AT THE TRIPLE TREE Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina,
May 13-16, the Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In celebrated its 27th year.
Pat Hartness owns the beautiful facility, which has hosted this event
for the past eight years.
Named in memory of Joseph T. Nall, who died in an airplane
crash in 1989, the gathering not only continues to grow in pilot
count and airplane size, but also in flying space; more of the
property’s 480 acres is used each year.
Having never attended the Joe Nall event, I used all of the online
RC forums in advance to get an idea of what to expect. I quickly
found out that it is common for many attendees to show up prior to
the event and that most would rather stay at the field than in a hotel.
I also read about the hospitality provided at the event and the
willingness of the Confederate Air Farce group to go out of its way
to make a safe and enjoyable event. With all the buzz online
surrounding the fly-in, I was excited and couldn’t wait to get there
on Tuesday May 14. (The day before the official start.)
“Many wonderful surprises await you!” Willy Wonka came to
mind when I entered the Aerodrome’s gate for the first time. One of
those surprises was the whopping five flightlines that were in use.
There was the main flightline at show center, float-flying from the
pond, the 3-D flightline that was added last year, and separate
helicopter and park flyer flightlines added for this year.
All of those opportunities for flying make convenient transportation
on-site a must. Golf carts were available, if reserved in advance, and
two school buses were used to ferry people around the site.
An event this size, with all the flightlines and an amazing 820
pilots, would be impossible without 2.4 GHz radio technology. A 72
MHz frequency board was used at show center, but it was reported
that only roughly 15 pilots used it.
It was announced daily at the pilots’ meeting that this would be
the last year of the event for transmitters not on 2.4 GHz. Pilots who
needed to upgrade were urged to visit vendors’ row, where you
could find almost anything related to RC. More than 40 companies
provided attendees with show specials on the latest and greatest tools
and toys, from micro to Giant Scale.
At the first pilots’ meeting, on Wednesday morning, Pat Hartness
made a special call to Kirby McKinney—a close friend and fixture
at the fly-in—who had fallen ill and was unable to attend the event.
A Conversation
With
Pat Hartness
JS: How did you get
started in model aviation?
PH: My dad and my
uncle were avid
modelers, and they were
building Scientific Miss
Americas and were
using Brown Juniors. I
was born in 1941, so I
had the opportunity to
go to the flying field and
watch, and just get very
interested at a very early
age.
JS: What type of flying did you start with?
PH: I started with Control Line. I had an Ohlsson .23 in
a little biplane. I flew it until I absolutely wore my
engine out. I would buy a pint of fuel every week with
my allowance and literally would run it until I had no
more fuel every single week. There has not been one
week since I started in 1950 that I haven’t been flipping
props and flying.
JS: When did you start flying full-scale aircraft?
PH: I got my license in 1959, so if you figure that out,
that is about 50 years. I got it on about my 18th birthday
and have been active in flying ever since. I have, like,
7,000 hours of real airplane time and I figure 10,000 of
RC actual flying time.
JS: Which do you enjoy more?
PH: I enjoy the model flying more. It’s more relaxing,
and you don’t have to get as big a piece of equipment
out and go through all the checking the oil and
draining the fuel. It’s just more relaxing—more fun.
JS: When flying RC, what kind do you primarily fly?
PH: I like doing a little Pattern [RC Aerobatics] work,
but I am not real particular since I am not a promoter
of competition. What I love to do is precision flying,
and I particularly like to use low power. I don’t like to
blast through it; I love to kind of just hang it in the air.
JS: This year’s Joe Nall event has drawn more than 800
pilots?
PH: Over 800 pilots, but I would say we have 6,000-
7,000 guests. Everyone here is aviation oriented. We
don’t invite the public or use radio or TV to bring
people in here; it’s where people come to see the best
and be part of what is the latest, and we have the
vendors. We do appreciate the vendors and them
being a part of what we are doing.
JS: What one thing brings people back every year?
PH: Most of all—and I don’t even have a question—it’s
the fun, fellowship, and the hospitality. And we get
together in a meeting the week before people come,
and we try to remember that that is what we are here
for: to make everyone have a good time. Remember,
we have a beautiful place, and if no one comes, we are
the ones who lose.
Everyone at the meeting cheered and
shouted, to let Kirby know that their
thoughts and prayers were with him.
Safety was a key message at every
pilots’ meeting. While wearing a drill
sergeant’s hat, Jim Malek informed
everyone present about the dos and don’ts
of the gathering.
A nice safety feature at the Joe Nall
event is the alarm system that is set up at
each pilot station at show center. Fliers and
callers are instructed to depress and hold
the alarm if an aircraft is out of control.
Upon hearing the alarm, everyone on
the field is to look to the sky to identify the
in-trouble aircraft and get out of the way, if
need be. The system was used a few times
throughout the event, and it worked well.
The last comment at every pilots’
meeting was a reminder that attendees were
there to fly and that if no flying was going
on, the flightline would be shut down. In
the end, even Saturday’s less than optimal
weather couldn’t stop pilots from getting in
some stick time.
The 3-D flightline, situated at the far end
of the property, was sponsored by Chris
Hinson and Extreme Flight RC. They
helped keep things running smoothly and
were rewarded with a prime spot, next to
the gazebo and tail-dunking pond.
The 3-D flightline was well attended,
not only by the different manufacturers’
aircraft, but also by the flying ability of
several pilots who made the 3-D area
their home for the event. The tail-dunking
pond was given its own flight station and
was constantly used for “testing the
water.”
Elie Houayes, aka Snapasaurus, was
looking to redeem himself from last
year’s splashdown. He put in a solid
performance over the pond, as did several
others who tempted fate.
The beautiful gazebo was the perfect
place to take in all the flying while
getting a break from the sun. It was a nice
setting to talk about aircraft setup and
flying styles with fellow pilots. If only
talking to Andrew Jesky would allow me
to fly like he does, I would be set.
Helicopter and Electric Flightlines: The
addition of these venues expanded the Joe
Nall fly-in to cover almost anything RC
that a participant wanted to fly. The
helicopter area featured some of the best
pilots in the country, such as Curtis
Youngblood and Wayne Mann, who
enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. Others
came and went when they needed a
couple of flights to get their rotary fix.
Precision Aerobatics (PA) and Hobby
Lobby sponsored the electric-power
flightline. Steve Evans of PA rarely
ventured away from the area, because he
wanted to make sure that all electricpower
pilots were well taken care of. He
even offered fliers the controls to try
some of the company’s new airplanes.
The pilots I spoke to appreciated the
addition of the new flightlines. It gave
them the opportunity to fly something
other than Giant Scale at the event.
Float-Flying: There is something special
about flying from water. And judging
from the number of people who set up
around the pond, I am not the only one
who feels that way.
Of all the models flown from water at
the gathering, the Cub was the most
prevalent; it seemed that there was always
one flying.
Bob Klenke’s modified North Star left
the slow, graceful Cub in the dust. Rather
extreme in the way of performance, the
North Star was equipped with an AMT
180 Airstart turbine engine. Not only did
it displace a lot of water getting airborne,
but the unmistakable turbine sound
brought a lot of attention to the waterway.
The hangar where the AMA
membership meeting and the barbecue
were held overlooked the pond. That
provided spectators front-row seats to
watch the majestic water aircraft perform
while having a bite to eat.
Main Flightline: Show center was the
hub of activity. It was the place to be to
see manufacturers, flying demonstrations,
the majority of Giant Scale flying, as
well as the full-scale air show that pilot Matt
Chapman presented.
One of the most interesting events at
show center was the flight of 72 ParkZone
T-28s. The idea was born on the Flying
Giants forum with a simple posting by
Robert Vess of Raleigh, North Carolina. He
suggested trying to get at least 40 of the
models in the air at once.
The T-28 flight appears to have set a
record for the most identical aircraft flown
together at the same time. In the end, several
of the models ended up on the field and a
few landed in the trees, but the pilots did a
great job of keeping all of them away from
the flightline. When the flight concluded,
Horizon Hobby rewarded each pilot with a
ParkZone T-shirt.
One of the biggest surprises of the event,
thanks to Horizon Hobby’s Quique
Somenzini, Kevin Kimball, and Bryan
Jensen, was the “Beast”: a modified Pitts
Python. Hangar 9’s new 100cc model
received a great deal of attention—
especially when Quique put it through the
paces down on the deck with smoke on.
The even bigger surprise was
immediately following, when Bryan Jensen
made a smoke-on pass with the full-scale
Beast in formation with Matt Chapman
piloting his Eagle 580. One of the most
exciting things about this partnership is that
the airplane design has been a collaboration
between the full-scale builder/designer,
Kevin Kimball, and Quique.
Matt Chapman piloted the Eagle and
Frank Noll flew the 1/3-scale Great Planes
version of the airplane in an excellent
formation flight, coordinating via radio as
they flew. Matt then wowed crowd
members with his solo flying as he talked
to them throughout the performance.
He is a true ambassador to our hobby,
promoting model flying at his air show
appearances across the country. Matt is
happy to point out that flying RC started
him on his progression to full-scale flight.
He even got some stick time in on his RC
models when he was not strapped into the
Eagle’s cockpit.
AMA Membership Meeting: Held
Thursday evening, this was the first
opportunity that AMA President Dave
Mathewson and Rich Hanson, AMA’s
FAA and FCC liaison, had to publicly
share the recommendations that the FAA’s
Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC)
submitted for review. Both did an
outstanding job of conveying how this
process works and what next steps might
be taken.
If you missed it, you can watch a video
of the meeting on RCGroups. Dave
Mathewson also outlined the ARC process
in his column in the June MA.
Another benefit to attending the
meeting, outside of knowing what is going
on inside your organization, is the free food
provided immediately afterward and the
chance to mingle with your Executive
Council members and other
representatives.
The Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In is one of
the things you should experience before
you die. I was told before I attended, and
now I can concur. The Confederate Air
Farce does a nice job of running such a
large affair and listens to pilot feedback, to
try to improve on each year’s event.
The Triple Tree Aerodrome is a
beautiful facility that continues to expand,
and the five flightlines ensure that you can
fit in with fellow pilots no matter what type
of model you fly. If you are looking for a
gathering that is big on aircraft, pilots, and
hospitality, the Joe Nall fly-in needs to be
on your short list. MA
Jay Smith
[email protected]
Sources:
Confederate Air Farce
www.joenall.com
Robert Vess’s ParkZone T-28 posting:
Flying Giants
www.flyinggiants.com
RCGroups Membership Meeting video:
www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.ph
p?t=1050015
