Indiana Warbird Campaign
by Mark Fadely
The Wright brothers are synonymous with flight. Coincidentally, the Wright family lived near where the AMA is currently located when Wilber Wright was born. Today, there is an RC airfield beside his restored home, the Wilber Wright Birthplace and Museum.
The Henry County Wright Flyers, the local RC flying club, works closely with the curator of the museum to provide visitors with a wonderful aviation history experience. The flying field even has a scaled-down control tower that mimics the kind used in Southern England during World War II. The club members have an affinity for warbirds, in fact, they have such passion that they started the Indiana Warbird Campaign.
The Henry County Wright Flyers club is all about showing the general public what flying large-scale RC warbirds is like, and that is just what its members did Labor Day weekend 2012.
The Indiana Warbird Campaign was held at AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. The event is in its ninth year and the airplanes that were brought to this year’s event had to be seen to be believed.
Several of the airplanes had wingspans surpassing 12 feet! These pilots are serious. Many of them have a love for military models from all eras and that is what makes the Indiana Warbird Campaign so popular. Spectators and pilots shared in the fascination of seeing droves of famous and not-so-famous aircraft taking to the skies.
Dennis and Linda Crooks managed the air show and tried to provide the best, most entertaining experience for everyone who attended. The grounds of the AMA were transformed into a carnival-like atmosphere that included food vendors, classic car displays, hot air balloons that were lit at dusk, and many other fun and interesting things to take in. There was even an outdoor family movie under the stars on Friday night. This was truly an event for the entire family.
The aircraft at the Indiana Warbird Campaign were some of the finest handcrafted Scale replicas anywhere in the world. At any moment you could have seen an incredibly realistic-looking airplane pass overhead during the flying demonstrations.
We caught up with master pilot and builder, Carl Bachhuber, when he was flying his 160-inch—yes that is right, more than a 13-foot wingspan—Lockheed Electra II. This airplane adds an entirely new definition to Giant Scale models. Carl is a quiet man from a small town in Wisconsin and his dream is to build and fly models of every airplane he has ever liked.
Carl built the model from his own plans and it took seven months to complete. The Electra II weighs 90 pounds and requires a special waiver from the AMA to legally fly.
Paul LeTourneau also showed up with an immense 170-inch version of a Martin B-26 Marauder. This airplane houses two receivers and 24 servos to actuate all of the control surfaces.
Paul said he was inspired to begin this project because he did not see any other model B-26s. Paul is also from Wisconsin, so there must be something in the water up there or it’s the long winter building season that lets these men come up with such outstanding creations.
Nearly every genre of warbirds was represented at the event. There were World War I fighters such as Fokker D.VIIs and D.VIIIs, and quite a number of World War II P-47s, P-40s, Stukas, and P-51s.
Lyle Vasser is an excellent pilot with many talents. He was spotted on the flightline making fast, low passes with his Scale B-25 model.
After he landed and was taxiing his airplane, it was obvious that his aircraft was one of the most authentic reproductions at the event. Inside the model’s cockpit were several crewmembers that were made with an extraordinary level of realism. Even the faces of the pilot and crew were molded uniquely to distinguish each one from another.
Lyle explained that he had a business making pilots for Scale model aircraft. He had recently received an interesting telephone call from a prospective client.
The great-great-granddaughter of the infamous Red Baron (Manfred von Richthofen) had seen one of Lyle’s models of her distant relative, and she called Lyle wanting to buy one. He gave her the pilot model at no charge and said he was thrilled to have actually talked with a family member of the great WW I ace.
In addition to the vintage WW I and WW II model aircraft at the event, there were also plenty of modern-day jets represented. Rich Eggleston brought out his Yellow Aircraft F-15 and wowed the crowd with some 150-plus-mph passes.
Visitors not only got to watch these airplanes being flown by expert pilots, but they could also fly an aircraft for themselves at the on-site flight simulator provided by AMA. There was so much to do at the Indiana Warbird Campaign, and all of it was fun.
Indiana Warbird Campaign
By Mark Fadely
The weather was dicey, with blustery winds later in the day on Friday and all day Saturday. The remnants of Hurricane Isaac were responsible for bringing in occasional wind and rain. Fortunately, the weather was better than expected on Saturday so spectators were not disappointed.
There were things to do indoors as well. A visit to AMA should always include a stroll through the National Model Aviation Museum. The model aviation history preserved in that museum is a delight to see.
Former P-51 fighter pilot and author, Dr. Dick Curtis, was the guest speaker at the Saturday banquet. He shared some entertaining stories and had copies of his book, Dumb but Lucky! Confessions of a P-51 Fighter Pilot in World War II, available for purchase.
The flying displays during this year's event were reminiscent of an aviation museum come to life. It was apparent that the pilots and the general public had a strong interest in RC warbirds.
A large number of people from the local community came to AMA to see the action. The organizers hope to make the Indiana Warbird Campaign the largest RC warbird gathering in the world.
Let's hope their dream comes true. If you can attend this event in 2013, you should stop by. It is a family-friendly way for everyone to enjoy the Labor Day weekend doing what we love to do.
—Mark Fadely <REDACTED>
SOURCES:
Indiana Warbird Campaign www.indianawarbirdcampaign.com
Academy of Model Aeronautics www.modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
