Hoosier Dawn Patrol
by Jay Smith
Pioneer-era enthusiasts revisit a time of chivalry
The Hoosier Dawn Patrol celebrates a time when aircraft were in their infancy, pilots believed in chivalry in the air, and the term "ace" had just been created. The event features noncompetitive, mission-style flying with models of World War I aircraft.
This year’s gathering took place at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, from August 22 through 24. Steve Percifield started the annual get-together in 2003, and it grows each time it is held. In 2008, its third year at the AMA facility, 43 pilots arrived with nearly 100 war machines.
The Dawn Patrol is an accurate name for the event, because pilots start flying just before the day’s first light. A couple of the pilots keep pushing their takeoff times earlier and earlier to have the honor of the first flight.
The models are works of art, with their canvas-like covered airframes, the majority of which are built from kits. To add to the realism, most of the airplanes include scale-looking pilots and cockpit detailing; a few are even outfitted with paintball guns shooting CO2 to re-create the sound of World War I machine guns such as the Spandau, Vickers, and Lewis.
A section of the pit area includes many of the different types of aircraft at the event. Flags of all countries involved in the Great War were flown.
Notable aircraft and builders included:
- Stephen Hill-Harriss’ scratch-built de Havilland D.H.2 fighter, well detailed and modestly powered with an O.S. 1.60 twin four-stroke engine.
- Jim Suchy’s scratch-built Hannover CL.III in quarter scale, powered with a Zenoah G-38 engine.
- Numerous examples showing the blue lozenge camouflage pattern.
Pilots entered a total of 18 1/3-scale models in the 2008 event to show off the large-scale aircraft in attendance. Photographing four large models in the air at once is not easy.
Electric-powered models of Great War aircraft were common this year in park-flyer size. When the airplanes became larger, the power plant of choice switched to gas or glow engines. One participant noted that one of the most satisfying things about World War I models—the sound of the engine—is lost with electric power. There is something pleasing about hearing the rising and falling hum when the pilot works the throttle, a sound familiar from World War I films.
A couple of the most exciting parts of the event, apart from seeing all the great aircraft, were the mock dogfighting and the Review of the Threes. The mock dogfighting provides a nice aerial display as pilots try to outmaneuver their opponents and show off maneuvers pioneered by German flying aces such as Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke.
Don’t let these models’ slower flying speeds fool you. A pilot must be proficient with both thumbs to make the airplane look as good in the air as it does on the ground.
In the Review of the Threes, all the 1/3-scale aircraft take the field for review and pictures. As many of the RC pilots as possible take to the air with their creations and fly in loose formations. This year, the Germans outnumbered the British six to three. The large size of the airplanes and their high level of detailing make it easy to believe you have been transported back to Flanders Fields in southern Belgium and northwest France during the Great War.
Balsa USA attended the Hoosier Dawn Patrol to show off its latest releases: the 1/6-scale Nieuport and Sopwith Pup. Representatives from the company flew several of its models and had kits and supplies for sale.
Billy Thompson won Best of Show with his modified Balsa USA 1/3-scale Fokker D.VII. He finished his airplane in the markings of German flying ace Ernst Udet and was one of two pilots at the event wearing Udet’s candy-striped colors.
Attending an event such as the Hoosier Dawn Patrol brings back the excitement of early aviation, when knights of the sky ruled the air in their canvas warplanes. It provides a rare opportunity to see several “wind-in-the-wires” warbirds gathered in one place and to spend time with a group of people who share the same passion. If you are looking for a front-row seat to see modeling or flying World War I aircraft, the Hoosier Dawn Patrol is your ticket.
To obtain more information about the gathering, see additional pictures, or get dates for World War I RC-related events, visit the event website.
Sources
- Hoosier Dawn Patrol — www.hoosierdawnpatrol.com
Contact
Jay Smith [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
