appeal of scale combat, The

Scale combat appeals not only to a variety of R/C enthusiasts but to the public as well. The Billings Flying Mustangs club has inducted pilots from pattern, sport flying, giant scale and racing into the league of fighter pilots. It seems as though everyone has a bit of fighter pilot in him, and the club's combat pilots range in age from 14 on up past 70!

Part of this broad appeal is the low cost of getting started and staying involved. Pattern flyers and giant-scalers find building and flying airplanes that cost less than S100 a refreshing break, as you can build a half dozen combat planes for the cost of a good set of retracts. Sport flyers like the relaxed and often hilarious nature of combat competition, and racers enjoy tweaking their WW II designs to get the most from their aircraft. Novice pilots find that combat planes make good second or third airplanes and have little trouble moving up to these smaller fighters. Even old-timers find that because the planes are not flown at a great distance, visibility is not an issue, and they enjoy reliving the history of scale WW II combat.

Contest directors and club officers will be delighted to learn that the public absolutely loves to attend combat events. The Scale R/C Combat Western National Championships is the Flying Mustang's largest fundraising event of the year. With nonstop action, great visibility and just enough midairs, crowds stay all day soaking up the fun, spending dollars at the concession stand and, most important, generating an interest in our wonderful hobby. Without a doubt, combat has done more for the Flying Mustangs than any other recent event or activity we've offered. If your club isn't already active in scale combat, why not consider an event for next year?