There were some long waiting periods in Fast Combat. The pranksters thought it'd be fun to simulate bribing the judges for a few extra air points. Ed Brzys just wants to get a test run on his engine, and Brian Stas offers $20 to judge Chris Gay. This is not real, it’s just for fun—don't call the authorities.
By Charlie Johnson
Control Line (CL) Combat at the 2024 AMA Nats started off with Fast Combat on Sunday. The pace was slow because nearly everyone had gremlins lurking in their equipment. Broken bladders, leaking fuel systems, malfunctioning shutoffs, and burned-out plugs that
appeared just before the start of a match are just some examples of the troubles faced.
Combat pilots are very systematic in their preparation for a match. They run up the engine and get a good setting before cooling the engine and priming with whatever quantity of fuel works. The next step is to get a one-flip start. It sounds easy and often goes as planned, but when it's very hot and humid, like Sunday, engines can get cranky. Good ground settings turn into a burndown in the air. It was suggested that fuel might have been the problem. You did leave the fuel in the car where it's 140° F, right? Those pink fuels with Klotz oil seem to cause more setting problems when they're hot than castor fuels or ones that use Ucon 731 or similar oils. Most of the engine setting problems seemed to go away with cooler temperatures later in the week.
As far as high points, Steve Kott winning Fast Combat was surely one of them. He just turned 80 and this was his first Nats since he won in 1999. Foam models have dominated F2D Fast Combat for the past couple of years. Chris Gay continued his winning ways with his third title. In 2023, Chris and Pete Athans had the only foam models and took first and second, respectively. They were joined this year by Jerry Sabin, and all three pilots flew Pete's foam design. This year, it was Pete versus Chris in the final, but once again, it was Pete in the runner-up spot and Jerry in third.
Both 1/2A and Speed Limit Combat were hotly contested. Speed Limit has the widest range of engines and models. One of the best running engines was a K&B used by Bob Mears. He said it was a bargain at $89, but the price doubled when it became popular. In 1/2A, the popular engine is now the Fora 049, which is available for around $150. The once-dominant Cyclon goes for much more, even on eBay, and getting replacement bits is much easier with the Fora.
Except for heat and humidity on Sunday and Monday, there was no rain and only a gentle breeze. The Nats’ biggest draw has been F2D Combat, but this year, an F2D World Cup event was flown separate from the Nats. In 2025, a full week of Nats action, including F2D, will return, as well as the F2D Team Trials.
Note from AMA: Do you have photos from the Nats that you’d like to share? If so, email them to Clarissa Poston at clarissap@modelaircraft.org. Please include a brief description in your email, naming any individuals pictured in the photo(s), the name of the event that the photo(s) were taken during, and the name of the individual who took the photo(s). Your submission(s) might be posted on AMA’s Flickr page, which can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/modelaircraft/albums!