District XI - 2010/11
Event summary
On August 14 and 15, the Bell Air R/C Flyers Club of Bellingham, Washington hosted the Fifth Annual Warbirds over Whatcom and Fun-Fly at the club’s site near Bellingham. The weekend was a big success with 32 pilots registered and more than 100 airplanes. An estimated 700 fans enjoyed the two-day event. Temperatures were 90°F or higher Saturday and Sunday—hot for Washington—but that didn’t stop the pilots from flying more than 80 sorties on Saturday alone.
Flights included mock WWI dogfights with machine-gun sounds transmitted over the public address system, bombs dropped on an 8-foot cardboard ship with explosive sounds, and six miniature paratroopers jumping from a C-47 troop carrier.
Media and special guests
The Bellingham Herald, local radio, and television provided excellent pre-event publicity. The local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) chapter provided several flyovers with a 7/8-scale Tiger Moth decorated with WWI British roundels and sporting a Lewis machine gun on the upper wing.
Joe Moser, a local hero and WWII P-38 pilot, was present to give a television interview and sign his book covering his experience after being shot down on his 44th mission in Europe and subsequently imprisoned in the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp.
Winners
- Best WWI aircraft: Pat Belisle — 1/3-scale Sopwith Pup
- Best WWII and Best of Show: Jay Schoening and Jerry McLean — troop-dropping, invasion-marked C-47
- Best Military Trainer: Jeff Mullen — 1/5-scale AT-6 (hand-crafted trophy)
Photography
Photos are courtesy of John Vanderhage of John VH Photography and Jeffrey Rugon.
Sunday — All-Bird Fun-Fly
Sunday was an All-Bird Fun-Fly and featured the fly-by of a Homeland Security Black Hawk helicopter, much to the enjoyment of a large group of senior citizens invited by club members. The club also provided free hot dogs, chips, and drinks to the seniors.
Acknowledgments
Events such as this do not happen without a great deal of work by club members and a lot of additional support. A big thank-you to:
- Bell Air R/C Flyers Club members and Contest Director Gerry Becker
- Local media and local businesses, including Performance R/C Hobbies and Hobbytown USA
- Model aviation vendors and supporters, including Great Planes, Balsa USA, TroyBuilt Models, RCReport Online, and Dick Hansen Videos, for their generous donations
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
