he 1999 Brodak Fly-In was one of the
biggest Control Line (CL) contests ever
held, but the 2000 event—the fourth in
the series—was even better!
June 15-18, hundreds of modelers and
their families enjoyed four full days of
flying, demonstrations, good food, and
much more, hosted by me and my wife
Buzz at our 27-acre home and
manufacturing site.
Special guests at this year’s Fly-In were
Stunt legends and Hall of Fame members
George Aldrich and Bob Palmer.
A very special moment was when
world-famous modeler Art Adamisin
was inducted into the Academy of Model
Aeronautics’ (AMA’s) Model Aviation
Hall of Fame. AMA President Dave
Brown was on hand to bestow the
honors.
A unique celebration highlighted the
induction ceremony; Dan Banjock flew
his 1,600 square-inch, double-size Flight
Streak trailing red, white, and blue
streamers, while Al Knight played the
n John G. Brodak
Dan Banjock flew sl ick semiscale P-51D
Mustang in Expert Stunt. Features PA .61
engine, Smith/Werwage pipe. Will Hubin photo.
John Brodak, on the left, and Allen Brickhaus proudly display the prototypes of the new
Brodak kit of Allen’s Legacy design. Photo by Stacy Brodak.
38 M ODEL AVIATION
March 2001 39
Joe Adamusko built this flawless Spitfire Stunter, powered by Aldrich/Jett .50 with Urtnowski pipe. Hubin photo.
This contest relies on volunteer judges to be successful. Clayton
Berry (left) and Kevin Stewart do the honors. Hubin photo.
Al and Mary Knight prepare Al’s Chipmunk for a flight in the Fun
Scale event. Mary won this event last year! Hubin photo.
Hall of Famers George Aldrich (L) and Bob Palmer (R) warmly
welcome new HOF member “Big Art” Adamisin. S. Brodak photo.
Photos as noted Graphic Design by Jill Ann Cavanaugh
Pete and Marie Bergstrom—a great Radio Control Pylon team—enjoy flying Stunt. Pete
gets his original model ready for a flight. Photo by Stacy Brodak.
CL mover and shaker John Brodak
addresses the crowd, and thanks them for
coming to his home to fly. Hubin photo.
Fred Bachl built unique swept-wing original. It features an IBeam
wing, exponential controls of his design. Hubin photo.
Jeff Kemp is proud of his built-up semiscale Stunt Gee Bee
design. The model flies extremely well. S. Brodak photo.
40 M ODEL AVIATION
of us ever envisioned what the Brodak
Fly-In would become.
There are currently five grass CL flying
circles—four with paved takeoff areas.
Buzz hinted to the crowd that I plan to level
our beautiful home so I can add two more
circles—but she was joking. (You were
joking, weren’t you Buzz?)
Dan Banjock and Neil Beekman put on
a great show at this event, flying their
Bi-Slob biplanes simultaneously. These
models perform seemingly impossible
maneuvers at extremely low altitudes. It
was a real crowd-pleaser.
In the Combat circle, Bob Hunt was
seen giving lessons to the real Combat
fliers. He borrowed an airplane from Event
Director Phil Cartier and won four straight
matches, to capture his first win in Combat!
The Fun Scale event was dominated
by Garden State Circle Burners member
Reuben Mac Bride, flying his flawless
Fairchild PT-19. Reuben’s performance
featured a pilot bailing out midflight!
The Brodak manufacturing plant is located
close to the field, and Production Manager
(and Bob Hunt’s father!) Jim Hunt provided
tours of the factory several times each day.
Jim has created many innovative tools
that enable the Brodak line of kits to
maintain its level of excellence.
The Brodak Hobby Shop was open for
the duration of the Fly-In, so modelers
could shop for supplies at their
convenience. Vendors were invited to
display and sell their products.
Tom Morris demonstrated his Lincoln
Log method of building wings, and Tom
Dixon showed his distinctive foam-wing
construction techniques.
Master painter Bob Brookins gave a
presentation on how to properly apply the
Brodak Candy Apple colors, and he
included hands-on instruction for many
modelers who had never used spray
equipment before.
Prototype models of several new
Brodak kits were on display: Bob
Palmer’s original Thunderbird and
Smoothie, Allen Brickhaus’s Legacy,
and Gordon Delaney’s Pathfinder. Plans
42 M ODEL AVIATION
have been completed and production is
about to begin for the Strega kit.
The new line of Iwata spray equipment,
which will soon be available from Brodak,
was handy for all modelers to view.
George Aldrich was present the entire
contest, to assist pilots with engine-tuning
problems, offer free advice, and explain
his line of GMA and Jett engines.
John Duncan sold his whole foamwing
inventory the first day of the event!
Contest entrants came from as far away
as California, Colorado, and Canada.
The United Kingdom was represented by
“Engine Guru” Peter Jackson; last year’s
Advanced winner at the Fly-In, John
Benzing; world F2B judge Roger Ladds;
and England’s “Bad Boy,” Paul Winter.
US Air Force Colonel Dennis D’Angelo
(who flies C5A transport aircraft) came all the
way from Stuttgart, Germany to compete in
Old-Time Stunt, which had a great turnout. A
wide variety of models were entered, including
Zilches, Ringmasters, and El Diablos.
The Nostalgia events included
Lieutenant Colonel Tom McClain’s fantastic
replicas of Harold Price’s Crusader and
Steve Wooley’s Cobra, and Jerry Phelps’
rendition of the Tucker Special.
The PAMPA (Precision Aerobatics
Model Pilots Association) classes in Builtup
and Profile gave modelers in all
divisions a great opportunity to compete.
Some of the exceptional models were
Joe Adamusko’s Spitfire, Dan Banjock’s P-
51, Kent Tysor’s Strega, and the
Patternmasters built by Jim Damerell, Mike
Rogers, and Gary Lutz.
Bob Brookins’ Showtime and Jeff
Kemp’s Gee Bee were exceptional.
After a 35-year absence from CL
(during which he built world-class plastic
models), Ron Keith showed up with a
matching Cardinal and Strega, both
finished beautifully with Brodak dope.
Pete and Marie Bergstrom had a new
model that had not flown yet, and many
pilots pitched in to help fine-tune it.
Clown Racing and Combat were very
popular with the spectators.
Although there were short periods of rain
throughout the weekend, no one seemed
bothered by it. Everyone just huddled
underneath the huge tent and enjoyed the
snacks and hot food provided.
There were fabulous complimentary
hot buffets Saturday evening and Sunday
afternoon. Thanks to Buzz for her efforts.
Video coverage of the Brodak Fly-In
2000, including bonus footage of Paul
Walker flying his new B-17 Stunter, is
available from Brodak Manufacturing, 100
Park Ave., Carmichaels PA 15320.
These videotapes are the next best
thing to having been there, but why not
make plans to attend the 2001 Fly-In? MA
John G. Brodak
228 Locust St.
Carmichaels PA 15320
