CONTESTANTS FROM the US, Canada, England, and Australia
met at Geneseo, New York, July 16-19 to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Flying Aces Club (FAC) national competitions: FAC
Nats Mark XVI. This premier event ranks as the
largest of its kind in the world, but attendance
was down 10%—probably because of the
sagging US economy and high travel
costs.
However, the 135 contestants who
did make the pilgrimage were not
disappointed. Many times I overheard
people saying that the models are
getting better with each year and the
flight times are soaring.
FAC Rubber Scale Tom Hallman Do X
FAC Peanut Scale Gene Smith Tigercat
FAC Hi-Wing Peanut Scale Jeff Runnels Nesmith Cougar
FAC Jumbo Scale Chris Starleaf Savoia-Marchetti S.79
FAC Giant Scale Chris Starleaf Dash 8
FAC Powder Puff Scale Marie Rees Vega
FAC Old Time Kit Scale John Houck Fairchild 45
FAC Dime Scale Gene Smith Hawker Typhoon
Pioneer Scale Tom Hallman Blériot 25
WW I Combat Stu Meyers Grain Kitten
Golden Age Civil Scale Jack McGillivray Cessna C-38
Fairchild 24 Event Orville Olm Fairchild 24
Golden Age Military Scale Tom Hallman Mureaux fighter
WW II Combat Jim De Tar Curtiss SBC Helldiver
AT-6 Endurance Event Andrew Ricci AT-6
Modern Age Civil Scale Walt Farrell Navion
Modern Age Military Scale Don Srull MiG-15
Contra Prop Scale Tom Hallman Koolhoven F.K.5501
Shell Speed Dash Race Chris Starleaf Rider Firecracker
Thompson Trophy Race Chris Starleaf Cessna CR-3
Greve Race Al Lawton Mr. Smoothie
Aerol Trophy Race Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Blur Race Pete Kaiteris Jackrabbit
Goodyear/Formula Race Gene Smith Ricochet
FAC Fiction Flyer Scale Rich Weber Booth Ranger
FAC No-Cal Profile Scale John Stott Extra 400
Power Scale Single Engine Tom Hallman D.H.2
FAC Embryo Endurance Frank Romsome Chrysalis
FAC Old Time Stick Vic Nippert Thermalier
FAC Old Time Rubber Dan Driscoll Wren
FAC 2 Bit Plus 1 Don DeLoach Skokie
Old Time Rubber
FAC Jimmie Allen Event Don Srull Sky Raider
FAC Old Time Gas Replica Vic Nippert Aerobo
Rapier Jet Scale Bernard Dion Belfagor
Low Wing Trainer Scale Jim De Tar Moth Minor
AT-6 Mass Launch Andrew Ricci AT-6
French Design Tom Nallen Sr. Potez 34
GHQ Peanut Scale Al Lawton Folkerts SK-3
FAC Old Time Sparky Don DeLoach Sparky
FAC Rubber Powered Paul Boyanowski de Havilland Comet
Jet Scale
Flying Horde Mike Isermann
National FAC competition began in 1978 and has been held
annually, with the “Nats” alternating with the “Non-Nats.” From
1986 to the present, these contests have been held at the National
Warplane Museum, which is west (and within sight) of Geneseo,
New York. This town is home to the picturesque Geneseo State
University, which welcomes FACers to its comfortable dormitories
and pleasant hospitality each year.
This year’s flood of FAC enthusiasts began arriving on Tuesday
July 15, to get comfortably situated, to socialize, and to flight-test
their models before serious competition began on Thursday.
Several vendors arrived that day too, so they would be ready to set
up their displays the next morning.
Early in the afternoon on Wednesday, the doors to the Quality
Inn reception area opened and the static judging (and vending)
began. It continued until after 9 p.m., with hundreds of beautiful
models and their proud makers. A few of them included:
• Ted Allebone’s breathtaking Gotha G.IV.
• Bernard Dion’s Russian Belfagor 15 (a single-engine, jet-
This was the 30th FAC national competition and the 16th biennial FAC Nats. FAC members with perfect Nats attendance include
Ross Mayo, Jack Moses, Fernando Ramos, Juanita Reichel, and John Stott.
At this year’s contest:
• 135 contestants entered the competitions.
• 40 FAC events were flown.
• 1,029 official (timed) flights were recorded.
• 129 “maxes” (maximum-time-limit flights) were made.
• Contestants completed a total of 396 mass-launch flights.
Earl Stahl Award (Best Scale Model) Tom Hallman Junkers J 1
Walt Mooney Award (Best Peanut Model) Rich Weber Potez 29-2
Cole Palen Award (WW I Combat Winner) Stu Weckerly Grain Kitten
Earl Van Gorder Award (Best WW II Model) Mike Isermann Ki-61 “Tony”
Angus McSchadenfueher Award (Best FAC High Wing Cabin) Dave Mitchell Vega
Cat’s Ass Trophy (Best Scale Crash) Sal Cerrie Repaired model crushed
Bob Thompson Fiction Flyer Award (Best Fiction Flyer) John Stott Ace McCoy Trainer
Aerol Trophy Award (for Losers of Other Races) Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Grand Champion (Non-Scale) Don DeLoach
Grand Champion (Scale) Tom Hallman
Vic Didelot FAC Spirit Award Lin Reichel
Blue Max Awards: Roy Divis, John Hutchinson, Jim Hyka, Pete Kaiteris, Tim Lavender, Dave Mitchell, Mark Rzadca, George White
Founding Fathers Awards
FAC Peanut Scale: Gregg West
FAC Rubber Scale: Bernard Dion
Lin Reichel Memorial Mentor Award Pres Bruning
Milestones
100 FAC Victories: Wally Farrell, John Stott
300 FAC Victories: Jack McGillivray
FAC Hall of Fame Inductees Diane and Roy Courtney, Jim Fiorello, Stu Meyers, Dennis Norman
propelled, crop-duster biplane with two
high-aspect-ratio wings that has to be seen
to be believed).
• Clive Gamble’s innovative Sopwith
Camel.
• Vance Gilbert’s impressive Short S.26
floatplane.
• Tom Hallman’s gorgeous Junkers J 1
biplane (which won the Earl Stahl Award
for the best Scale model at the contest).
• Mike Isermann’s Ki-61 “Tony” (the Earl
Van Gorder Award [best World War II
model] winner).
• Dave Mitchell’s colorful Vega.
• Andrew Ricci’s twin-engine Arado Ar.440
(with a 30-inch wingspan and killer
nacelles).
• Tom Nallen II’s large and ungainly but
great-flying Pterodactyl (that was so ugly it
was beautiful).
• Chris Starleaf’s spectacular 37-inch-span
B-47 Stratojet bomber, powered by six
Rapier rocket motors.
• Mike Stuart’s four-engine Jumbo Scale
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy.
• Rich Weber’s Gunbus and award-winning
Potez 29-2 (best Peanut model).
I sincerely apologize for omitting so
many deserving modelers and their
creations.
The numerous vendors included FAC
GHQ (General Headquarters), with three
new commemorative T-shirts, caps,
merchandise, and estate items; Air Ace
Models’ (my company’s) colorful displays;
Campbell’s Custom Kits (Lee Campbell);
FAI Model Supply (John Clapp);
GizmoGeezer (Orv Olm); Rees Industries
(Dave and Marie Rees); Shorty’s Basement
(Carole and Dan Kane); Thomas Designs
(Greg Thomas); and Wilson’s Balsa (Dan
Wilson).
At roughly 10 p.m., after the static
judging, Greg Thornton (from Oswego, New
York, who is a United Airlines mechanic in
Chicago, Illinois) purchased a replica kit of
the Scientific Fury from Shorty’s Basement.
The 25-inch-span Fury was a favorite non-
Scale, rubber-powered model from the
1930s.
Greg cheerfully announced that he would
build and fly the model before the end of the
contest. He started it at 2:30 a.m. Thursday
morning and continued with his labors as
time permitted.
By Saturday morning, Greg had
completed the airframe. While at the field,
he began covering it with bright red/orange
Japanese tissue. By late afternoon he
gracefully launched the Scientific Fury into
thermal-filled air and nearly lost it in a
soaring flight over the immense field.
The flying site was unusually rough this
year; a major air show had been held there a
week before, and torrential rains during the
event left the field a rutted mess. In the hot
days before the FAC Nats, the ruts were
baked rock hard, and walking on them was
precarious.
The wind at the Nats came mostly from
the south and forced the contestants to set up
their tents along the field’s access road.
Most of the ruts from the air show were
north of that, so the flightline near the tents
was reasonably comfortable on which to
walk.
Another blessing was the fact that the
wind carried the models north across the
field and away from the cornfields that were
south of the access road. A few westerly
gusts during the contest forced some
modelers to search for their airplanes in the
potato patches east of the field.
The air on Thursday was beautiful, calm,
and filled with booming thermals. Friday
saw cloudy weather with scattered showers
and strangely unstable air. On Saturday, the
last day of the contest, the weather was
sunny but the wind was up.
One of the most impressive models at the
contest was Clive Gamble’s 22-inch-span
Sopwith Camel. In the December 2008 MA
FF Scale column, I wrote extensively about
this airplane and its dramatically shortened
peg-to-hook length of only 41/2 inches. It
flew a spectacular 1 minute, 45 seconds
and gave rise to much animated
conversation.
Another striking model was Chris
Starleaf’s B-47. Friday evening, he
attempted a flight with it using four inboard
Rapier motors. This required four
assistants: one to light each Rapier while
Chris held the bomber.
One of the motors failed to ignite on the
first attempt, but Chris saw the problem
and did not attempt to fly. After placing
four new Rapiers in the inboard nacelles,
all the motors ignited with a fiery orange
glow, and the model was launched into the
evening haze.
At first the Stratojet soared away in a
gentle, right-banking turn as smoke
billowed from its exhausts. Toward the end
of the flight, it stalled in a nose-up attitude
at an altitude of roughly 12 feet and then
flipped over and dove nose first into the
ground, breaking the right wing and tearing
off the engine pods.
To the amazement of onlookers, Chris
showed up the next day with the repaired
B-47 and attempted to fly it with all six
motors. With six volunteers’ help, all the
Rapiers ignited simultaneously.
Chris smoothly launched the B-47,
which initially rose in smoky glory. But
then, appearing overpowered, it went out of
control and crashed, breaking its nose and
both wings.
The Stratojet’s fate is uncertain, but
those who were present cheered Chris’s
brave attempt to push the envelope, as he
has done before. He is a bold, often
successful, innovator who is sure to
continue wowing the FAC with his daring
projects.
Bernard Dion’s incredible 19-inch-span
Belfagor 15 biplane was powered by only
one L2HP Rapier motor, but the highaspect-
ratio wings made flight-trimming
difficult. Bernard persisted and won Rapier
Jet Scale with a 35-second flight.
He danced like a joyful schoolboy when
it happened, and the crowd loved it. Another
flight of excellence was squeezed from an
improbable subject.
Rapier-powered entries increased from
eight at the 2006 FAC Nats to 28 at the 2008
contest. A couple of the most memorable
flights were those of the Belfagor 15 and
Steve Price’s Ukkie L-1 (a 16-inch-span
non-Scale subject derived from an old Jetex
design). It flew for 49 seconds Thursday
evening and won a $25 jackpot that the
participants created as an incentive.
Montreal, Canada’s Squadron 71
Harfane (Snowy Owl Squadron) attended
the contest under the leadership of Ronny
Gosselin and his irrepressible adjutant,
Bernard Dion. Other members included
Luke Martin (an engineer from France),
Steve Price (a sergeant in the Canadian
Army, who works teaching children’s
groups about model aviation in his spare
time), and the delightful Molly Gosselin
(Ronny’s daughter) with her handsome
Morane Saulnier M.S. 502 Cricket: a
French-built, radial-engined variant of the
Fieseler Storch.
Squadron 71’s special guests were
Maurice Taudevin (an engineer from
Brisbane, Australia, who found Squadron 71
via the Internet) and the lovely Christina
Hansson (a computer engineer from
Australia who accompanied Maurice). The
Snowy Owl Squadron adds grace, charm,
and joy to the event.
Another memorable flight occurred
Thursday, when the great Fernando Ramos
took an early-morning hop with his 41-inchspan
Jimmie Allen Sky Chief. Seconds after
taking to the air, the model threw a propeller
blade but continued flying serenely with
only a slight vibration from the out-ofbalance
propeller.
The improbable flight was timed, and the
“crippled” Sky Chief flew 1 minute, 55
seconds (one second short of a max) before
smoothly returning to earth.
AMA President Dave Mathewson was
present, and District III Vice President Bob
Brown attended with members of his family.
He gave some FF-style flying lessons to the
children, and they loved it.
Bob also chatted cheerfully with
contestants and mentioned that he had added
two associate vice presidents, Mark Radcliff
and Ken Karpinski, to better assist with
AMA services in his district (Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). Bob’s
presence at the contest was an example of
the AMA’s respect for the FAC movement.
At the Nats, my friend Wayne Perry of
Bath, Maine, introduced me to 92-year-old
Wayne Love. He worked as an engineer for
Bell Aircraft Corporation, specializing in
lofting and drafting.
In World War II, Love laid out Bell
designs, full scale, on the floor to guide the
engineers and craftsmen in building
prototypes. That is now done almost entirely
by computers.
Love also drew model aircraft plans for
Cleveland Models during and after World
War II. He drew 3/4-inch SF plans for the
Curtiss Seahawk, P-40, Lockheed Hudson
bomber, P-38 fighter, Martin B-26, and
others. He admitted that Cleveland designs
were often overstructured, but they provided
many hours of building pleasure and were
striking models for display, if not flying.
It was an honor to visit with Wayne Love.
We are enriched by the contributions he and
many others have made to our hobby.
The 2008 FAC Nats ended with a great
banquet at which the contestants, their
families, and their friends enjoyed a
delicious buffet. Afterward, there was a
delightful presentation of this year’s awards,
honors, and winners. See the sidebar for
details. There were also some special
presentations, including the distribution of
50 kits from the Lin Reichel Estate to
randomly selected banquet guests.
A colorful quilt that Bea Allebone, Janet
Lang, Elaine Welshans, and Diana Gregg
made from FAC T-shirts (including a couple
of Lin’s) was raffled off for $416 in
donations to the FAC. The winner was
Cloudbusters member Fred Wunsche, who
graciously donated the quilt to Lin’s widow,
Juanita Reichel, after the banquet.
Traditionally, the gifted Vance Gilbert
has been responsible for one of the most
beloved moments of the FAC banquets. He
is a successful folk singer who was the
opening act for late comedian George Carlin
last year.
Vance usually graces the crowd with a
musical interlude, but this year he appeared
in costume as Captain Rutherford Lincoln
Washington III, DFC, PAL, BMF, a 109-
year-old black aviator, and regaled us with
stories of “his” many accomplishments in
early aviation. In a hilarious mix of the
Marx Brothers, Amos ’n’ Andy, The Three
Stooges, Red Foxx, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby,
and others, Vance delighted the audience
with his high-spirited antics and cracks.
He incited waves of laughter and a
standing ovation as he left the stage. Vance
is a treasure and one of the people who
makes the FAC Spirit what it is.
Lin Reichel, the FAC’s beloved
commander in chief (C-in-C), went West on
June 16, 2008. His story is beyond the scope
of this article, but it will be the subject of a
special feature in the near future.
Lin served not only as the leader of the
FAC from 1980 until his passing, but also as
an outstanding example of dedication, hard
work, fairness, kindness, enthusiasm,
generosity, and patience, which are rare
leadership attributes. He can never be
replaced.
It is up to all of us to remember Lin’s
outstanding example and do our best to
continue his fine work. Lin’s devoted friend,
Ross Mayo, has been chosen as the new Cin-
C.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 19,20,21,22,23,24,26
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 19,20,21,22,23,24,26
CONTESTANTS FROM the US, Canada, England, and Australia
met at Geneseo, New York, July 16-19 to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Flying Aces Club (FAC) national competitions: FAC
Nats Mark XVI. This premier event ranks as the
largest of its kind in the world, but attendance
was down 10%—probably because of the
sagging US economy and high travel
costs.
However, the 135 contestants who
did make the pilgrimage were not
disappointed. Many times I overheard
people saying that the models are
getting better with each year and the
flight times are soaring.
FAC Rubber Scale Tom Hallman Do X
FAC Peanut Scale Gene Smith Tigercat
FAC Hi-Wing Peanut Scale Jeff Runnels Nesmith Cougar
FAC Jumbo Scale Chris Starleaf Savoia-Marchetti S.79
FAC Giant Scale Chris Starleaf Dash 8
FAC Powder Puff Scale Marie Rees Vega
FAC Old Time Kit Scale John Houck Fairchild 45
FAC Dime Scale Gene Smith Hawker Typhoon
Pioneer Scale Tom Hallman Blériot 25
WW I Combat Stu Meyers Grain Kitten
Golden Age Civil Scale Jack McGillivray Cessna C-38
Fairchild 24 Event Orville Olm Fairchild 24
Golden Age Military Scale Tom Hallman Mureaux fighter
WW II Combat Jim De Tar Curtiss SBC Helldiver
AT-6 Endurance Event Andrew Ricci AT-6
Modern Age Civil Scale Walt Farrell Navion
Modern Age Military Scale Don Srull MiG-15
Contra Prop Scale Tom Hallman Koolhoven F.K.5501
Shell Speed Dash Race Chris Starleaf Rider Firecracker
Thompson Trophy Race Chris Starleaf Cessna CR-3
Greve Race Al Lawton Mr. Smoothie
Aerol Trophy Race Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Blur Race Pete Kaiteris Jackrabbit
Goodyear/Formula Race Gene Smith Ricochet
FAC Fiction Flyer Scale Rich Weber Booth Ranger
FAC No-Cal Profile Scale John Stott Extra 400
Power Scale Single Engine Tom Hallman D.H.2
FAC Embryo Endurance Frank Romsome Chrysalis
FAC Old Time Stick Vic Nippert Thermalier
FAC Old Time Rubber Dan Driscoll Wren
FAC 2 Bit Plus 1 Don DeLoach Skokie
Old Time Rubber
FAC Jimmie Allen Event Don Srull Sky Raider
FAC Old Time Gas Replica Vic Nippert Aerobo
Rapier Jet Scale Bernard Dion Belfagor
Low Wing Trainer Scale Jim De Tar Moth Minor
AT-6 Mass Launch Andrew Ricci AT-6
French Design Tom Nallen Sr. Potez 34
GHQ Peanut Scale Al Lawton Folkerts SK-3
FAC Old Time Sparky Don DeLoach Sparky
FAC Rubber Powered Paul Boyanowski de Havilland Comet
Jet Scale
Flying Horde Mike Isermann
National FAC competition began in 1978 and has been held
annually, with the “Nats” alternating with the “Non-Nats.” From
1986 to the present, these contests have been held at the National
Warplane Museum, which is west (and within sight) of Geneseo,
New York. This town is home to the picturesque Geneseo State
University, which welcomes FACers to its comfortable dormitories
and pleasant hospitality each year.
This year’s flood of FAC enthusiasts began arriving on Tuesday
July 15, to get comfortably situated, to socialize, and to flight-test
their models before serious competition began on Thursday.
Several vendors arrived that day too, so they would be ready to set
up their displays the next morning.
Early in the afternoon on Wednesday, the doors to the Quality
Inn reception area opened and the static judging (and vending)
began. It continued until after 9 p.m., with hundreds of beautiful
models and their proud makers. A few of them included:
• Ted Allebone’s breathtaking Gotha G.IV.
• Bernard Dion’s Russian Belfagor 15 (a single-engine, jet-
This was the 30th FAC national competition and the 16th biennial FAC Nats. FAC members with perfect Nats attendance include
Ross Mayo, Jack Moses, Fernando Ramos, Juanita Reichel, and John Stott.
At this year’s contest:
• 135 contestants entered the competitions.
• 40 FAC events were flown.
• 1,029 official (timed) flights were recorded.
• 129 “maxes” (maximum-time-limit flights) were made.
• Contestants completed a total of 396 mass-launch flights.
Earl Stahl Award (Best Scale Model) Tom Hallman Junkers J 1
Walt Mooney Award (Best Peanut Model) Rich Weber Potez 29-2
Cole Palen Award (WW I Combat Winner) Stu Weckerly Grain Kitten
Earl Van Gorder Award (Best WW II Model) Mike Isermann Ki-61 “Tony”
Angus McSchadenfueher Award (Best FAC High Wing Cabin) Dave Mitchell Vega
Cat’s Ass Trophy (Best Scale Crash) Sal Cerrie Repaired model crushed
Bob Thompson Fiction Flyer Award (Best Fiction Flyer) John Stott Ace McCoy Trainer
Aerol Trophy Award (for Losers of Other Races) Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Grand Champion (Non-Scale) Don DeLoach
Grand Champion (Scale) Tom Hallman
Vic Didelot FAC Spirit Award Lin Reichel
Blue Max Awards: Roy Divis, John Hutchinson, Jim Hyka, Pete Kaiteris, Tim Lavender, Dave Mitchell, Mark Rzadca, George White
Founding Fathers Awards
FAC Peanut Scale: Gregg West
FAC Rubber Scale: Bernard Dion
Lin Reichel Memorial Mentor Award Pres Bruning
Milestones
100 FAC Victories: Wally Farrell, John Stott
300 FAC Victories: Jack McGillivray
FAC Hall of Fame Inductees Diane and Roy Courtney, Jim Fiorello, Stu Meyers, Dennis Norman
propelled, crop-duster biplane with two
high-aspect-ratio wings that has to be seen
to be believed).
• Clive Gamble’s innovative Sopwith
Camel.
• Vance Gilbert’s impressive Short S.26
floatplane.
• Tom Hallman’s gorgeous Junkers J 1
biplane (which won the Earl Stahl Award
for the best Scale model at the contest).
• Mike Isermann’s Ki-61 “Tony” (the Earl
Van Gorder Award [best World War II
model] winner).
• Dave Mitchell’s colorful Vega.
• Andrew Ricci’s twin-engine Arado Ar.440
(with a 30-inch wingspan and killer
nacelles).
• Tom Nallen II’s large and ungainly but
great-flying Pterodactyl (that was so ugly it
was beautiful).
• Chris Starleaf’s spectacular 37-inch-span
B-47 Stratojet bomber, powered by six
Rapier rocket motors.
• Mike Stuart’s four-engine Jumbo Scale
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy.
• Rich Weber’s Gunbus and award-winning
Potez 29-2 (best Peanut model).
I sincerely apologize for omitting so
many deserving modelers and their
creations.
The numerous vendors included FAC
GHQ (General Headquarters), with three
new commemorative T-shirts, caps,
merchandise, and estate items; Air Ace
Models’ (my company’s) colorful displays;
Campbell’s Custom Kits (Lee Campbell);
FAI Model Supply (John Clapp);
GizmoGeezer (Orv Olm); Rees Industries
(Dave and Marie Rees); Shorty’s Basement
(Carole and Dan Kane); Thomas Designs
(Greg Thomas); and Wilson’s Balsa (Dan
Wilson).
At roughly 10 p.m., after the static
judging, Greg Thornton (from Oswego, New
York, who is a United Airlines mechanic in
Chicago, Illinois) purchased a replica kit of
the Scientific Fury from Shorty’s Basement.
The 25-inch-span Fury was a favorite non-
Scale, rubber-powered model from the
1930s.
Greg cheerfully announced that he would
build and fly the model before the end of the
contest. He started it at 2:30 a.m. Thursday
morning and continued with his labors as
time permitted.
By Saturday morning, Greg had
completed the airframe. While at the field,
he began covering it with bright red/orange
Japanese tissue. By late afternoon he
gracefully launched the Scientific Fury into
thermal-filled air and nearly lost it in a
soaring flight over the immense field.
The flying site was unusually rough this
year; a major air show had been held there a
week before, and torrential rains during the
event left the field a rutted mess. In the hot
days before the FAC Nats, the ruts were
baked rock hard, and walking on them was
precarious.
The wind at the Nats came mostly from
the south and forced the contestants to set up
their tents along the field’s access road.
Most of the ruts from the air show were
north of that, so the flightline near the tents
was reasonably comfortable on which to
walk.
Another blessing was the fact that the
wind carried the models north across the
field and away from the cornfields that were
south of the access road. A few westerly
gusts during the contest forced some
modelers to search for their airplanes in the
potato patches east of the field.
The air on Thursday was beautiful, calm,
and filled with booming thermals. Friday
saw cloudy weather with scattered showers
and strangely unstable air. On Saturday, the
last day of the contest, the weather was
sunny but the wind was up.
One of the most impressive models at the
contest was Clive Gamble’s 22-inch-span
Sopwith Camel. In the December 2008 MA
FF Scale column, I wrote extensively about
this airplane and its dramatically shortened
peg-to-hook length of only 41/2 inches. It
flew a spectacular 1 minute, 45 seconds
and gave rise to much animated
conversation.
Another striking model was Chris
Starleaf’s B-47. Friday evening, he
attempted a flight with it using four inboard
Rapier motors. This required four
assistants: one to light each Rapier while
Chris held the bomber.
One of the motors failed to ignite on the
first attempt, but Chris saw the problem
and did not attempt to fly. After placing
four new Rapiers in the inboard nacelles,
all the motors ignited with a fiery orange
glow, and the model was launched into the
evening haze.
At first the Stratojet soared away in a
gentle, right-banking turn as smoke
billowed from its exhausts. Toward the end
of the flight, it stalled in a nose-up attitude
at an altitude of roughly 12 feet and then
flipped over and dove nose first into the
ground, breaking the right wing and tearing
off the engine pods.
To the amazement of onlookers, Chris
showed up the next day with the repaired
B-47 and attempted to fly it with all six
motors. With six volunteers’ help, all the
Rapiers ignited simultaneously.
Chris smoothly launched the B-47,
which initially rose in smoky glory. But
then, appearing overpowered, it went out of
control and crashed, breaking its nose and
both wings.
The Stratojet’s fate is uncertain, but
those who were present cheered Chris’s
brave attempt to push the envelope, as he
has done before. He is a bold, often
successful, innovator who is sure to
continue wowing the FAC with his daring
projects.
Bernard Dion’s incredible 19-inch-span
Belfagor 15 biplane was powered by only
one L2HP Rapier motor, but the highaspect-
ratio wings made flight-trimming
difficult. Bernard persisted and won Rapier
Jet Scale with a 35-second flight.
He danced like a joyful schoolboy when
it happened, and the crowd loved it. Another
flight of excellence was squeezed from an
improbable subject.
Rapier-powered entries increased from
eight at the 2006 FAC Nats to 28 at the 2008
contest. A couple of the most memorable
flights were those of the Belfagor 15 and
Steve Price’s Ukkie L-1 (a 16-inch-span
non-Scale subject derived from an old Jetex
design). It flew for 49 seconds Thursday
evening and won a $25 jackpot that the
participants created as an incentive.
Montreal, Canada’s Squadron 71
Harfane (Snowy Owl Squadron) attended
the contest under the leadership of Ronny
Gosselin and his irrepressible adjutant,
Bernard Dion. Other members included
Luke Martin (an engineer from France),
Steve Price (a sergeant in the Canadian
Army, who works teaching children’s
groups about model aviation in his spare
time), and the delightful Molly Gosselin
(Ronny’s daughter) with her handsome
Morane Saulnier M.S. 502 Cricket: a
French-built, radial-engined variant of the
Fieseler Storch.
Squadron 71’s special guests were
Maurice Taudevin (an engineer from
Brisbane, Australia, who found Squadron 71
via the Internet) and the lovely Christina
Hansson (a computer engineer from
Australia who accompanied Maurice). The
Snowy Owl Squadron adds grace, charm,
and joy to the event.
Another memorable flight occurred
Thursday, when the great Fernando Ramos
took an early-morning hop with his 41-inchspan
Jimmie Allen Sky Chief. Seconds after
taking to the air, the model threw a propeller
blade but continued flying serenely with
only a slight vibration from the out-ofbalance
propeller.
The improbable flight was timed, and the
“crippled” Sky Chief flew 1 minute, 55
seconds (one second short of a max) before
smoothly returning to earth.
AMA President Dave Mathewson was
present, and District III Vice President Bob
Brown attended with members of his family.
He gave some FF-style flying lessons to the
children, and they loved it.
Bob also chatted cheerfully with
contestants and mentioned that he had added
two associate vice presidents, Mark Radcliff
and Ken Karpinski, to better assist with
AMA services in his district (Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). Bob’s
presence at the contest was an example of
the AMA’s respect for the FAC movement.
At the Nats, my friend Wayne Perry of
Bath, Maine, introduced me to 92-year-old
Wayne Love. He worked as an engineer for
Bell Aircraft Corporation, specializing in
lofting and drafting.
In World War II, Love laid out Bell
designs, full scale, on the floor to guide the
engineers and craftsmen in building
prototypes. That is now done almost entirely
by computers.
Love also drew model aircraft plans for
Cleveland Models during and after World
War II. He drew 3/4-inch SF plans for the
Curtiss Seahawk, P-40, Lockheed Hudson
bomber, P-38 fighter, Martin B-26, and
others. He admitted that Cleveland designs
were often overstructured, but they provided
many hours of building pleasure and were
striking models for display, if not flying.
It was an honor to visit with Wayne Love.
We are enriched by the contributions he and
many others have made to our hobby.
The 2008 FAC Nats ended with a great
banquet at which the contestants, their
families, and their friends enjoyed a
delicious buffet. Afterward, there was a
delightful presentation of this year’s awards,
honors, and winners. See the sidebar for
details. There were also some special
presentations, including the distribution of
50 kits from the Lin Reichel Estate to
randomly selected banquet guests.
A colorful quilt that Bea Allebone, Janet
Lang, Elaine Welshans, and Diana Gregg
made from FAC T-shirts (including a couple
of Lin’s) was raffled off for $416 in
donations to the FAC. The winner was
Cloudbusters member Fred Wunsche, who
graciously donated the quilt to Lin’s widow,
Juanita Reichel, after the banquet.
Traditionally, the gifted Vance Gilbert
has been responsible for one of the most
beloved moments of the FAC banquets. He
is a successful folk singer who was the
opening act for late comedian George Carlin
last year.
Vance usually graces the crowd with a
musical interlude, but this year he appeared
in costume as Captain Rutherford Lincoln
Washington III, DFC, PAL, BMF, a 109-
year-old black aviator, and regaled us with
stories of “his” many accomplishments in
early aviation. In a hilarious mix of the
Marx Brothers, Amos ’n’ Andy, The Three
Stooges, Red Foxx, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby,
and others, Vance delighted the audience
with his high-spirited antics and cracks.
He incited waves of laughter and a
standing ovation as he left the stage. Vance
is a treasure and one of the people who
makes the FAC Spirit what it is.
Lin Reichel, the FAC’s beloved
commander in chief (C-in-C), went West on
June 16, 2008. His story is beyond the scope
of this article, but it will be the subject of a
special feature in the near future.
Lin served not only as the leader of the
FAC from 1980 until his passing, but also as
an outstanding example of dedication, hard
work, fairness, kindness, enthusiasm,
generosity, and patience, which are rare
leadership attributes. He can never be
replaced.
It is up to all of us to remember Lin’s
outstanding example and do our best to
continue his fine work. Lin’s devoted friend,
Ross Mayo, has been chosen as the new Cin-
C.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 19,20,21,22,23,24,26
CONTESTANTS FROM the US, Canada, England, and Australia
met at Geneseo, New York, July 16-19 to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Flying Aces Club (FAC) national competitions: FAC
Nats Mark XVI. This premier event ranks as the
largest of its kind in the world, but attendance
was down 10%—probably because of the
sagging US economy and high travel
costs.
However, the 135 contestants who
did make the pilgrimage were not
disappointed. Many times I overheard
people saying that the models are
getting better with each year and the
flight times are soaring.
FAC Rubber Scale Tom Hallman Do X
FAC Peanut Scale Gene Smith Tigercat
FAC Hi-Wing Peanut Scale Jeff Runnels Nesmith Cougar
FAC Jumbo Scale Chris Starleaf Savoia-Marchetti S.79
FAC Giant Scale Chris Starleaf Dash 8
FAC Powder Puff Scale Marie Rees Vega
FAC Old Time Kit Scale John Houck Fairchild 45
FAC Dime Scale Gene Smith Hawker Typhoon
Pioneer Scale Tom Hallman Blériot 25
WW I Combat Stu Meyers Grain Kitten
Golden Age Civil Scale Jack McGillivray Cessna C-38
Fairchild 24 Event Orville Olm Fairchild 24
Golden Age Military Scale Tom Hallman Mureaux fighter
WW II Combat Jim De Tar Curtiss SBC Helldiver
AT-6 Endurance Event Andrew Ricci AT-6
Modern Age Civil Scale Walt Farrell Navion
Modern Age Military Scale Don Srull MiG-15
Contra Prop Scale Tom Hallman Koolhoven F.K.5501
Shell Speed Dash Race Chris Starleaf Rider Firecracker
Thompson Trophy Race Chris Starleaf Cessna CR-3
Greve Race Al Lawton Mr. Smoothie
Aerol Trophy Race Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Blur Race Pete Kaiteris Jackrabbit
Goodyear/Formula Race Gene Smith Ricochet
FAC Fiction Flyer Scale Rich Weber Booth Ranger
FAC No-Cal Profile Scale John Stott Extra 400
Power Scale Single Engine Tom Hallman D.H.2
FAC Embryo Endurance Frank Romsome Chrysalis
FAC Old Time Stick Vic Nippert Thermalier
FAC Old Time Rubber Dan Driscoll Wren
FAC 2 Bit Plus 1 Don DeLoach Skokie
Old Time Rubber
FAC Jimmie Allen Event Don Srull Sky Raider
FAC Old Time Gas Replica Vic Nippert Aerobo
Rapier Jet Scale Bernard Dion Belfagor
Low Wing Trainer Scale Jim De Tar Moth Minor
AT-6 Mass Launch Andrew Ricci AT-6
French Design Tom Nallen Sr. Potez 34
GHQ Peanut Scale Al Lawton Folkerts SK-3
FAC Old Time Sparky Don DeLoach Sparky
FAC Rubber Powered Paul Boyanowski de Havilland Comet
Jet Scale
Flying Horde Mike Isermann
National FAC competition began in 1978 and has been held
annually, with the “Nats” alternating with the “Non-Nats.” From
1986 to the present, these contests have been held at the National
Warplane Museum, which is west (and within sight) of Geneseo,
New York. This town is home to the picturesque Geneseo State
University, which welcomes FACers to its comfortable dormitories
and pleasant hospitality each year.
This year’s flood of FAC enthusiasts began arriving on Tuesday
July 15, to get comfortably situated, to socialize, and to flight-test
their models before serious competition began on Thursday.
Several vendors arrived that day too, so they would be ready to set
up their displays the next morning.
Early in the afternoon on Wednesday, the doors to the Quality
Inn reception area opened and the static judging (and vending)
began. It continued until after 9 p.m., with hundreds of beautiful
models and their proud makers. A few of them included:
• Ted Allebone’s breathtaking Gotha G.IV.
• Bernard Dion’s Russian Belfagor 15 (a single-engine, jet-
This was the 30th FAC national competition and the 16th biennial FAC Nats. FAC members with perfect Nats attendance include
Ross Mayo, Jack Moses, Fernando Ramos, Juanita Reichel, and John Stott.
At this year’s contest:
• 135 contestants entered the competitions.
• 40 FAC events were flown.
• 1,029 official (timed) flights were recorded.
• 129 “maxes” (maximum-time-limit flights) were made.
• Contestants completed a total of 396 mass-launch flights.
Earl Stahl Award (Best Scale Model) Tom Hallman Junkers J 1
Walt Mooney Award (Best Peanut Model) Rich Weber Potez 29-2
Cole Palen Award (WW I Combat Winner) Stu Weckerly Grain Kitten
Earl Van Gorder Award (Best WW II Model) Mike Isermann Ki-61 “Tony”
Angus McSchadenfueher Award (Best FAC High Wing Cabin) Dave Mitchell Vega
Cat’s Ass Trophy (Best Scale Crash) Sal Cerrie Repaired model crushed
Bob Thompson Fiction Flyer Award (Best Fiction Flyer) John Stott Ace McCoy Trainer
Aerol Trophy Award (for Losers of Other Races) Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Grand Champion (Non-Scale) Don DeLoach
Grand Champion (Scale) Tom Hallman
Vic Didelot FAC Spirit Award Lin Reichel
Blue Max Awards: Roy Divis, John Hutchinson, Jim Hyka, Pete Kaiteris, Tim Lavender, Dave Mitchell, Mark Rzadca, George White
Founding Fathers Awards
FAC Peanut Scale: Gregg West
FAC Rubber Scale: Bernard Dion
Lin Reichel Memorial Mentor Award Pres Bruning
Milestones
100 FAC Victories: Wally Farrell, John Stott
300 FAC Victories: Jack McGillivray
FAC Hall of Fame Inductees Diane and Roy Courtney, Jim Fiorello, Stu Meyers, Dennis Norman
propelled, crop-duster biplane with two
high-aspect-ratio wings that has to be seen
to be believed).
• Clive Gamble’s innovative Sopwith
Camel.
• Vance Gilbert’s impressive Short S.26
floatplane.
• Tom Hallman’s gorgeous Junkers J 1
biplane (which won the Earl Stahl Award
for the best Scale model at the contest).
• Mike Isermann’s Ki-61 “Tony” (the Earl
Van Gorder Award [best World War II
model] winner).
• Dave Mitchell’s colorful Vega.
• Andrew Ricci’s twin-engine Arado Ar.440
(with a 30-inch wingspan and killer
nacelles).
• Tom Nallen II’s large and ungainly but
great-flying Pterodactyl (that was so ugly it
was beautiful).
• Chris Starleaf’s spectacular 37-inch-span
B-47 Stratojet bomber, powered by six
Rapier rocket motors.
• Mike Stuart’s four-engine Jumbo Scale
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy.
• Rich Weber’s Gunbus and award-winning
Potez 29-2 (best Peanut model).
I sincerely apologize for omitting so
many deserving modelers and their
creations.
The numerous vendors included FAC
GHQ (General Headquarters), with three
new commemorative T-shirts, caps,
merchandise, and estate items; Air Ace
Models’ (my company’s) colorful displays;
Campbell’s Custom Kits (Lee Campbell);
FAI Model Supply (John Clapp);
GizmoGeezer (Orv Olm); Rees Industries
(Dave and Marie Rees); Shorty’s Basement
(Carole and Dan Kane); Thomas Designs
(Greg Thomas); and Wilson’s Balsa (Dan
Wilson).
At roughly 10 p.m., after the static
judging, Greg Thornton (from Oswego, New
York, who is a United Airlines mechanic in
Chicago, Illinois) purchased a replica kit of
the Scientific Fury from Shorty’s Basement.
The 25-inch-span Fury was a favorite non-
Scale, rubber-powered model from the
1930s.
Greg cheerfully announced that he would
build and fly the model before the end of the
contest. He started it at 2:30 a.m. Thursday
morning and continued with his labors as
time permitted.
By Saturday morning, Greg had
completed the airframe. While at the field,
he began covering it with bright red/orange
Japanese tissue. By late afternoon he
gracefully launched the Scientific Fury into
thermal-filled air and nearly lost it in a
soaring flight over the immense field.
The flying site was unusually rough this
year; a major air show had been held there a
week before, and torrential rains during the
event left the field a rutted mess. In the hot
days before the FAC Nats, the ruts were
baked rock hard, and walking on them was
precarious.
The wind at the Nats came mostly from
the south and forced the contestants to set up
their tents along the field’s access road.
Most of the ruts from the air show were
north of that, so the flightline near the tents
was reasonably comfortable on which to
walk.
Another blessing was the fact that the
wind carried the models north across the
field and away from the cornfields that were
south of the access road. A few westerly
gusts during the contest forced some
modelers to search for their airplanes in the
potato patches east of the field.
The air on Thursday was beautiful, calm,
and filled with booming thermals. Friday
saw cloudy weather with scattered showers
and strangely unstable air. On Saturday, the
last day of the contest, the weather was
sunny but the wind was up.
One of the most impressive models at the
contest was Clive Gamble’s 22-inch-span
Sopwith Camel. In the December 2008 MA
FF Scale column, I wrote extensively about
this airplane and its dramatically shortened
peg-to-hook length of only 41/2 inches. It
flew a spectacular 1 minute, 45 seconds
and gave rise to much animated
conversation.
Another striking model was Chris
Starleaf’s B-47. Friday evening, he
attempted a flight with it using four inboard
Rapier motors. This required four
assistants: one to light each Rapier while
Chris held the bomber.
One of the motors failed to ignite on the
first attempt, but Chris saw the problem
and did not attempt to fly. After placing
four new Rapiers in the inboard nacelles,
all the motors ignited with a fiery orange
glow, and the model was launched into the
evening haze.
At first the Stratojet soared away in a
gentle, right-banking turn as smoke
billowed from its exhausts. Toward the end
of the flight, it stalled in a nose-up attitude
at an altitude of roughly 12 feet and then
flipped over and dove nose first into the
ground, breaking the right wing and tearing
off the engine pods.
To the amazement of onlookers, Chris
showed up the next day with the repaired
B-47 and attempted to fly it with all six
motors. With six volunteers’ help, all the
Rapiers ignited simultaneously.
Chris smoothly launched the B-47,
which initially rose in smoky glory. But
then, appearing overpowered, it went out of
control and crashed, breaking its nose and
both wings.
The Stratojet’s fate is uncertain, but
those who were present cheered Chris’s
brave attempt to push the envelope, as he
has done before. He is a bold, often
successful, innovator who is sure to
continue wowing the FAC with his daring
projects.
Bernard Dion’s incredible 19-inch-span
Belfagor 15 biplane was powered by only
one L2HP Rapier motor, but the highaspect-
ratio wings made flight-trimming
difficult. Bernard persisted and won Rapier
Jet Scale with a 35-second flight.
He danced like a joyful schoolboy when
it happened, and the crowd loved it. Another
flight of excellence was squeezed from an
improbable subject.
Rapier-powered entries increased from
eight at the 2006 FAC Nats to 28 at the 2008
contest. A couple of the most memorable
flights were those of the Belfagor 15 and
Steve Price’s Ukkie L-1 (a 16-inch-span
non-Scale subject derived from an old Jetex
design). It flew for 49 seconds Thursday
evening and won a $25 jackpot that the
participants created as an incentive.
Montreal, Canada’s Squadron 71
Harfane (Snowy Owl Squadron) attended
the contest under the leadership of Ronny
Gosselin and his irrepressible adjutant,
Bernard Dion. Other members included
Luke Martin (an engineer from France),
Steve Price (a sergeant in the Canadian
Army, who works teaching children’s
groups about model aviation in his spare
time), and the delightful Molly Gosselin
(Ronny’s daughter) with her handsome
Morane Saulnier M.S. 502 Cricket: a
French-built, radial-engined variant of the
Fieseler Storch.
Squadron 71’s special guests were
Maurice Taudevin (an engineer from
Brisbane, Australia, who found Squadron 71
via the Internet) and the lovely Christina
Hansson (a computer engineer from
Australia who accompanied Maurice). The
Snowy Owl Squadron adds grace, charm,
and joy to the event.
Another memorable flight occurred
Thursday, when the great Fernando Ramos
took an early-morning hop with his 41-inchspan
Jimmie Allen Sky Chief. Seconds after
taking to the air, the model threw a propeller
blade but continued flying serenely with
only a slight vibration from the out-ofbalance
propeller.
The improbable flight was timed, and the
“crippled” Sky Chief flew 1 minute, 55
seconds (one second short of a max) before
smoothly returning to earth.
AMA President Dave Mathewson was
present, and District III Vice President Bob
Brown attended with members of his family.
He gave some FF-style flying lessons to the
children, and they loved it.
Bob also chatted cheerfully with
contestants and mentioned that he had added
two associate vice presidents, Mark Radcliff
and Ken Karpinski, to better assist with
AMA services in his district (Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). Bob’s
presence at the contest was an example of
the AMA’s respect for the FAC movement.
At the Nats, my friend Wayne Perry of
Bath, Maine, introduced me to 92-year-old
Wayne Love. He worked as an engineer for
Bell Aircraft Corporation, specializing in
lofting and drafting.
In World War II, Love laid out Bell
designs, full scale, on the floor to guide the
engineers and craftsmen in building
prototypes. That is now done almost entirely
by computers.
Love also drew model aircraft plans for
Cleveland Models during and after World
War II. He drew 3/4-inch SF plans for the
Curtiss Seahawk, P-40, Lockheed Hudson
bomber, P-38 fighter, Martin B-26, and
others. He admitted that Cleveland designs
were often overstructured, but they provided
many hours of building pleasure and were
striking models for display, if not flying.
It was an honor to visit with Wayne Love.
We are enriched by the contributions he and
many others have made to our hobby.
The 2008 FAC Nats ended with a great
banquet at which the contestants, their
families, and their friends enjoyed a
delicious buffet. Afterward, there was a
delightful presentation of this year’s awards,
honors, and winners. See the sidebar for
details. There were also some special
presentations, including the distribution of
50 kits from the Lin Reichel Estate to
randomly selected banquet guests.
A colorful quilt that Bea Allebone, Janet
Lang, Elaine Welshans, and Diana Gregg
made from FAC T-shirts (including a couple
of Lin’s) was raffled off for $416 in
donations to the FAC. The winner was
Cloudbusters member Fred Wunsche, who
graciously donated the quilt to Lin’s widow,
Juanita Reichel, after the banquet.
Traditionally, the gifted Vance Gilbert
has been responsible for one of the most
beloved moments of the FAC banquets. He
is a successful folk singer who was the
opening act for late comedian George Carlin
last year.
Vance usually graces the crowd with a
musical interlude, but this year he appeared
in costume as Captain Rutherford Lincoln
Washington III, DFC, PAL, BMF, a 109-
year-old black aviator, and regaled us with
stories of “his” many accomplishments in
early aviation. In a hilarious mix of the
Marx Brothers, Amos ’n’ Andy, The Three
Stooges, Red Foxx, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby,
and others, Vance delighted the audience
with his high-spirited antics and cracks.
He incited waves of laughter and a
standing ovation as he left the stage. Vance
is a treasure and one of the people who
makes the FAC Spirit what it is.
Lin Reichel, the FAC’s beloved
commander in chief (C-in-C), went West on
June 16, 2008. His story is beyond the scope
of this article, but it will be the subject of a
special feature in the near future.
Lin served not only as the leader of the
FAC from 1980 until his passing, but also as
an outstanding example of dedication, hard
work, fairness, kindness, enthusiasm,
generosity, and patience, which are rare
leadership attributes. He can never be
replaced.
It is up to all of us to remember Lin’s
outstanding example and do our best to
continue his fine work. Lin’s devoted friend,
Ross Mayo, has been chosen as the new Cin-
C.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 19,20,21,22,23,24,26
CONTESTANTS FROM the US, Canada, England, and Australia
met at Geneseo, New York, July 16-19 to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Flying Aces Club (FAC) national competitions: FAC
Nats Mark XVI. This premier event ranks as the
largest of its kind in the world, but attendance
was down 10%—probably because of the
sagging US economy and high travel
costs.
However, the 135 contestants who
did make the pilgrimage were not
disappointed. Many times I overheard
people saying that the models are
getting better with each year and the
flight times are soaring.
FAC Rubber Scale Tom Hallman Do X
FAC Peanut Scale Gene Smith Tigercat
FAC Hi-Wing Peanut Scale Jeff Runnels Nesmith Cougar
FAC Jumbo Scale Chris Starleaf Savoia-Marchetti S.79
FAC Giant Scale Chris Starleaf Dash 8
FAC Powder Puff Scale Marie Rees Vega
FAC Old Time Kit Scale John Houck Fairchild 45
FAC Dime Scale Gene Smith Hawker Typhoon
Pioneer Scale Tom Hallman Blériot 25
WW I Combat Stu Meyers Grain Kitten
Golden Age Civil Scale Jack McGillivray Cessna C-38
Fairchild 24 Event Orville Olm Fairchild 24
Golden Age Military Scale Tom Hallman Mureaux fighter
WW II Combat Jim De Tar Curtiss SBC Helldiver
AT-6 Endurance Event Andrew Ricci AT-6
Modern Age Civil Scale Walt Farrell Navion
Modern Age Military Scale Don Srull MiG-15
Contra Prop Scale Tom Hallman Koolhoven F.K.5501
Shell Speed Dash Race Chris Starleaf Rider Firecracker
Thompson Trophy Race Chris Starleaf Cessna CR-3
Greve Race Al Lawton Mr. Smoothie
Aerol Trophy Race Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Blur Race Pete Kaiteris Jackrabbit
Goodyear/Formula Race Gene Smith Ricochet
FAC Fiction Flyer Scale Rich Weber Booth Ranger
FAC No-Cal Profile Scale John Stott Extra 400
Power Scale Single Engine Tom Hallman D.H.2
FAC Embryo Endurance Frank Romsome Chrysalis
FAC Old Time Stick Vic Nippert Thermalier
FAC Old Time Rubber Dan Driscoll Wren
FAC 2 Bit Plus 1 Don DeLoach Skokie
Old Time Rubber
FAC Jimmie Allen Event Don Srull Sky Raider
FAC Old Time Gas Replica Vic Nippert Aerobo
Rapier Jet Scale Bernard Dion Belfagor
Low Wing Trainer Scale Jim De Tar Moth Minor
AT-6 Mass Launch Andrew Ricci AT-6
French Design Tom Nallen Sr. Potez 34
GHQ Peanut Scale Al Lawton Folkerts SK-3
FAC Old Time Sparky Don DeLoach Sparky
FAC Rubber Powered Paul Boyanowski de Havilland Comet
Jet Scale
Flying Horde Mike Isermann
National FAC competition began in 1978 and has been held
annually, with the “Nats” alternating with the “Non-Nats.” From
1986 to the present, these contests have been held at the National
Warplane Museum, which is west (and within sight) of Geneseo,
New York. This town is home to the picturesque Geneseo State
University, which welcomes FACers to its comfortable dormitories
and pleasant hospitality each year.
This year’s flood of FAC enthusiasts began arriving on Tuesday
July 15, to get comfortably situated, to socialize, and to flight-test
their models before serious competition began on Thursday.
Several vendors arrived that day too, so they would be ready to set
up their displays the next morning.
Early in the afternoon on Wednesday, the doors to the Quality
Inn reception area opened and the static judging (and vending)
began. It continued until after 9 p.m., with hundreds of beautiful
models and their proud makers. A few of them included:
• Ted Allebone’s breathtaking Gotha G.IV.
• Bernard Dion’s Russian Belfagor 15 (a single-engine, jet-
This was the 30th FAC national competition and the 16th biennial FAC Nats. FAC members with perfect Nats attendance include
Ross Mayo, Jack Moses, Fernando Ramos, Juanita Reichel, and John Stott.
At this year’s contest:
• 135 contestants entered the competitions.
• 40 FAC events were flown.
• 1,029 official (timed) flights were recorded.
• 129 “maxes” (maximum-time-limit flights) were made.
• Contestants completed a total of 396 mass-launch flights.
Earl Stahl Award (Best Scale Model) Tom Hallman Junkers J 1
Walt Mooney Award (Best Peanut Model) Rich Weber Potez 29-2
Cole Palen Award (WW I Combat Winner) Stu Weckerly Grain Kitten
Earl Van Gorder Award (Best WW II Model) Mike Isermann Ki-61 “Tony”
Angus McSchadenfueher Award (Best FAC High Wing Cabin) Dave Mitchell Vega
Cat’s Ass Trophy (Best Scale Crash) Sal Cerrie Repaired model crushed
Bob Thompson Fiction Flyer Award (Best Fiction Flyer) John Stott Ace McCoy Trainer
Aerol Trophy Award (for Losers of Other Races) Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Grand Champion (Non-Scale) Don DeLoach
Grand Champion (Scale) Tom Hallman
Vic Didelot FAC Spirit Award Lin Reichel
Blue Max Awards: Roy Divis, John Hutchinson, Jim Hyka, Pete Kaiteris, Tim Lavender, Dave Mitchell, Mark Rzadca, George White
Founding Fathers Awards
FAC Peanut Scale: Gregg West
FAC Rubber Scale: Bernard Dion
Lin Reichel Memorial Mentor Award Pres Bruning
Milestones
100 FAC Victories: Wally Farrell, John Stott
300 FAC Victories: Jack McGillivray
FAC Hall of Fame Inductees Diane and Roy Courtney, Jim Fiorello, Stu Meyers, Dennis Norman
propelled, crop-duster biplane with two
high-aspect-ratio wings that has to be seen
to be believed).
• Clive Gamble’s innovative Sopwith
Camel.
• Vance Gilbert’s impressive Short S.26
floatplane.
• Tom Hallman’s gorgeous Junkers J 1
biplane (which won the Earl Stahl Award
for the best Scale model at the contest).
• Mike Isermann’s Ki-61 “Tony” (the Earl
Van Gorder Award [best World War II
model] winner).
• Dave Mitchell’s colorful Vega.
• Andrew Ricci’s twin-engine Arado Ar.440
(with a 30-inch wingspan and killer
nacelles).
• Tom Nallen II’s large and ungainly but
great-flying Pterodactyl (that was so ugly it
was beautiful).
• Chris Starleaf’s spectacular 37-inch-span
B-47 Stratojet bomber, powered by six
Rapier rocket motors.
• Mike Stuart’s four-engine Jumbo Scale
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy.
• Rich Weber’s Gunbus and award-winning
Potez 29-2 (best Peanut model).
I sincerely apologize for omitting so
many deserving modelers and their
creations.
The numerous vendors included FAC
GHQ (General Headquarters), with three
new commemorative T-shirts, caps,
merchandise, and estate items; Air Ace
Models’ (my company’s) colorful displays;
Campbell’s Custom Kits (Lee Campbell);
FAI Model Supply (John Clapp);
GizmoGeezer (Orv Olm); Rees Industries
(Dave and Marie Rees); Shorty’s Basement
(Carole and Dan Kane); Thomas Designs
(Greg Thomas); and Wilson’s Balsa (Dan
Wilson).
At roughly 10 p.m., after the static
judging, Greg Thornton (from Oswego, New
York, who is a United Airlines mechanic in
Chicago, Illinois) purchased a replica kit of
the Scientific Fury from Shorty’s Basement.
The 25-inch-span Fury was a favorite non-
Scale, rubber-powered model from the
1930s.
Greg cheerfully announced that he would
build and fly the model before the end of the
contest. He started it at 2:30 a.m. Thursday
morning and continued with his labors as
time permitted.
By Saturday morning, Greg had
completed the airframe. While at the field,
he began covering it with bright red/orange
Japanese tissue. By late afternoon he
gracefully launched the Scientific Fury into
thermal-filled air and nearly lost it in a
soaring flight over the immense field.
The flying site was unusually rough this
year; a major air show had been held there a
week before, and torrential rains during the
event left the field a rutted mess. In the hot
days before the FAC Nats, the ruts were
baked rock hard, and walking on them was
precarious.
The wind at the Nats came mostly from
the south and forced the contestants to set up
their tents along the field’s access road.
Most of the ruts from the air show were
north of that, so the flightline near the tents
was reasonably comfortable on which to
walk.
Another blessing was the fact that the
wind carried the models north across the
field and away from the cornfields that were
south of the access road. A few westerly
gusts during the contest forced some
modelers to search for their airplanes in the
potato patches east of the field.
The air on Thursday was beautiful, calm,
and filled with booming thermals. Friday
saw cloudy weather with scattered showers
and strangely unstable air. On Saturday, the
last day of the contest, the weather was
sunny but the wind was up.
One of the most impressive models at the
contest was Clive Gamble’s 22-inch-span
Sopwith Camel. In the December 2008 MA
FF Scale column, I wrote extensively about
this airplane and its dramatically shortened
peg-to-hook length of only 41/2 inches. It
flew a spectacular 1 minute, 45 seconds
and gave rise to much animated
conversation.
Another striking model was Chris
Starleaf’s B-47. Friday evening, he
attempted a flight with it using four inboard
Rapier motors. This required four
assistants: one to light each Rapier while
Chris held the bomber.
One of the motors failed to ignite on the
first attempt, but Chris saw the problem
and did not attempt to fly. After placing
four new Rapiers in the inboard nacelles,
all the motors ignited with a fiery orange
glow, and the model was launched into the
evening haze.
At first the Stratojet soared away in a
gentle, right-banking turn as smoke
billowed from its exhausts. Toward the end
of the flight, it stalled in a nose-up attitude
at an altitude of roughly 12 feet and then
flipped over and dove nose first into the
ground, breaking the right wing and tearing
off the engine pods.
To the amazement of onlookers, Chris
showed up the next day with the repaired
B-47 and attempted to fly it with all six
motors. With six volunteers’ help, all the
Rapiers ignited simultaneously.
Chris smoothly launched the B-47,
which initially rose in smoky glory. But
then, appearing overpowered, it went out of
control and crashed, breaking its nose and
both wings.
The Stratojet’s fate is uncertain, but
those who were present cheered Chris’s
brave attempt to push the envelope, as he
has done before. He is a bold, often
successful, innovator who is sure to
continue wowing the FAC with his daring
projects.
Bernard Dion’s incredible 19-inch-span
Belfagor 15 biplane was powered by only
one L2HP Rapier motor, but the highaspect-
ratio wings made flight-trimming
difficult. Bernard persisted and won Rapier
Jet Scale with a 35-second flight.
He danced like a joyful schoolboy when
it happened, and the crowd loved it. Another
flight of excellence was squeezed from an
improbable subject.
Rapier-powered entries increased from
eight at the 2006 FAC Nats to 28 at the 2008
contest. A couple of the most memorable
flights were those of the Belfagor 15 and
Steve Price’s Ukkie L-1 (a 16-inch-span
non-Scale subject derived from an old Jetex
design). It flew for 49 seconds Thursday
evening and won a $25 jackpot that the
participants created as an incentive.
Montreal, Canada’s Squadron 71
Harfane (Snowy Owl Squadron) attended
the contest under the leadership of Ronny
Gosselin and his irrepressible adjutant,
Bernard Dion. Other members included
Luke Martin (an engineer from France),
Steve Price (a sergeant in the Canadian
Army, who works teaching children’s
groups about model aviation in his spare
time), and the delightful Molly Gosselin
(Ronny’s daughter) with her handsome
Morane Saulnier M.S. 502 Cricket: a
French-built, radial-engined variant of the
Fieseler Storch.
Squadron 71’s special guests were
Maurice Taudevin (an engineer from
Brisbane, Australia, who found Squadron 71
via the Internet) and the lovely Christina
Hansson (a computer engineer from
Australia who accompanied Maurice). The
Snowy Owl Squadron adds grace, charm,
and joy to the event.
Another memorable flight occurred
Thursday, when the great Fernando Ramos
took an early-morning hop with his 41-inchspan
Jimmie Allen Sky Chief. Seconds after
taking to the air, the model threw a propeller
blade but continued flying serenely with
only a slight vibration from the out-ofbalance
propeller.
The improbable flight was timed, and the
“crippled” Sky Chief flew 1 minute, 55
seconds (one second short of a max) before
smoothly returning to earth.
AMA President Dave Mathewson was
present, and District III Vice President Bob
Brown attended with members of his family.
He gave some FF-style flying lessons to the
children, and they loved it.
Bob also chatted cheerfully with
contestants and mentioned that he had added
two associate vice presidents, Mark Radcliff
and Ken Karpinski, to better assist with
AMA services in his district (Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). Bob’s
presence at the contest was an example of
the AMA’s respect for the FAC movement.
At the Nats, my friend Wayne Perry of
Bath, Maine, introduced me to 92-year-old
Wayne Love. He worked as an engineer for
Bell Aircraft Corporation, specializing in
lofting and drafting.
In World War II, Love laid out Bell
designs, full scale, on the floor to guide the
engineers and craftsmen in building
prototypes. That is now done almost entirely
by computers.
Love also drew model aircraft plans for
Cleveland Models during and after World
War II. He drew 3/4-inch SF plans for the
Curtiss Seahawk, P-40, Lockheed Hudson
bomber, P-38 fighter, Martin B-26, and
others. He admitted that Cleveland designs
were often overstructured, but they provided
many hours of building pleasure and were
striking models for display, if not flying.
It was an honor to visit with Wayne Love.
We are enriched by the contributions he and
many others have made to our hobby.
The 2008 FAC Nats ended with a great
banquet at which the contestants, their
families, and their friends enjoyed a
delicious buffet. Afterward, there was a
delightful presentation of this year’s awards,
honors, and winners. See the sidebar for
details. There were also some special
presentations, including the distribution of
50 kits from the Lin Reichel Estate to
randomly selected banquet guests.
A colorful quilt that Bea Allebone, Janet
Lang, Elaine Welshans, and Diana Gregg
made from FAC T-shirts (including a couple
of Lin’s) was raffled off for $416 in
donations to the FAC. The winner was
Cloudbusters member Fred Wunsche, who
graciously donated the quilt to Lin’s widow,
Juanita Reichel, after the banquet.
Traditionally, the gifted Vance Gilbert
has been responsible for one of the most
beloved moments of the FAC banquets. He
is a successful folk singer who was the
opening act for late comedian George Carlin
last year.
Vance usually graces the crowd with a
musical interlude, but this year he appeared
in costume as Captain Rutherford Lincoln
Washington III, DFC, PAL, BMF, a 109-
year-old black aviator, and regaled us with
stories of “his” many accomplishments in
early aviation. In a hilarious mix of the
Marx Brothers, Amos ’n’ Andy, The Three
Stooges, Red Foxx, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby,
and others, Vance delighted the audience
with his high-spirited antics and cracks.
He incited waves of laughter and a
standing ovation as he left the stage. Vance
is a treasure and one of the people who
makes the FAC Spirit what it is.
Lin Reichel, the FAC’s beloved
commander in chief (C-in-C), went West on
June 16, 2008. His story is beyond the scope
of this article, but it will be the subject of a
special feature in the near future.
Lin served not only as the leader of the
FAC from 1980 until his passing, but also as
an outstanding example of dedication, hard
work, fairness, kindness, enthusiasm,
generosity, and patience, which are rare
leadership attributes. He can never be
replaced.
It is up to all of us to remember Lin’s
outstanding example and do our best to
continue his fine work. Lin’s devoted friend,
Ross Mayo, has been chosen as the new Cin-
C.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 19,20,21,22,23,24,26
CONTESTANTS FROM the US, Canada, England, and Australia
met at Geneseo, New York, July 16-19 to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Flying Aces Club (FAC) national competitions: FAC
Nats Mark XVI. This premier event ranks as the
largest of its kind in the world, but attendance
was down 10%—probably because of the
sagging US economy and high travel
costs.
However, the 135 contestants who
did make the pilgrimage were not
disappointed. Many times I overheard
people saying that the models are
getting better with each year and the
flight times are soaring.
FAC Rubber Scale Tom Hallman Do X
FAC Peanut Scale Gene Smith Tigercat
FAC Hi-Wing Peanut Scale Jeff Runnels Nesmith Cougar
FAC Jumbo Scale Chris Starleaf Savoia-Marchetti S.79
FAC Giant Scale Chris Starleaf Dash 8
FAC Powder Puff Scale Marie Rees Vega
FAC Old Time Kit Scale John Houck Fairchild 45
FAC Dime Scale Gene Smith Hawker Typhoon
Pioneer Scale Tom Hallman Blériot 25
WW I Combat Stu Meyers Grain Kitten
Golden Age Civil Scale Jack McGillivray Cessna C-38
Fairchild 24 Event Orville Olm Fairchild 24
Golden Age Military Scale Tom Hallman Mureaux fighter
WW II Combat Jim De Tar Curtiss SBC Helldiver
AT-6 Endurance Event Andrew Ricci AT-6
Modern Age Civil Scale Walt Farrell Navion
Modern Age Military Scale Don Srull MiG-15
Contra Prop Scale Tom Hallman Koolhoven F.K.5501
Shell Speed Dash Race Chris Starleaf Rider Firecracker
Thompson Trophy Race Chris Starleaf Cessna CR-3
Greve Race Al Lawton Mr. Smoothie
Aerol Trophy Race Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Blur Race Pete Kaiteris Jackrabbit
Goodyear/Formula Race Gene Smith Ricochet
FAC Fiction Flyer Scale Rich Weber Booth Ranger
FAC No-Cal Profile Scale John Stott Extra 400
Power Scale Single Engine Tom Hallman D.H.2
FAC Embryo Endurance Frank Romsome Chrysalis
FAC Old Time Stick Vic Nippert Thermalier
FAC Old Time Rubber Dan Driscoll Wren
FAC 2 Bit Plus 1 Don DeLoach Skokie
Old Time Rubber
FAC Jimmie Allen Event Don Srull Sky Raider
FAC Old Time Gas Replica Vic Nippert Aerobo
Rapier Jet Scale Bernard Dion Belfagor
Low Wing Trainer Scale Jim De Tar Moth Minor
AT-6 Mass Launch Andrew Ricci AT-6
French Design Tom Nallen Sr. Potez 34
GHQ Peanut Scale Al Lawton Folkerts SK-3
FAC Old Time Sparky Don DeLoach Sparky
FAC Rubber Powered Paul Boyanowski de Havilland Comet
Jet Scale
Flying Horde Mike Isermann
National FAC competition began in 1978 and has been held
annually, with the “Nats” alternating with the “Non-Nats.” From
1986 to the present, these contests have been held at the National
Warplane Museum, which is west (and within sight) of Geneseo,
New York. This town is home to the picturesque Geneseo State
University, which welcomes FACers to its comfortable dormitories
and pleasant hospitality each year.
This year’s flood of FAC enthusiasts began arriving on Tuesday
July 15, to get comfortably situated, to socialize, and to flight-test
their models before serious competition began on Thursday.
Several vendors arrived that day too, so they would be ready to set
up their displays the next morning.
Early in the afternoon on Wednesday, the doors to the Quality
Inn reception area opened and the static judging (and vending)
began. It continued until after 9 p.m., with hundreds of beautiful
models and their proud makers. A few of them included:
• Ted Allebone’s breathtaking Gotha G.IV.
• Bernard Dion’s Russian Belfagor 15 (a single-engine, jet-
This was the 30th FAC national competition and the 16th biennial FAC Nats. FAC members with perfect Nats attendance include
Ross Mayo, Jack Moses, Fernando Ramos, Juanita Reichel, and John Stott.
At this year’s contest:
• 135 contestants entered the competitions.
• 40 FAC events were flown.
• 1,029 official (timed) flights were recorded.
• 129 “maxes” (maximum-time-limit flights) were made.
• Contestants completed a total of 396 mass-launch flights.
Earl Stahl Award (Best Scale Model) Tom Hallman Junkers J 1
Walt Mooney Award (Best Peanut Model) Rich Weber Potez 29-2
Cole Palen Award (WW I Combat Winner) Stu Weckerly Grain Kitten
Earl Van Gorder Award (Best WW II Model) Mike Isermann Ki-61 “Tony”
Angus McSchadenfueher Award (Best FAC High Wing Cabin) Dave Mitchell Vega
Cat’s Ass Trophy (Best Scale Crash) Sal Cerrie Repaired model crushed
Bob Thompson Fiction Flyer Award (Best Fiction Flyer) John Stott Ace McCoy Trainer
Aerol Trophy Award (for Losers of Other Races) Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Grand Champion (Non-Scale) Don DeLoach
Grand Champion (Scale) Tom Hallman
Vic Didelot FAC Spirit Award Lin Reichel
Blue Max Awards: Roy Divis, John Hutchinson, Jim Hyka, Pete Kaiteris, Tim Lavender, Dave Mitchell, Mark Rzadca, George White
Founding Fathers Awards
FAC Peanut Scale: Gregg West
FAC Rubber Scale: Bernard Dion
Lin Reichel Memorial Mentor Award Pres Bruning
Milestones
100 FAC Victories: Wally Farrell, John Stott
300 FAC Victories: Jack McGillivray
FAC Hall of Fame Inductees Diane and Roy Courtney, Jim Fiorello, Stu Meyers, Dennis Norman
propelled, crop-duster biplane with two
high-aspect-ratio wings that has to be seen
to be believed).
• Clive Gamble’s innovative Sopwith
Camel.
• Vance Gilbert’s impressive Short S.26
floatplane.
• Tom Hallman’s gorgeous Junkers J 1
biplane (which won the Earl Stahl Award
for the best Scale model at the contest).
• Mike Isermann’s Ki-61 “Tony” (the Earl
Van Gorder Award [best World War II
model] winner).
• Dave Mitchell’s colorful Vega.
• Andrew Ricci’s twin-engine Arado Ar.440
(with a 30-inch wingspan and killer
nacelles).
• Tom Nallen II’s large and ungainly but
great-flying Pterodactyl (that was so ugly it
was beautiful).
• Chris Starleaf’s spectacular 37-inch-span
B-47 Stratojet bomber, powered by six
Rapier rocket motors.
• Mike Stuart’s four-engine Jumbo Scale
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy.
• Rich Weber’s Gunbus and award-winning
Potez 29-2 (best Peanut model).
I sincerely apologize for omitting so
many deserving modelers and their
creations.
The numerous vendors included FAC
GHQ (General Headquarters), with three
new commemorative T-shirts, caps,
merchandise, and estate items; Air Ace
Models’ (my company’s) colorful displays;
Campbell’s Custom Kits (Lee Campbell);
FAI Model Supply (John Clapp);
GizmoGeezer (Orv Olm); Rees Industries
(Dave and Marie Rees); Shorty’s Basement
(Carole and Dan Kane); Thomas Designs
(Greg Thomas); and Wilson’s Balsa (Dan
Wilson).
At roughly 10 p.m., after the static
judging, Greg Thornton (from Oswego, New
York, who is a United Airlines mechanic in
Chicago, Illinois) purchased a replica kit of
the Scientific Fury from Shorty’s Basement.
The 25-inch-span Fury was a favorite non-
Scale, rubber-powered model from the
1930s.
Greg cheerfully announced that he would
build and fly the model before the end of the
contest. He started it at 2:30 a.m. Thursday
morning and continued with his labors as
time permitted.
By Saturday morning, Greg had
completed the airframe. While at the field,
he began covering it with bright red/orange
Japanese tissue. By late afternoon he
gracefully launched the Scientific Fury into
thermal-filled air and nearly lost it in a
soaring flight over the immense field.
The flying site was unusually rough this
year; a major air show had been held there a
week before, and torrential rains during the
event left the field a rutted mess. In the hot
days before the FAC Nats, the ruts were
baked rock hard, and walking on them was
precarious.
The wind at the Nats came mostly from
the south and forced the contestants to set up
their tents along the field’s access road.
Most of the ruts from the air show were
north of that, so the flightline near the tents
was reasonably comfortable on which to
walk.
Another blessing was the fact that the
wind carried the models north across the
field and away from the cornfields that were
south of the access road. A few westerly
gusts during the contest forced some
modelers to search for their airplanes in the
potato patches east of the field.
The air on Thursday was beautiful, calm,
and filled with booming thermals. Friday
saw cloudy weather with scattered showers
and strangely unstable air. On Saturday, the
last day of the contest, the weather was
sunny but the wind was up.
One of the most impressive models at the
contest was Clive Gamble’s 22-inch-span
Sopwith Camel. In the December 2008 MA
FF Scale column, I wrote extensively about
this airplane and its dramatically shortened
peg-to-hook length of only 41/2 inches. It
flew a spectacular 1 minute, 45 seconds
and gave rise to much animated
conversation.
Another striking model was Chris
Starleaf’s B-47. Friday evening, he
attempted a flight with it using four inboard
Rapier motors. This required four
assistants: one to light each Rapier while
Chris held the bomber.
One of the motors failed to ignite on the
first attempt, but Chris saw the problem
and did not attempt to fly. After placing
four new Rapiers in the inboard nacelles,
all the motors ignited with a fiery orange
glow, and the model was launched into the
evening haze.
At first the Stratojet soared away in a
gentle, right-banking turn as smoke
billowed from its exhausts. Toward the end
of the flight, it stalled in a nose-up attitude
at an altitude of roughly 12 feet and then
flipped over and dove nose first into the
ground, breaking the right wing and tearing
off the engine pods.
To the amazement of onlookers, Chris
showed up the next day with the repaired
B-47 and attempted to fly it with all six
motors. With six volunteers’ help, all the
Rapiers ignited simultaneously.
Chris smoothly launched the B-47,
which initially rose in smoky glory. But
then, appearing overpowered, it went out of
control and crashed, breaking its nose and
both wings.
The Stratojet’s fate is uncertain, but
those who were present cheered Chris’s
brave attempt to push the envelope, as he
has done before. He is a bold, often
successful, innovator who is sure to
continue wowing the FAC with his daring
projects.
Bernard Dion’s incredible 19-inch-span
Belfagor 15 biplane was powered by only
one L2HP Rapier motor, but the highaspect-
ratio wings made flight-trimming
difficult. Bernard persisted and won Rapier
Jet Scale with a 35-second flight.
He danced like a joyful schoolboy when
it happened, and the crowd loved it. Another
flight of excellence was squeezed from an
improbable subject.
Rapier-powered entries increased from
eight at the 2006 FAC Nats to 28 at the 2008
contest. A couple of the most memorable
flights were those of the Belfagor 15 and
Steve Price’s Ukkie L-1 (a 16-inch-span
non-Scale subject derived from an old Jetex
design). It flew for 49 seconds Thursday
evening and won a $25 jackpot that the
participants created as an incentive.
Montreal, Canada’s Squadron 71
Harfane (Snowy Owl Squadron) attended
the contest under the leadership of Ronny
Gosselin and his irrepressible adjutant,
Bernard Dion. Other members included
Luke Martin (an engineer from France),
Steve Price (a sergeant in the Canadian
Army, who works teaching children’s
groups about model aviation in his spare
time), and the delightful Molly Gosselin
(Ronny’s daughter) with her handsome
Morane Saulnier M.S. 502 Cricket: a
French-built, radial-engined variant of the
Fieseler Storch.
Squadron 71’s special guests were
Maurice Taudevin (an engineer from
Brisbane, Australia, who found Squadron 71
via the Internet) and the lovely Christina
Hansson (a computer engineer from
Australia who accompanied Maurice). The
Snowy Owl Squadron adds grace, charm,
and joy to the event.
Another memorable flight occurred
Thursday, when the great Fernando Ramos
took an early-morning hop with his 41-inchspan
Jimmie Allen Sky Chief. Seconds after
taking to the air, the model threw a propeller
blade but continued flying serenely with
only a slight vibration from the out-ofbalance
propeller.
The improbable flight was timed, and the
“crippled” Sky Chief flew 1 minute, 55
seconds (one second short of a max) before
smoothly returning to earth.
AMA President Dave Mathewson was
present, and District III Vice President Bob
Brown attended with members of his family.
He gave some FF-style flying lessons to the
children, and they loved it.
Bob also chatted cheerfully with
contestants and mentioned that he had added
two associate vice presidents, Mark Radcliff
and Ken Karpinski, to better assist with
AMA services in his district (Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). Bob’s
presence at the contest was an example of
the AMA’s respect for the FAC movement.
At the Nats, my friend Wayne Perry of
Bath, Maine, introduced me to 92-year-old
Wayne Love. He worked as an engineer for
Bell Aircraft Corporation, specializing in
lofting and drafting.
In World War II, Love laid out Bell
designs, full scale, on the floor to guide the
engineers and craftsmen in building
prototypes. That is now done almost entirely
by computers.
Love also drew model aircraft plans for
Cleveland Models during and after World
War II. He drew 3/4-inch SF plans for the
Curtiss Seahawk, P-40, Lockheed Hudson
bomber, P-38 fighter, Martin B-26, and
others. He admitted that Cleveland designs
were often overstructured, but they provided
many hours of building pleasure and were
striking models for display, if not flying.
It was an honor to visit with Wayne Love.
We are enriched by the contributions he and
many others have made to our hobby.
The 2008 FAC Nats ended with a great
banquet at which the contestants, their
families, and their friends enjoyed a
delicious buffet. Afterward, there was a
delightful presentation of this year’s awards,
honors, and winners. See the sidebar for
details. There were also some special
presentations, including the distribution of
50 kits from the Lin Reichel Estate to
randomly selected banquet guests.
A colorful quilt that Bea Allebone, Janet
Lang, Elaine Welshans, and Diana Gregg
made from FAC T-shirts (including a couple
of Lin’s) was raffled off for $416 in
donations to the FAC. The winner was
Cloudbusters member Fred Wunsche, who
graciously donated the quilt to Lin’s widow,
Juanita Reichel, after the banquet.
Traditionally, the gifted Vance Gilbert
has been responsible for one of the most
beloved moments of the FAC banquets. He
is a successful folk singer who was the
opening act for late comedian George Carlin
last year.
Vance usually graces the crowd with a
musical interlude, but this year he appeared
in costume as Captain Rutherford Lincoln
Washington III, DFC, PAL, BMF, a 109-
year-old black aviator, and regaled us with
stories of “his” many accomplishments in
early aviation. In a hilarious mix of the
Marx Brothers, Amos ’n’ Andy, The Three
Stooges, Red Foxx, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby,
and others, Vance delighted the audience
with his high-spirited antics and cracks.
He incited waves of laughter and a
standing ovation as he left the stage. Vance
is a treasure and one of the people who
makes the FAC Spirit what it is.
Lin Reichel, the FAC’s beloved
commander in chief (C-in-C), went West on
June 16, 2008. His story is beyond the scope
of this article, but it will be the subject of a
special feature in the near future.
Lin served not only as the leader of the
FAC from 1980 until his passing, but also as
an outstanding example of dedication, hard
work, fairness, kindness, enthusiasm,
generosity, and patience, which are rare
leadership attributes. He can never be
replaced.
It is up to all of us to remember Lin’s
outstanding example and do our best to
continue his fine work. Lin’s devoted friend,
Ross Mayo, has been chosen as the new Cin-
C.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 19,20,21,22,23,24,26
CONTESTANTS FROM the US, Canada, England, and Australia
met at Geneseo, New York, July 16-19 to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Flying Aces Club (FAC) national competitions: FAC
Nats Mark XVI. This premier event ranks as the
largest of its kind in the world, but attendance
was down 10%—probably because of the
sagging US economy and high travel
costs.
However, the 135 contestants who
did make the pilgrimage were not
disappointed. Many times I overheard
people saying that the models are
getting better with each year and the
flight times are soaring.
FAC Rubber Scale Tom Hallman Do X
FAC Peanut Scale Gene Smith Tigercat
FAC Hi-Wing Peanut Scale Jeff Runnels Nesmith Cougar
FAC Jumbo Scale Chris Starleaf Savoia-Marchetti S.79
FAC Giant Scale Chris Starleaf Dash 8
FAC Powder Puff Scale Marie Rees Vega
FAC Old Time Kit Scale John Houck Fairchild 45
FAC Dime Scale Gene Smith Hawker Typhoon
Pioneer Scale Tom Hallman Blériot 25
WW I Combat Stu Meyers Grain Kitten
Golden Age Civil Scale Jack McGillivray Cessna C-38
Fairchild 24 Event Orville Olm Fairchild 24
Golden Age Military Scale Tom Hallman Mureaux fighter
WW II Combat Jim De Tar Curtiss SBC Helldiver
AT-6 Endurance Event Andrew Ricci AT-6
Modern Age Civil Scale Walt Farrell Navion
Modern Age Military Scale Don Srull MiG-15
Contra Prop Scale Tom Hallman Koolhoven F.K.5501
Shell Speed Dash Race Chris Starleaf Rider Firecracker
Thompson Trophy Race Chris Starleaf Cessna CR-3
Greve Race Al Lawton Mr. Smoothie
Aerol Trophy Race Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Blur Race Pete Kaiteris Jackrabbit
Goodyear/Formula Race Gene Smith Ricochet
FAC Fiction Flyer Scale Rich Weber Booth Ranger
FAC No-Cal Profile Scale John Stott Extra 400
Power Scale Single Engine Tom Hallman D.H.2
FAC Embryo Endurance Frank Romsome Chrysalis
FAC Old Time Stick Vic Nippert Thermalier
FAC Old Time Rubber Dan Driscoll Wren
FAC 2 Bit Plus 1 Don DeLoach Skokie
Old Time Rubber
FAC Jimmie Allen Event Don Srull Sky Raider
FAC Old Time Gas Replica Vic Nippert Aerobo
Rapier Jet Scale Bernard Dion Belfagor
Low Wing Trainer Scale Jim De Tar Moth Minor
AT-6 Mass Launch Andrew Ricci AT-6
French Design Tom Nallen Sr. Potez 34
GHQ Peanut Scale Al Lawton Folkerts SK-3
FAC Old Time Sparky Don DeLoach Sparky
FAC Rubber Powered Paul Boyanowski de Havilland Comet
Jet Scale
Flying Horde Mike Isermann
National FAC competition began in 1978 and has been held
annually, with the “Nats” alternating with the “Non-Nats.” From
1986 to the present, these contests have been held at the National
Warplane Museum, which is west (and within sight) of Geneseo,
New York. This town is home to the picturesque Geneseo State
University, which welcomes FACers to its comfortable dormitories
and pleasant hospitality each year.
This year’s flood of FAC enthusiasts began arriving on Tuesday
July 15, to get comfortably situated, to socialize, and to flight-test
their models before serious competition began on Thursday.
Several vendors arrived that day too, so they would be ready to set
up their displays the next morning.
Early in the afternoon on Wednesday, the doors to the Quality
Inn reception area opened and the static judging (and vending)
began. It continued until after 9 p.m., with hundreds of beautiful
models and their proud makers. A few of them included:
• Ted Allebone’s breathtaking Gotha G.IV.
• Bernard Dion’s Russian Belfagor 15 (a single-engine, jet-
This was the 30th FAC national competition and the 16th biennial FAC Nats. FAC members with perfect Nats attendance include
Ross Mayo, Jack Moses, Fernando Ramos, Juanita Reichel, and John Stott.
At this year’s contest:
• 135 contestants entered the competitions.
• 40 FAC events were flown.
• 1,029 official (timed) flights were recorded.
• 129 “maxes” (maximum-time-limit flights) were made.
• Contestants completed a total of 396 mass-launch flights.
Earl Stahl Award (Best Scale Model) Tom Hallman Junkers J 1
Walt Mooney Award (Best Peanut Model) Rich Weber Potez 29-2
Cole Palen Award (WW I Combat Winner) Stu Weckerly Grain Kitten
Earl Van Gorder Award (Best WW II Model) Mike Isermann Ki-61 “Tony”
Angus McSchadenfueher Award (Best FAC High Wing Cabin) Dave Mitchell Vega
Cat’s Ass Trophy (Best Scale Crash) Sal Cerrie Repaired model crushed
Bob Thompson Fiction Flyer Award (Best Fiction Flyer) John Stott Ace McCoy Trainer
Aerol Trophy Award (for Losers of Other Races) Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Grand Champion (Non-Scale) Don DeLoach
Grand Champion (Scale) Tom Hallman
Vic Didelot FAC Spirit Award Lin Reichel
Blue Max Awards: Roy Divis, John Hutchinson, Jim Hyka, Pete Kaiteris, Tim Lavender, Dave Mitchell, Mark Rzadca, George White
Founding Fathers Awards
FAC Peanut Scale: Gregg West
FAC Rubber Scale: Bernard Dion
Lin Reichel Memorial Mentor Award Pres Bruning
Milestones
100 FAC Victories: Wally Farrell, John Stott
300 FAC Victories: Jack McGillivray
FAC Hall of Fame Inductees Diane and Roy Courtney, Jim Fiorello, Stu Meyers, Dennis Norman
propelled, crop-duster biplane with two
high-aspect-ratio wings that has to be seen
to be believed).
• Clive Gamble’s innovative Sopwith
Camel.
• Vance Gilbert’s impressive Short S.26
floatplane.
• Tom Hallman’s gorgeous Junkers J 1
biplane (which won the Earl Stahl Award
for the best Scale model at the contest).
• Mike Isermann’s Ki-61 “Tony” (the Earl
Van Gorder Award [best World War II
model] winner).
• Dave Mitchell’s colorful Vega.
• Andrew Ricci’s twin-engine Arado Ar.440
(with a 30-inch wingspan and killer
nacelles).
• Tom Nallen II’s large and ungainly but
great-flying Pterodactyl (that was so ugly it
was beautiful).
• Chris Starleaf’s spectacular 37-inch-span
B-47 Stratojet bomber, powered by six
Rapier rocket motors.
• Mike Stuart’s four-engine Jumbo Scale
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy.
• Rich Weber’s Gunbus and award-winning
Potez 29-2 (best Peanut model).
I sincerely apologize for omitting so
many deserving modelers and their
creations.
The numerous vendors included FAC
GHQ (General Headquarters), with three
new commemorative T-shirts, caps,
merchandise, and estate items; Air Ace
Models’ (my company’s) colorful displays;
Campbell’s Custom Kits (Lee Campbell);
FAI Model Supply (John Clapp);
GizmoGeezer (Orv Olm); Rees Industries
(Dave and Marie Rees); Shorty’s Basement
(Carole and Dan Kane); Thomas Designs
(Greg Thomas); and Wilson’s Balsa (Dan
Wilson).
At roughly 10 p.m., after the static
judging, Greg Thornton (from Oswego, New
York, who is a United Airlines mechanic in
Chicago, Illinois) purchased a replica kit of
the Scientific Fury from Shorty’s Basement.
The 25-inch-span Fury was a favorite non-
Scale, rubber-powered model from the
1930s.
Greg cheerfully announced that he would
build and fly the model before the end of the
contest. He started it at 2:30 a.m. Thursday
morning and continued with his labors as
time permitted.
By Saturday morning, Greg had
completed the airframe. While at the field,
he began covering it with bright red/orange
Japanese tissue. By late afternoon he
gracefully launched the Scientific Fury into
thermal-filled air and nearly lost it in a
soaring flight over the immense field.
The flying site was unusually rough this
year; a major air show had been held there a
week before, and torrential rains during the
event left the field a rutted mess. In the hot
days before the FAC Nats, the ruts were
baked rock hard, and walking on them was
precarious.
The wind at the Nats came mostly from
the south and forced the contestants to set up
their tents along the field’s access road.
Most of the ruts from the air show were
north of that, so the flightline near the tents
was reasonably comfortable on which to
walk.
Another blessing was the fact that the
wind carried the models north across the
field and away from the cornfields that were
south of the access road. A few westerly
gusts during the contest forced some
modelers to search for their airplanes in the
potato patches east of the field.
The air on Thursday was beautiful, calm,
and filled with booming thermals. Friday
saw cloudy weather with scattered showers
and strangely unstable air. On Saturday, the
last day of the contest, the weather was
sunny but the wind was up.
One of the most impressive models at the
contest was Clive Gamble’s 22-inch-span
Sopwith Camel. In the December 2008 MA
FF Scale column, I wrote extensively about
this airplane and its dramatically shortened
peg-to-hook length of only 41/2 inches. It
flew a spectacular 1 minute, 45 seconds
and gave rise to much animated
conversation.
Another striking model was Chris
Starleaf’s B-47. Friday evening, he
attempted a flight with it using four inboard
Rapier motors. This required four
assistants: one to light each Rapier while
Chris held the bomber.
One of the motors failed to ignite on the
first attempt, but Chris saw the problem
and did not attempt to fly. After placing
four new Rapiers in the inboard nacelles,
all the motors ignited with a fiery orange
glow, and the model was launched into the
evening haze.
At first the Stratojet soared away in a
gentle, right-banking turn as smoke
billowed from its exhausts. Toward the end
of the flight, it stalled in a nose-up attitude
at an altitude of roughly 12 feet and then
flipped over and dove nose first into the
ground, breaking the right wing and tearing
off the engine pods.
To the amazement of onlookers, Chris
showed up the next day with the repaired
B-47 and attempted to fly it with all six
motors. With six volunteers’ help, all the
Rapiers ignited simultaneously.
Chris smoothly launched the B-47,
which initially rose in smoky glory. But
then, appearing overpowered, it went out of
control and crashed, breaking its nose and
both wings.
The Stratojet’s fate is uncertain, but
those who were present cheered Chris’s
brave attempt to push the envelope, as he
has done before. He is a bold, often
successful, innovator who is sure to
continue wowing the FAC with his daring
projects.
Bernard Dion’s incredible 19-inch-span
Belfagor 15 biplane was powered by only
one L2HP Rapier motor, but the highaspect-
ratio wings made flight-trimming
difficult. Bernard persisted and won Rapier
Jet Scale with a 35-second flight.
He danced like a joyful schoolboy when
it happened, and the crowd loved it. Another
flight of excellence was squeezed from an
improbable subject.
Rapier-powered entries increased from
eight at the 2006 FAC Nats to 28 at the 2008
contest. A couple of the most memorable
flights were those of the Belfagor 15 and
Steve Price’s Ukkie L-1 (a 16-inch-span
non-Scale subject derived from an old Jetex
design). It flew for 49 seconds Thursday
evening and won a $25 jackpot that the
participants created as an incentive.
Montreal, Canada’s Squadron 71
Harfane (Snowy Owl Squadron) attended
the contest under the leadership of Ronny
Gosselin and his irrepressible adjutant,
Bernard Dion. Other members included
Luke Martin (an engineer from France),
Steve Price (a sergeant in the Canadian
Army, who works teaching children’s
groups about model aviation in his spare
time), and the delightful Molly Gosselin
(Ronny’s daughter) with her handsome
Morane Saulnier M.S. 502 Cricket: a
French-built, radial-engined variant of the
Fieseler Storch.
Squadron 71’s special guests were
Maurice Taudevin (an engineer from
Brisbane, Australia, who found Squadron 71
via the Internet) and the lovely Christina
Hansson (a computer engineer from
Australia who accompanied Maurice). The
Snowy Owl Squadron adds grace, charm,
and joy to the event.
Another memorable flight occurred
Thursday, when the great Fernando Ramos
took an early-morning hop with his 41-inchspan
Jimmie Allen Sky Chief. Seconds after
taking to the air, the model threw a propeller
blade but continued flying serenely with
only a slight vibration from the out-ofbalance
propeller.
The improbable flight was timed, and the
“crippled” Sky Chief flew 1 minute, 55
seconds (one second short of a max) before
smoothly returning to earth.
AMA President Dave Mathewson was
present, and District III Vice President Bob
Brown attended with members of his family.
He gave some FF-style flying lessons to the
children, and they loved it.
Bob also chatted cheerfully with
contestants and mentioned that he had added
two associate vice presidents, Mark Radcliff
and Ken Karpinski, to better assist with
AMA services in his district (Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). Bob’s
presence at the contest was an example of
the AMA’s respect for the FAC movement.
At the Nats, my friend Wayne Perry of
Bath, Maine, introduced me to 92-year-old
Wayne Love. He worked as an engineer for
Bell Aircraft Corporation, specializing in
lofting and drafting.
In World War II, Love laid out Bell
designs, full scale, on the floor to guide the
engineers and craftsmen in building
prototypes. That is now done almost entirely
by computers.
Love also drew model aircraft plans for
Cleveland Models during and after World
War II. He drew 3/4-inch SF plans for the
Curtiss Seahawk, P-40, Lockheed Hudson
bomber, P-38 fighter, Martin B-26, and
others. He admitted that Cleveland designs
were often overstructured, but they provided
many hours of building pleasure and were
striking models for display, if not flying.
It was an honor to visit with Wayne Love.
We are enriched by the contributions he and
many others have made to our hobby.
The 2008 FAC Nats ended with a great
banquet at which the contestants, their
families, and their friends enjoyed a
delicious buffet. Afterward, there was a
delightful presentation of this year’s awards,
honors, and winners. See the sidebar for
details. There were also some special
presentations, including the distribution of
50 kits from the Lin Reichel Estate to
randomly selected banquet guests.
A colorful quilt that Bea Allebone, Janet
Lang, Elaine Welshans, and Diana Gregg
made from FAC T-shirts (including a couple
of Lin’s) was raffled off for $416 in
donations to the FAC. The winner was
Cloudbusters member Fred Wunsche, who
graciously donated the quilt to Lin’s widow,
Juanita Reichel, after the banquet.
Traditionally, the gifted Vance Gilbert
has been responsible for one of the most
beloved moments of the FAC banquets. He
is a successful folk singer who was the
opening act for late comedian George Carlin
last year.
Vance usually graces the crowd with a
musical interlude, but this year he appeared
in costume as Captain Rutherford Lincoln
Washington III, DFC, PAL, BMF, a 109-
year-old black aviator, and regaled us with
stories of “his” many accomplishments in
early aviation. In a hilarious mix of the
Marx Brothers, Amos ’n’ Andy, The Three
Stooges, Red Foxx, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby,
and others, Vance delighted the audience
with his high-spirited antics and cracks.
He incited waves of laughter and a
standing ovation as he left the stage. Vance
is a treasure and one of the people who
makes the FAC Spirit what it is.
Lin Reichel, the FAC’s beloved
commander in chief (C-in-C), went West on
June 16, 2008. His story is beyond the scope
of this article, but it will be the subject of a
special feature in the near future.
Lin served not only as the leader of the
FAC from 1980 until his passing, but also as
an outstanding example of dedication, hard
work, fairness, kindness, enthusiasm,
generosity, and patience, which are rare
leadership attributes. He can never be
replaced.
It is up to all of us to remember Lin’s
outstanding example and do our best to
continue his fine work. Lin’s devoted friend,
Ross Mayo, has been chosen as the new Cin-
C.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 19,20,21,22,23,24,26
CONTESTANTS FROM the US, Canada, England, and Australia
met at Geneseo, New York, July 16-19 to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Flying Aces Club (FAC) national competitions: FAC
Nats Mark XVI. This premier event ranks as the
largest of its kind in the world, but attendance
was down 10%—probably because of the
sagging US economy and high travel
costs.
However, the 135 contestants who
did make the pilgrimage were not
disappointed. Many times I overheard
people saying that the models are
getting better with each year and the
flight times are soaring.
FAC Rubber Scale Tom Hallman Do X
FAC Peanut Scale Gene Smith Tigercat
FAC Hi-Wing Peanut Scale Jeff Runnels Nesmith Cougar
FAC Jumbo Scale Chris Starleaf Savoia-Marchetti S.79
FAC Giant Scale Chris Starleaf Dash 8
FAC Powder Puff Scale Marie Rees Vega
FAC Old Time Kit Scale John Houck Fairchild 45
FAC Dime Scale Gene Smith Hawker Typhoon
Pioneer Scale Tom Hallman Blériot 25
WW I Combat Stu Meyers Grain Kitten
Golden Age Civil Scale Jack McGillivray Cessna C-38
Fairchild 24 Event Orville Olm Fairchild 24
Golden Age Military Scale Tom Hallman Mureaux fighter
WW II Combat Jim De Tar Curtiss SBC Helldiver
AT-6 Endurance Event Andrew Ricci AT-6
Modern Age Civil Scale Walt Farrell Navion
Modern Age Military Scale Don Srull MiG-15
Contra Prop Scale Tom Hallman Koolhoven F.K.5501
Shell Speed Dash Race Chris Starleaf Rider Firecracker
Thompson Trophy Race Chris Starleaf Cessna CR-3
Greve Race Al Lawton Mr. Smoothie
Aerol Trophy Race Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Blur Race Pete Kaiteris Jackrabbit
Goodyear/Formula Race Gene Smith Ricochet
FAC Fiction Flyer Scale Rich Weber Booth Ranger
FAC No-Cal Profile Scale John Stott Extra 400
Power Scale Single Engine Tom Hallman D.H.2
FAC Embryo Endurance Frank Romsome Chrysalis
FAC Old Time Stick Vic Nippert Thermalier
FAC Old Time Rubber Dan Driscoll Wren
FAC 2 Bit Plus 1 Don DeLoach Skokie
Old Time Rubber
FAC Jimmie Allen Event Don Srull Sky Raider
FAC Old Time Gas Replica Vic Nippert Aerobo
Rapier Jet Scale Bernard Dion Belfagor
Low Wing Trainer Scale Jim De Tar Moth Minor
AT-6 Mass Launch Andrew Ricci AT-6
French Design Tom Nallen Sr. Potez 34
GHQ Peanut Scale Al Lawton Folkerts SK-3
FAC Old Time Sparky Don DeLoach Sparky
FAC Rubber Powered Paul Boyanowski de Havilland Comet
Jet Scale
Flying Horde Mike Isermann
National FAC competition began in 1978 and has been held
annually, with the “Nats” alternating with the “Non-Nats.” From
1986 to the present, these contests have been held at the National
Warplane Museum, which is west (and within sight) of Geneseo,
New York. This town is home to the picturesque Geneseo State
University, which welcomes FACers to its comfortable dormitories
and pleasant hospitality each year.
This year’s flood of FAC enthusiasts began arriving on Tuesday
July 15, to get comfortably situated, to socialize, and to flight-test
their models before serious competition began on Thursday.
Several vendors arrived that day too, so they would be ready to set
up their displays the next morning.
Early in the afternoon on Wednesday, the doors to the Quality
Inn reception area opened and the static judging (and vending)
began. It continued until after 9 p.m., with hundreds of beautiful
models and their proud makers. A few of them included:
• Ted Allebone’s breathtaking Gotha G.IV.
• Bernard Dion’s Russian Belfagor 15 (a single-engine, jet-
This was the 30th FAC national competition and the 16th biennial FAC Nats. FAC members with perfect Nats attendance include
Ross Mayo, Jack Moses, Fernando Ramos, Juanita Reichel, and John Stott.
At this year’s contest:
• 135 contestants entered the competitions.
• 40 FAC events were flown.
• 1,029 official (timed) flights were recorded.
• 129 “maxes” (maximum-time-limit flights) were made.
• Contestants completed a total of 396 mass-launch flights.
Earl Stahl Award (Best Scale Model) Tom Hallman Junkers J 1
Walt Mooney Award (Best Peanut Model) Rich Weber Potez 29-2
Cole Palen Award (WW I Combat Winner) Stu Weckerly Grain Kitten
Earl Van Gorder Award (Best WW II Model) Mike Isermann Ki-61 “Tony”
Angus McSchadenfueher Award (Best FAC High Wing Cabin) Dave Mitchell Vega
Cat’s Ass Trophy (Best Scale Crash) Sal Cerrie Repaired model crushed
Bob Thompson Fiction Flyer Award (Best Fiction Flyer) John Stott Ace McCoy Trainer
Aerol Trophy Award (for Losers of Other Races) Dallas Cornelius Caudron C.460
Grand Champion (Non-Scale) Don DeLoach
Grand Champion (Scale) Tom Hallman
Vic Didelot FAC Spirit Award Lin Reichel
Blue Max Awards: Roy Divis, John Hutchinson, Jim Hyka, Pete Kaiteris, Tim Lavender, Dave Mitchell, Mark Rzadca, George White
Founding Fathers Awards
FAC Peanut Scale: Gregg West
FAC Rubber Scale: Bernard Dion
Lin Reichel Memorial Mentor Award Pres Bruning
Milestones
100 FAC Victories: Wally Farrell, John Stott
300 FAC Victories: Jack McGillivray
FAC Hall of Fame Inductees Diane and Roy Courtney, Jim Fiorello, Stu Meyers, Dennis Norman
propelled, crop-duster biplane with two
high-aspect-ratio wings that has to be seen
to be believed).
• Clive Gamble’s innovative Sopwith
Camel.
• Vance Gilbert’s impressive Short S.26
floatplane.
• Tom Hallman’s gorgeous Junkers J 1
biplane (which won the Earl Stahl Award
for the best Scale model at the contest).
• Mike Isermann’s Ki-61 “Tony” (the Earl
Van Gorder Award [best World War II
model] winner).
• Dave Mitchell’s colorful Vega.
• Andrew Ricci’s twin-engine Arado Ar.440
(with a 30-inch wingspan and killer
nacelles).
• Tom Nallen II’s large and ungainly but
great-flying Pterodactyl (that was so ugly it
was beautiful).
• Chris Starleaf’s spectacular 37-inch-span
B-47 Stratojet bomber, powered by six
Rapier rocket motors.
• Mike Stuart’s four-engine Jumbo Scale
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy.
• Rich Weber’s Gunbus and award-winning
Potez 29-2 (best Peanut model).
I sincerely apologize for omitting so
many deserving modelers and their
creations.
The numerous vendors included FAC
GHQ (General Headquarters), with three
new commemorative T-shirts, caps,
merchandise, and estate items; Air Ace
Models’ (my company’s) colorful displays;
Campbell’s Custom Kits (Lee Campbell);
FAI Model Supply (John Clapp);
GizmoGeezer (Orv Olm); Rees Industries
(Dave and Marie Rees); Shorty’s Basement
(Carole and Dan Kane); Thomas Designs
(Greg Thomas); and Wilson’s Balsa (Dan
Wilson).
At roughly 10 p.m., after the static
judging, Greg Thornton (from Oswego, New
York, who is a United Airlines mechanic in
Chicago, Illinois) purchased a replica kit of
the Scientific Fury from Shorty’s Basement.
The 25-inch-span Fury was a favorite non-
Scale, rubber-powered model from the
1930s.
Greg cheerfully announced that he would
build and fly the model before the end of the
contest. He started it at 2:30 a.m. Thursday
morning and continued with his labors as
time permitted.
By Saturday morning, Greg had
completed the airframe. While at the field,
he began covering it with bright red/orange
Japanese tissue. By late afternoon he
gracefully launched the Scientific Fury into
thermal-filled air and nearly lost it in a
soaring flight over the immense field.
The flying site was unusually rough this
year; a major air show had been held there a
week before, and torrential rains during the
event left the field a rutted mess. In the hot
days before the FAC Nats, the ruts were
baked rock hard, and walking on them was
precarious.
The wind at the Nats came mostly from
the south and forced the contestants to set up
their tents along the field’s access road.
Most of the ruts from the air show were
north of that, so the flightline near the tents
was reasonably comfortable on which to
walk.
Another blessing was the fact that the
wind carried the models north across the
field and away from the cornfields that were
south of the access road. A few westerly
gusts during the contest forced some
modelers to search for their airplanes in the
potato patches east of the field.
The air on Thursday was beautiful, calm,
and filled with booming thermals. Friday
saw cloudy weather with scattered showers
and strangely unstable air. On Saturday, the
last day of the contest, the weather was
sunny but the wind was up.
One of the most impressive models at the
contest was Clive Gamble’s 22-inch-span
Sopwith Camel. In the December 2008 MA
FF Scale column, I wrote extensively about
this airplane and its dramatically shortened
peg-to-hook length of only 41/2 inches. It
flew a spectacular 1 minute, 45 seconds
and gave rise to much animated
conversation.
Another striking model was Chris
Starleaf’s B-47. Friday evening, he
attempted a flight with it using four inboard
Rapier motors. This required four
assistants: one to light each Rapier while
Chris held the bomber.
One of the motors failed to ignite on the
first attempt, but Chris saw the problem
and did not attempt to fly. After placing
four new Rapiers in the inboard nacelles,
all the motors ignited with a fiery orange
glow, and the model was launched into the
evening haze.
At first the Stratojet soared away in a
gentle, right-banking turn as smoke
billowed from its exhausts. Toward the end
of the flight, it stalled in a nose-up attitude
at an altitude of roughly 12 feet and then
flipped over and dove nose first into the
ground, breaking the right wing and tearing
off the engine pods.
To the amazement of onlookers, Chris
showed up the next day with the repaired
B-47 and attempted to fly it with all six
motors. With six volunteers’ help, all the
Rapiers ignited simultaneously.
Chris smoothly launched the B-47,
which initially rose in smoky glory. But
then, appearing overpowered, it went out of
control and crashed, breaking its nose and
both wings.
The Stratojet’s fate is uncertain, but
those who were present cheered Chris’s
brave attempt to push the envelope, as he
has done before. He is a bold, often
successful, innovator who is sure to
continue wowing the FAC with his daring
projects.
Bernard Dion’s incredible 19-inch-span
Belfagor 15 biplane was powered by only
one L2HP Rapier motor, but the highaspect-
ratio wings made flight-trimming
difficult. Bernard persisted and won Rapier
Jet Scale with a 35-second flight.
He danced like a joyful schoolboy when
it happened, and the crowd loved it. Another
flight of excellence was squeezed from an
improbable subject.
Rapier-powered entries increased from
eight at the 2006 FAC Nats to 28 at the 2008
contest. A couple of the most memorable
flights were those of the Belfagor 15 and
Steve Price’s Ukkie L-1 (a 16-inch-span
non-Scale subject derived from an old Jetex
design). It flew for 49 seconds Thursday
evening and won a $25 jackpot that the
participants created as an incentive.
Montreal, Canada’s Squadron 71
Harfane (Snowy Owl Squadron) attended
the contest under the leadership of Ronny
Gosselin and his irrepressible adjutant,
Bernard Dion. Other members included
Luke Martin (an engineer from France),
Steve Price (a sergeant in the Canadian
Army, who works teaching children’s
groups about model aviation in his spare
time), and the delightful Molly Gosselin
(Ronny’s daughter) with her handsome
Morane Saulnier M.S. 502 Cricket: a
French-built, radial-engined variant of the
Fieseler Storch.
Squadron 71’s special guests were
Maurice Taudevin (an engineer from
Brisbane, Australia, who found Squadron 71
via the Internet) and the lovely Christina
Hansson (a computer engineer from
Australia who accompanied Maurice). The
Snowy Owl Squadron adds grace, charm,
and joy to the event.
Another memorable flight occurred
Thursday, when the great Fernando Ramos
took an early-morning hop with his 41-inchspan
Jimmie Allen Sky Chief. Seconds after
taking to the air, the model threw a propeller
blade but continued flying serenely with
only a slight vibration from the out-ofbalance
propeller.
The improbable flight was timed, and the
“crippled” Sky Chief flew 1 minute, 55
seconds (one second short of a max) before
smoothly returning to earth.
AMA President Dave Mathewson was
present, and District III Vice President Bob
Brown attended with members of his family.
He gave some FF-style flying lessons to the
children, and they loved it.
Bob also chatted cheerfully with
contestants and mentioned that he had added
two associate vice presidents, Mark Radcliff
and Ken Karpinski, to better assist with
AMA services in his district (Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). Bob’s
presence at the contest was an example of
the AMA’s respect for the FAC movement.
At the Nats, my friend Wayne Perry of
Bath, Maine, introduced me to 92-year-old
Wayne Love. He worked as an engineer for
Bell Aircraft Corporation, specializing in
lofting and drafting.
In World War II, Love laid out Bell
designs, full scale, on the floor to guide the
engineers and craftsmen in building
prototypes. That is now done almost entirely
by computers.
Love also drew model aircraft plans for
Cleveland Models during and after World
War II. He drew 3/4-inch SF plans for the
Curtiss Seahawk, P-40, Lockheed Hudson
bomber, P-38 fighter, Martin B-26, and
others. He admitted that Cleveland designs
were often overstructured, but they provided
many hours of building pleasure and were
striking models for display, if not flying.
It was an honor to visit with Wayne Love.
We are enriched by the contributions he and
many others have made to our hobby.
The 2008 FAC Nats ended with a great
banquet at which the contestants, their
families, and their friends enjoyed a
delicious buffet. Afterward, there was a
delightful presentation of this year’s awards,
honors, and winners. See the sidebar for
details. There were also some special
presentations, including the distribution of
50 kits from the Lin Reichel Estate to
randomly selected banquet guests.
A colorful quilt that Bea Allebone, Janet
Lang, Elaine Welshans, and Diana Gregg
made from FAC T-shirts (including a couple
of Lin’s) was raffled off for $416 in
donations to the FAC. The winner was
Cloudbusters member Fred Wunsche, who
graciously donated the quilt to Lin’s widow,
Juanita Reichel, after the banquet.
Traditionally, the gifted Vance Gilbert
has been responsible for one of the most
beloved moments of the FAC banquets. He
is a successful folk singer who was the
opening act for late comedian George Carlin
last year.
Vance usually graces the crowd with a
musical interlude, but this year he appeared
in costume as Captain Rutherford Lincoln
Washington III, DFC, PAL, BMF, a 109-
year-old black aviator, and regaled us with
stories of “his” many accomplishments in
early aviation. In a hilarious mix of the
Marx Brothers, Amos ’n’ Andy, The Three
Stooges, Red Foxx, Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby,
and others, Vance delighted the audience
with his high-spirited antics and cracks.
He incited waves of laughter and a
standing ovation as he left the stage. Vance
is a treasure and one of the people who
makes the FAC Spirit what it is.
Lin Reichel, the FAC’s beloved
commander in chief (C-in-C), went West on
June 16, 2008. His story is beyond the scope
of this article, but it will be the subject of a
special feature in the near future.
Lin served not only as the leader of the
FAC from 1980 until his passing, but also as
an outstanding example of dedication, hard
work, fairness, kindness, enthusiasm,
generosity, and patience, which are rare
leadership attributes. He can never be
replaced.
It is up to all of us to remember Lin’s
outstanding example and do our best to
continue his fine work. Lin’s devoted friend,
Ross Mayo, has been chosen as the new Cin-
C.