Author: Jay Smith
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/09
Page Numbers: 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,24
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Joe Nall 2009 - 2009/09

by Jay Smith

Southern hospitality on a giant scale

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 Joe Nall before, I used online RC forums in advance to get an idea of what to expect. I quickly learned many attendees arrive prior to the event and most prefer to stay at the field rather 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 gathering. With all the buzz online, I was excited to get there on Tuesday, May 14 (the day before the official start).

One of the first surprises was the five flightlines in use: the main flightline at show center, float-flying from the pond, the 3-D flightline added last year, and separate helicopter and park-flyer flightlines added for this year.

All those flightlines make convenient on-site transportation a must. Golf carts were available if reserved in advance, and two school buses ferried people around the site.

An event this size—an amazing 820 pilots—would be impossible without 2.4 GHz radio technology. A 72 MHz frequency board was used at show center, but only roughly 15 pilots reportedly used it. It was announced daily at the pilots’ meeting that this would be the last year the event would allow transmitters not on 2.4 GHz; pilots who needed to upgrade were urged to visit vendors’ row. More than 40 companies provided show specials on the latest 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. Everyone at the meeting cheered and shouted to let Kirby know 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 of the dos and don’ts of the gathering. A useful safety feature at show center is the alarm system at each pilot station: 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 looks to the sky to identify the in-trouble aircraft and get out of the way if needed. The system was used a few times during the event and 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.

Q&A with Pat Hartness

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 to think about it—it's the fun, fellowship, and the hospitality. We get together in a meeting the week before people come, and we try to remember that we are here to make everyone have a good time. We have a beautiful place, and if no one comes, we are the ones who lose.

—Jay Smith

3-D flightline

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 the tail-dunking pond.

The 3-D area was well attended by both manufacturers’ aircraft and several skilled pilots who made the area their home for the event. The tail-dunking pond had 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 and 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 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.

Helicopter and electric flightlines

The addition of helicopter and electric-power venues expanded Joe Nall to cover almost anything RC participants 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 to get a couple of flights in.

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 electric-power pilots were well taken care of; he even offered fliers the controls to try some of the company’s new airplanes.

Pilots I spoke to appreciated the addition of the new flightlines. It gave them an opportunity to fly something other than Giant Scale at the event.

Float-flying

There is something special about flying from water. Judging from the number of people who set up around the pond, I am not the only one who feels that way.

Of all models flown from water at the gathering, the Cub was the most prevalent; there almost always seemed to be one flying. Bob Klenke’s modified North Star left the slow, graceful Cub in the dust. Extreme in performance, Klenke’s 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 drew a lot of attention.

The hangar where the AMA membership meeting and the barbecue were held overlooked the pond, providing spectators front-row seats to watch the majestic water aircraft perform while enjoying a bite to eat.

Main flightline

Show center was the hub of activity: the place to be to see manufacturers, flying demonstrations, the majority of Giant Scale flying, and the full-scale air show presented by pilot Matt Chapman.

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. Several 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.

An even bigger surprise followed when Bryan Jensen made a smoke-on pass with the full-scale Beast in formation with Matt Chapman piloting his Eagle 580. The airplane design has been a collaboration between full-scale builder/designer Kevin Kimball and Quique. Matt Chapman piloted the Eagle and Frank Noll flew the 1/3-scale Great Planes version in an excellent formation flight, coordinating via radio as they flew. Matt then wowed the crowd with his solo flying while narrating the performance. He is a true ambassador to our hobby, promoting model flying at his air-show appearances across the country. He even found time to fly RC models when not strapped into the Eagle’s cockpit.

AMA Membership Meeting

Held Thursday evening, this was the first opportunity AMA President Dave Mathewson and Rich Hanson, AMA’s FAA and FCC liaison, had to publicly share the recommendations the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) submitted for review. Both did an outstanding job of conveying how the 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 Model Aviation.

Another benefit of attending the meeting, aside from learning what's going on in your organization, was the free food afterward and the chance to mingle with Executive Council members and other representatives.

Conclusion

The Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In is one of those events you should experience. The Confederate Air Farce does a great job running such a large affair and listens to pilot feedback to improve each year. The Triple Tree Aerodrome is a beautiful facility that continues to expand, and the five flightlines ensure 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.

Jay Smith [email protected]

Sources:

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.