District XI Report - 2009/09
Event Overview
The 41st Annual Arlington, Washington, Fly-In and Aviation Convention took place July 8–12, 2009. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase RC building and flying. Attendance was good and the show included more than 1,000 full-scale aircraft ranging from jet fighters to ultralight homebuilts, and many beautifully restored aircraft of all ages.
Model Aviation Participation
Arlington Fly-In event organizers Bruce Angell and Barbara Tolbert teamed with Joe Goffin, vice president of the Arlington Eagles RC Flyers, and this year the model aviation community was invited to participate and to be part of the air show itself with demo flights each day in a 10-minute window.
Three clubs participated:
- Arlington Eagles
- Skagit RC
- Whidbey Island RC Society
These clubs filled a 900-square-foot tent with more than three dozen RC models of all sizes, four flight-simulator stations, wood and Styrofoam model gliders, a raffle, and handouts from each club and the AMA.
The handout gliders were provided by the Washington State Department of Aviation, Tim’s Hobbies in Everett, and the participating clubs, which kitted many of the foam gliders. There was strong interest in everything we showed—many pilots and spectators first became interested in aviation through model aircraft.
Flying Demonstrations
Lynn King served as the contest director (CD) for the flying demos. Flying was scheduled for the afternoon, with specific times announced each day at the performing pilots’ meeting. We handled announcing for our portion of the show, with the author on the PA and a local radio station helping with promotion.
The first two days were planned as a glider-tow demonstration using Lynn’s 53-pound Rockwell Thrush with its 14-hp radial engine and his 30% DG-1000 sailplane with an 18-foot wingspan. Wind was a problem—always strong and directly across the taxiway. Lynn was blown out on the first day but managed to fly the second day with Steve Dentz operating the tug.
The next two days featured turbine-powered jets:
- Friday: An F-15 flown by Bill Broderick and an F-16 flown by Roberto Flores were scheduled. Roberto declined his flight, fearing the landing gear couldn’t handle the strong crosswind, but Bill put on a crowd-pleasing show.
- Saturday: Al Watson flew his King Cat and Chuck Bower planned to fly an F9F Panther. Due to more wind, Chuck felt his airplane couldn’t safely handle the crosswind. After a nerve-wracking takeoff, Al demonstrated what his aircraft could do.
Nick Kolias explained the operation of his 25% scale (43-pound), turbine-powered McDonnell Douglas MD500E helicopter (Vario, Germany). Kids practiced flying skills on the four simulators.
On Sunday, Nick Kolias, from the Cascade Model Helicopter Club, was on hand with his MD500E in border-patrol colors, but the entire show was canceled that day because of the weather.
Other Exhibits
The University of Washington displayed its design for a quiet, turbine-powered 1:22-scale supersonic passenger jet model. Chuck Bower, of the Whidbey Island RC Club, has been the school’s advisor for several years—and the model does fly.
FAA Involvement
The FAA was on hand to inspect performing aircraft and sign necessary waivers for the performers, including the models. FAA personnel were knowledgeable about AMA rules and turbine waivers, and a very professional relationship between the model aviators and the FAA was evident.
Conclusion
According to Barbara Tolbert, the results more than met expectations. All parties are looking forward to working together at the 2010 Arlington Fly-In, July 7–11.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
