How would you like to take part in a historical aerial battle with infrared guns and smoke systems? These pilots did!
RC pilots from England and Germany recently took part in a new television series aired in the UK where model warbirds attempted to recreate events that occurred almost eighty years ago.
The Tech
The programme really owes its existence to fantastic new RC technology that has emerged over recent years. Aside from the clearly impressive infrared systems that allow planes to actively hunt each other down in a scale like fashion, HD FPV (First Person View) cameras have made it possible for pilots to bring the experience to the cockpit. In addition to this, head tracking allows them to look around in search of targets.
A burst of smoke erupts from a hit BF 109
The Planes
The planes themselves were all models of Battle of Britain aircraft and were mostly produced by Dynam. The pilots of the Luftwaffe side flew BF 109s, BF 110s and JU 87 Stukas. On the RAF side, whole squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes attempted to fly together with varying levels of success. One Tiger Moth was thrown into the mix in order to train a new pilot brought in as a reserve.
A Hurricane squadron prepares for action.
The Missions
To recreate real events, the aircrews and aircraft of the Model Squadron took part in specially constructed missions. These included a Stuka dive-bombing mission which saw German pilots attempt to drop clay bombs on RC boats circling in the sea below. Unfortunately for the Stukas, one crashed into the water when it failed to pull out of a dive whilst another two collided in mid-air! Another mission has a squadron of BF 110s attack a factory installation made from cardboard. 
Just some of the pilots who took part in the recreated aerial battles.
Find out more
If you live in the United Kingdom, you should be able to watch the series for a limited time. It will be interesting to see if this form of RC combat flying will expand to mainstream events as infrared combat technology improves.
Would you take part in a combat event like this? Write a comment below!
Article by James Whomsley
Editor of FliteTest.com
Contact: james@flitetest.com
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/projectairaviation
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