat glider, SST, is made of a EPP foam so it is amazingly tough and durable. Coroplast corrugated plastic is also used on flying surfaces or just the wing tips as it's light, bendable, and comes in many colors. You can build most combat planes rather quickly: cut openings in the foam for the radio, glue or tape in the radio & servos, cover the wings with colored mylar tape, and throw 'em. I've built a couple of wings in a weekend investing as little as three hours each.
Being made of foam, these combat planes are REALLY sturdy. You can smash 'em into the hill at warp speed and all that usually happens is the tape covering gets a bit scuffed or the nose gets dented. Nearly 40 years ago a few of us flying-geeks did some combat flying with styrofoam 747's (the throw-toy type you used to find at airports). We'd cut holes in the EPS foam for a radio system, taped on balsa ailerons, and flew these 747s until there were just bits of them left. Those planes were fairly fast and fairly durable, but don't compare at all with the durability of planes made primarily of EPP. EPP foam is more like rubber than styrofoam and causes these planes to 'bounce' off each other, the ground, and even people.
Scoring & Etiquette
Every time you or someone else gets knocked-out-of-the-sky (where you end up on the ground) is known as a "kill". You also get points for mid-air hits where some piece of the plane is broken off as well. SSTs and other flying wings are notorious at getting their wing tip fins broken off, as they're just taped on. Luckily, these flying wings actually fly decent enough without the fins.
Sometimes at a popular flying site, you may have to share the air with one of the 'civilians'. Civilians are other planes NOT intended for combat, like floaters, racing, or other sailplanes. It is very common to share the air with these civilian aircraft — just be considerate while you do it. Even though a combat plane is commonly made of foam, it can do quite a bit of damage to a plane made of balsa wood or even a composite, carbon-fiber wing. I've seen a $20 foam wing utterly destroy an expensive, beautiful open class sailplane without receiving any damage in return.
At the first BASH (Bay Area Slope Heads) I attended in Los Banos many years ago, I brought a gaggle of planes but spent most of my time flying and field-repairing just my combat wing. In about 4 hours, I broke 3 nylon clevises, 2 control horns, and knocked off my wing tip plates several times. I was probably 'killed' more than a dozen times that day, but I had the time of my life. The wing was still perfectly flyable when I went home. Visit the BASHing page for more action pictures.
Building for Combat
I always try to keep my planes as light as possible. Some people, in order to keep everything from getting 'dinged', will cover every square inch of their planes in strapping or filament tape even in places where it doesn't matter. I've found that heavy planes don't always "kill" more often than light ones. Rather, light planes always seem to be higher in the sky and therefore at an advantage. Follow what the kit manufacturer has to say.
However, when building for combat and trying to keep your plane lightweight, you probably shouldn't use the lightest servos or linkages. Servo arms can get broken right off at the base of the servo. I usually use standard or otherwise strong (and fast) servos that won't easily get stripped by too much force. When possible, use servo wheels rather than arms as they're a lot stronger. Also, I prefer metal Kwik-Links with "keepers" (a piece of plastic tubing, metal clip, or section of drinking straw) to keep the clevis from snapping off the control horn. My favorite standard combat servo is the Futaba S-148 — inexpensive and stands up to abuse. Check the Servo Chart for comparisons.
Skills for Combat
- Low ground passes — skimming just a few feet between your plane and the ground
- Inverted flying — sometimes you get flipped upside down near the ground, and the only way to survive is to fly out inverted
- Peripheral vision — it really helps to know where your "targets" are at all times
One thing to note: be prepared for fast action with a toolbox of spare parts — extra clevises, pushrods, control horns, strapping tape, mylar tape, and quick repair skills. Sometimes you may break something you can't fix at the field, so it makes sense to have more than one combat plane prepped and ready. Read Combatting Secrets for more tips.
Combat in Action
Combat at Sunset
Combat flying as the sun goes down. More videos →
Combat Slope Sailplanes
(there are more combat planes available too, so search for them)Combat Related Pages
Combatting Secrets · Combat Guidelines · BASHing Events · Sidewinder · Sidewinder Review