Combat Rules

MCS Slope Combat Rules


The following combat contest and scoring structure was loosely taken from the AMA's 704 combat rules for 1/12 scale powered aircraft. They have been competition tested and if followed carefully, will yield first, second and third place scores without fly-offs in most cases. For weekend sport flying and practice sessions, our club adheres to Section 6's scoring standards. Feel free to copy this file and distribute it at your own flying site!


Safety First: Eye protection is required!! Helmets (bike helmets) are strongly suggested and will be required in future combat events.

Combat Rule Structure:

1. Objective. To recreate the excitement of aerial combat in enjoyable, safe competition that will be interesting for spectators and challenging for the contestants.

2. General. All AMA and FCC regulations covering the R/C flier, his plane and equipment shall apply to this event, except as noted herein. There shall be no limitation on the number of controls. The contestant shall be allowed only one (1) model per round, but may switch to an alternate model of his choice for any following rounds. The builder-of-the-model rule does not apply for this event. All models flown must be safety inspected by the Contest Director or a CD appointed representative prior to competition.

2.1 Consideration of safety for spectators, contest personnel, and contestants is of the utmost importance for this event. Any conduct by a contestant deemed by the CD to be hazardous will be cause for immediate disqualification of the contestant from the event at the discretion of the CD.

2.2 Consumption of alcoholic beverages will not be allowed on site during a contest. Any pilot or official who consumes alcoholic beverages during the official hours of a contest shall be removed from the competition.

3. Model Aircraft Requirements.

3.1 The model must be an all foam combat slope glider.

3.2 The maximum allowable wing span shall be 49 inches.

3.3 Wings shall have a plastic foam leading edge at least 1 1/2 inches wide, measured chordwise, at any point on the wing. The wing leading edges may be covered with film covering material, vinyl tape, fiber reinforced vinyl tape or any combination of the three. Wood, metal, solid plastic, carbon fiber, kevlar or any resin impregnated fiber material on or in the wing leading edges will not be permitted.

3.4 Wing spars of any non-metallic material are permitted, provided they do not violate the provisions of item 3.3 above (more than 1 1/2 inches away from leading edge at any point along the span). Maximum total cross sectional area for spars shall not exceed 3/4 sq.in. Moveable control surfaces at the wing trailing edge (ailerons) will not be considered a part of the total spar cross section.

3.5 The fuselage may have longerons provided their total cross-sectional area does not exceed 1/2 sq.in. area. The fuselage may be covered with film covering material, vinyl tape, fiber reinforced vinyl tape or any combination of the three. Wood, metal, solid plastic, carbon fiber, kevlar or any resin impregnated fiber covering material on the fuselage will not be permitted.

3.6 A maximum flying weight of 3 pounds shall be in effect.

3.7 No plane shall posses any form of thrust power. Engines, electric motors, compressed gas or chemical propellants are prohibited.

4. Contest Rules

4.1 Contest Site.

4.1.1 The combat zone shall consist of the maximum usable length of the slope and it's lift band with the pilots and judges located in the normal pilot's area for the particular site. Spectator and parking area will be marked and designated as a no fly/DQ zone . Any pilot whose aircraft crosses the spectator line or strikes a pilot or judge will receive no score in, and be disqualified from, that round.

4.1.2 The CD shall determine if lift is adequate for competition and may interrupt competition at the conclusion of any round until lift improves and he or she determines that competition may commence.

4.2 Contest Structure.

4.2.1 Individual. A group of three (3) to ten (10) aircraft will be flown against each other in two (2) non-elimination rounds. After each pilot has had the opportunity to compete in two (2) rounds, the scores will be totaled, with the six (6) highest scoring contestants, still capable of competing, advancing to the final round. The top three scores of the final round are the winner and runner-ups of the contest.

In the case of a point tie in the final round, the total of the first two (2) rounds will be used to determine the winner of the tie. If this also results in a tie, the tied pilots will duel to the last flying in a round of unlimited length to determine the winner (fly-off).

4.2.2 Team. In team competition, a team, consisting of four (4) pilots and one (1) team manager, will be separated into two (2) pairs of two (2) pilots. Both of the pairs will compete separately with similar (2) pilot pairs from the other teams. The total points from all four (4) pilots during both rounds will be combined to determine the top three (3) scoring teams. The two (2) highest scoring pilots from each of the top three (3) teams will compete in the final round. The team with the highest total score throughout the competition is the winner.

4.3 Launching. Aircraft must be launched by hand. dollies, wheels, or catapults are prohibited. Every contestant is allowed the use of one (1) helper to assist in launching his model.

4.4 Round Duration. Each round shall consist of ten (10) minutes after the first aircraft is airborne. If a contestant crashes at any time during the round, an unlimited number of relaunches are allowed within the ten (10) minutes, provided the aircraft is down in an area which allows it's safe retrieval, determined and described by the CD. No repairs may be made until after the conclusion of the round.

4.5 Change of Aircraft. During a round, no change of aircraft is allowed for any reason. In between rounds, the contestant may freely choose from any aircraft available to him.

4.6 Interround Safety Inspection. The CD may, at his or her discretion, reinspect any aircraft that he or she suspects may have been made unsafe for flight during an earlier round. If the CD pronounces that aircraft as unsafe, it will not be used for later rounds. The pilot of the aircraft removed may make field repairs and resubmit the aircraft to the CD for inspection. The CD is obligated to inspect an aircraft resubmitted for safety inspection as soon as the aircraft is presented to him or her. If it passes inspection, the airplane is immediately available for use. The judgment of the CD on safety matters cannot be protested.

5. Contest Officials.

5.1 Judges. There will be one (1) judge for each aircraft flown. Fellow pilots may act as judges, and will be rotated each round so that any one judge will not judge the same individual more than once. Additionally, there shall be a CD for each event. Each aircraft's judge will register points gained by the aircraft being judged, according to Section 6. The judge will report the score to the scoring personnel at the end of the round. Determinations of judges shall be considered final and may not be protested. The individual judge scoring any plane confirmed as having crossed the spectator line by themselves or any other judge is to inform the pilot of his disqualification for that round and have him land immediately, and the pilot will score zero (0) for the round, regardless of accrued score to that point.

5.2 Contest Director. The CD or his or her representative will check each aircraft for conformance to size & safety requirements, use the start signal when the first aircraft is airborne, and use the end signal at the end of ten (10) minutes flight time. The CD or his or her appointed scoring personnel shall also tally scores from the judges for each individual (or group) in the competition.

6. Scoring

6.1 Points are scored by causing the opponent's plane to strike the ground and cease flight after a mid-air collision (a kill). No matter who initiates the engagement, the plane that remains flying after such an event shall gain one point.

6.2 Mid-air collisions that do not result in an aircraft striking the ground and ceasing to continue flight (a kill), will net no score for either pilot.

6.3 Kills shall be verified in one of two ways by the victorious pilot of an engagement:

a.) The victorious pilot must be able to execute a single, 360 degree roll and return to normal flight.

b.) The victorious pilot must be able to execute a single 360 degree loop and return to normal flight.

EXAMPLE:

If two aircraft engage, and both crash, without either of the above verification maneuvers being executed, no score will be gained by either pilot.

6.4 The post-kill verification maneuver must be performed prior to continuing on to the next engagement or being killed by an opposing pilot.

6.5 CD has final determination of a kill. If a victom aircraft completes a roll but is unable to reengage before landing, a kill will be called on that aircraft.