16 MODEL AVIATION
Saturday’s halftime included a local air-show performer doing a close flyby with his T-28.
2007 US SCALE MAST ER
IN OCTOBER last year it was time to get
ready for the 28th annual US Scale Masters
Championships, which was held the 11th-
14th that month. It would have been nice to
get in some practice flying before the trip,
but fall arrived in Kansas on the calendar
only. For most of the month the winds were
high, even by Kansas standards (25-40
mph), and the temperatures were near 90°.
So instead of practicing I packed up the
van and headed west on a two-day drive to
California. I had scheduled an early staticjudging
time, which would give me time for
a couple practice flights later that afternoon.
A few days earlier I had spoken with
MA’s editor, Michael Ramsey, about the
article I was submitting about my Fieseler
Fi 156 Storch (which ran in the February
issue). He expressed his concern about the
lack of coverage the magazine had been
getting of the West Coast events and asked
if I would like to write about the Scale
Masters. I could not recall any Scale
Masters article that had been written from
the competitor’s perspective, but I thought
I would try it.
From a pilot’s perspective, this competition gets 10s every year
20Jpo9h tnw Mo-olintae’ sc uBtlliancek g Woeisd ohewr ecame to
the event with five flights on it. Its
first two rounds Friday looked great.
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:06 AM Page 16March 2008 17
Shailesh Patel (Eureka CA), a tough competitor, prepares his F-86 for a
round. He had the only two turbine entries at the contest. His son, Nil, piloted
Shailesh’s T-33 in Team Scale.
With his son, Sam, Jeff Weiss (Sacramento CA) built this Expert Class Focke-Wulf Ta 152H-1 from RCM plans. The 1/6-scale model
spans 96 inches and features outstanding detail.
ST ERS CHAMPIONSHIPS
BY DOUG CRUMLEY
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:14 AM Page 1718 MODEL AVIATION
Dave Lovitt’s (Willits CA) Yak-18P is subjected to the judges’ scrutiny. Static
scoring went smoothly all day Thursday.
Corey Dail (Saugus CA) assembles his Open Class
B-24D for static judging. A 17-minute time slot was
scheduled for each contestant.
Bob Heikeill’s (Moses Lake WA) 1/4-scale re-creation of the Bellanca 300C: the first single-engine airplane to cross the Pacific. It spans
150 inches and weighs 41 pounds. The aircraft was designed to lift a heavy load; the “pregnant” underbelly housed part of the fuel load.
Scale Masters Top Three
Open Class (10 Entries)
Place Pilot/Builder Aircraft Static Total Top Flights Average Total
1. Robert Blake (Newbury Park CA) P-47D Thunderbolt 24.000 94.667 118.667
2. Bret Becker (Rolling Hills CA) Ki-61 Tony 23.000 92.417 115.417
3. R.J. Powers (Phoenix AZ) P-47D Thunderbolt 22.000 91.833 113.833
Team Scale Class (12 Entries)
Place Pilot/Builder Aircraft Static Total Top Flights Average Total
1. Bernie Boland/Bill Ensley (Phoenix AZ) Stinson SR-10 96.500 95.750 192.250
2. Bill Adams/Wayne Frederick (Mesa AZ) Fokker D.VIII 98.500 89.250 187.750
3 Dan Egelhoff/Larry Klingberg (Hesperia CA) Farman Moustique 93.000 94.583 187.583
Expert Class (26 Entries)
Place Pilot/Builder Aircraft Static Total Top Flights Average Total
1. Dennis Crooks (Rockville IN) P-38 97.750 97.167 194.917
2. Eugene Job (Marsing ID) Hawker Sea Fury 97.250 95.333 192.583
3. Shailesh Patel (Eureka CA) F-86 96.500 95.333 191.833
Visit www.scalemasters.org/Home.html to see a complete list of the final standings. MA
Photos by the author
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:38 AM Page 18March 2008 19
Larry Klingberg designed and built this Farman Moustique Team Scale entry, and Dan
Egelhoff piloted it.
Tom Wolf (Goleta CA) flew his 81-inch-span de Havilland Mosquito FBVI to sixth place in Expert. He built the model from Bob Holman
plans and scratch-built the retracts.
Jeff Weiss’s 13-year-old son, Sam, was the youngest competitor. He flew his Yak-9 in Open Class.
The author’s Fieseler Storch demonstrates
a prototypical takeoff for this World War II
STOL aircraft. Handling the crosswinds was
a challenge.
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:41 AM Page 1920 MODEL AVIATION
Above and right: Spads are a favorite
World War I aircraft, but Scott Enochs’
(Gaston OR) was the first one the author
had seen compete in a Scale Masters in
17 years. Scott built his 1/4-scale beauty
from a Peter Barth kit.
Below: Roly Worsfold and his wife, Dianne,
traveled from Canada (Kamloops, British
Columbia). His trusty 1/3-scale J-3 Cub has
been a dependable performer for several
years.
Randy Smithhisler’s (Edgewood WA) 1/4-scale Piper J-4 Cub Coupe was one of three
electric-powered entries. He built it using Paul Matt three-views and a Sig wing kit.
The 2007 Scale Masters was held in Hemet,
California, which has a population of
approximately 70,000. It is located in the
San Jacinto Valley—roughly 20 miles south
of Interstate 10, midway between Riverside
and Palm Springs. The terrain there is flat
desert at approximately 1,500 feet of
elevation, surrounded by mountains.
The Hemet Model Masters hosted the
contest at its flying site: Simpson Field.
This was the first Championships for Bill
Hart as US Scale Masters Association
national chairman, and the competition was
held by his club at his home field.
The contest had 50 pilots registered, and
most were from the West Coast. Static
judging took place at the field Thursday
(October 11). Two flight rounds were
scheduled for Friday and Saturday, and the
final round and awards took place Sunday.
For contestants from the Midwest, such
as myself, two days of driving each way
means more than a week away from work.
Double that for East Coasters, and it makes
participation impractical for most of us.
However, unlike other national events,
the Scale Masters travels to locations across
much of the US to help provide a broader
opportunity for contestants and spectators to
experience this championship event. My
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:46 AM Page 20March 2008 21
Dennis Crooks (Rockville IN) and his big P-38 successfully defended their 2006 Grand Champion title with another Expert win.
Walt Fletcher (Saint George UT) built his very nice 1/4-scale Eindecker from the Proctor
kit. No ailerons here; the wings warp, as on the full-scale aircraft.
First place in
Team Scale went
to Bernie Boland
(Phoenix AZ) and
Bill Ensley
(Beaverton OR)
for this 1/4-scale
Stinson SR-10 built
from Wendell
Hostetler plans.
first year to compete was 1991 in Las Vegas,
Nevada, and I have qualified and attended
every year since.
There are advantages to hosting this
competition at smaller cities such as Hemet.
This was found to be true at the 2004
Championships at Gardner, Kansas. Gardner
is similar in size to Hemet and roughly the
same distance from the Kansas City metro
area as Hemet is from Los Angeles.
Gardner viewed this as a major event,
and the local businesses were supportive.
Spectator turnout was outstanding, and the
mayor made personal appearances.
Lodging and meals were usually less
expensive and more convenient than in the
larger metro areas.
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:53 AM Page 2122 MODEL AVIATION
Don Schaefer (Hillsboro OR) used Gary Allen plans to build th
Class competition.
Daryl Rolla (Emerald Hills CA) did a super job on this 80-inch-span F6F Hellcat built from
Jerry Bates plans. It has great detail and is expertly weathered.
There were four Stinson SRs in competition, including this SR-8
and Lynn Hersh.
Paul Jarvis’s (Bayfield CO) nice 1/3-scale 1932 Pietenpol Air Camper did not fly. Paul said
an admirer had purchased it and he did not want to risk damaging the model in the wind.
The largest aircraft was Larry Klingberg’s 1/2-scale Farman Moustique. Only four or five of
the full-scale 1930s-era French homebuilts were ever made.
I saw evidence of the same support from
the Hemet community. Lighted road signs
along the route to the field welcoming the
Scale Masters were a nice touch, and the vice
mayor spoke at the opening ceremonies.
I arrived at the field Wednesday afternoon,
and the contestant parking area was filled
with RVs. I normally take my Winnebago to
these events, but the 3,000-mile journey
would have required 400 gallons of fuel.
My best friend and fellow modeler, Jim
Pendergrass, had agreed to crew for me. He
lives roughly two hours from Hemet, in the
Ventura area, and was bringing his motor
home for us to share. He arrived near sunset
Wednesday, and we set up camp for the
weekend.
Thursday morning arrived, and static
judging began at the appointed time. My
internal clock was still on Central Standard
Time, so I was up early and had the Storch
ready with plenty of time to spare. It was a
good time to walk the flightline, meet friends
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:56 AM Page 22March 2008 23
A home-field favorite, the Hemet team of Carl Lindou and Oscar Weingart entered
this colorful 1/3-scale Balsa USA Ercoupe.
Eugene Job (Marsing ID) flew this
Hawker Sea Fury to a Grand Champion
win in Irving TX 10 years ago. A
consistent top finisher since then, he
finished second in 2007.
Old-movie fans might remember this aircraft attacking King Kong atop the Empire State
Building and Clark Gable flying it in Hell Divers. Jay Steward (Phoenix AZ) drew his own
plans for the 64-inch-span Curtiss F8C-4.
Gene LaFond’s (Wenatchee WA) 1/3-scale Howard DGA-3 “Pete” is ready for static
judging. The full-scale Pete was built for the Bendix Cup and Thompson Trophy races in
the early 1930s.
Gary Allen plans to build this 1/4-scale Fokker D.VII for Expert
petition, including this SR-8 by the California team of Daryl Rolla
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:24 AM Page 2324 MODEL AVIATION
R.J. Powers (Phoenix AZ) personalized his Open Class Hangar 9 P-47D Thunderbolt with custom paint and “Arizona Pete” graphics to
match a full-scale aircraft in the area.
Looking down the flightline Saturday, you can see the prevailing weather conditions. The flags were straight out; if it were a regular
weekend at home, you probably wouldn’t even go to the flying field.
Two 1/3-scale World War I fighters: Bill Thompson’s (Franklin IN)
Balsa USA Sopwith Pup and David Johnson’s (Champaign IL) scratchbuilt
Albatros D.III. A crew from The History Channel recorded the
session of arial tag for use in its “Dogfight” series.
Right: This beautifully restored full-scale Beech 18 was flown during
the noontime break the Friday of the competition.
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:59 AM Page 2426 MODEL AVIATION
I had not seen since the year before, and
check out the new models.
After lunch my static portion of the
contest was complete, and it was time to get
in some practice flights. I went through my
checklist; the Fi 156 was fueled, the
transmitter and receiver batteries were
charged, and the flight propeller was
installed.
I had the frequency pin, so I powered up
and checked the controls. The elevator
wasn’t moving, but the tail wheel worked. It
was on the same channel but on a separate
servo. The rudder wouldn’t move, even with
the power off. Somehow the gears were
damaged and the servo was completely
jammed.
I went back to the pits to defuel,
disassemble the model, and get the servo
out. It was tight access through a side
baggage door, but I finally removed the unit
and confirmed my suspicions; this could be
a serious problem.
The rudder servo was a heavy-duty,
high-torque Airtronics unit, and another
brand would not match the splines on the
pull-pull servo arm. I was off to a great
start!
There were several vendor booths out
in the parking area, which included Peak
Electronics. The company had a stack of
tubs with what appeared to be every
current servo on the market, and, yes,
there was an exact replacement. All I
needed to get back in the game was my
Visa card and another hour of assembly time.
Once everything was back together, all
seemed to be working fine, so it was back to
the flightline. There was still plenty of time
to fly, but the winds were starting to get
unfriendly. The takeoff went fine, and I ran
through all the maneuvers a couple times.
The Storch was flying well, so it was time
to work on landings.
The crosswinds were getting ugly, and
the first three landings were a struggle to
control. As my airplane touched down for
landing number four, a strong gust came
from what seemed to be a direct cross.
The upwind wing came up and the other
tip dragged the ground. The aircraft pivoted
on the grounded wingtip until the wind was
directly behind it, and then it flipped upside
down.
A quick damage assessment revealed
several minor issues that could be repaired
in a couple hours and one that looked like a
showstopper: the main gear strut that had
taken all the action was badly bent and
twisted.
I couldn’t repair those parts at the field;
it was a custom-welded assembly that held
the axle and operated as the outer cylinder
for the shock strut. All that was contained in
a telescoping aerodynamic fairing. It was
starting to look like I was going to have
plenty of time to play reporter and take
photos.
However, in the spirit of camaraderie
and sportsmanship that seems to be the
norm at these events, I was quickly joined
by a group of fellow competitors, all who
wanted to know what needed to be done to
get the Storch back in service.
Several phone calls and approximately
an hour later, one of the Hemet club
members arrived from town to offer
assistance. He had a shop that built racecars.
We agreed that there was nothing to lose by
his trying to straighten the strut. I would be
no worse off if it broke. He headed back to
his shop and I started fixing the rest of the
damage.
An hour or so later, he was back and the
strut was straight. It wasn’t perfect, but it
was functional. It would at least get my
model off the ground for the next day’s first
round.
Friday morning greeted us with a low,
overcast sky and temperatures near 60°.
Opening ceremonies were performed, and
the vice mayor of Hemet, Lori VanArsdale,
gave her personal welcome.
The pilots’ briefing was conducted and
flight orders were posted. Four flightlines
were staffed, and I was last up on the first. It
didn’t look like I was going to get a first
flight in before the wind started.
There was one more item of business to
take care of before flying could commence.
We were instructed to clear behind the
ready line and look out to the west; a fullscale
aircraft was approaching rapidly out of
the haze. It was an L-28 Czech jet trainer,
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:59 AM Page 26providing an up-close air show. The first
pass was a typical fly-past maneuver,
straight and level, at a prototypical cruise
speed.
If I were wearing my judge’s hat I would
have downgraded the pilot because the jet
was over the runway centerline (too close).
The visual presentation was reduced by
having a gray aircraft under a dark overcast,
using cloud-colored smoke. But the pilot
compensated for that by the jet-exhaust
smell as the L-28 passed. It departed the
area after a few more photo passes, and
Round One got underway.
It was half past noon when my turn to fly
came up. The winds were at my back, much
the same as during the flight the day before.
I decided not to fight it and use it to my
advantage to demonstrate the Storch’s Short
Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capability. I
briefed the judges that the full-scale aircraft
would not attempt to take off or land in such
crosswind conditions because, first, it was
unsafe, and, second, it seldom had to.
The Storch needed little space to operate
and could orient approaches into the wind. I
would do the same and make a STOL
takeoff, cross-runway, and turn prior to the
deadline. The landing approach would be
oriented into the wind, with touchdown
crossing the far edge of the runway. The
aircraft would be at taxi speed before the
runway centerline.
I flew as briefed and consistently
received 8s-10s on takeoff and landing
scores for all my flights. The repaired gear
held for the duration.
I was the last to land in the round, and the
lunch break was declared as I taxied in. Food
service was provided at one of the vendor
booths by a local Mexican-style caterer. The
food was good, with a nice menu, fair prices,
and fast service, and they were there in time
for breakfast as well. I enjoyed the breakfast
burritos.
Lunchtime entertainment included a
continuation of the private air show. This
time a highly polished Beech D-18 twin
flew. It looked like someone had built a great
500% model of one of Nick Ziroli’s kits.
Disturbing news Saturday morning got the
day off to a sad start: two veteran Expert
competitors were out of action. Jeff Lovitt
and Dave Lovitt had been burglarized
overnight.
While parked at the motel, thieves broke
into their vehicle by prying the door open.
The robbers took Jeff’s and Dave’s aircraft
and all tools, radios, and support equipment.
When I’m on the road with my aircraft, I
make it a practice to cover the load with
dark blankets so my cargo is nonobvious to
passersby.
The ugly winds persisted for most of the
event. The pilot’s final flight score is
calculated as the average of the best three
flights. I finished Round Three Saturday
morning with a respectable average, which
was near 90.
Round Four that afternoon went well.
Even with the wind I had a bunch of 9s
and 10s on the scoresheet. My last
maneuver before landing was a slow flypast
with full flaps. In a strong wind I can
almost bring the Storch to a stop in front of
the judges.
As I set up the model for the pass and
the flaps were full down, I started
increasing throttle to maintain altitude but
was getting no power. Apparently one
cylinder had gone cold. There was no time
to mess with it, so I set the model down
straight ahead in the outfield. Not a
problem; that is what the Storch was
designed to do.
The only difficulty was that the left
main wheel rolled into a gopher hole. The
wind beat the Storch around for a while
until everyone else’s airplanes landed and I
could go fetch. A couple elevator hinges
were broken, but there was no serious
damage.
There was no reason to press my luck
any further at that point. A personal-best
score in the last round would nudge my
average only a point or two, and it was not
worth risking further damage.
Saturday’s halftime featured more
flybys; a T-28 got extremely close. A local
pilot who owns all three aircraft and has all
the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)
credentials for air-show demonstration
flights to zero altitude performed those
breathtaking flights.
28 MODEL AVIATION
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:26 AM Page 28Things wrapped up Sunday afternoon with
the awards ceremony following the
completion of the fifth round of flying. The
event was well run overall. Thanks to the
Hemet Model Masters for all the members’
hard work and a special thanks to the
judges who donated their time and
expertise to make the contest possible.
My philosophy for attending any flying
event has always been that if I have a good
time, don’t embarrass myself, and bring the
airplane home in one piece, it was a
successful trip. This trip was quite
successful. The wind took some of the fun
out of it, but that was offset somewhat by
the challenge of proving that I could deal
with it.
As annoying as the wind seemed at the
time, it was insignificant in retrospect.
California had hardly disappeared in my
rearview mirror when the Santa Ana winds
ignited the most costly fires in the state’s
history.
For more information about the Scale
Masters and to see photos, please visit the
Web site. To learn more about the
association and become more involved,
contact Bill Hart or Carolyn Van Herk. MA
Doug Crumley
[email protected]
Sources:
Scale Masters
www.scalemasters.org/Home.html
Bill Hart
(714) 894-2747
[email protected]
Carolyn Van Herk
(714) 839-3805
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/03
Page Numbers: 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,26,28,30
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/03
Page Numbers: 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,26,28,30
16 MODEL AVIATION
Saturday’s halftime included a local air-show performer doing a close flyby with his T-28.
2007 US SCALE MAST ER
IN OCTOBER last year it was time to get
ready for the 28th annual US Scale Masters
Championships, which was held the 11th-
14th that month. It would have been nice to
get in some practice flying before the trip,
but fall arrived in Kansas on the calendar
only. For most of the month the winds were
high, even by Kansas standards (25-40
mph), and the temperatures were near 90°.
So instead of practicing I packed up the
van and headed west on a two-day drive to
California. I had scheduled an early staticjudging
time, which would give me time for
a couple practice flights later that afternoon.
A few days earlier I had spoken with
MA’s editor, Michael Ramsey, about the
article I was submitting about my Fieseler
Fi 156 Storch (which ran in the February
issue). He expressed his concern about the
lack of coverage the magazine had been
getting of the West Coast events and asked
if I would like to write about the Scale
Masters. I could not recall any Scale
Masters article that had been written from
the competitor’s perspective, but I thought
I would try it.
From a pilot’s perspective, this competition gets 10s every year
20Jpo9h tnw Mo-olintae’ sc uBtlliancek g Woeisd ohewr ecame to
the event with five flights on it. Its
first two rounds Friday looked great.
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:06 AM Page 16March 2008 17
Shailesh Patel (Eureka CA), a tough competitor, prepares his F-86 for a
round. He had the only two turbine entries at the contest. His son, Nil, piloted
Shailesh’s T-33 in Team Scale.
With his son, Sam, Jeff Weiss (Sacramento CA) built this Expert Class Focke-Wulf Ta 152H-1 from RCM plans. The 1/6-scale model
spans 96 inches and features outstanding detail.
ST ERS CHAMPIONSHIPS
BY DOUG CRUMLEY
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:14 AM Page 1718 MODEL AVIATION
Dave Lovitt’s (Willits CA) Yak-18P is subjected to the judges’ scrutiny. Static
scoring went smoothly all day Thursday.
Corey Dail (Saugus CA) assembles his Open Class
B-24D for static judging. A 17-minute time slot was
scheduled for each contestant.
Bob Heikeill’s (Moses Lake WA) 1/4-scale re-creation of the Bellanca 300C: the first single-engine airplane to cross the Pacific. It spans
150 inches and weighs 41 pounds. The aircraft was designed to lift a heavy load; the “pregnant” underbelly housed part of the fuel load.
Scale Masters Top Three
Open Class (10 Entries)
Place Pilot/Builder Aircraft Static Total Top Flights Average Total
1. Robert Blake (Newbury Park CA) P-47D Thunderbolt 24.000 94.667 118.667
2. Bret Becker (Rolling Hills CA) Ki-61 Tony 23.000 92.417 115.417
3. R.J. Powers (Phoenix AZ) P-47D Thunderbolt 22.000 91.833 113.833
Team Scale Class (12 Entries)
Place Pilot/Builder Aircraft Static Total Top Flights Average Total
1. Bernie Boland/Bill Ensley (Phoenix AZ) Stinson SR-10 96.500 95.750 192.250
2. Bill Adams/Wayne Frederick (Mesa AZ) Fokker D.VIII 98.500 89.250 187.750
3 Dan Egelhoff/Larry Klingberg (Hesperia CA) Farman Moustique 93.000 94.583 187.583
Expert Class (26 Entries)
Place Pilot/Builder Aircraft Static Total Top Flights Average Total
1. Dennis Crooks (Rockville IN) P-38 97.750 97.167 194.917
2. Eugene Job (Marsing ID) Hawker Sea Fury 97.250 95.333 192.583
3. Shailesh Patel (Eureka CA) F-86 96.500 95.333 191.833
Visit www.scalemasters.org/Home.html to see a complete list of the final standings. MA
Photos by the author
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:38 AM Page 18March 2008 19
Larry Klingberg designed and built this Farman Moustique Team Scale entry, and Dan
Egelhoff piloted it.
Tom Wolf (Goleta CA) flew his 81-inch-span de Havilland Mosquito FBVI to sixth place in Expert. He built the model from Bob Holman
plans and scratch-built the retracts.
Jeff Weiss’s 13-year-old son, Sam, was the youngest competitor. He flew his Yak-9 in Open Class.
The author’s Fieseler Storch demonstrates
a prototypical takeoff for this World War II
STOL aircraft. Handling the crosswinds was
a challenge.
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:41 AM Page 1920 MODEL AVIATION
Above and right: Spads are a favorite
World War I aircraft, but Scott Enochs’
(Gaston OR) was the first one the author
had seen compete in a Scale Masters in
17 years. Scott built his 1/4-scale beauty
from a Peter Barth kit.
Below: Roly Worsfold and his wife, Dianne,
traveled from Canada (Kamloops, British
Columbia). His trusty 1/3-scale J-3 Cub has
been a dependable performer for several
years.
Randy Smithhisler’s (Edgewood WA) 1/4-scale Piper J-4 Cub Coupe was one of three
electric-powered entries. He built it using Paul Matt three-views and a Sig wing kit.
The 2007 Scale Masters was held in Hemet,
California, which has a population of
approximately 70,000. It is located in the
San Jacinto Valley—roughly 20 miles south
of Interstate 10, midway between Riverside
and Palm Springs. The terrain there is flat
desert at approximately 1,500 feet of
elevation, surrounded by mountains.
The Hemet Model Masters hosted the
contest at its flying site: Simpson Field.
This was the first Championships for Bill
Hart as US Scale Masters Association
national chairman, and the competition was
held by his club at his home field.
The contest had 50 pilots registered, and
most were from the West Coast. Static
judging took place at the field Thursday
(October 11). Two flight rounds were
scheduled for Friday and Saturday, and the
final round and awards took place Sunday.
For contestants from the Midwest, such
as myself, two days of driving each way
means more than a week away from work.
Double that for East Coasters, and it makes
participation impractical for most of us.
However, unlike other national events,
the Scale Masters travels to locations across
much of the US to help provide a broader
opportunity for contestants and spectators to
experience this championship event. My
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:46 AM Page 20March 2008 21
Dennis Crooks (Rockville IN) and his big P-38 successfully defended their 2006 Grand Champion title with another Expert win.
Walt Fletcher (Saint George UT) built his very nice 1/4-scale Eindecker from the Proctor
kit. No ailerons here; the wings warp, as on the full-scale aircraft.
First place in
Team Scale went
to Bernie Boland
(Phoenix AZ) and
Bill Ensley
(Beaverton OR)
for this 1/4-scale
Stinson SR-10 built
from Wendell
Hostetler plans.
first year to compete was 1991 in Las Vegas,
Nevada, and I have qualified and attended
every year since.
There are advantages to hosting this
competition at smaller cities such as Hemet.
This was found to be true at the 2004
Championships at Gardner, Kansas. Gardner
is similar in size to Hemet and roughly the
same distance from the Kansas City metro
area as Hemet is from Los Angeles.
Gardner viewed this as a major event,
and the local businesses were supportive.
Spectator turnout was outstanding, and the
mayor made personal appearances.
Lodging and meals were usually less
expensive and more convenient than in the
larger metro areas.
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:53 AM Page 2122 MODEL AVIATION
Don Schaefer (Hillsboro OR) used Gary Allen plans to build th
Class competition.
Daryl Rolla (Emerald Hills CA) did a super job on this 80-inch-span F6F Hellcat built from
Jerry Bates plans. It has great detail and is expertly weathered.
There were four Stinson SRs in competition, including this SR-8
and Lynn Hersh.
Paul Jarvis’s (Bayfield CO) nice 1/3-scale 1932 Pietenpol Air Camper did not fly. Paul said
an admirer had purchased it and he did not want to risk damaging the model in the wind.
The largest aircraft was Larry Klingberg’s 1/2-scale Farman Moustique. Only four or five of
the full-scale 1930s-era French homebuilts were ever made.
I saw evidence of the same support from
the Hemet community. Lighted road signs
along the route to the field welcoming the
Scale Masters were a nice touch, and the vice
mayor spoke at the opening ceremonies.
I arrived at the field Wednesday afternoon,
and the contestant parking area was filled
with RVs. I normally take my Winnebago to
these events, but the 3,000-mile journey
would have required 400 gallons of fuel.
My best friend and fellow modeler, Jim
Pendergrass, had agreed to crew for me. He
lives roughly two hours from Hemet, in the
Ventura area, and was bringing his motor
home for us to share. He arrived near sunset
Wednesday, and we set up camp for the
weekend.
Thursday morning arrived, and static
judging began at the appointed time. My
internal clock was still on Central Standard
Time, so I was up early and had the Storch
ready with plenty of time to spare. It was a
good time to walk the flightline, meet friends
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:56 AM Page 22March 2008 23
A home-field favorite, the Hemet team of Carl Lindou and Oscar Weingart entered
this colorful 1/3-scale Balsa USA Ercoupe.
Eugene Job (Marsing ID) flew this
Hawker Sea Fury to a Grand Champion
win in Irving TX 10 years ago. A
consistent top finisher since then, he
finished second in 2007.
Old-movie fans might remember this aircraft attacking King Kong atop the Empire State
Building and Clark Gable flying it in Hell Divers. Jay Steward (Phoenix AZ) drew his own
plans for the 64-inch-span Curtiss F8C-4.
Gene LaFond’s (Wenatchee WA) 1/3-scale Howard DGA-3 “Pete” is ready for static
judging. The full-scale Pete was built for the Bendix Cup and Thompson Trophy races in
the early 1930s.
Gary Allen plans to build this 1/4-scale Fokker D.VII for Expert
petition, including this SR-8 by the California team of Daryl Rolla
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:24 AM Page 2324 MODEL AVIATION
R.J. Powers (Phoenix AZ) personalized his Open Class Hangar 9 P-47D Thunderbolt with custom paint and “Arizona Pete” graphics to
match a full-scale aircraft in the area.
Looking down the flightline Saturday, you can see the prevailing weather conditions. The flags were straight out; if it were a regular
weekend at home, you probably wouldn’t even go to the flying field.
Two 1/3-scale World War I fighters: Bill Thompson’s (Franklin IN)
Balsa USA Sopwith Pup and David Johnson’s (Champaign IL) scratchbuilt
Albatros D.III. A crew from The History Channel recorded the
session of arial tag for use in its “Dogfight” series.
Right: This beautifully restored full-scale Beech 18 was flown during
the noontime break the Friday of the competition.
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:59 AM Page 2426 MODEL AVIATION
I had not seen since the year before, and
check out the new models.
After lunch my static portion of the
contest was complete, and it was time to get
in some practice flights. I went through my
checklist; the Fi 156 was fueled, the
transmitter and receiver batteries were
charged, and the flight propeller was
installed.
I had the frequency pin, so I powered up
and checked the controls. The elevator
wasn’t moving, but the tail wheel worked. It
was on the same channel but on a separate
servo. The rudder wouldn’t move, even with
the power off. Somehow the gears were
damaged and the servo was completely
jammed.
I went back to the pits to defuel,
disassemble the model, and get the servo
out. It was tight access through a side
baggage door, but I finally removed the unit
and confirmed my suspicions; this could be
a serious problem.
The rudder servo was a heavy-duty,
high-torque Airtronics unit, and another
brand would not match the splines on the
pull-pull servo arm. I was off to a great
start!
There were several vendor booths out
in the parking area, which included Peak
Electronics. The company had a stack of
tubs with what appeared to be every
current servo on the market, and, yes,
there was an exact replacement. All I
needed to get back in the game was my
Visa card and another hour of assembly time.
Once everything was back together, all
seemed to be working fine, so it was back to
the flightline. There was still plenty of time
to fly, but the winds were starting to get
unfriendly. The takeoff went fine, and I ran
through all the maneuvers a couple times.
The Storch was flying well, so it was time
to work on landings.
The crosswinds were getting ugly, and
the first three landings were a struggle to
control. As my airplane touched down for
landing number four, a strong gust came
from what seemed to be a direct cross.
The upwind wing came up and the other
tip dragged the ground. The aircraft pivoted
on the grounded wingtip until the wind was
directly behind it, and then it flipped upside
down.
A quick damage assessment revealed
several minor issues that could be repaired
in a couple hours and one that looked like a
showstopper: the main gear strut that had
taken all the action was badly bent and
twisted.
I couldn’t repair those parts at the field;
it was a custom-welded assembly that held
the axle and operated as the outer cylinder
for the shock strut. All that was contained in
a telescoping aerodynamic fairing. It was
starting to look like I was going to have
plenty of time to play reporter and take
photos.
However, in the spirit of camaraderie
and sportsmanship that seems to be the
norm at these events, I was quickly joined
by a group of fellow competitors, all who
wanted to know what needed to be done to
get the Storch back in service.
Several phone calls and approximately
an hour later, one of the Hemet club
members arrived from town to offer
assistance. He had a shop that built racecars.
We agreed that there was nothing to lose by
his trying to straighten the strut. I would be
no worse off if it broke. He headed back to
his shop and I started fixing the rest of the
damage.
An hour or so later, he was back and the
strut was straight. It wasn’t perfect, but it
was functional. It would at least get my
model off the ground for the next day’s first
round.
Friday morning greeted us with a low,
overcast sky and temperatures near 60°.
Opening ceremonies were performed, and
the vice mayor of Hemet, Lori VanArsdale,
gave her personal welcome.
The pilots’ briefing was conducted and
flight orders were posted. Four flightlines
were staffed, and I was last up on the first. It
didn’t look like I was going to get a first
flight in before the wind started.
There was one more item of business to
take care of before flying could commence.
We were instructed to clear behind the
ready line and look out to the west; a fullscale
aircraft was approaching rapidly out of
the haze. It was an L-28 Czech jet trainer,
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:59 AM Page 26providing an up-close air show. The first
pass was a typical fly-past maneuver,
straight and level, at a prototypical cruise
speed.
If I were wearing my judge’s hat I would
have downgraded the pilot because the jet
was over the runway centerline (too close).
The visual presentation was reduced by
having a gray aircraft under a dark overcast,
using cloud-colored smoke. But the pilot
compensated for that by the jet-exhaust
smell as the L-28 passed. It departed the
area after a few more photo passes, and
Round One got underway.
It was half past noon when my turn to fly
came up. The winds were at my back, much
the same as during the flight the day before.
I decided not to fight it and use it to my
advantage to demonstrate the Storch’s Short
Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capability. I
briefed the judges that the full-scale aircraft
would not attempt to take off or land in such
crosswind conditions because, first, it was
unsafe, and, second, it seldom had to.
The Storch needed little space to operate
and could orient approaches into the wind. I
would do the same and make a STOL
takeoff, cross-runway, and turn prior to the
deadline. The landing approach would be
oriented into the wind, with touchdown
crossing the far edge of the runway. The
aircraft would be at taxi speed before the
runway centerline.
I flew as briefed and consistently
received 8s-10s on takeoff and landing
scores for all my flights. The repaired gear
held for the duration.
I was the last to land in the round, and the
lunch break was declared as I taxied in. Food
service was provided at one of the vendor
booths by a local Mexican-style caterer. The
food was good, with a nice menu, fair prices,
and fast service, and they were there in time
for breakfast as well. I enjoyed the breakfast
burritos.
Lunchtime entertainment included a
continuation of the private air show. This
time a highly polished Beech D-18 twin
flew. It looked like someone had built a great
500% model of one of Nick Ziroli’s kits.
Disturbing news Saturday morning got the
day off to a sad start: two veteran Expert
competitors were out of action. Jeff Lovitt
and Dave Lovitt had been burglarized
overnight.
While parked at the motel, thieves broke
into their vehicle by prying the door open.
The robbers took Jeff’s and Dave’s aircraft
and all tools, radios, and support equipment.
When I’m on the road with my aircraft, I
make it a practice to cover the load with
dark blankets so my cargo is nonobvious to
passersby.
The ugly winds persisted for most of the
event. The pilot’s final flight score is
calculated as the average of the best three
flights. I finished Round Three Saturday
morning with a respectable average, which
was near 90.
Round Four that afternoon went well.
Even with the wind I had a bunch of 9s
and 10s on the scoresheet. My last
maneuver before landing was a slow flypast
with full flaps. In a strong wind I can
almost bring the Storch to a stop in front of
the judges.
As I set up the model for the pass and
the flaps were full down, I started
increasing throttle to maintain altitude but
was getting no power. Apparently one
cylinder had gone cold. There was no time
to mess with it, so I set the model down
straight ahead in the outfield. Not a
problem; that is what the Storch was
designed to do.
The only difficulty was that the left
main wheel rolled into a gopher hole. The
wind beat the Storch around for a while
until everyone else’s airplanes landed and I
could go fetch. A couple elevator hinges
were broken, but there was no serious
damage.
There was no reason to press my luck
any further at that point. A personal-best
score in the last round would nudge my
average only a point or two, and it was not
worth risking further damage.
Saturday’s halftime featured more
flybys; a T-28 got extremely close. A local
pilot who owns all three aircraft and has all
the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)
credentials for air-show demonstration
flights to zero altitude performed those
breathtaking flights.
28 MODEL AVIATION
03sig1.QXD 1/25/08 11:26 AM Page 28Things wrapped up Sunday afternoon with
the awards ceremony following the
completion of the fifth round of flying. The
event was well run overall. Thanks to the
Hemet Model Masters for all the members’
hard work and a special thanks to the
judges who donated their time and
expertise to make the contest possible.
My philosophy for attending any flying
event has always been that if I have a good
time, don’t embarrass myself, and bring the
airplane home in one piece, it was a
successful trip. This trip was quite
successful. The wind took some of the fun
out of it, but that was offset somewhat by
the challenge of proving that I could deal
with it.
As annoying as the wind seemed at the
time, it was insignificant in retrospect.
California had hardly disappeared in my
rearview mirror when the Santa Ana winds
ignited the most costly fires in the state’s
history.
For more information about the Scale
Masters and to see photos, please visit the
Web site. To learn more about the
association and become more involved,
contact Bill Hart or Carolyn Van Herk. MA
Doug Crumley
[email protected]
Sources:
Scale Masters
www.scalemasters.org/Home.html
Bill Hart
(714) 894-2747
[email protected]
Carolyn Van Herk
(714) 839-3805
[email protected]