IRCHA Jamboree
By Ray Stacy
Overview
Where can you go and hang out with close to 500 of your best buddies, doing what you like to do best? The 2005 International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association Jamboree, or IRCHA Jamboree for short.
IRCHA was established in 1984 to unite model-helicopter pilots and promote safe flying and advancement of model-helicopter flying. Check the Web site at www.ircha.org. The 2005 IRCHA Jamboree was the organization’s 12th such event. I have attended a number of them over the years, including the first one held in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. The 2005 Jamboree was by far the biggest and best I have attended: 467 pilots registered, with participants traveling from as far as Australia, Germany, and England. Pilots represented all skill levels, from beginners learning to hover to World Championships competitors. Ages ranged from 9 years old to—well, I’m not certain. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones.
Location and facilities
This year’s Jamboree was hosted in Muncie, Indiana—the home of our Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). It was my first trip to the AMA facility, and I was impressed. The AMA Headquarters building, the AMA National Model Aviation Museum, and the various flying sites were beautiful and well maintained. It’s great to see IRCHA and AMA working so closely together on an event of this magnitude.
Schedule and setup
The Jamboree started August 11 and lasted until August 14—four days of nothing but flying. The flightline opened on August 10, which was helpful because many people arrived early. Our group arrived early Thursday morning and was greeted by the sounds of helicopters in the air and people running back and forth between merchants, taking in the latest in RC helicopters.
Vendor Row and the flightline extended in both directions as far as I could see. I was glad I had reserved one of the golf carts for the weekend. Almost every top model-helicopter company was represented on Vendor Row, which was certainly the place to find deals. We found a spot for our tent and unloaded our belongings.
IRCHA President Ron Kummer and his staff did a great job organizing registration. There were two lines for signing in: one for pilots who preregistered and one for those who did not. The pleasant Holly Swartz helped make sure everyone found his or her way into the proper line.
Radio impound and frequency control
After signing in and receiving our badge and IRCHA Jamboree shirt, we were directed to the radio impound, which was a significant operation. Dan Monroe and his crew did a fantastic job coordinating this station—keeping 467 pilots and their respective frequencies straight is no easy task. Dan developed a software package that, in conjunction with AMA's equipment, handled the frequency control beautifully.
- Once your radio was checked at one end of the impound trailer, your name and frequency were entered into the computer database.
- To check out your radio, you went to the other end of the trailer where they brought up your pilot number to see if your frequency was available.
- If available, you were given your radio and a pager; if not, you could see how much time the current user had left.
- Pilots with synthesized systems could get a report of all open channels and pick one.
- Dan’s system showed, on the fly, which frequencies were used the most.
Once you had the pager and transmitter, the 30-minute clock started and you were free to fly. At the end of the half hour the pager was activated, meaning it was time to return your radio and pager to the impound. If you did not come back, you were paged over the public-address system—trust me, I know from personal experience! During peak times 30 minutes could feel short, and there were occasional challenges getting radios and pagers back, but that’s to be expected with this many pilots.
Aircraft and demonstrations
Every type of model helicopter seemed represented at the Jamboree, ranging from tiny electric-powered T-Rex models up to the awesome Bergen turbines owned by Greg Alderman.
Throughout the day attendees were treated to demonstrations by some of the best pilots in the world. One favorite was the "Triple Threat" performed by Jeff Swartz, Mark Fadely, and Matt Botos. They executed a choreographed routine that was amazing to watch: at one point two helicopters performed a Hurricane while the third did low-level flips in the middle. Later one pilot joked, “Imagine how good it would be if we actually practiced!”
Prizes, contests, and clinics
The raffle lineup was the most impressive assortment of helicopter paraphernalia I’ve seen: Futaba 14MZ radios, JR and Airtronics radios, Hirobo Evo 90 helicopters, Raptor 90 helicopters, Bergen Intrepid helicopters, Century helicopters, engines, support equipment, and more—well over $10,000 in prizes. Ron Kummer did a great job keeping things running and handed out prizes throughout the day.
There was still a bit of friendly competition:
- Scale contest: Tim Dawson won with his beautiful Aerospatiale Puma—his scale building skills are exceptional (I was disappointed he didn’t bring his trademark top hat).
- Drag race: Hosted by Ron Lund of Rick’s R/C—exciting to watch from a distance.
- Class I competition: Scheduled but canceled due to nasty weather that came through quickly.
The event also featured engine clinics, radio clinics, setup clinics, and more—something for everyone.
AMA National Model Aviation Museum
Many of us used the rain delays to visit the AMA museum—a must-see if you’re in the area. I relived my childhood in the replica vintage hobby shop and saw toys and models I played with as a kid in fully restored condition. It was great fun sharing those memories with my young son.
I still need to contact the museum to see if AMA is interested in putting my father’s original Schluter Huey Cobra on exhibit. Tim Dawson has even offered to restore it for display—an offer we can’t pass up.
Community moments and night flying
Back on the flightline, the Raptor line was especially popular. At one point all Raptor pilots were asked to bring their models to center stage for a group picture—I'd guess more than 150 responded. After the picture, Jeff Fassbinder, Jeff Swartz, and Alan Szabo tossed Thunder Tiger shirts and hats into the crowd—nice gestures.
When the sun went down we were treated to fantastic night flying. The same maneuvers are even more dramatic at night—sometimes the pilots don’t know exactly where the ground is! At the hotel, a group of guys flew their T-Rex and Blade helicopters in the parking lot under streetlights. Those who attend the Jamboree really don’t want to stop.
Closing and thanks
Sunday was the day to wind down. Ron Kummer called a quick IRCHA meeting and gave away more prizes until the grand prize: a package consisting of a Hirobo Evolution 90 helicopter, a Futaba 14MZ radio, and an O.S. engine. That alone made the trip worthwhile. Congratulations to all the winners.
If you didn’t make it this year, clear your calendar for next year and plan on attending—you won’t be disappointed. As I write this I don’t think the dates for the 2006 event have been set, but I would guess it will be in the same general time frame. Check the IRCHA Web site for details.
Many thanks to Ron Kummer and all the volunteers for making this event so successful.
Ray Stacy [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
