Fool's Folly 2001

by William "ROCKS" Miller

The American Heritage Student Dictionary defines Fool as, "A person who lacks judgment or good sense," and they describe Folly as, "Lack of good sense or judgment." In this world of repetitive redundancy, a Fool's Folly may be a very common sight, but the second annual Fool's Folly Open Class B Combat event opened the Southeastern Virginia 2001 combat season in a very uncommon way. Although the day dawned cloudy, the temperature rose and the haze burned off to reveal a beautiful afternoon of combat. Surprisingly, the day just kept getting better! We had a great turnout for the contest, and the club put on a great barbecue to boot!

Jay conducts the pilot's briefing on rules and field layout.

Flight Crew

Combat pilots are a special breed of RC sportsmen, and this year's crowd was superb! We managed to double our entrants over last year's contest. Pete Rundel, Earl Nester, Jack Lewis, George Boardman, and Donato Marcantonio all traveled hours from Northern Virginia to join the fray. Driving up from Virginia Beach, Scott and Tom Huff reentered the Virginia combat scene after a recent absence. David Ebers Sr. of Bandera Texas, in town on business, earned the title of farthest traveled and introduced us all to the fury of the Raptor. Even our local participation was up as Larry Wall and Bernie Urrutia entered combat for the first time. I even had a first! I managed to get through an entire event using only one plane!

Ground Crew

While contestants and combat flying are what this sport is all about, the real stars of our show were the family and members of the Newport News Park RC Club. Our concession crew of Carl Nettles, and the Munday gang: Carl, Alice, Tami, and Chaelie, kept us all fed and happy! The pit boss, Mike Munday, kept pilots, transmitters, and scores straight throughout the event. Our line judges were constantly on the job. Jeff Whippo, Alan Whippo, Mark Nicoletta, and Don Kohlman recorded cuts and held planes for all heats of the contest. And the beautiful Linda Miller played ace photographer for the event. Over twenty spectators turned out to view the mayhem -- they weren't disappointed!

Contestants

Round 1

The first round of combat started just after 1 PM. David took the first blood less than a minute into the first round. After claiming cut number one, he proceeded to also claim the first midair of the day! Surprisingly, his Raptor flew through the midair with Donatos' Sanjyin, which fell to the ground in pieces. Not to be outdone, George took an early lead with two cuts in his first heat. George would continue his lead throughout the day. In one of those rare moments of action without thought, I continued to earn my moniker by pulling Pete's streamer off his plane as I launched him! Sorry Pete! In the second heat of the first round, combat newbie Larry Wall flew through Bernie's Global Texan, ending Bernie's bid for combat glory.

Round 2

The second round of combat provided George with another cut, while David cleaned two planes, and Jack made his third cut of the day. The excitement peaked during the round as Larry took his first and second streamers ever! Earl's steady flying also netted him two cuts. I successfully retrieved my Battle Floyd from the briar after my engine leaned out on me halfway through the round. The nine cuts of round two had the crowd on its feet cheering for their favorite pilots! Calls of "get them," "look out," and "whoa," resounded through the park all day long.

Round 3

The third round continued the pace with George Boardman showing his skills as he took three planes to the cleaners! Scott Huff, flying his brother's plane, scored two cuts to keep things going. Jack and Earl remained competitive with one cut each. With a new needle valve setting, I managed to stay airborne throughout the heat, grab two streamers, and continue flying after a midair! Needless to say, the crowd remained on the edge of its seat!

Combat provides something for everyone, from pilots to spectators.

Round 4

Our final round proved more intense as both David and Scott racked up three cuts each! I managed another two clean cuts, and Jack Lewis took one. Donato finally got a cut flying his Battle Floyd. Three minutes into the last heat of the day, only one plane flying had any streamer remaining! Larry dodge left and right trying to deny the hunters his streamer. But three weeks of cajoling took their toll as he and ended the round with a spectacular midair. Flying to the far side of the furball, Larry tried to keep me at bay. But my modified 25FP walked right up to his Battle Floyd for the kill. As I lined up, Larry tried one last tactic -- he looped in front of me, trying to get on my six! Unfortunately, I filleted him on his downline! As Larry's Battle Floyd rained down in pieces, I nursed my crippled ship back towards the runway.

After Action Report

With the flying finished, the score keepers tallied the points and club President Jay Jennings awarded the plaques and prizes. George Boardman took home first place, David Ebers earned second, and Scott garnered third. Our contest sponsors, Stream Hobby Shop, Check Six Plans, Windsor Propeller, and Cutting Edge Models allowed every pilot to take something home for his efforts. In all, I think David summed up the day best when he said, "I got to put faces with names. Everybody (not just cliché) was more than friendly. The Eastern hospitality was amazing. If I am ever in this area again and there is a contest, I will definitely be attending."

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