44 MODEL AVIATION
Best of theWest
2006
An
F - 1 1 7
s t e a l t h
fighter with
twin JetCat Titan
turbines, owned by Lou
Vadino and piloted by Joe
McBride. Unfortunately it made
an unscheduled landing. Shirley
Brenon photo.
LIKE THE PHOENIX rising from the
ashes, the Coachella Valley RC Club east of
Palm Springs, California, restored its flying
facility after a microburst/twister zeroed in on
its field in October 2005. In addition to
restoring the damage, the club members also
upgraded their facility in time to host the
California Radio Control Jet Association’s
2006 Best in the West Jet Rally, which took
place April 20-23.
The site restoration was not a one-man
job. It was a group effort that required a great
deal of organization, cooperation, and
problem-solving techniques.
Just three years ago the club members
were enjoying their flying park’s comfortable
amenities, complete with a view of the Santa
Rosa Mountains and the snow atop Mt. San
Gorgonio. However, on the morning of
October 17, 2005, club Secretary/Treasurer
Dick Knapp learned that all the club’s hard
work had practically been destroyed by an
unusual weather phenomenon.
According to Dick:
“Over the weekend of October 15-16 a
series of storms moved through the Coachella
Valley, accompanied by heavy rain and winds
up to 35 mph. On Monday I went to check out
the field.
“When I pulled into the parking area I was
astounded, as two of our five sections of
shade structure had been totally destroyed.
by Shirley Brenon
This giant dual-turbine A-10 won Best Finish and Markings for pilot Billy Edwards
(West Hills CA). It uses JetCat P120 turbines and a JR radio. Judie Ruzek photo.
and the runway was covered in water and
mud. On the downhill side of the runway
there was severe erosion of the desert sand.”
The members were notified of the
destruction, and then-club president Murray
Ross called an emergency meeting of the
board. It drew up a battle plan, and the
members dug into their pockets for funds and
began work.
With all the work ahead of them, the
hobby of flying or building airplanes took a
backseat. Soon an armada of heavy equipment
began to arrive on the property. The din of
Caterpillars, Bobcats, skip loaders, and water
trucks, manned by members, replaced the
sound of model engines as the parking lot was
The 2.5-inch-diameter
pipes that supported the
structure were snapped off
at the base and one was
partially torn loose from the
concrete pad.
“All the remaining posts
were also bent and some had
started to crack at the weld. Also,
the tables were blown over, their
tops broken, and every chair that had wheels
under it was blown out into the desert. A
small building that was to house a men’s and
women’s toilet was blown off its railroad tie
base and rolled some 30 feet.
“In addition, the heavy rains had totally
overwhelmed the runoff water control system
Fast jets, high winds,
and great company
11sig2.QXD 9/25/06 1:12 PM Page 44November 2006 45
Right: An October storm collapsed shade structures, broke tables
and chairs, and muddied the runway. CVRC Club members rallied
with money and labor to repair the damage. Dick Knapp photo.
Below: CVRC Club member and retired Navy pilot Mike Scuro
flew over the site in his own Grumman Tiger to take this photo
of the venue.
Bottom: A view of the pit area facing toward the north. The
runway is off to the left. Knapp photo.
Coachella Valley
RC Club Assets
• A 600 x 70-foot asphalt runway
with a 75-foot runoff at each end.
• A fenced spectator area that seats
65 people.
• A shaded concrete pit area with
tables and chairs.
• A parking lot that can
accommodate more than 400 cars
and motor homes.
Club Facts
• The CVRC Club began in 1938 and
was incorporated in 1993.
• The club has a membership of 125.
• The club achieved AMA Gold
Leader Club status in 2005 and
2006.
For more information about this
group, visit www.cvrcclub.com.
Best in the West Jet Rally Awards
Award Modeler Jet
People’s Choice Dale Hess (Upland CA) KingCat
Best Scale Flight Dave Searles (Santa Ana CA) F-18 (Blue Angel)
Most Spectacular Flight Kerry Harcharik (Trabuco Canyon CA) Kangaroo
Best Turbine Dave Searles (Santa Ana CA) F-18 (Blue Angel)
Best Electric Ducted Fan Chris Wolfe (San Diego CA) Skyraider
Best Crash Dave Searles (Santa Ana CA) Eurosport
Best Finish and Markings Bill Edwards (Los Angeles CA) A-10
Pilots’ Choice Dale Hess (Upland CA) KingCat
Contest Director’s Award Rick Silz (Victorville CA)
Photos as noted
11sig2.QXD 9/25/06 1:12 PM Page 4546 MODEL AVIATION
An aluminum-clad KingCat’s turbines are
throttled up and ready for takeoff. Knapp
photo.
Ed Waldrep flies an electric-powered F-18
with markings from Naval Air Station
Lemoore (CA), home of the Hornets. Ruzek
photo.
View of the pit area facing south. The runway is to the right. Light breezes Thursday and
Friday were from the south; the gale Saturday was from the northwest. Knapp photo.
Ron Werner brings a RAM 1000 turbine-powered AirPac F-15 in
for a landing. Eric Wu photo.
An electric-ducted-fan-powered F-35 (foreground) and F-22
piloted by Ed Waldrep. Ruzek photo.
Ken “Wags” Wagner’s (Fullerton CA) F-
104 performs a high-speed low pass. It
later made an unscheduled landing caused
by flameout. Eric Wu photo.
This Titan turbine-powered KingCat flown
by Kent Nogy received much applause as it
passed inverted. Wu photo.
David Searles readies his Eurosport with a Jet Central Rhino turbine for a flight. This
model met a sad end on a too-low high-speed pass. Knapp photo.
11sig2.QXD 9/25/06 1:13 PM Page 46Lieutenant Colonel Bob Thacker came to
enjoy the Jet Rally. He brought an
airplane but decided not to fly it because
of the wind. Knapp photo.
George Manning piloted this AirPac F-16
with JetCat P120 turbine engine. Wu
photo.
Owner and pilot Ken Le escorts his AirPac F-5 with adversarial markings to the pits. It
has a JetCat Titan turbine engine. Ruzek photo.
Jaime “Knee Pad” Cortez carries his JetCat P60-powered F-16
in front of Scott Ray with his P120-powered Rookie 2. Both use
JR radios. Ruzek photo.
Matt Carroll starts a knife-edge pass with
his JetCat P60-powered Stringray. It has
Futaba radio equipment. Wu photo.
Billy Edwards pilots the big A-10. Wu
photo.
Kerry Harcharik’s Kangaroo won the Most Spectacular Flight award doing incredible
flat spins. Wu photo.
The pit area was crowded with pilots and crew enjoying the
shade and the show. Ruzek photo.
November 2006 47
11sig2.QXD 9/25/06 1:14 PM Page 4748 MODEL AVIATION
Dave Searles won Best Turbine and Best Scale Flight with this Tam
FA-18 Super Hornet with Jet Central Rhino engine. Ruzek photo.
Dale Hess won People’s Choice and Pilots’ Choice awards for his
KingCat with P120 turbine and JR radio. He painted it himself.
Silz photo.
Doug Anderson drew a happy face in the sky flying a Kangaroo.
Ken Silz photo.
Ken Silz’s Rookie 2 has a JetCat P120
turbine. Silz photo.
The CVRC Club conducted a mock pylon race for the audience. There were four
entrants with Sonic 500s, two of which crashed, leaving two to finish. Ruzek photo.
Dave Searles talks to Mike Stone, Ron
Vincent, and the Air Force ROTC cadets
from La Quinta High School about jet
propulsion. Knapp photo.
Runway centerline viewing allowed the spectators to inspect the aircraft close-up and
vote for their favorite. Ruzek photo.
Duff Waldron has been flying this F-15
with a Japanese air-defense paint scheme
for six years. It has a Rhino engine and JR
radio. Wu photo.
11sig2.QXD 9/25/06 12:40 PM Page 48expanded to accommodate 400 cars and
motor homes.
New berms were established or moved to
improve drainage. The two remaining shade
structures were upgraded to withstand winds
of 110 mph, and six more were added.
New President Dan Metz drove the old,
leaky water truck when he wasn’t spending
time repairing the holes in it. Runoff areas
were created at each end of the runway. The
club waited days for predicted rain to pack
down the area, but it never came so volunteers
finally resorted to repeatedly driving their
vehicles over the watered-down area.
Two weeks before the Best in the West Jet
Rally, the group was down to the final details.
More work crews were formed to build, sand,
paint, and assemble tabletops. A transmitter
impound rack was built and painted.
With only days left before the big event,
crews arrived to reseal and stripe the runway.
More security fences were added for the
spectators, new first-aid kits arrived, portable
toilets were put in place, and chairs and
benches donated by members and Parks and
Recreation were arranged. Excitement
continued to mount.
“The club’s field had never looked better,”
said Metz. “It was absolutely magic the way
the members responded to our needs. We had
35 volunteers out here performing menial
tasks. This is the first event where we’ve
taken on a big chew like this. I know
everyone will love it.”
Jet Rally: The club leadership felt that the
event was under control after all the members’
planning and hard work. But it soon learned
that it had no control over the weather (or the
caterer).
A front was moving through, so the
forecast was for high winds the weekend of
the event. Fortunately Thursday turned out to
be an ideal day for flying, and 13 pilots
arrived to practice and get used to the field.
The weather forecast was wrong again for
Friday; 23 pilots enjoyed the open skies and
ceilings up to 2,000 feet. The sound of jet
engines permeated the air as pilots prepared
their aircraft for flight in the pit area.
Friday night brought much hand wringing
since high winds were predicted for the next
day. Continual telephone calls to local
weather stations, calls to Jacqueline Cochran
Airport, and hourly Internet forecast checks
did not relieve anyone’s mind; the news
continued to be grim.
The club hadn’t been able to make it rain
to pack down the runoff areas, and it couldn’t
control the wind for the event. Saturday
morning dawned and the forecasters were
finally right; the wind was blowing at 20 mph
with 35 mph gusts.
Approximately 28 jet pilots arrived early
with their trucks and trailers packed tight with
models. Some of the fliers started unloading
their equipment while others took a wait-andsee
approach. Eight other pilots called from
Los Angeles and Orange County to report that
they weren’t coming because of the wind.
A couple brave souls finally launched their
jets successfully and brought them back
without incident, and a burst of applause came
from the spectators.
At 9:30 a.m. CD Mike Stone took
command of the public-address system for a
consensus on whether the Rally should
proceed or be canceled. As soon as the vote
was in—in favor of moving forward—
everyone swung into action.
Aircraft were carefully carried out of
storage and assembled. The spectators
followed the modelers’ every move,
documenting their progress from all angles
with cameras and video equipment. In
addition, four film crews were on hand
throughout the weekend, interviewing the
pilots as they readied their jets for flight.
A total of 32 fliers registered. They were
from Southern California, Victorville, Vallejo,
Castro Valley, Paso Robles, and Palm Desert.
Out-of-state pilots came from Waddell,
Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
The jets were launched one by one. Each
engine roared to life, followed by a swift
takeoff down the runway, a quick bank to the
left, and a circle back around, and then the
aircraft would make a high-speed, lowaltitude
pass in front of the spectators.
The crowd oohed, aahed, and applauded as
the jets were maneuvered through their paces.
All eyes went to the sky, shielded by hands,
and necks craned not to miss any of the Half
Reverse Cuban 8s, Loops, Chandelles, or
skywriting.
“The jet guys were so happy,” said club
Vice President Murray Ross. “They were so
glad that they could fly as high as they wantedrather than being limited to 200-400 feet, so
they were drawing happy faces in the sky.”
Corona Del Mar, California, jet pilot John
Earnest was on hand to watch the action.
Saturday he said:
“This is a good turnout. The club is very
welcoming and this is a beautiful facility,
one of the best in Southern California. On
Thursday and Friday the weather was
perfect, but today is a little more challenging.
“This is a great hobby, but you have to
have stocks and bonds or rental property
working for you in order to afford it,” he
added with a laugh.
Some celebrities attended the Rally,
including Hobie Alter, who is known for his
popular Hobie Cat sailboat, surfboards, and
Hobie Hawk sailplane. Lieutenant Colonel
Bob Thacker was present Friday and
Saturday, but he didn’t fly his ducted-fanpowered
F-4 Phantom because of the high
winds.
Also on hand were manufacturers Larry
Wolfe of Jet Hangar International and Eric
Wu of AirPac Models.
Midway through the day the spectators
got the opportunity to see the jets up close
and vote for their favorites as the runway
was cleared and the pilots brought out their
aircraft for inspection. General aviation pilot
Jack Ruffer and his wife came from Palm
Desert to see the action.
“We went out and saw all the aircraft on
the runway,” said Jack. “They are lots of
work. It was amazing.”
The wind wasn’t the only thing blowing
that day. With all the activity in the pits, the
runway, and the sky, no one noticed that the
caterers had decided to pack up their
barbecue and blow. This left 500 people out
in the middle of nowhere with nothing to eat
or drink.
CVRC Club member Jack Wright came
to their rescue by going to town and buying
20 pizzas, cases of sodas, and ice.
The wind began to die down near noon.
This presented the perfect opportunity for the
CVRC Club to demonstrate a pylon race for
the crowd, minus the pylons; they were
removed as a safety measure for the jet pilots.
Dan Metz, Jim Jansz, Wayne Van
Dermolen, and Murray Ross brought out
their Sonic 500s, fired up the engines, and
sped off. Around and around they raced, and
suddenly crowd members yelled “oh no” as
Dan’s and Wayne’s aircraft had a midair on
one of the corners.
Debris scattered over the brushy desert
area, but the race continued with Jim
finishing first and Murray taking second
place. It took seven people to gather up all
the airplane pieces from the desert floor. Dan
and Wayne are still teasing each other about
who cut whom off.
There were several other unscheduled
landings during the weekend. David Searles
won the “Best Crash” honor with his
Eurosport jet; Bob Wagner wrecked his F-
104; and Joe McBride, who was piloting the
Stealth for Lou Vadino of Lake Forest,
finished the day on Saturday with a crash.
“Fortunately the pilot ejected before the
Stealth went in,” said Mike Stone with a
laugh. “Actually, the canopy came off and
the pilot got out, but it resulted in a severe
uncontrollable swaying back and forth
(Dutch roll instability) and an unscheduled
landing.”
The wind stayed calm Saturday afternoon,
providing several perfect hours for flying, so
many pilots stuck around until 5 p.m. The
decision was made to cancel the Rally for
Sunday since another windy day was
predicted.
Even though the event had to be cut short,
pilots and spectators said they had a good
time. Dianna Carroll of Thousand Oaks,
California, is part of the crew for her
husband Matthew, who brought out his
Stingray.
“I’ve been around this sort of thing for a
long time, as my dad and I did it when I was
growing up,” she said. “This is a beautiful
field.”
CD Mike Stone was pleased with the
event. He said:
“Overall, with the exception of strong
winds, the event went extremely well. The
pilots were happy with the event and facility
and said that it was one of the best facilities
that they have been in. We plan to return
again next year at the same time.” MA
Shirley Brenon
[email protected]
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 44,45,46,47,48,49,50