Joe Nall-2011/09

September 2011 31
A week of flying and
fellowship at Triple Tree
LET’S FACE IT, Joe Nall is one of
the prime events attracting modelers
from around the world. It’s the one
that modelers look forward to each
year and plan to attend without
reservation. I have watched it grow
throughout the years and what we
have today is magnificent— and it
keeps on getting better!
Thanks to Pat Hartness, whose
forward thinking and passion for
developing the Triple Tree
Aerodrome has made it all possible.
We, as modelers, can now come and
reap the benefits he has so
generously put in place. Hopefully
we can look forward to the Nall for
many years in the future.
Several changes in the past
couple of years have benefited the
Nall. The first was adding five
venues instead of the one normal
flying site. I overheard Pat talking
about adding another venue in the
future. Could it be clearing out the
10,000-square-foot hangar for
indoor flying? Now wouldn’t that
be neat?
Adding more venues allowed
more pilots to fly with the 2.4 GHz
band, and made room for more
spectators to observe, increasing the
size of the overall event. The second
change occurred last year when Joe
Nall was extended to a full week and
dedicated to Kirby McKinney, a good
friend indeed and one of the founders
of the Nall. Before that, it was a fourday
event; however, there were some
who always came in a few days early,
so why not make it a week?
Primitive camping areas were
cleared to accommodate those who
wanted to camp out. Additional
parking changes were made and a
larger vendor area created.
Least I forget, Bob “Mouth of the
South” Sadler was back after several
years of absence.
There’s so much going on at the
Nall that many don’t see it all.
When I read the account of the
event in other magazines, some
things were reported that I didn’t
see. You have to move around to
see what is happening.
Seventeen-year-old Joe Smith flew his gas-powered Slick 540 in the noon demo. Joe
has only flown for 21/2 years.
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:17 AM Page 31
32 MODEL AVIATION
In the hangar is a museum of pictures and airplanes flown
by those who are no longer with us. There is a BT-13 flown by
Slick Larsen, a Waco YMF-5 and an Albatros flown by
Aubrey Neighbors, a Sopwith Pup flown by former
International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) president
Bob Dean, the Hartness B-25, and others. It’s a fine tribute for
us to remember them.
While you are there, you can take a look at Pat’s restored
Spartan Executive, a luxury in personal transportation.
Roughly 30 are left in existence. The rebuild took much effort
from the few who were involved.
Say hello to Mark Davidson, who has taken on the task of
building a Carl Goldberg 20-foot-wingspan Valkyrie. Give
him a hand so you can say you were part of it. I built a couple
of ribs for the wing and it was fun. He had all the tools and
supplies, but still needs more help to complete it.
From the hangar, it is a short walk to Vendors Row where
you can purchase nearly anything related to RC. More than 70
vendors, the ones you read about in the magazines, put up
shop. It’s great to talk to them about their products.
Main flightline: I headed out to the main flightline to watch
the type of airplanes I like: warbirds, jets, and civilian aircraft
that you don’t see every day. This is where most of the activity
takes place and most of the spectators gather throughout the
day.
You can see a variety of different and beautiful aircraft as
well as the noon demos each day beginning on Wednesday.
The main flightline stretches ¼ mile, with tents two and three
deep in some places! This year the pilot registration was more
than 900—roughly the same as last year. The economy
seemed to have little effect on the attendance.
Electric flightline: The electric flightline was moved to a
more accessible area and has taken time to grow. Some of the
pilots flying there were very young. Manufacturer Precision
Aerobatics staked out its tent to demonstrate models with their
sponsored pilots, allowing prospective buyers to fly them.
The most popular attractions for spectators were the main and 3-
D flightlines; however, this electric flightline will grow because
electric airplanes are popular. Those who did fly there had it all to
themselves.
Helicopter flightline: The helicopter flightline was located in the
front by the gate, distant from the action. When I visited it, not a
whole lot of flying was going on. Darrell Sprayberry was there with
his ¼-scale Jet Ranger, modeled after one in the Georgia State
Patrol, which was very impressive.
Dennis Crooks’ 1/8-scale C-123 Provider is powered with
a custom-made 3.3 cu. in. Husqvarna.
Photos by the author
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:23 AM Page 32
September 2011 33
Carl Bachhuber of Wisconsin
brought his Lockheed Electra,
Lockheed Constellation, and a DC-
6. They looked great in the air!
Left: Thanks to all of the sponsors
who helped make this event possible.
Tom Drake spent a year-and-a-half constructing this
1/3-scale Balsa USA PT-17 kit to add scale realism.
Left: Larry Alles of Pennsylvania flew
his 43-pound 40% Tigermoth that
sports a smoke system. It’s covered
with Solartex and painted with acrylic
enamel.
Below: Spectators view the extraordinary
flying skills of many types of airplanes
flown by world-class pilots on the main
flightline.
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:30 AM Page 33
Scratch-built from Jan Hermkens plans, this B-17 has a
125-inch wingspan and weighs 34 pounds. It is being
flown by owner Trent Welhelm from North Carolina.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Below: Ken Peppard recognized
Triple Tree Aeromodelers’
member Tim Barnett with the
Joe Nall award.
Right: Currently AMA’s executive
director, Dave Mathewson presented
Pat Hartness with a plaque making
Triple Tree an International
Aeromodeling Center.
Horizon Hobby
Hobbico
Castle Creations
Hitec RCD
Extreme Flight
Air Age Media
BVM, Inc.
Performance Aerobatics
Chief Aircraft Inc.
Desert Aircraft
Aeroworks, Inc.
J&J Tailwheels
Fisher Fuel Products
Robart Mfg.
2DogRC’s Warehouse
AfterdarkLED.com
Attopilot International, LLC
B&B Specialties
Central Hobbies
E-Power RC
GoBrushless.com
J&R Hobby Hardware
Military Mahogany
Ohio Model Products
Propwash Video
RC Accessory, Inc.
SWB MFG., Inc.
Tech-Bond Solutions
Vel-Tye LLC.
Wowplanes Inc.
MKS Servos
Kirbys Kustom Vinyl Graphics
S p o n s o r s
J o e
N a l l
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:36 AM Page 34
Missouri’s Robert Bolter built this
Beaver from miscellaneous parts. The
Beaver is powered with a ZDZ 40,
covered with UltraCote, and sports
Seamaster floats.
Above left: Thursday night’s AMA
membership meeting included
FAA representatives.
Above: Mark Davidson is coming
along with his Joe Nall Valkyrie
project. This four-year project will
likely stretch to seven. Many
stopped by to cut and glue a piece
of wood in place.
Left: The Pat Hartness Spartan
Executive looks great! There are
only 30 left flying. Eddie Clarke
spent more than five years
restoring it to flying condition.
September 2011 35
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:43 AM Page 35
According to Gene Strozier, a member of
the Triple Tree Aeromodelers, they did
spend some money and time improving the
helicopter site. It should grow in size in
future years.
Floatplane flightline: I can remember
roughly 10 years ago, during the first Joe
Nall at Triple Tree, I thought the lake venue
would be busy and great place to fly
floatplanes.
I was disappointed when only one or two
pilots showed up. Only two channels on the
72 MHz band were allowed there, making it
tough for many to fly and having to take
turns.
When it was opened up on the 2.4 GHz
band, traffic picked up considerably. This
year I counted more than 50 pilots. They
finally found it, knew it was there, and made
plans to use this wonderful site.
I did see some RC boats on the lake. One
I want to tell you about is a 1/3-scale 1947
Chris-Craft built by Tom Drake. Tom let me
take it for a spin around the lake a few times
and what a thrill! It looked so real and was
very easy to handle. Tom is also an excellent
airplane builder—a first-class craftsman.
Hey, maybe you didn’t know that the
lake provides great fishing. Many RCers
brought their fishing poles and fished in this
well-stocked lake for pan fish.
3-D flightline: The 3-D flightline is where
you can see some unbelievable action. These
pilots are really good; especially the young
dudes trying to outdo each other.
The lake at the end of the runway
provides the biggest challenge and a few
got them wet tail dipping, thus winning an
“I Dunked” sticker.
One pilot I noted, Joe Smith, is a rising
3-D star. He is right on the edge of every
maneuver. He has plenty in his bag of
tricks and I’m sure we will see and hear
more about this young 3-D fanatic in the
future.
The best way to enjoy the 3-D flightline
is to camp out right there. There is plenty
of room for RVs and tents. It also has a
really great bathhouse to shower off the
day’s grime.
When nightfall arrives, the Gazebo
comes alive with music, food, Karaoke,
dancing, and even some night flying. This
went on every night all week! Party, party!
Have you ever seen a One Trick
Contest? Each contestant is given 1 minute
to do his or her best trick in the air. Some
of the maneuvers were fantastic and some I
had not seen before. The winner, Ralph
Maxwell, having just completed building
his airplane, was the last to step up. He
performed a very low rolling circle over
the water, touching his wing tips twice.
The crowd went wild.
AMA meeting: Thursday night was the
AMA Membership Meeting, which lasted
slightly more than an hour. The FAA’s Jim
Sizemore and Lynn Spencer, and Rich
Hanson, AMA’s Government Relations
person, held a question-and-answer session.
Questions were taken from the
audience; however, some of the answers
were vague.
I didn’t learn much about what to
expect from the FAA. According to Rich,
we won’t know what it intends to come up
with and how it will affect us until the
spring 2012, so stay tuned to MA.
The famous Triple Tree barbecue, held on
Friday night, is great. More than 1,200 people
attended. There was barbecued pork and
chicken, beans, coleslaw, and oh how I loved
those king-size shrimp. It all ended with some
wonderful lip-smacking cookies.
The music entertainment for the night was
the Nallman Brothers Band. They sounded
great! The band included Peter Bergstrom,
keyboards; Jim Bourke, RC Groups owner on
guitar; Jim “Billy Hell” Graham, guitar; Chris
Hinson of Extreme Flight RC on guitar; Peter
Goldsmith of Horizon Hobby on bass; and
drummer boy Blair Rittenhouser of Extreme
Flight RC. The vocals were handled by John
Diniz of Horizon Hobby. It went on way into
the night.
I always come away from the Nall with a
feeling of having a great time. Meeting all my
friends again, taking in the magic, and
watching the fun and friendship between
those attending will soon get to you.
What a great feeling to hold you over until
next year! MA
Sources:
Joe Nall
www.joenall.com
36 MODEL AVIATION
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:43 AM Page 36

September 2011 31
A week of flying and
fellowship at Triple Tree
LET’S FACE IT, Joe Nall is one of
the prime events attracting modelers
from around the world. It’s the one
that modelers look forward to each
year and plan to attend without
reservation. I have watched it grow
throughout the years and what we
have today is magnificent— and it
keeps on getting better!
Thanks to Pat Hartness, whose
forward thinking and passion for
developing the Triple Tree
Aerodrome has made it all possible.
We, as modelers, can now come and
reap the benefits he has so
generously put in place. Hopefully
we can look forward to the Nall for
many years in the future.
Several changes in the past
couple of years have benefited the
Nall. The first was adding five
venues instead of the one normal
flying site. I overheard Pat talking
about adding another venue in the
future. Could it be clearing out the
10,000-square-foot hangar for
indoor flying? Now wouldn’t that
be neat?
Adding more venues allowed
more pilots to fly with the 2.4 GHz
band, and made room for more
spectators to observe, increasing the
size of the overall event. The second
change occurred last year when Joe
Nall was extended to a full week and
dedicated to Kirby McKinney, a good
friend indeed and one of the founders
of the Nall. Before that, it was a fourday
event; however, there were some
who always came in a few days early,
so why not make it a week?
Primitive camping areas were
cleared to accommodate those who
wanted to camp out. Additional
parking changes were made and a
larger vendor area created.
Least I forget, Bob “Mouth of the
South” Sadler was back after several
years of absence.
There’s so much going on at the
Nall that many don’t see it all.
When I read the account of the
event in other magazines, some
things were reported that I didn’t
see. You have to move around to
see what is happening.
Seventeen-year-old Joe Smith flew his gas-powered Slick 540 in the noon demo. Joe
has only flown for 21/2 years.
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:17 AM Page 31
32 MODEL AVIATION
In the hangar is a museum of pictures and airplanes flown
by those who are no longer with us. There is a BT-13 flown by
Slick Larsen, a Waco YMF-5 and an Albatros flown by
Aubrey Neighbors, a Sopwith Pup flown by former
International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) president
Bob Dean, the Hartness B-25, and others. It’s a fine tribute for
us to remember them.
While you are there, you can take a look at Pat’s restored
Spartan Executive, a luxury in personal transportation.
Roughly 30 are left in existence. The rebuild took much effort
from the few who were involved.
Say hello to Mark Davidson, who has taken on the task of
building a Carl Goldberg 20-foot-wingspan Valkyrie. Give
him a hand so you can say you were part of it. I built a couple
of ribs for the wing and it was fun. He had all the tools and
supplies, but still needs more help to complete it.
From the hangar, it is a short walk to Vendors Row where
you can purchase nearly anything related to RC. More than 70
vendors, the ones you read about in the magazines, put up
shop. It’s great to talk to them about their products.
Main flightline: I headed out to the main flightline to watch
the type of airplanes I like: warbirds, jets, and civilian aircraft
that you don’t see every day. This is where most of the activity
takes place and most of the spectators gather throughout the
day.
You can see a variety of different and beautiful aircraft as
well as the noon demos each day beginning on Wednesday.
The main flightline stretches ¼ mile, with tents two and three
deep in some places! This year the pilot registration was more
than 900—roughly the same as last year. The economy
seemed to have little effect on the attendance.
Electric flightline: The electric flightline was moved to a
more accessible area and has taken time to grow. Some of the
pilots flying there were very young. Manufacturer Precision
Aerobatics staked out its tent to demonstrate models with their
sponsored pilots, allowing prospective buyers to fly them.
The most popular attractions for spectators were the main and 3-
D flightlines; however, this electric flightline will grow because
electric airplanes are popular. Those who did fly there had it all to
themselves.
Helicopter flightline: The helicopter flightline was located in the
front by the gate, distant from the action. When I visited it, not a
whole lot of flying was going on. Darrell Sprayberry was there with
his ¼-scale Jet Ranger, modeled after one in the Georgia State
Patrol, which was very impressive.
Dennis Crooks’ 1/8-scale C-123 Provider is powered with
a custom-made 3.3 cu. in. Husqvarna.
Photos by the author
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:23 AM Page 32
September 2011 33
Carl Bachhuber of Wisconsin
brought his Lockheed Electra,
Lockheed Constellation, and a DC-
6. They looked great in the air!
Left: Thanks to all of the sponsors
who helped make this event possible.
Tom Drake spent a year-and-a-half constructing this
1/3-scale Balsa USA PT-17 kit to add scale realism.
Left: Larry Alles of Pennsylvania flew
his 43-pound 40% Tigermoth that
sports a smoke system. It’s covered
with Solartex and painted with acrylic
enamel.
Below: Spectators view the extraordinary
flying skills of many types of airplanes
flown by world-class pilots on the main
flightline.
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:30 AM Page 33
Scratch-built from Jan Hermkens plans, this B-17 has a
125-inch wingspan and weighs 34 pounds. It is being
flown by owner Trent Welhelm from North Carolina.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Below: Ken Peppard recognized
Triple Tree Aeromodelers’
member Tim Barnett with the
Joe Nall award.
Right: Currently AMA’s executive
director, Dave Mathewson presented
Pat Hartness with a plaque making
Triple Tree an International
Aeromodeling Center.
Horizon Hobby
Hobbico
Castle Creations
Hitec RCD
Extreme Flight
Air Age Media
BVM, Inc.
Performance Aerobatics
Chief Aircraft Inc.
Desert Aircraft
Aeroworks, Inc.
J&J Tailwheels
Fisher Fuel Products
Robart Mfg.
2DogRC’s Warehouse
AfterdarkLED.com
Attopilot International, LLC
B&B Specialties
Central Hobbies
E-Power RC
GoBrushless.com
J&R Hobby Hardware
Military Mahogany
Ohio Model Products
Propwash Video
RC Accessory, Inc.
SWB MFG., Inc.
Tech-Bond Solutions
Vel-Tye LLC.
Wowplanes Inc.
MKS Servos
Kirbys Kustom Vinyl Graphics
S p o n s o r s
J o e
N a l l
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:36 AM Page 34
Missouri’s Robert Bolter built this
Beaver from miscellaneous parts. The
Beaver is powered with a ZDZ 40,
covered with UltraCote, and sports
Seamaster floats.
Above left: Thursday night’s AMA
membership meeting included
FAA representatives.
Above: Mark Davidson is coming
along with his Joe Nall Valkyrie
project. This four-year project will
likely stretch to seven. Many
stopped by to cut and glue a piece
of wood in place.
Left: The Pat Hartness Spartan
Executive looks great! There are
only 30 left flying. Eddie Clarke
spent more than five years
restoring it to flying condition.
September 2011 35
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:43 AM Page 35
According to Gene Strozier, a member of
the Triple Tree Aeromodelers, they did
spend some money and time improving the
helicopter site. It should grow in size in
future years.
Floatplane flightline: I can remember
roughly 10 years ago, during the first Joe
Nall at Triple Tree, I thought the lake venue
would be busy and great place to fly
floatplanes.
I was disappointed when only one or two
pilots showed up. Only two channels on the
72 MHz band were allowed there, making it
tough for many to fly and having to take
turns.
When it was opened up on the 2.4 GHz
band, traffic picked up considerably. This
year I counted more than 50 pilots. They
finally found it, knew it was there, and made
plans to use this wonderful site.
I did see some RC boats on the lake. One
I want to tell you about is a 1/3-scale 1947
Chris-Craft built by Tom Drake. Tom let me
take it for a spin around the lake a few times
and what a thrill! It looked so real and was
very easy to handle. Tom is also an excellent
airplane builder—a first-class craftsman.
Hey, maybe you didn’t know that the
lake provides great fishing. Many RCers
brought their fishing poles and fished in this
well-stocked lake for pan fish.
3-D flightline: The 3-D flightline is where
you can see some unbelievable action. These
pilots are really good; especially the young
dudes trying to outdo each other.
The lake at the end of the runway
provides the biggest challenge and a few
got them wet tail dipping, thus winning an
“I Dunked” sticker.
One pilot I noted, Joe Smith, is a rising
3-D star. He is right on the edge of every
maneuver. He has plenty in his bag of
tricks and I’m sure we will see and hear
more about this young 3-D fanatic in the
future.
The best way to enjoy the 3-D flightline
is to camp out right there. There is plenty
of room for RVs and tents. It also has a
really great bathhouse to shower off the
day’s grime.
When nightfall arrives, the Gazebo
comes alive with music, food, Karaoke,
dancing, and even some night flying. This
went on every night all week! Party, party!
Have you ever seen a One Trick
Contest? Each contestant is given 1 minute
to do his or her best trick in the air. Some
of the maneuvers were fantastic and some I
had not seen before. The winner, Ralph
Maxwell, having just completed building
his airplane, was the last to step up. He
performed a very low rolling circle over
the water, touching his wing tips twice.
The crowd went wild.
AMA meeting: Thursday night was the
AMA Membership Meeting, which lasted
slightly more than an hour. The FAA’s Jim
Sizemore and Lynn Spencer, and Rich
Hanson, AMA’s Government Relations
person, held a question-and-answer session.
Questions were taken from the
audience; however, some of the answers
were vague.
I didn’t learn much about what to
expect from the FAA. According to Rich,
we won’t know what it intends to come up
with and how it will affect us until the
spring 2012, so stay tuned to MA.
The famous Triple Tree barbecue, held on
Friday night, is great. More than 1,200 people
attended. There was barbecued pork and
chicken, beans, coleslaw, and oh how I loved
those king-size shrimp. It all ended with some
wonderful lip-smacking cookies.
The music entertainment for the night was
the Nallman Brothers Band. They sounded
great! The band included Peter Bergstrom,
keyboards; Jim Bourke, RC Groups owner on
guitar; Jim “Billy Hell” Graham, guitar; Chris
Hinson of Extreme Flight RC on guitar; Peter
Goldsmith of Horizon Hobby on bass; and
drummer boy Blair Rittenhouser of Extreme
Flight RC. The vocals were handled by John
Diniz of Horizon Hobby. It went on way into
the night.
I always come away from the Nall with a
feeling of having a great time. Meeting all my
friends again, taking in the magic, and
watching the fun and friendship between
those attending will soon get to you.
What a great feeling to hold you over until
next year! MA
Sources:
Joe Nall
www.joenall.com
36 MODEL AVIATION
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:43 AM Page 36

September 2011 31
A week of flying and
fellowship at Triple Tree
LET’S FACE IT, Joe Nall is one of
the prime events attracting modelers
from around the world. It’s the one
that modelers look forward to each
year and plan to attend without
reservation. I have watched it grow
throughout the years and what we
have today is magnificent— and it
keeps on getting better!
Thanks to Pat Hartness, whose
forward thinking and passion for
developing the Triple Tree
Aerodrome has made it all possible.
We, as modelers, can now come and
reap the benefits he has so
generously put in place. Hopefully
we can look forward to the Nall for
many years in the future.
Several changes in the past
couple of years have benefited the
Nall. The first was adding five
venues instead of the one normal
flying site. I overheard Pat talking
about adding another venue in the
future. Could it be clearing out the
10,000-square-foot hangar for
indoor flying? Now wouldn’t that
be neat?
Adding more venues allowed
more pilots to fly with the 2.4 GHz
band, and made room for more
spectators to observe, increasing the
size of the overall event. The second
change occurred last year when Joe
Nall was extended to a full week and
dedicated to Kirby McKinney, a good
friend indeed and one of the founders
of the Nall. Before that, it was a fourday
event; however, there were some
who always came in a few days early,
so why not make it a week?
Primitive camping areas were
cleared to accommodate those who
wanted to camp out. Additional
parking changes were made and a
larger vendor area created.
Least I forget, Bob “Mouth of the
South” Sadler was back after several
years of absence.
There’s so much going on at the
Nall that many don’t see it all.
When I read the account of the
event in other magazines, some
things were reported that I didn’t
see. You have to move around to
see what is happening.
Seventeen-year-old Joe Smith flew his gas-powered Slick 540 in the noon demo. Joe
has only flown for 21/2 years.
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:17 AM Page 31
32 MODEL AVIATION
In the hangar is a museum of pictures and airplanes flown
by those who are no longer with us. There is a BT-13 flown by
Slick Larsen, a Waco YMF-5 and an Albatros flown by
Aubrey Neighbors, a Sopwith Pup flown by former
International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) president
Bob Dean, the Hartness B-25, and others. It’s a fine tribute for
us to remember them.
While you are there, you can take a look at Pat’s restored
Spartan Executive, a luxury in personal transportation.
Roughly 30 are left in existence. The rebuild took much effort
from the few who were involved.
Say hello to Mark Davidson, who has taken on the task of
building a Carl Goldberg 20-foot-wingspan Valkyrie. Give
him a hand so you can say you were part of it. I built a couple
of ribs for the wing and it was fun. He had all the tools and
supplies, but still needs more help to complete it.
From the hangar, it is a short walk to Vendors Row where
you can purchase nearly anything related to RC. More than 70
vendors, the ones you read about in the magazines, put up
shop. It’s great to talk to them about their products.
Main flightline: I headed out to the main flightline to watch
the type of airplanes I like: warbirds, jets, and civilian aircraft
that you don’t see every day. This is where most of the activity
takes place and most of the spectators gather throughout the
day.
You can see a variety of different and beautiful aircraft as
well as the noon demos each day beginning on Wednesday.
The main flightline stretches ¼ mile, with tents two and three
deep in some places! This year the pilot registration was more
than 900—roughly the same as last year. The economy
seemed to have little effect on the attendance.
Electric flightline: The electric flightline was moved to a
more accessible area and has taken time to grow. Some of the
pilots flying there were very young. Manufacturer Precision
Aerobatics staked out its tent to demonstrate models with their
sponsored pilots, allowing prospective buyers to fly them.
The most popular attractions for spectators were the main and 3-
D flightlines; however, this electric flightline will grow because
electric airplanes are popular. Those who did fly there had it all to
themselves.
Helicopter flightline: The helicopter flightline was located in the
front by the gate, distant from the action. When I visited it, not a
whole lot of flying was going on. Darrell Sprayberry was there with
his ¼-scale Jet Ranger, modeled after one in the Georgia State
Patrol, which was very impressive.
Dennis Crooks’ 1/8-scale C-123 Provider is powered with
a custom-made 3.3 cu. in. Husqvarna.
Photos by the author
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:23 AM Page 32
September 2011 33
Carl Bachhuber of Wisconsin
brought his Lockheed Electra,
Lockheed Constellation, and a DC-
6. They looked great in the air!
Left: Thanks to all of the sponsors
who helped make this event possible.
Tom Drake spent a year-and-a-half constructing this
1/3-scale Balsa USA PT-17 kit to add scale realism.
Left: Larry Alles of Pennsylvania flew
his 43-pound 40% Tigermoth that
sports a smoke system. It’s covered
with Solartex and painted with acrylic
enamel.
Below: Spectators view the extraordinary
flying skills of many types of airplanes
flown by world-class pilots on the main
flightline.
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Scratch-built from Jan Hermkens plans, this B-17 has a
125-inch wingspan and weighs 34 pounds. It is being
flown by owner Trent Welhelm from North Carolina.
34 MODEL AVIATION
Below: Ken Peppard recognized
Triple Tree Aeromodelers’
member Tim Barnett with the
Joe Nall award.
Right: Currently AMA’s executive
director, Dave Mathewson presented
Pat Hartness with a plaque making
Triple Tree an International
Aeromodeling Center.
Horizon Hobby
Hobbico
Castle Creations
Hitec RCD
Extreme Flight
Air Age Media
BVM, Inc.
Performance Aerobatics
Chief Aircraft Inc.
Desert Aircraft
Aeroworks, Inc.
J&J Tailwheels
Fisher Fuel Products
Robart Mfg.
2DogRC’s Warehouse
AfterdarkLED.com
Attopilot International, LLC
B&B Specialties
Central Hobbies
E-Power RC
GoBrushless.com
J&R Hobby Hardware
Military Mahogany
Ohio Model Products
Propwash Video
RC Accessory, Inc.
SWB MFG., Inc.
Tech-Bond Solutions
Vel-Tye LLC.
Wowplanes Inc.
MKS Servos
Kirbys Kustom Vinyl Graphics
S p o n s o r s
J o e
N a l l
09sig1x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 7/22/11 9:36 AM Page 34
Missouri’s Robert Bolter built this
Beaver from miscellaneous parts. The
Beaver is powered with a ZDZ 40,
covered with UltraCote, and sports
Seamaster floats.
Above left: Thursday night’s AMA
membership meeting included
FAA representatives.
Above: Mark Davidson is coming
along with his Joe Nall Valkyrie
project. This four-year project will
likely stretch to seven. Many
stopped by to cut and glue a piece
of wood in place.
Left: The Pat Hartness Spartan
Executive looks great! There are
only 30 left flying. Eddie Clarke
spent more than five years
restoring it to flying condition.
September 2011 35
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According to Gene Strozier, a member of
the Triple Tree Aeromodelers, they did
spend some money and time improving the
helicopter site. It should grow in size in
future years.
Floatplane flightline: I can remember
roughly 10 years ago, during the first Joe
Nall at Triple Tree, I thought the lake venue
would be busy and great place to fly
floatplanes.
I was disappointed when only one or two
pilots showed up. Only two channels on the
72 MHz band were allowed there, making it
tough for many to fly and having to take
turns.
When it was opened up on the 2.4 GHz
band, traffic picked up considerably. This
year I counted more than 50 pilots. They
finally found it, knew it was there, and made
plans to use this wonderful site.
I did see some RC boats on the lake. One
I want to tell you about is a 1/3-scale 1947
Chris-Craft built by Tom Drake. Tom let me
take it for a spin around the lake a few times
and what a thrill! It looked so real and was
very easy to handle. Tom is also an excellent
airplane builder—a first-class craftsman.
Hey, maybe you didn’t know that the
lake provides great fishing. Many RCers
brought their fishing poles and fished in this
well-stocked lake for pan fish.
3-D flightline: The 3-D flightline is where
you can see some unbelievable action. These
pilots are really good; especially the young
dudes trying to outdo each other.
The lake at the end of the runway
provides the biggest challenge and a few
got them wet tail dipping, thus winning an
“I Dunked” sticker.
One pilot I noted, Joe Smith, is a rising
3-D star. He is right on the edge of every
maneuver. He has plenty in his bag of
tricks and I’m sure we will see and hear
more about this young 3-D fanatic in the
future.
The best way to enjoy the 3-D flightline
is to camp out right there. There is plenty
of room for RVs and tents. It also has a
really great bathhouse to shower off the
day’s grime.
When nightfall arrives, the Gazebo
comes alive with music, food, Karaoke,
dancing, and even some night flying. This
went on every night all week! Party, party!
Have you ever seen a One Trick
Contest? Each contestant is given 1 minute
to do his or her best trick in the air. Some
of the maneuvers were fantastic and some I
had not seen before. The winner, Ralph
Maxwell, having just completed building
his airplane, was the last to step up. He
performed a very low rolling circle over
the water, touching his wing tips twice.
The crowd went wild.
AMA meeting: Thursday night was the
AMA Membership Meeting, which lasted
slightly more than an hour. The FAA’s Jim
Sizemore and Lynn Spencer, and Rich
Hanson, AMA’s Government Relations
person, held a question-and-answer session.
Questions were taken from the
audience; however, some of the answers
were vague.
I didn’t learn much about what to
expect from the FAA. According to Rich,
we won’t know what it intends to come up
with and how it will affect us until the
spring 2012, so stay tuned to MA.
The famous Triple Tree barbecue, held on
Friday night, is great. More than 1,200 people
attended. There was barbecued pork and
chicken, beans, coleslaw, and oh how I loved
those king-size shrimp. It all ended with some
wonderful lip-smacking cookies.
The music entertainment for the night was
the Nallman Brothers Band. They sounded
great! The band included Peter Bergstrom,
keyboards; Jim Bourke, RC Groups owner on
guitar; Jim “Billy Hell” Graham, guitar; Chris
Hinson of Extreme Flight RC on guitar; Peter
Goldsmith of Horizon Hobby on bass; and
drummer boy Blair Rittenhouser of Extreme
Flight RC. The vocals were handled by John
Diniz of Horizon Hobby. It went on way into
the night.
I always come away from the Nall with a
feeling of having a great time. Meeting all my
friends again, taking in the magic, and
watching the fun and friendship between
those attending will soon get to you.
What a great feeling to hold you over until
next year! MA
Sources:
Joe Nall
www.joenall.com
36 MODEL AVIATION
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