Radio Control Jets
Jim Hiller [[email protected]]
Thoughts about some of the canceled jet meets in 2005
It's unbelievable how fast things can change. The summer of 2005 will be remembered for the cancellation of some great, traditional jet meets, all held on airports.
I flew in my first model event on an airport in 1965 and have flown model aircraft on airports, at model meets, or in conjunction with full-scale aircraft events nearly every year since. That's 40 years of model flying, and I never knew regulations existed that could stop our activities so quickly.
The good thing is that jet modeling and most of our jet events continued, regardless of our access to airports. Clubs, individuals, and jet enthusiasts stepped forward and invited us to fly at their model fields, and all were well equipped to handle the runway requirements. All was not lost.
The Ohio Radio Kontrol Society (TORKS), the force behind the annual Heart of Ohio Jet Scramble, moved that event from the airport it had planned to use to the club's home field, and the 2005 meet turned out to be a success.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed TORKS a week before the event that it had lost access to the airport it planned to use. With the leadership's fast action, the club relocated the meet and then used the Internet to inform participants of the change in venue, offer new motel listings, and continue to meet the needs of the many generous sponsors of this popular spectator event.
TORKS has some hard-driving, visionary members who run a great jet meet and have done so for many years, and they host two Scale Masters events. A few years ago they turned that energy toward acquiring a new field and built a dream site. It boasts an 800-foot runway, open fields to fly over, and a fully enclosed building located behind a large concrete pit area. This site serves the jet modelers, the event sponsors, and the spectators well.
The annual Superman Jet Rally was also canceled, with minimal notice, but what was lost was gained. The northern modelers were invited to a week of flying at the Winamac field, which is the annual location of Jets Over the Heartland. Those in the south were invited to the Georgia Jets field. It says a lot for the jet-modeling community; people stepped forward and got it done. Great job!
All these success stories in difficult times reflect the strength of our AMA clubs. The clubs involved supported those visionaries who were working so hard to make things happen. The fine fields these clubs have are a reflection of their group support and their members' hard work to make their visions come true.
The ability to support new visions as a group continues, as demonstrated by two clubs' quick response to carry on the tradition of this year's Superman event. They stepped forward with only a few weeks' notice to organize and carry out a coordinated and successful large jet-model meet concurrently in two places in the United States.
Not all model meets were canceled—only those that required closing the airports. I don't know what the future will hold concerning this situation, but jet modeling and our fly-ins will continue, and the jet meets we have enjoyed for so long will not end with this setback. For up-to-date information on the use of airports for model events, check out the AMA Web site. The club to which I belong held a jet meet at an airport before this ruling, and we have already been invited back. The airport management is certain that it can help us create a situation that complies with FAA regulations and still offer us safe flying conditions while sharing the airport with full-scale aviation traffic.
Airport management and many in the community feel that our events help promote aviation at local airports. Our activities bring the community out to enjoy a day at the venue as spectators of our model events.
Something we learned is how effective the Internet is for communicating changes on a timely basis. Although we had to make last-minute changes in our travel plans, the speed of the Internet allowed us to stay informed and remain current on the event situations.
I know many rumors were posted, but the clubs were able to use the Internet to give us the facts and information so we could modify our travel plans as required. I didn't feel the need to cancel any of my jet-modeling travel plans. I merely changed destinations for the new locations of these events.
I am often asked what turbine engine one should buy, and I usually suggest that you check out what others in your area are flying. Equally important is how the manufacturer services the turbines it sells. I've been fortunate. Although it happens, the turbines I own have required few service calls.
Three weekends before the Heart of Ohio Jet Scramble, I went flying with some local jet modelers. I shut down from my sixth flight of the day and I noticed that all was not right. Listen to your turbine; it can tell you many things.
The spin down following the shut-down was taking longer than normal and it sure was spinning free. I was worried, but since it was the last flight of the day I saved it until I got home.
The following night I pulled my Artes Eagle out of the airplane and hand-spun it. There was no question; I had lost the bearing preload. This engine had more than 40 hours of hard running. That's more than 200 flights, winter through summer, so it was past due for a trip to the shop. With only two-and-a-half weeks to go before a jet meet, I was in trouble.
Eric Clapp of Jet Artes Gulf Coast assured me that repairs could be made in time. He helped me arrange shipping to Artes Turbines in Mexico City and called the factory to confirm that it could meet the turnaround time for me to fly the engine at Heart of Ohio.
Artes made the repairs, leaving me enough time to install the turbine and test-fly the model before heading out for three days of fun. My hat is off to Eric and the people at the Artes factory for their support.
Don't think this service is all that unusual; I have heard good reports from other Artes customers. If you're considering an Artes turbine, check out www.jetartes.com.
Many turbine manufacturers and suppliers have stepped up service and are doing a great job. When you buy your first turbine, ask around. Ask the supplier about the company's service record because all turbines will need repair someday. I know this from experience.
My turbine logbook shows more than 100 flights a year for nearly 10 years, and I have yet to have a bad experience with any service on my turbines. Still, I ask about service before I buy; it matters to those of us who fly frequently.
It is important to listen for and know of changes in your turbine. I tend to put too many flights on my turbines between maintenance trips to the factory, but I listen to them. Forty hours of run time on a turbine is hard on the combustion chamber—especially if you fly the way I do.
I enjoy continuous aerobatic flight and tend to use the throttle as often as most people use the elevator. This constant throttling up and down is hard on a turbine; it would be much happier at a constant throttle setting. Heat builds up in a turbine as it accelerates, and heat is hard on the metals in the combustion chamber.
Listen carefully to your turbine at start-up and during the shut-down process. I mentioned how my engine had changed its spin-down time and how I caught the bearing issue before an expensive, complete failure, which is what usually results from the compressor wheel and turbine wheel rubbing, destroying these two expensive items.
Other issues that can come up include things such as tight bearings dragging down the starter during start-up, which is a sign of impending failure.
My wildest incident was when my engine had a tinny, banging sound on start-up and shut-down. It turned out to be loose fuel injectors and an extremely worn-out, cracked combustion chamber.
This was a case of flying far more than 200 flights on an early JetCat. These engines do not heal themselves; the problem only gets worse and more expensive to repair.
Today good technical support is available from our turbine manufacturers and suppliers. If you have questions about the performance and sounds of your engine, call or e-mail for answers. These manufacturers and suppliers want you to have good experiences with their products.
Til next time, let's keep the jets flying because it's getting cold up here in northern Ohio, and our turbine exhaust warms up the winter flying!
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
