2002 Scale Masters

his year’s Scale Masters
Championships, held October 9-
13, moved from the Northwest to
the southwestern region of the
country. Sunny southern Arizona
is a beautiful place to hold a
modeling event in October, with
sunny skies and low humidity.
The Superstition Air Park in
Mesa is the site for some of the
best aeromodeling in the
country. The Arizona Model
Aviators served as the host club,
and they have a paved runway and covered
pit area that helps make any visit to this site
enjoyable.
This contest was a group effort, with the
Arizona Model Aviators and the One
Eighth Air Force providing many of the
volunteers. Some worked all week to make
this year’s Masters happen. Other local
March 2003 17
Scale Masters Expert-class champion Kent Walters with his winning SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and his championship trophy.
■ Stan Alexander
A close-up of the Dauntless’s split-flap dive brakes. The five-piece units were
constructed from metal. Holes in the flaps limit buffeting when the aircraft dives.
T
2002 Scale Masters
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:18 pm Page 17
clubs involved included the Arizona Model
Pilots Society of Phoenix and the Arizona
Radio Control Society of Phoenix.
Vanguard Leader Jim Deming, Contest
Director Austin Goodwin, One Eighth Air
Force Commander Michael Peck, and
National Chairman Earl Aune provided many
hours and a great deal of work and direction
for the contest. Hats off to those who worked
collectively. You had a great contest!
Modelers who qualified at regional Scale
contests came from across the country and
from South America this year to compete at
Scale Masters. There were four international
competitors, including first-timer Gustavo
Campana of Buenos Aires, Argentina;
Eduardo and Ana Esteves and builder
Ronaldo Salles of Belo Horizonte, Brazil; and
Bruce Bender of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Fifty-eight contestants attended the fourday
event, which began with static judging at
the Champlin Fighter Museum in Mesa. We
were saddened to learn that Champlin will be
closing its doors Memorial Day weekend in
2003 for good. The aircraft collection has
been sold and will be featured at the Boeing
Museum in Seattle, Washington, sometime in
the near future.
Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson,
Arizona, is also worth seeing, but it’s
approximately a three-hour drive from Mesa.
The high static score was a tie this year
between One Eighth Air Force member Kent
Walters and Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) team member Ramon
Torres Sr. Both received 98.00 points with
their veteran models.
Static-judging went quickly inside the
World War I hangar at the Champlin
museum, with the static tables set up in the
center. Four judges took on the task of
comparing these models to their
Daryl Rolla built this powerful-looking Hawker Sea Fury FB.11
from a Century Jet Models kit. It has fiberglass cloth, PPG finish.
Mal Meador entered this 28-pound SBD-5 Dauntless, which was built from Jerry Bates
plans and powered by an O.S. 3500 engine. PPG paint was used for the finish.
Jack Steward built this Nieuport 28 C-1 from a Balsa USA kit, and Jay Steward flew it in
Team Scale. It is finished with Testors Model Master paints.
Photos by the author Graphic Design by Lydia Whitehead
18 MODEL AVIATION
Ramon Torres Sr. and Jr. with their models and trophies. They
finished first in Team Scale, and Ramon Jr. took second in Expert.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:19 pm Page 18
documentation for accuracy of outline,
craftsmanship, finish, and color-andmarkings.
Ramon also received the high static score
in Team Scale—97.00—with his scratch-built
Beechcraft T-34C. He built the model, and his
son Ramon Jr. handled the sticks for the
weekend. These static scores would play an
important role in the outcome of the contest
later that weekend.
There was a wonderful mix of interesting and
unique models, from the pre-World War I
aircraft to the latest Czech jet trainer: the L-
159. Small models you don’t see as often on
the contest circuit were present and did well
as a group.
One model that caught the eyes of many
was Kenneth Kear’s Liberty Sport A. He
started with a Sig kit that spanned 57 inches.
The model is powered by a SuperTigre 51,
covered with Sig Koverall, and has a doped
March 2003 19
One Eighth Air Force members who attended and worked at this year’s Scale Masters (L-R): Jim Deming, Austin Goodwin, Kathy
Powers, Bobby Brathley, Jim Legg, David Reichart, Kent Walters, Ken Kear, Mike Hatfield, Mike Peck, Jim McCarter, Louie Kear,
Chuck Collier, Bob Frey, Jay Steward.
The Torres Team’s winning entry is a T-34C (turboprop version)
Mentor, in the paint scheme of the Moroccan Air Force.
This D.H.10 bomber was built by Lloyd Barber and flown by
Richard Skoglund in Team Scale. It uses two Enya .46 FS engines.
Martin Hendrickson’s scratch-built T-34A Mentor spans 109 inches and weighs the AMA
competition limit: 52 pounds. It’s powered by a Zenoah 445 engine.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:20 pm Page 19
March 2003 21
Shailesh Patel constructed this T-33. It has an 80-inch wingspan and is powered by an AMT Pegasus turbine engine.
Tom Wolf’s fantastic TBM-3 Avenger, built from Bob Holman plans, features folding wings and an O.S. 1.60 FS engine.
Doug Crumley’s Fieseler Storch spans 94 inches and has an O.S. FS-91 engine. It’s finished with Stitts fabric and paints.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:21 pm Page 21
finish. Kenneth made several changes to the
kit and added numerous details. He modified
the airfoil and the center-section of the wing,
and he constructed a scratch-built tail wheel,
landing lights, and airspeed indicator to add to
the model’s scale realism.
Kenneth did much of the airframe research
on a full-scale Liberty Sport. He went on to
finish 10th in a field of 45 Expert entries, and
he received the Best Documentation award at
Saturday night’s banquet.
TopFlite kits have been around forever, it
seems, and there is a good reason: they fly
well and can be built into competitive Scale or
fun-fly models. This dual role lends them to
builders of every skill level, which works well
as a marketing tool.
Bob Frey built a beautiful Curtiss P-40 in
an early World War II color scheme for the
US Army Air Corps. The TopFlite model
spanned 66 inches and was powered by an
Enya 1.20 FS engine. Bob covered the model
with Dan Parsons fiberglass cloth and used
PPG automotive paint. Photo documentation
was from Bob’s Aircraft Documentation, and
the photos were taken at AirVenture Oshkosh.
“I would recommend this model to any
accomplished pilot as a Scale project, and
only advise them to keep an eye on the
weight,” said Bob. “Pick a day with wind
right down the runway for a test flight. It’s
worth building, as you just don’t see too many
P-40s and they’re so cool.”
Some other TopFlite or Great Planes kits
in competition were Mel Santmyers’ Stinson
SR-9, Steve Curry’s Fw 190D-9—which was
featured in a three-part article this year in
Radio Control Modeler, and Duane Pisciotta’s
P-47 Thunderbolt.
There were quite a few kit- and plan-built
models by different companies, including
Proctor, Sig, Yellow Aircraft, Bob Holman
Plans, Vailly Aviation, Don Smith Plans, Nick
Ziroli Plans, Dan Gregory Plans, Century Jet
Models, Duncan Hutson Models, and Jerry
Bates Plans. Today, many of the plans by
major designers have wood kits available or
know of sources where you can obtain them.
Another model everyone had to look at
again and again didn’t finish in the top 10 but
was still a crowd favorite. More than once I
saw spectators using body English to help the
Martin TT built by Bruce Harlow make
another upwind turn.
The “TT” in the aircraft’s name identified
it as a “Tractor Trainer” with an experimental
tricycle landing gear that extended out past the
propeller. The model represents one of 17
built in 1913 for the US Army Air Corps.
Ailerons were new to some manufacturers at
that time, and Martin constructed the ailerons
according to what was seen on the Curtiss
aircraft of the time, between the wings.
Bruce likes large models, and this is no 40-
size trainer. The model spans 162 inches. It
has 6,048 square inches of wing area and only
a 13-ounce wing loading. The TT weighs 34
pounds and is covered with natural linen. The
wheels were handmade using turned coffee
cans to make the rims.
“I drilled fender bolts and put the wires in
them,” said Bruce. “The tires are chemical
transfer tubing and I coated the inside with
white paint, all homemade. The cowl is made
from aluminum and the louvers were all cut
out one at a time using a die to stamp each
one. A good friend made the die for the
louvers.”
The pull-pull cables operate through
pulleys as per the prototype. The full-scale
pilot wore a harness so he could turn the
airplane with the ailerons. He leaned back and
forth, side to side to bank the aircraft. If he
turned the wheel in the cockpit, it deflected
only the rudder. For the elevator, the pilot
would pull back on the wheel or press the
wheel toward the instrument panel. The
model’s pilot is hooked up to the harness, and
this actually works while the model is in
flight.
Masters Chairman Earl Aune came to
compete this year with his veteran Corsair
F4U-5N night fighter. Built from Brian Taylor
plans, the airframe has received numerous
modifications including folding wings, a
radio-operated sliding canopy, scratch-built
retracts, and a unique instrument panel.
As per the full-scale aircraft, the model’s
panel features an operating rotating radar
22 MODEL AVIATION
Award Sponsored By Recipient Aircraft
Best Mission—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Dave Kephart P-47D Thunderbolt
Best Mission—Team Airtronics Radio Systems Jay Steward and Jack Steward Nieuport 28
Most Realistic Flight—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Jeremy Fursman de Havilland Tiger Moth
Most Realistic Flight—Team Airtronics Radio Systems John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Flight Genesis Equipment Marketing Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Pilots’ Choice One Eighth Air Force John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Static Ace Hobby Distributors, Inc. (tie) Ramon Torres Sr. Beechcraft Baron
and Kent Walters and Douglas SBD-3
Dauntless
Engineering Achievement RC Excellence magazine Earl Aune F4U-5N Corsair
Best Scratch Built Aircraft Lenhart’s Ace Hardware Richard Skoglund de Havilland D.H.10
and Lloyd Barber
Best Built Up Kit D & D Hobbies Daryl Rolla Hawker Sea Fury
Best WW II Aircraft Arizona Radio Control Society Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Best WW I Aircraft Proctor Enterprises John Cole Hansa Brandenburg C.I
Best Documentation HobbyTown USA Kenny Kear Lloyd Liberty Sport A
Best Markings The Collision Company, Inc. Shailesh Patel T-33
Best Jet Aircraft Arizona Model Pilots Society Gustavo Campana L-159 ALCA
Best Military Aircraft Arizona Model Aviators Eugene Job Hawker Sea Fury Mk II
Best Civilian Aircraft Shell Micro-Acoustics Bill Ensley and Bernie Bolan Stinson SR-10
Best Golden Age Aircraft Sun Valley Fliers Vern Ahlberg WACO YMF-5
Harris Lee Lifetime US Scale Masters Association Gary Norton
Achievement Award
2002 Scale Masters Championships Awards and Recognition
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:22 pm Page 22
finish. Kenneth made several changes to the
kit and added numerous details. He modified
the airfoil and the center-section of the wing,
and he constructed a scratch-built tail wheel,
landing lights, and airspeed indicator to add to
the model’s scale realism.
Kenneth did much of the airframe research
on a full-scale Liberty Sport. He went on to
finish 10th in a field of 45 Expert entries, and
he received the Best Documentation award at
Saturday night’s banquet.
TopFlite kits have been around forever, it
seems, and there is a good reason: they fly
well and can be built into competitive Scale or
fun-fly models. This dual role lends them to
builders of every skill level, which works well
as a marketing tool.
Bob Frey built a beautiful Curtiss P-40 in
an early World War II color scheme for the
US Army Air Corps. The TopFlite model
spanned 66 inches and was powered by an
Enya 1.20 FS engine. Bob covered the model
with Dan Parsons fiberglass cloth and used
PPG automotive paint. Photo documentation
was from Bob’s Aircraft Documentation, and
the photos were taken at AirVenture Oshkosh.
“I would recommend this model to any
accomplished pilot as a Scale project, and
only advise them to keep an eye on the
weight,” said Bob. “Pick a day with wind
right down the runway for a test flight. It’s
worth building, as you just don’t see too many
P-40s and they’re so cool.”
Some other TopFlite or Great Planes kits
in competition were Mel Santmyers’ Stinson
SR-9, Steve Curry’s Fw 190D-9—which was
featured in a three-part article this year in
Radio Control Modeler, and Duane Pisciotta’s
P-47 Thunderbolt.
There were quite a few kit- and plan-built
models by different companies, including
Proctor, Sig, Yellow Aircraft, Bob Holman
Plans, Vailly Aviation, Don Smith Plans, Nick
Ziroli Plans, Dan Gregory Plans, Century Jet
Models, Duncan Hutson Models, and Jerry
Bates Plans. Today, many of the plans by
major designers have wood kits available or
know of sources where you can obtain them.
Another model everyone had to look at
again and again didn’t finish in the top 10 but
was still a crowd favorite. More than once I
saw spectators using body English to help the
Martin TT built by Bruce Harlow make
another upwind turn.
The “TT” in the aircraft’s name identified
it as a “Tractor Trainer” with an experimental
tricycle landing gear that extended out past the
propeller. The model represents one of 17
built in 1913 for the US Army Air Corps.
Ailerons were new to some manufacturers at
that time, and Martin constructed the ailerons
according to what was seen on the Curtiss
aircraft of the time, between the wings.
Bruce likes large models, and this is no 40-
size trainer. The model spans 162 inches. It
has 6,048 square inches of wing area and only
a 13-ounce wing loading. The TT weighs 34
pounds and is covered with natural linen. The
wheels were handmade using turned coffee
cans to make the rims.
“I drilled fender bolts and put the wires in
them,” said Bruce. “The tires are chemical
transfer tubing and I coated the inside with
white paint, all homemade. The cowl is made
from aluminum and the louvers were all cut
out one at a time using a die to stamp each
one. A good friend made the die for the
louvers.”
The pull-pull cables operate through
pulleys as per the prototype. The full-scale
pilot wore a harness so he could turn the
airplane with the ailerons. He leaned back and
forth, side to side to bank the aircraft. If he
turned the wheel in the cockpit, it deflected
only the rudder. For the elevator, the pilot
would pull back on the wheel or press the
wheel toward the instrument panel. The
model’s pilot is hooked up to the harness, and
this actually works while the model is in
flight.
Masters Chairman Earl Aune came to
compete this year with his veteran Corsair
F4U-5N night fighter. Built from Brian Taylor
plans, the airframe has received numerous
modifications including folding wings, a
radio-operated sliding canopy, scratch-built
retracts, and a unique instrument panel.
As per the full-scale aircraft, the model’s
panel features an operating rotating radar
22 MODEL AVIATION
Award Sponsored By Recipient Aircraft
Best Mission—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Dave Kephart P-47D Thunderbolt
Best Mission—Team Airtronics Radio Systems Jay Steward and Jack Steward Nieuport 28
Most Realistic Flight—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Jeremy Fursman de Havilland Tiger Moth
Most Realistic Flight—Team Airtronics Radio Systems John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Flight Genesis Equipment Marketing Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Pilots’ Choice One Eighth Air Force John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Static Ace Hobby Distributors, Inc. (tie) Ramon Torres Sr. Beechcraft Baron
and Kent Walters and Douglas SBD-3
Dauntless
Engineering Achievement RC Excellence magazine Earl Aune F4U-5N Corsair
Best Scratch Built Aircraft Lenhart’s Ace Hardware Richard Skoglund de Havilland D.H.10
and Lloyd Barber
Best Built Up Kit D & D Hobbies Daryl Rolla Hawker Sea Fury
Best WW II Aircraft Arizona Radio Control Society Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Best WW I Aircraft Proctor Enterprises John Cole Hansa Brandenburg C.I
Best Documentation HobbyTown USA Kenny Kear Lloyd Liberty Sport A
Best Markings The Collision Company, Inc. Shailesh Patel T-33
Best Jet Aircraft Arizona Model Pilots Society Gustavo Campana L-159 ALCA
Best Military Aircraft Arizona Model Aviators Eugene Job Hawker Sea Fury Mk II
Best Civilian Aircraft Shell Micro-Acoustics Bill Ensley and Bernie Bolan Stinson SR-10
Best Golden Age Aircraft Sun Valley Fliers Vern Ahlberg WACO YMF-5
Harris Lee Lifetime US Scale Masters Association Gary Norton
Achievement Award
2002 Scale Masters Championships Awards and Recognition
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:22 pm Page 22
sweep. Earl used a motor card, a holograph
device and a magnet, LEDs (light-emitting
diodes), fiber-optic light tubes, and a
switching transistor to put the panel together
during many rainy Oregon weekends.
By Saturday afternoon it was clear that the
top-placing modelers would be hard to
displace from the first three spots in Expert
and Team Scale. In Expert Kent Walters,
Ramon Torres Sr., and Eugene Job had pretty
well locked up these places with excellent
flight scores and high static scores. All three
are past Masters champions. With the field of
static scores ranging from 98.00 to 76.00,
only a few modelers had a chance to catch
them.
Eugene was only out of second place by
1.167 points, flying his Veteran Hawker Sea
Fury Mk II. The big warbird racer spans 90
inches and weighs 42 pounds. Eugene has put
more than 300 flights on the model since
1995. It finished in first place in 1995, 1996,
and 1997. Eugene built the model from Vailly
Aviation plans and painted it with paint from
the full-scale aircraft. Power is provided by a
3W 4.2 engine swinging an APC 24 x 10
propeller.
Ramon finished second with his scratchbuilt
Beechcraft Baron twin. He works with
fiberglass, and he drew his own plans,
designed the airframe, and built the model, as
did winner Kent Walters. The Baron is
powered by two YS 63 engines, spans 91
inches, and weighs 22 pounds. It was
originally designed for FAI Scale competition
and has competed in the World
Championships.
Kent Walters is “Mr. Dauntless” whether
he likes the title or not. I don’t know of
anyone who has modeled not only the same
aircraft type, but the same airframe in
competition for 22 years. Throughout the
years, Kent has built up volumes of
documentation on Dauntless dive-bombers,
including the one he uses as a contest model.
Dick Best, the Commander of Bombing
Group Six of the USS Enterprise, flew the
full-scale aircraft as it was flown during the
Battle of Midway. Through the years Kent
has talked and corresponded with Dick about
markings and colors of the aircraft on the
USS Enterprise.
Kent’s scratch-built SBD-3 Dauntless is
fully detailed with upper and lower flaps,
bomb release, deployable arrestor hook,
retracts, and onboard glow to the O.S. 1.08
engine which powers the 23-pound model. It
spans 74 inches and is covered with Dan
Parsons fiberglass, and the finish is
AeroGloss dope. Kent controls the divebomber
with a Futaba 9Z radio system.
Kent used the same maneuvers he has
always used at contests, including divebombing
at a 70° angle, for which the fullscale
aircraft is famous. It takes 10 servos in
the model to control all the flaps and other
scale functions.
With two high flight scores in the bag after
Round Three, Kent continued and finished
flying the entire competition, not wanting to
waste a flight in front of the judges or give
eventual second-place finisher Ramon Torres
a chance to catch him.
In Team Scale there was, from what most of
us have seen in the past several years, a
unique team competing—a father and son.
Ramon Torres Jr. and Sr. brought Ramon
Sr.’s own-design T-34C. Ramon Jr. provided
control at the sticks and went on to finish first
by almost four points.
The 1⁄5-scale T-34C spans 80 inches and
weighs 20 pounds. A YS 140 FS engine
provides the power. Kits are available from
RT Aerospace. Everyone seemed to enjoy
seeing someone much younger competing
and doing well. The team is the second and
third generation of modelers from this family.
Second place went to builder Ronaldo
Salles and pilot Eduardo Esteves of Brazil.
This team won last year’s event in Oregon,
and Eduardo’s wife served as his caller and
mechanic at the field. The 1⁄3-scale Sig
Spacewalker makes a great but simple contest
machine if all the details are added, as they
have been to this model. It spans 104 inches
and is powered by an Eagle 3.2 engine, and a
JR 10 radio provided control.
Jay and Jack Steward used a Balsa USA
Nieuport 28 to finish third. The all-wood kit
was finished with Solartex and painted with
Testors Model Master paints with an overcoat
of polyurethane. The 80-inch-span model is
powered by a Saito 150 FS engine.
Airtronics Radio Systems continues to
sponsor the Team Scale event at the
championships and the qualifiers each year.
The company awards a six-channel radio
system to winners at the qualifier and its
Vision computer radio system at the
championships.
Other sponsors this year included Bob
Smith Industries, Century Jet Models, Pacer
Technology, Proctor Enterprises, Southwest
Airlines, The Boeing Company, Williams
Bros., Balsa USA, Hitec/RCD USA,
Hobbico, Jet Hangar Hobbies, JR Radios,
Multiplex USA, Anzio Landing Italian
Restaurant (great food!), Hansen Scale
Aviation Videos, Nelson Hobby Specialties,
One Eighth Air Force, Sun Valley Fliers, and
Superior Drywall.
Next year’s event will be held at Dayton,
Ohio. Hope to see you there!
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Stan Alexander
3709 Valley Ridge Dr.
Nashville TN 37211
[email protected]

his year’s Scale Masters
Championships, held October 9-
13, moved from the Northwest to
the southwestern region of the
country. Sunny southern Arizona
is a beautiful place to hold a
modeling event in October, with
sunny skies and low humidity.
The Superstition Air Park in
Mesa is the site for some of the
best aeromodeling in the
country. The Arizona Model
Aviators served as the host club,
and they have a paved runway and covered
pit area that helps make any visit to this site
enjoyable.
This contest was a group effort, with the
Arizona Model Aviators and the One
Eighth Air Force providing many of the
volunteers. Some worked all week to make
this year’s Masters happen. Other local
March 2003 17
Scale Masters Expert-class champion Kent Walters with his winning SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and his championship trophy.
■ Stan Alexander
A close-up of the Dauntless’s split-flap dive brakes. The five-piece units were
constructed from metal. Holes in the flaps limit buffeting when the aircraft dives.
T
2002 Scale Masters
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:18 pm Page 17
clubs involved included the Arizona Model
Pilots Society of Phoenix and the Arizona
Radio Control Society of Phoenix.
Vanguard Leader Jim Deming, Contest
Director Austin Goodwin, One Eighth Air
Force Commander Michael Peck, and
National Chairman Earl Aune provided many
hours and a great deal of work and direction
for the contest. Hats off to those who worked
collectively. You had a great contest!
Modelers who qualified at regional Scale
contests came from across the country and
from South America this year to compete at
Scale Masters. There were four international
competitors, including first-timer Gustavo
Campana of Buenos Aires, Argentina;
Eduardo and Ana Esteves and builder
Ronaldo Salles of Belo Horizonte, Brazil; and
Bruce Bender of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Fifty-eight contestants attended the fourday
event, which began with static judging at
the Champlin Fighter Museum in Mesa. We
were saddened to learn that Champlin will be
closing its doors Memorial Day weekend in
2003 for good. The aircraft collection has
been sold and will be featured at the Boeing
Museum in Seattle, Washington, sometime in
the near future.
Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson,
Arizona, is also worth seeing, but it’s
approximately a three-hour drive from Mesa.
The high static score was a tie this year
between One Eighth Air Force member Kent
Walters and Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) team member Ramon
Torres Sr. Both received 98.00 points with
their veteran models.
Static-judging went quickly inside the
World War I hangar at the Champlin
museum, with the static tables set up in the
center. Four judges took on the task of
comparing these models to their
Daryl Rolla built this powerful-looking Hawker Sea Fury FB.11
from a Century Jet Models kit. It has fiberglass cloth, PPG finish.
Mal Meador entered this 28-pound SBD-5 Dauntless, which was built from Jerry Bates
plans and powered by an O.S. 3500 engine. PPG paint was used for the finish.
Jack Steward built this Nieuport 28 C-1 from a Balsa USA kit, and Jay Steward flew it in
Team Scale. It is finished with Testors Model Master paints.
Photos by the author Graphic Design by Lydia Whitehead
18 MODEL AVIATION
Ramon Torres Sr. and Jr. with their models and trophies. They
finished first in Team Scale, and Ramon Jr. took second in Expert.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:19 pm Page 18
documentation for accuracy of outline,
craftsmanship, finish, and color-andmarkings.
Ramon also received the high static score
in Team Scale—97.00—with his scratch-built
Beechcraft T-34C. He built the model, and his
son Ramon Jr. handled the sticks for the
weekend. These static scores would play an
important role in the outcome of the contest
later that weekend.
There was a wonderful mix of interesting and
unique models, from the pre-World War I
aircraft to the latest Czech jet trainer: the L-
159. Small models you don’t see as often on
the contest circuit were present and did well
as a group.
One model that caught the eyes of many
was Kenneth Kear’s Liberty Sport A. He
started with a Sig kit that spanned 57 inches.
The model is powered by a SuperTigre 51,
covered with Sig Koverall, and has a doped
March 2003 19
One Eighth Air Force members who attended and worked at this year’s Scale Masters (L-R): Jim Deming, Austin Goodwin, Kathy
Powers, Bobby Brathley, Jim Legg, David Reichart, Kent Walters, Ken Kear, Mike Hatfield, Mike Peck, Jim McCarter, Louie Kear,
Chuck Collier, Bob Frey, Jay Steward.
The Torres Team’s winning entry is a T-34C (turboprop version)
Mentor, in the paint scheme of the Moroccan Air Force.
This D.H.10 bomber was built by Lloyd Barber and flown by
Richard Skoglund in Team Scale. It uses two Enya .46 FS engines.
Martin Hendrickson’s scratch-built T-34A Mentor spans 109 inches and weighs the AMA
competition limit: 52 pounds. It’s powered by a Zenoah 445 engine.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:20 pm Page 19
March 2003 21
Shailesh Patel constructed this T-33. It has an 80-inch wingspan and is powered by an AMT Pegasus turbine engine.
Tom Wolf’s fantastic TBM-3 Avenger, built from Bob Holman plans, features folding wings and an O.S. 1.60 FS engine.
Doug Crumley’s Fieseler Storch spans 94 inches and has an O.S. FS-91 engine. It’s finished with Stitts fabric and paints.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:21 pm Page 21
finish. Kenneth made several changes to the
kit and added numerous details. He modified
the airfoil and the center-section of the wing,
and he constructed a scratch-built tail wheel,
landing lights, and airspeed indicator to add to
the model’s scale realism.
Kenneth did much of the airframe research
on a full-scale Liberty Sport. He went on to
finish 10th in a field of 45 Expert entries, and
he received the Best Documentation award at
Saturday night’s banquet.
TopFlite kits have been around forever, it
seems, and there is a good reason: they fly
well and can be built into competitive Scale or
fun-fly models. This dual role lends them to
builders of every skill level, which works well
as a marketing tool.
Bob Frey built a beautiful Curtiss P-40 in
an early World War II color scheme for the
US Army Air Corps. The TopFlite model
spanned 66 inches and was powered by an
Enya 1.20 FS engine. Bob covered the model
with Dan Parsons fiberglass cloth and used
PPG automotive paint. Photo documentation
was from Bob’s Aircraft Documentation, and
the photos were taken at AirVenture Oshkosh.
“I would recommend this model to any
accomplished pilot as a Scale project, and
only advise them to keep an eye on the
weight,” said Bob. “Pick a day with wind
right down the runway for a test flight. It’s
worth building, as you just don’t see too many
P-40s and they’re so cool.”
Some other TopFlite or Great Planes kits
in competition were Mel Santmyers’ Stinson
SR-9, Steve Curry’s Fw 190D-9—which was
featured in a three-part article this year in
Radio Control Modeler, and Duane Pisciotta’s
P-47 Thunderbolt.
There were quite a few kit- and plan-built
models by different companies, including
Proctor, Sig, Yellow Aircraft, Bob Holman
Plans, Vailly Aviation, Don Smith Plans, Nick
Ziroli Plans, Dan Gregory Plans, Century Jet
Models, Duncan Hutson Models, and Jerry
Bates Plans. Today, many of the plans by
major designers have wood kits available or
know of sources where you can obtain them.
Another model everyone had to look at
again and again didn’t finish in the top 10 but
was still a crowd favorite. More than once I
saw spectators using body English to help the
Martin TT built by Bruce Harlow make
another upwind turn.
The “TT” in the aircraft’s name identified
it as a “Tractor Trainer” with an experimental
tricycle landing gear that extended out past the
propeller. The model represents one of 17
built in 1913 for the US Army Air Corps.
Ailerons were new to some manufacturers at
that time, and Martin constructed the ailerons
according to what was seen on the Curtiss
aircraft of the time, between the wings.
Bruce likes large models, and this is no 40-
size trainer. The model spans 162 inches. It
has 6,048 square inches of wing area and only
a 13-ounce wing loading. The TT weighs 34
pounds and is covered with natural linen. The
wheels were handmade using turned coffee
cans to make the rims.
“I drilled fender bolts and put the wires in
them,” said Bruce. “The tires are chemical
transfer tubing and I coated the inside with
white paint, all homemade. The cowl is made
from aluminum and the louvers were all cut
out one at a time using a die to stamp each
one. A good friend made the die for the
louvers.”
The pull-pull cables operate through
pulleys as per the prototype. The full-scale
pilot wore a harness so he could turn the
airplane with the ailerons. He leaned back and
forth, side to side to bank the aircraft. If he
turned the wheel in the cockpit, it deflected
only the rudder. For the elevator, the pilot
would pull back on the wheel or press the
wheel toward the instrument panel. The
model’s pilot is hooked up to the harness, and
this actually works while the model is in
flight.
Masters Chairman Earl Aune came to
compete this year with his veteran Corsair
F4U-5N night fighter. Built from Brian Taylor
plans, the airframe has received numerous
modifications including folding wings, a
radio-operated sliding canopy, scratch-built
retracts, and a unique instrument panel.
As per the full-scale aircraft, the model’s
panel features an operating rotating radar
22 MODEL AVIATION
Award Sponsored By Recipient Aircraft
Best Mission—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Dave Kephart P-47D Thunderbolt
Best Mission—Team Airtronics Radio Systems Jay Steward and Jack Steward Nieuport 28
Most Realistic Flight—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Jeremy Fursman de Havilland Tiger Moth
Most Realistic Flight—Team Airtronics Radio Systems John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Flight Genesis Equipment Marketing Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Pilots’ Choice One Eighth Air Force John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Static Ace Hobby Distributors, Inc. (tie) Ramon Torres Sr. Beechcraft Baron
and Kent Walters and Douglas SBD-3
Dauntless
Engineering Achievement RC Excellence magazine Earl Aune F4U-5N Corsair
Best Scratch Built Aircraft Lenhart’s Ace Hardware Richard Skoglund de Havilland D.H.10
and Lloyd Barber
Best Built Up Kit D & D Hobbies Daryl Rolla Hawker Sea Fury
Best WW II Aircraft Arizona Radio Control Society Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Best WW I Aircraft Proctor Enterprises John Cole Hansa Brandenburg C.I
Best Documentation HobbyTown USA Kenny Kear Lloyd Liberty Sport A
Best Markings The Collision Company, Inc. Shailesh Patel T-33
Best Jet Aircraft Arizona Model Pilots Society Gustavo Campana L-159 ALCA
Best Military Aircraft Arizona Model Aviators Eugene Job Hawker Sea Fury Mk II
Best Civilian Aircraft Shell Micro-Acoustics Bill Ensley and Bernie Bolan Stinson SR-10
Best Golden Age Aircraft Sun Valley Fliers Vern Ahlberg WACO YMF-5
Harris Lee Lifetime US Scale Masters Association Gary Norton
Achievement Award
2002 Scale Masters Championships Awards and Recognition
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:22 pm Page 22
finish. Kenneth made several changes to the
kit and added numerous details. He modified
the airfoil and the center-section of the wing,
and he constructed a scratch-built tail wheel,
landing lights, and airspeed indicator to add to
the model’s scale realism.
Kenneth did much of the airframe research
on a full-scale Liberty Sport. He went on to
finish 10th in a field of 45 Expert entries, and
he received the Best Documentation award at
Saturday night’s banquet.
TopFlite kits have been around forever, it
seems, and there is a good reason: they fly
well and can be built into competitive Scale or
fun-fly models. This dual role lends them to
builders of every skill level, which works well
as a marketing tool.
Bob Frey built a beautiful Curtiss P-40 in
an early World War II color scheme for the
US Army Air Corps. The TopFlite model
spanned 66 inches and was powered by an
Enya 1.20 FS engine. Bob covered the model
with Dan Parsons fiberglass cloth and used
PPG automotive paint. Photo documentation
was from Bob’s Aircraft Documentation, and
the photos were taken at AirVenture Oshkosh.
“I would recommend this model to any
accomplished pilot as a Scale project, and
only advise them to keep an eye on the
weight,” said Bob. “Pick a day with wind
right down the runway for a test flight. It’s
worth building, as you just don’t see too many
P-40s and they’re so cool.”
Some other TopFlite or Great Planes kits
in competition were Mel Santmyers’ Stinson
SR-9, Steve Curry’s Fw 190D-9—which was
featured in a three-part article this year in
Radio Control Modeler, and Duane Pisciotta’s
P-47 Thunderbolt.
There were quite a few kit- and plan-built
models by different companies, including
Proctor, Sig, Yellow Aircraft, Bob Holman
Plans, Vailly Aviation, Don Smith Plans, Nick
Ziroli Plans, Dan Gregory Plans, Century Jet
Models, Duncan Hutson Models, and Jerry
Bates Plans. Today, many of the plans by
major designers have wood kits available or
know of sources where you can obtain them.
Another model everyone had to look at
again and again didn’t finish in the top 10 but
was still a crowd favorite. More than once I
saw spectators using body English to help the
Martin TT built by Bruce Harlow make
another upwind turn.
The “TT” in the aircraft’s name identified
it as a “Tractor Trainer” with an experimental
tricycle landing gear that extended out past the
propeller. The model represents one of 17
built in 1913 for the US Army Air Corps.
Ailerons were new to some manufacturers at
that time, and Martin constructed the ailerons
according to what was seen on the Curtiss
aircraft of the time, between the wings.
Bruce likes large models, and this is no 40-
size trainer. The model spans 162 inches. It
has 6,048 square inches of wing area and only
a 13-ounce wing loading. The TT weighs 34
pounds and is covered with natural linen. The
wheels were handmade using turned coffee
cans to make the rims.
“I drilled fender bolts and put the wires in
them,” said Bruce. “The tires are chemical
transfer tubing and I coated the inside with
white paint, all homemade. The cowl is made
from aluminum and the louvers were all cut
out one at a time using a die to stamp each
one. A good friend made the die for the
louvers.”
The pull-pull cables operate through
pulleys as per the prototype. The full-scale
pilot wore a harness so he could turn the
airplane with the ailerons. He leaned back and
forth, side to side to bank the aircraft. If he
turned the wheel in the cockpit, it deflected
only the rudder. For the elevator, the pilot
would pull back on the wheel or press the
wheel toward the instrument panel. The
model’s pilot is hooked up to the harness, and
this actually works while the model is in
flight.
Masters Chairman Earl Aune came to
compete this year with his veteran Corsair
F4U-5N night fighter. Built from Brian Taylor
plans, the airframe has received numerous
modifications including folding wings, a
radio-operated sliding canopy, scratch-built
retracts, and a unique instrument panel.
As per the full-scale aircraft, the model’s
panel features an operating rotating radar
22 MODEL AVIATION
Award Sponsored By Recipient Aircraft
Best Mission—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Dave Kephart P-47D Thunderbolt
Best Mission—Team Airtronics Radio Systems Jay Steward and Jack Steward Nieuport 28
Most Realistic Flight—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Jeremy Fursman de Havilland Tiger Moth
Most Realistic Flight—Team Airtronics Radio Systems John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Flight Genesis Equipment Marketing Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Pilots’ Choice One Eighth Air Force John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Static Ace Hobby Distributors, Inc. (tie) Ramon Torres Sr. Beechcraft Baron
and Kent Walters and Douglas SBD-3
Dauntless
Engineering Achievement RC Excellence magazine Earl Aune F4U-5N Corsair
Best Scratch Built Aircraft Lenhart’s Ace Hardware Richard Skoglund de Havilland D.H.10
and Lloyd Barber
Best Built Up Kit D & D Hobbies Daryl Rolla Hawker Sea Fury
Best WW II Aircraft Arizona Radio Control Society Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Best WW I Aircraft Proctor Enterprises John Cole Hansa Brandenburg C.I
Best Documentation HobbyTown USA Kenny Kear Lloyd Liberty Sport A
Best Markings The Collision Company, Inc. Shailesh Patel T-33
Best Jet Aircraft Arizona Model Pilots Society Gustavo Campana L-159 ALCA
Best Military Aircraft Arizona Model Aviators Eugene Job Hawker Sea Fury Mk II
Best Civilian Aircraft Shell Micro-Acoustics Bill Ensley and Bernie Bolan Stinson SR-10
Best Golden Age Aircraft Sun Valley Fliers Vern Ahlberg WACO YMF-5
Harris Lee Lifetime US Scale Masters Association Gary Norton
Achievement Award
2002 Scale Masters Championships Awards and Recognition
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:22 pm Page 22
sweep. Earl used a motor card, a holograph
device and a magnet, LEDs (light-emitting
diodes), fiber-optic light tubes, and a
switching transistor to put the panel together
during many rainy Oregon weekends.
By Saturday afternoon it was clear that the
top-placing modelers would be hard to
displace from the first three spots in Expert
and Team Scale. In Expert Kent Walters,
Ramon Torres Sr., and Eugene Job had pretty
well locked up these places with excellent
flight scores and high static scores. All three
are past Masters champions. With the field of
static scores ranging from 98.00 to 76.00,
only a few modelers had a chance to catch
them.
Eugene was only out of second place by
1.167 points, flying his Veteran Hawker Sea
Fury Mk II. The big warbird racer spans 90
inches and weighs 42 pounds. Eugene has put
more than 300 flights on the model since
1995. It finished in first place in 1995, 1996,
and 1997. Eugene built the model from Vailly
Aviation plans and painted it with paint from
the full-scale aircraft. Power is provided by a
3W 4.2 engine swinging an APC 24 x 10
propeller.
Ramon finished second with his scratchbuilt
Beechcraft Baron twin. He works with
fiberglass, and he drew his own plans,
designed the airframe, and built the model, as
did winner Kent Walters. The Baron is
powered by two YS 63 engines, spans 91
inches, and weighs 22 pounds. It was
originally designed for FAI Scale competition
and has competed in the World
Championships.
Kent Walters is “Mr. Dauntless” whether
he likes the title or not. I don’t know of
anyone who has modeled not only the same
aircraft type, but the same airframe in
competition for 22 years. Throughout the
years, Kent has built up volumes of
documentation on Dauntless dive-bombers,
including the one he uses as a contest model.
Dick Best, the Commander of Bombing
Group Six of the USS Enterprise, flew the
full-scale aircraft as it was flown during the
Battle of Midway. Through the years Kent
has talked and corresponded with Dick about
markings and colors of the aircraft on the
USS Enterprise.
Kent’s scratch-built SBD-3 Dauntless is
fully detailed with upper and lower flaps,
bomb release, deployable arrestor hook,
retracts, and onboard glow to the O.S. 1.08
engine which powers the 23-pound model. It
spans 74 inches and is covered with Dan
Parsons fiberglass, and the finish is
AeroGloss dope. Kent controls the divebomber
with a Futaba 9Z radio system.
Kent used the same maneuvers he has
always used at contests, including divebombing
at a 70° angle, for which the fullscale
aircraft is famous. It takes 10 servos in
the model to control all the flaps and other
scale functions.
With two high flight scores in the bag after
Round Three, Kent continued and finished
flying the entire competition, not wanting to
waste a flight in front of the judges or give
eventual second-place finisher Ramon Torres
a chance to catch him.
In Team Scale there was, from what most of
us have seen in the past several years, a
unique team competing—a father and son.
Ramon Torres Jr. and Sr. brought Ramon
Sr.’s own-design T-34C. Ramon Jr. provided
control at the sticks and went on to finish first
by almost four points.
The 1⁄5-scale T-34C spans 80 inches and
weighs 20 pounds. A YS 140 FS engine
provides the power. Kits are available from
RT Aerospace. Everyone seemed to enjoy
seeing someone much younger competing
and doing well. The team is the second and
third generation of modelers from this family.
Second place went to builder Ronaldo
Salles and pilot Eduardo Esteves of Brazil.
This team won last year’s event in Oregon,
and Eduardo’s wife served as his caller and
mechanic at the field. The 1⁄3-scale Sig
Spacewalker makes a great but simple contest
machine if all the details are added, as they
have been to this model. It spans 104 inches
and is powered by an Eagle 3.2 engine, and a
JR 10 radio provided control.
Jay and Jack Steward used a Balsa USA
Nieuport 28 to finish third. The all-wood kit
was finished with Solartex and painted with
Testors Model Master paints with an overcoat
of polyurethane. The 80-inch-span model is
powered by a Saito 150 FS engine.
Airtronics Radio Systems continues to
sponsor the Team Scale event at the
championships and the qualifiers each year.
The company awards a six-channel radio
system to winners at the qualifier and its
Vision computer radio system at the
championships.
Other sponsors this year included Bob
Smith Industries, Century Jet Models, Pacer
Technology, Proctor Enterprises, Southwest
Airlines, The Boeing Company, Williams
Bros., Balsa USA, Hitec/RCD USA,
Hobbico, Jet Hangar Hobbies, JR Radios,
Multiplex USA, Anzio Landing Italian
Restaurant (great food!), Hansen Scale
Aviation Videos, Nelson Hobby Specialties,
One Eighth Air Force, Sun Valley Fliers, and
Superior Drywall.
Next year’s event will be held at Dayton,
Ohio. Hope to see you there!
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Stan Alexander
3709 Valley Ridge Dr.
Nashville TN 37211
[email protected]

his year’s Scale Masters
Championships, held October 9-
13, moved from the Northwest to
the southwestern region of the
country. Sunny southern Arizona
is a beautiful place to hold a
modeling event in October, with
sunny skies and low humidity.
The Superstition Air Park in
Mesa is the site for some of the
best aeromodeling in the
country. The Arizona Model
Aviators served as the host club,
and they have a paved runway and covered
pit area that helps make any visit to this site
enjoyable.
This contest was a group effort, with the
Arizona Model Aviators and the One
Eighth Air Force providing many of the
volunteers. Some worked all week to make
this year’s Masters happen. Other local
March 2003 17
Scale Masters Expert-class champion Kent Walters with his winning SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and his championship trophy.
■ Stan Alexander
A close-up of the Dauntless’s split-flap dive brakes. The five-piece units were
constructed from metal. Holes in the flaps limit buffeting when the aircraft dives.
T
2002 Scale Masters
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:18 pm Page 17
clubs involved included the Arizona Model
Pilots Society of Phoenix and the Arizona
Radio Control Society of Phoenix.
Vanguard Leader Jim Deming, Contest
Director Austin Goodwin, One Eighth Air
Force Commander Michael Peck, and
National Chairman Earl Aune provided many
hours and a great deal of work and direction
for the contest. Hats off to those who worked
collectively. You had a great contest!
Modelers who qualified at regional Scale
contests came from across the country and
from South America this year to compete at
Scale Masters. There were four international
competitors, including first-timer Gustavo
Campana of Buenos Aires, Argentina;
Eduardo and Ana Esteves and builder
Ronaldo Salles of Belo Horizonte, Brazil; and
Bruce Bender of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Fifty-eight contestants attended the fourday
event, which began with static judging at
the Champlin Fighter Museum in Mesa. We
were saddened to learn that Champlin will be
closing its doors Memorial Day weekend in
2003 for good. The aircraft collection has
been sold and will be featured at the Boeing
Museum in Seattle, Washington, sometime in
the near future.
Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson,
Arizona, is also worth seeing, but it’s
approximately a three-hour drive from Mesa.
The high static score was a tie this year
between One Eighth Air Force member Kent
Walters and Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) team member Ramon
Torres Sr. Both received 98.00 points with
their veteran models.
Static-judging went quickly inside the
World War I hangar at the Champlin
museum, with the static tables set up in the
center. Four judges took on the task of
comparing these models to their
Daryl Rolla built this powerful-looking Hawker Sea Fury FB.11
from a Century Jet Models kit. It has fiberglass cloth, PPG finish.
Mal Meador entered this 28-pound SBD-5 Dauntless, which was built from Jerry Bates
plans and powered by an O.S. 3500 engine. PPG paint was used for the finish.
Jack Steward built this Nieuport 28 C-1 from a Balsa USA kit, and Jay Steward flew it in
Team Scale. It is finished with Testors Model Master paints.
Photos by the author Graphic Design by Lydia Whitehead
18 MODEL AVIATION
Ramon Torres Sr. and Jr. with their models and trophies. They
finished first in Team Scale, and Ramon Jr. took second in Expert.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:19 pm Page 18
documentation for accuracy of outline,
craftsmanship, finish, and color-andmarkings.
Ramon also received the high static score
in Team Scale—97.00—with his scratch-built
Beechcraft T-34C. He built the model, and his
son Ramon Jr. handled the sticks for the
weekend. These static scores would play an
important role in the outcome of the contest
later that weekend.
There was a wonderful mix of interesting and
unique models, from the pre-World War I
aircraft to the latest Czech jet trainer: the L-
159. Small models you don’t see as often on
the contest circuit were present and did well
as a group.
One model that caught the eyes of many
was Kenneth Kear’s Liberty Sport A. He
started with a Sig kit that spanned 57 inches.
The model is powered by a SuperTigre 51,
covered with Sig Koverall, and has a doped
March 2003 19
One Eighth Air Force members who attended and worked at this year’s Scale Masters (L-R): Jim Deming, Austin Goodwin, Kathy
Powers, Bobby Brathley, Jim Legg, David Reichart, Kent Walters, Ken Kear, Mike Hatfield, Mike Peck, Jim McCarter, Louie Kear,
Chuck Collier, Bob Frey, Jay Steward.
The Torres Team’s winning entry is a T-34C (turboprop version)
Mentor, in the paint scheme of the Moroccan Air Force.
This D.H.10 bomber was built by Lloyd Barber and flown by
Richard Skoglund in Team Scale. It uses two Enya .46 FS engines.
Martin Hendrickson’s scratch-built T-34A Mentor spans 109 inches and weighs the AMA
competition limit: 52 pounds. It’s powered by a Zenoah 445 engine.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:20 pm Page 19
March 2003 21
Shailesh Patel constructed this T-33. It has an 80-inch wingspan and is powered by an AMT Pegasus turbine engine.
Tom Wolf’s fantastic TBM-3 Avenger, built from Bob Holman plans, features folding wings and an O.S. 1.60 FS engine.
Doug Crumley’s Fieseler Storch spans 94 inches and has an O.S. FS-91 engine. It’s finished with Stitts fabric and paints.
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:21 pm Page 21
finish. Kenneth made several changes to the
kit and added numerous details. He modified
the airfoil and the center-section of the wing,
and he constructed a scratch-built tail wheel,
landing lights, and airspeed indicator to add to
the model’s scale realism.
Kenneth did much of the airframe research
on a full-scale Liberty Sport. He went on to
finish 10th in a field of 45 Expert entries, and
he received the Best Documentation award at
Saturday night’s banquet.
TopFlite kits have been around forever, it
seems, and there is a good reason: they fly
well and can be built into competitive Scale or
fun-fly models. This dual role lends them to
builders of every skill level, which works well
as a marketing tool.
Bob Frey built a beautiful Curtiss P-40 in
an early World War II color scheme for the
US Army Air Corps. The TopFlite model
spanned 66 inches and was powered by an
Enya 1.20 FS engine. Bob covered the model
with Dan Parsons fiberglass cloth and used
PPG automotive paint. Photo documentation
was from Bob’s Aircraft Documentation, and
the photos were taken at AirVenture Oshkosh.
“I would recommend this model to any
accomplished pilot as a Scale project, and
only advise them to keep an eye on the
weight,” said Bob. “Pick a day with wind
right down the runway for a test flight. It’s
worth building, as you just don’t see too many
P-40s and they’re so cool.”
Some other TopFlite or Great Planes kits
in competition were Mel Santmyers’ Stinson
SR-9, Steve Curry’s Fw 190D-9—which was
featured in a three-part article this year in
Radio Control Modeler, and Duane Pisciotta’s
P-47 Thunderbolt.
There were quite a few kit- and plan-built
models by different companies, including
Proctor, Sig, Yellow Aircraft, Bob Holman
Plans, Vailly Aviation, Don Smith Plans, Nick
Ziroli Plans, Dan Gregory Plans, Century Jet
Models, Duncan Hutson Models, and Jerry
Bates Plans. Today, many of the plans by
major designers have wood kits available or
know of sources where you can obtain them.
Another model everyone had to look at
again and again didn’t finish in the top 10 but
was still a crowd favorite. More than once I
saw spectators using body English to help the
Martin TT built by Bruce Harlow make
another upwind turn.
The “TT” in the aircraft’s name identified
it as a “Tractor Trainer” with an experimental
tricycle landing gear that extended out past the
propeller. The model represents one of 17
built in 1913 for the US Army Air Corps.
Ailerons were new to some manufacturers at
that time, and Martin constructed the ailerons
according to what was seen on the Curtiss
aircraft of the time, between the wings.
Bruce likes large models, and this is no 40-
size trainer. The model spans 162 inches. It
has 6,048 square inches of wing area and only
a 13-ounce wing loading. The TT weighs 34
pounds and is covered with natural linen. The
wheels were handmade using turned coffee
cans to make the rims.
“I drilled fender bolts and put the wires in
them,” said Bruce. “The tires are chemical
transfer tubing and I coated the inside with
white paint, all homemade. The cowl is made
from aluminum and the louvers were all cut
out one at a time using a die to stamp each
one. A good friend made the die for the
louvers.”
The pull-pull cables operate through
pulleys as per the prototype. The full-scale
pilot wore a harness so he could turn the
airplane with the ailerons. He leaned back and
forth, side to side to bank the aircraft. If he
turned the wheel in the cockpit, it deflected
only the rudder. For the elevator, the pilot
would pull back on the wheel or press the
wheel toward the instrument panel. The
model’s pilot is hooked up to the harness, and
this actually works while the model is in
flight.
Masters Chairman Earl Aune came to
compete this year with his veteran Corsair
F4U-5N night fighter. Built from Brian Taylor
plans, the airframe has received numerous
modifications including folding wings, a
radio-operated sliding canopy, scratch-built
retracts, and a unique instrument panel.
As per the full-scale aircraft, the model’s
panel features an operating rotating radar
22 MODEL AVIATION
Award Sponsored By Recipient Aircraft
Best Mission—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Dave Kephart P-47D Thunderbolt
Best Mission—Team Airtronics Radio Systems Jay Steward and Jack Steward Nieuport 28
Most Realistic Flight—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Jeremy Fursman de Havilland Tiger Moth
Most Realistic Flight—Team Airtronics Radio Systems John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Flight Genesis Equipment Marketing Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Pilots’ Choice One Eighth Air Force John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Static Ace Hobby Distributors, Inc. (tie) Ramon Torres Sr. Beechcraft Baron
and Kent Walters and Douglas SBD-3
Dauntless
Engineering Achievement RC Excellence magazine Earl Aune F4U-5N Corsair
Best Scratch Built Aircraft Lenhart’s Ace Hardware Richard Skoglund de Havilland D.H.10
and Lloyd Barber
Best Built Up Kit D & D Hobbies Daryl Rolla Hawker Sea Fury
Best WW II Aircraft Arizona Radio Control Society Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Best WW I Aircraft Proctor Enterprises John Cole Hansa Brandenburg C.I
Best Documentation HobbyTown USA Kenny Kear Lloyd Liberty Sport A
Best Markings The Collision Company, Inc. Shailesh Patel T-33
Best Jet Aircraft Arizona Model Pilots Society Gustavo Campana L-159 ALCA
Best Military Aircraft Arizona Model Aviators Eugene Job Hawker Sea Fury Mk II
Best Civilian Aircraft Shell Micro-Acoustics Bill Ensley and Bernie Bolan Stinson SR-10
Best Golden Age Aircraft Sun Valley Fliers Vern Ahlberg WACO YMF-5
Harris Lee Lifetime US Scale Masters Association Gary Norton
Achievement Award
2002 Scale Masters Championships Awards and Recognition
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:22 pm Page 22
finish. Kenneth made several changes to the
kit and added numerous details. He modified
the airfoil and the center-section of the wing,
and he constructed a scratch-built tail wheel,
landing lights, and airspeed indicator to add to
the model’s scale realism.
Kenneth did much of the airframe research
on a full-scale Liberty Sport. He went on to
finish 10th in a field of 45 Expert entries, and
he received the Best Documentation award at
Saturday night’s banquet.
TopFlite kits have been around forever, it
seems, and there is a good reason: they fly
well and can be built into competitive Scale or
fun-fly models. This dual role lends them to
builders of every skill level, which works well
as a marketing tool.
Bob Frey built a beautiful Curtiss P-40 in
an early World War II color scheme for the
US Army Air Corps. The TopFlite model
spanned 66 inches and was powered by an
Enya 1.20 FS engine. Bob covered the model
with Dan Parsons fiberglass cloth and used
PPG automotive paint. Photo documentation
was from Bob’s Aircraft Documentation, and
the photos were taken at AirVenture Oshkosh.
“I would recommend this model to any
accomplished pilot as a Scale project, and
only advise them to keep an eye on the
weight,” said Bob. “Pick a day with wind
right down the runway for a test flight. It’s
worth building, as you just don’t see too many
P-40s and they’re so cool.”
Some other TopFlite or Great Planes kits
in competition were Mel Santmyers’ Stinson
SR-9, Steve Curry’s Fw 190D-9—which was
featured in a three-part article this year in
Radio Control Modeler, and Duane Pisciotta’s
P-47 Thunderbolt.
There were quite a few kit- and plan-built
models by different companies, including
Proctor, Sig, Yellow Aircraft, Bob Holman
Plans, Vailly Aviation, Don Smith Plans, Nick
Ziroli Plans, Dan Gregory Plans, Century Jet
Models, Duncan Hutson Models, and Jerry
Bates Plans. Today, many of the plans by
major designers have wood kits available or
know of sources where you can obtain them.
Another model everyone had to look at
again and again didn’t finish in the top 10 but
was still a crowd favorite. More than once I
saw spectators using body English to help the
Martin TT built by Bruce Harlow make
another upwind turn.
The “TT” in the aircraft’s name identified
it as a “Tractor Trainer” with an experimental
tricycle landing gear that extended out past the
propeller. The model represents one of 17
built in 1913 for the US Army Air Corps.
Ailerons were new to some manufacturers at
that time, and Martin constructed the ailerons
according to what was seen on the Curtiss
aircraft of the time, between the wings.
Bruce likes large models, and this is no 40-
size trainer. The model spans 162 inches. It
has 6,048 square inches of wing area and only
a 13-ounce wing loading. The TT weighs 34
pounds and is covered with natural linen. The
wheels were handmade using turned coffee
cans to make the rims.
“I drilled fender bolts and put the wires in
them,” said Bruce. “The tires are chemical
transfer tubing and I coated the inside with
white paint, all homemade. The cowl is made
from aluminum and the louvers were all cut
out one at a time using a die to stamp each
one. A good friend made the die for the
louvers.”
The pull-pull cables operate through
pulleys as per the prototype. The full-scale
pilot wore a harness so he could turn the
airplane with the ailerons. He leaned back and
forth, side to side to bank the aircraft. If he
turned the wheel in the cockpit, it deflected
only the rudder. For the elevator, the pilot
would pull back on the wheel or press the
wheel toward the instrument panel. The
model’s pilot is hooked up to the harness, and
this actually works while the model is in
flight.
Masters Chairman Earl Aune came to
compete this year with his veteran Corsair
F4U-5N night fighter. Built from Brian Taylor
plans, the airframe has received numerous
modifications including folding wings, a
radio-operated sliding canopy, scratch-built
retracts, and a unique instrument panel.
As per the full-scale aircraft, the model’s
panel features an operating rotating radar
22 MODEL AVIATION
Award Sponsored By Recipient Aircraft
Best Mission—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Dave Kephart P-47D Thunderbolt
Best Mission—Team Airtronics Radio Systems Jay Steward and Jack Steward Nieuport 28
Most Realistic Flight—Expert Airtronics Radio Systems Jeremy Fursman de Havilland Tiger Moth
Most Realistic Flight—Team Airtronics Radio Systems John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Flight Genesis Equipment Marketing Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Pilots’ Choice One Eighth Air Force John Mota and Frank Banks P-38L Lightning
High Static Ace Hobby Distributors, Inc. (tie) Ramon Torres Sr. Beechcraft Baron
and Kent Walters and Douglas SBD-3
Dauntless
Engineering Achievement RC Excellence magazine Earl Aune F4U-5N Corsair
Best Scratch Built Aircraft Lenhart’s Ace Hardware Richard Skoglund de Havilland D.H.10
and Lloyd Barber
Best Built Up Kit D & D Hobbies Daryl Rolla Hawker Sea Fury
Best WW II Aircraft Arizona Radio Control Society Kent Walters Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless
Best WW I Aircraft Proctor Enterprises John Cole Hansa Brandenburg C.I
Best Documentation HobbyTown USA Kenny Kear Lloyd Liberty Sport A
Best Markings The Collision Company, Inc. Shailesh Patel T-33
Best Jet Aircraft Arizona Model Pilots Society Gustavo Campana L-159 ALCA
Best Military Aircraft Arizona Model Aviators Eugene Job Hawker Sea Fury Mk II
Best Civilian Aircraft Shell Micro-Acoustics Bill Ensley and Bernie Bolan Stinson SR-10
Best Golden Age Aircraft Sun Valley Fliers Vern Ahlberg WACO YMF-5
Harris Lee Lifetime US Scale Masters Association Gary Norton
Achievement Award
2002 Scale Masters Championships Awards and Recognition
03sig1.QXD 12.19.02 2:22 pm Page 22
sweep. Earl used a motor card, a holograph
device and a magnet, LEDs (light-emitting
diodes), fiber-optic light tubes, and a
switching transistor to put the panel together
during many rainy Oregon weekends.
By Saturday afternoon it was clear that the
top-placing modelers would be hard to
displace from the first three spots in Expert
and Team Scale. In Expert Kent Walters,
Ramon Torres Sr., and Eugene Job had pretty
well locked up these places with excellent
flight scores and high static scores. All three
are past Masters champions. With the field of
static scores ranging from 98.00 to 76.00,
only a few modelers had a chance to catch
them.
Eugene was only out of second place by
1.167 points, flying his Veteran Hawker Sea
Fury Mk II. The big warbird racer spans 90
inches and weighs 42 pounds. Eugene has put
more than 300 flights on the model since
1995. It finished in first place in 1995, 1996,
and 1997. Eugene built the model from Vailly
Aviation plans and painted it with paint from
the full-scale aircraft. Power is provided by a
3W 4.2 engine swinging an APC 24 x 10
propeller.
Ramon finished second with his scratchbuilt
Beechcraft Baron twin. He works with
fiberglass, and he drew his own plans,
designed the airframe, and built the model, as
did winner Kent Walters. The Baron is
powered by two YS 63 engines, spans 91
inches, and weighs 22 pounds. It was
originally designed for FAI Scale competition
and has competed in the World
Championships.
Kent Walters is “Mr. Dauntless” whether
he likes the title or not. I don’t know of
anyone who has modeled not only the same
aircraft type, but the same airframe in
competition for 22 years. Throughout the
years, Kent has built up volumes of
documentation on Dauntless dive-bombers,
including the one he uses as a contest model.
Dick Best, the Commander of Bombing
Group Six of the USS Enterprise, flew the
full-scale aircraft as it was flown during the
Battle of Midway. Through the years Kent
has talked and corresponded with Dick about
markings and colors of the aircraft on the
USS Enterprise.
Kent’s scratch-built SBD-3 Dauntless is
fully detailed with upper and lower flaps,
bomb release, deployable arrestor hook,
retracts, and onboard glow to the O.S. 1.08
engine which powers the 23-pound model. It
spans 74 inches and is covered with Dan
Parsons fiberglass, and the finish is
AeroGloss dope. Kent controls the divebomber
with a Futaba 9Z radio system.
Kent used the same maneuvers he has
always used at contests, including divebombing
at a 70° angle, for which the fullscale
aircraft is famous. It takes 10 servos in
the model to control all the flaps and other
scale functions.
With two high flight scores in the bag after
Round Three, Kent continued and finished
flying the entire competition, not wanting to
waste a flight in front of the judges or give
eventual second-place finisher Ramon Torres
a chance to catch him.
In Team Scale there was, from what most of
us have seen in the past several years, a
unique team competing—a father and son.
Ramon Torres Jr. and Sr. brought Ramon
Sr.’s own-design T-34C. Ramon Jr. provided
control at the sticks and went on to finish first
by almost four points.
The 1⁄5-scale T-34C spans 80 inches and
weighs 20 pounds. A YS 140 FS engine
provides the power. Kits are available from
RT Aerospace. Everyone seemed to enjoy
seeing someone much younger competing
and doing well. The team is the second and
third generation of modelers from this family.
Second place went to builder Ronaldo
Salles and pilot Eduardo Esteves of Brazil.
This team won last year’s event in Oregon,
and Eduardo’s wife served as his caller and
mechanic at the field. The 1⁄3-scale Sig
Spacewalker makes a great but simple contest
machine if all the details are added, as they
have been to this model. It spans 104 inches
and is powered by an Eagle 3.2 engine, and a
JR 10 radio provided control.
Jay and Jack Steward used a Balsa USA
Nieuport 28 to finish third. The all-wood kit
was finished with Solartex and painted with
Testors Model Master paints with an overcoat
of polyurethane. The 80-inch-span model is
powered by a Saito 150 FS engine.
Airtronics Radio Systems continues to
sponsor the Team Scale event at the
championships and the qualifiers each year.
The company awards a six-channel radio
system to winners at the qualifier and its
Vision computer radio system at the
championships.
Other sponsors this year included Bob
Smith Industries, Century Jet Models, Pacer
Technology, Proctor Enterprises, Southwest
Airlines, The Boeing Company, Williams
Bros., Balsa USA, Hitec/RCD USA,
Hobbico, Jet Hangar Hobbies, JR Radios,
Multiplex USA, Anzio Landing Italian
Restaurant (great food!), Hansen Scale
Aviation Videos, Nelson Hobby Specialties,
One Eighth Air Force, Sun Valley Fliers, and
Superior Drywall.
Next year’s event will be held at Dayton,
Ohio. Hope to see you there!
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Stan Alexander
3709 Valley Ridge Dr.
Nashville TN 37211
[email protected]