Author: Shirley Brenon and Murray Ross
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/08
Page Numbers: 18,19,20,21,22,23,25
,
,
,
,
,
,

Best in the West Jet Rally 2009

by Shirley Brenon and Murray Ross

The weekend of January 16–18, 2009, the Coachella Valley Radio Control Club (CVRC Club) hosted the Best in the West Jet Rally for the fourth time at the Coachella Valley Model Air Park, near Palm Springs, California.

Lowell Wexler invented this rally 20 years ago. It originally took place at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert and was moved several times before landing at its current location. “This field has unlimited visual and unlimited height,” said Lowell. “I’m glad it is now here—at its home.”

One Week Before the Event

What do you do when a contractor comes by and offers your club 220 cubic yards of hot asphalt—for a bargain price? The board huddled, but only briefly, and 65 feet was added to the runway in the middle of the night (although it still wasn’t long enough for a few of the jet pilots). At this point, the club had to hustle. There was much to be done before the pilots began to arrive for the Best in the West Jet Rally.

The members gave up their flying privileges on Sunday and assembled at the field. Armed with garden blowers and brooms, they cleared the runway of foreign object debris. For the next three days, crews put up orange fencing for the pilots’ stations and cordoned off the spectator areas.

Thursday, January 15

CVRC Club members arrived at the field early, only to find that three pilots from Maine already had their jets in the air. Richard Lugg, Jim Baker, and Ray Labonte had shipped a Composite-ARF Lightning and a BVM Bandit ahead to CD Murray Ross’s home and arrived in California on Wednesday to unpack the crates. “We came out here at 6:15 this morning and it was still dark, but we managed to get in 10 flights by 8:30,” said Richard Lugg with a big grin. “It is so special for us to be here and away from the miserable cold at home.”

Approximately 25 more pilots arrived throughout the day in RVs and trucks, pulling cargo vans loaded to the max. They unpacked and flew while the work crews continued stringing yellow caution tape and installing the sound system. Those who arrived on Thursday were delighted about the extra airtime they could put toward waivers, maiden flights, or practice. They also knew that the feared gong would be arriving soon.

That day was perfect: 76°F temperatures, views of snow-topped Mount San Jacinto, and winds gauged at 4 knots. The flying conditions were ideal at the newly elongated 665 x 70-foot runway.

Friday and Saturday

It was just after 6 a.m.—and still dark—but action at the field was picking up as pilots assembled their models and sent them skyward. The large apron between the preparation tables and flightline soon resembled rush hour on a Los Angeles freeway, as 47 jet pilots jockeyed for space with more than 75 aircraft. Many colorful F-16s and BVM Bandits sat ready for flight. Pilots crouched around an F-4J and a Super Bandit, deep in conversation about merits and fix-it solutions.

Farther down the apron were three A-10 Warthogs belonging to Joe McBride, Billy Edwards, and David Searles, who were waiting to get into the sky to perform scale maneuvers and knife-edge passes. The crowd roared with excitement when the trio finally flew in unison.

Camaraderie at the field was evident as fliers eagerly greeted one another. They were also ready with long faces and caring remarks when a jet crashed or sustained damage. There were several mishaps caused by landing gear collapses or models running off the edge of the runway.

The pilots care about each other, but they also enjoy playful insults via loud instruments. Ron Long, a pilot from Arizona, brought a gong with huge hammers, which was sounded every time an imperfect landing was performed. Soon the crowd began to call for the gong when a jet wasn’t greased in.

“Doug Anderson has a smaller gong, but the Arizona men needed a more manly one,” said Ron with a laugh. “The gong makes you a better flier. It makes the pilots get out there and practice. Fear the gong!”

Sam Wright, an announcer from the Top Gun and Florida Jets contests, was on hand to describe the action. He moved about the apron, calling the shots on a wireless microphone. “If you feel a need for speed, then this is the place to be,” he told the crowd.

When it was time for Dave Presta to fly his Skymaster MB-339, Sam was there. “That gets all the dust off the runway,” he exclaimed as Dave sent his aircraft in front of the pit area with a low pass. “To your left, three down and locked,” was how Sam described Ken McSpadden’s preparation to land his Skymaster F-18. “And here it comes right down the centerline.” Sam kept things moving with remarks to waiting pilots such as, “Kick the tires and light the fire.”

The smell of jet fuel and the whine of engines continued into late each afternoon, until the sun angle blocked the fliers’ vision. But once the sun dipped behind the mountains, the pilots squeezed in another half hour of flight time before dark.

The spectators and pilots not only enjoyed the sights and sounds of the event, but they also gave their palates a good experience. The Rios family catered the event, offering homemade Mexican food.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

Most pilots headed for home Saturday night after three days of flying. However, Vince Tolomeo stayed on and flew his Elan and an electric-ducted-fan-powered jet, while George Manning fired up his Boomerang.

Jeremy Billeaudaux, who had brought a BVM BobCat to fly, entertained the crowd with his T-Rex 700’s extreme helicopter aerobatics. The tic-tocs, rainbows, hurricanes, and tail slides he performed elicited many oohs and aahs from the crowd.

Marty Caraway, who watched Jeremy's routine, said that the helicopter demonstration took his breath away. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack as he finally recovered the 'copter about 6 inches above the ground," said Marty.

Chris Ritter and Ken Merenda, CVRC Club members, also wowed the crowd with 3-D aerobatics, flying two Yaks. The spectators cheered and clapped as the duet executed waterfalls, low hovers, and harriers.

Many jet pilots and other RC enthusiasts attended the event only to watch the action. Vick Sebring, who has built custom, high-end airplanes for 40 years, arrived with 91-year-old Robert Thacker, who was a colonel in World War II. "This is a great field," said Vick.

Don Gulihur, a former vice president of AMA District X, talked about how aeromodeling is different now from how it was two decades ago. "The biggest change is the birth of battery-powered planes," he said. "They were dinky little things, and now, for example, there is Larry Wolfe's EDF: the F-9F. Five years from now, who knows where the hobby will be."

Mike Stone, CD and scale judge for the Gilman Springs RC Flyers, was also present. "I have been in model aviation for 58 years and there are now so many different aspects to this hobby," he said. "However, we need younger kids to keep it going."

CVRC Club members feel the same way. Introducing aviation to young people continues to be their priority. Dick Knapp, the club's secretary/treasurer, and crew offer model airplane building for youngsters at the Indio Senior Center. Joe Scuro teaches students at Cathedral City High School to fly via simulators and trainers. The local TV stations interviewed one of Joe's students, 10-year-old Alfredo Sanchez, during the jet rally.

In addition, Ron Vincent spends four days a week at La Quinta High School, providing RC flying lessons to the Air Force Junior ROTC students. "They will be able to use these skills as a profession in addition to a hobby," he explained. "This is a good experience for them and by getting into this hobby, it may head off joining gangs."

CD Murray Ross was thankful for the help he received in putting on the event. He said: "Without the cooperative help of CVRC Club members and the information exchanges with other experienced CDs and AMA contest coordinators, events such as Best in the West would not be possible. I also wish to recognize the efforts of George Muir, our videographer, for his skills and generosity in displaying his stills and video on RCUniverse.com and his Web site."

Photos: Several photographers contributed to this article. Each caption in the original publication gives credit to the person who took the picture.

Shirley Brenon Murray Ross [email protected]

Best in the West Jet Rally Awards

  • Best Scale Flight: David Searles' BAe Hawk
  • Most Spectacular Flight: Ken Falconer's F-16
  • Best Electric Ducted Fan: Larry Wolfe's Cougar
  • Best Turbine: Joe McBride's A-10
  • Best Markings and Finish: Lowell Wexler's F-4
  • Pilots' Choice: Joe McBride's A-10
  • People's Choice: Lowell Wexler's F-4
  • Contest Director's Award: Lowell Wexler's F-4

Sources

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.