Radio Control Jets
Jim Hiller [email protected]
An insider's look at the 2011 Jet World Masters
It was incredible to be a part of the 2011 Jet World Masters. This year's event was held in Dayton, Ohio, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Roger Shipley's dream was to bring the Jet World Masters to the United States, and he did. What an event it was; I'll bet it exceeded his dreams.
No get-together such as this happens without the support of many people. Dewey Davenport managed the event coordination, and he brought on the full support of the staff at the United States Air Force Museum. Contest director (CD) Lance Campbell had a large group of dedicated volunteers behind him, but that's what it takes to make an international event of this magnitude a success.
Much effort was put in place to take care of the participants and volunteers. And don't forget the sponsors; it takes a lot of money to pull off an event of these proportions.
The museum provided space for the contestants, their aircraft, and support equipment. The tables were arranged so that each country's team had its own designated area, which helped with issues related to shipping equipment. Jet A fuel and turbine oil, along with a battery, were also supplied. The museum staff cleared an area in the facility for unpacking aircraft and storing the shipping boxes. In addition to logistical support, the staff opened the museum for three nights during the two-week event, allowing participants to enjoy the exhibits. There was dinner under the wings on two of those nights. We owe many thanks and much appreciation to the dedicated museum staff.
My role in this event was that of US Flight Judge. The sponsoring country is allowed to have one judge. Roger talked me into it and submitted my name for approval by the International Jet Model Committee (IJMC). In preparation, a number of us received training last year in Cincinnati. We met a day before competition began for a review of rules and judging standards. This group is a professional organization—thorough and dedicated to maintaining fair, consistent, and unbiased judging.
David Tappin is the chair of the judging committee and his efforts include a detailed review of each flight maneuver. During competition he reviewed the scores on each flight with emphasis on maintaining consistency. It was my honor and pleasure to be part of his judging staff for this event.
Each day, before the first competition flight, Andy Andrews put up a calibration flight for the flight judges to warm up and for David Tappin to review scoring with the judges and competitors. Andy was the most critiqued pilot at the event. Great job, Andy!
Judging the models—static judging that is—was done in an enclosed, air-conditioned tent. It's hot in southern Ohio in the summer. The models were set on custom-fabricated judging tables. These tables could be raised or lowered to aid the judges in viewing the model. A Lazy Susan was also built into these custom tables to rotate the model for viewing on all sides.
Why this much effort? The static outline judges view the model from all six views: right side, left side, front, rear, then they lift the model off the table for the top view and the bottom view. The aircraft should present these six views, and preferably have a picture of each for cross-reference. If it was easy everyone would do it.
After outline judging, the model transferred to the second table for color, markings, and craftsmanship. Roughly 15 minutes were allocated at each station for judging.
The pace of the flying part of this event is unusual by our standards; they fly one aircraft at a time. Each flight is allowed 15 minutes, and should we get ahead of schedule, a judge’s break is taken to allow competitors time to prepare to fly at their published flight time. There is no need to rush the competitor. This made for a poor spectator event, but it allowed the pilots to schedule their activities at and away from the field.
This event is all about the participants and the competition. I have never seen so many wonderful scale jets in one place before. With contestants from around the world, the variety was unreal. There were some highly detailed ARFs, some kit-built jets, and some of the most intense scratch-built-for-competition-only aircraft that I have only seen in pictures. What a collection, and they were all flown by quality pilots!
One of my favorites was Vitaly Robertus’s event-winning Yak-130. Vitaly is a detail fanatic, and the results paid off with a decisive win. The Yak-130 is of composite construction with a strong emphasis on weight; in this competition the maximum empty weight is limited to 20 kilograms, or roughly 44 pounds. Congratulations to Vitaly.
Bill White was responsible for accurately weighing each model, and in the final round all the trophy models were weighed again. Bill did not let anything slip past him.
As the models arrived late Tuesday night, the Russian team got to work. These quiet, professional team members knew what had to be done—assemble the four aircraft, including the Yak-130. Vitaly occasionally stopped assembly to show off special details such as the instrument panel, three large LCD displays programmed for moving maps, flight instruments, and armament and radar displays. He had way too much fun building this aircraft. The landing gear on this model is a work of art; it is a miniature of the full-scale version, including its operation.
My favorite model at this event was the MiG-27, flown by Boris Satovskiy and Oleg Zakharov, also of the Russian team. This model included the full swing wing, leading-edge flaps, spoilers, and incredible landing gear that duplicated the full-scale operations to an unbelievable degree. The highly detailed landing gear proved to be durable, reliable, and able to soak up a harsh landing without rebound. The model just stuck on landing—no bounces.
A walk around the MiG-27 revealed stainless steel metal parts in the aft end, a complicated exhaust nozzle, and stabilizer heat shields of impeccable workmanship. Boris brought a scale tow truck vehicle and a highly detailed scale tow bar to haul the MiG-27 to the flightline. This man enjoys the hobby.
Ron Ballard and “Goose” invited the Russian team (which led to more team invites) to a barbecue at the Man Grille, and what a party this turned into. I don't believe the Russians went anywhere without their vodka—party time for all.
Russian team manager Victor Lahmanov summed up the emotions of his team by saying that he was so proud to be part of the team representing Russia, his home country, in the United States of America, proving that the Cold War is over, and we, as modelers, now enjoy flying together.
After years of flying quality models built from the kit expertise of Philip Avonds of Belgium, I finally got to meet Philip at the Jet World Masters. He was showing the modeling skills that have made his reputation by winning the 13-kilogram category with his new Fouga Magister.
Philip has many hours in Magisters, including his solo flights. This project is near and dear to him and is shown in the details. Philip told me a few minutes before his final flight that he had received a telephone call from his son to tell him he had just completed his first solo flight in a glider. It was an emotional final competition flight for dad; Philip couldn't help thinking about his son's first solo during his own flight.
The Italian team was a strong and enjoyable group of contenders, including father-and-son competitors Sandro and Federico Rosina, flying in the 13-kilogram class with a pair of nice L-39s.
But I reserve my vote for most fun character of the event to the Italian second-place finisher, Gianluca De Marchia, flying his Fiat G.91. Gianluca even brought along an indoor foamie to kick around at night. He set up a large display board showing the G.91's build. It was quite a project, and I can't believe he kept it under 44 pounds.
The well-prepared and well-practiced German and Swiss teams came ready to win. To maintain consistently high standards, these teams worked closely with one another to ensure success. It was no accident that these teams took the top two places; these modelers worked hard on the models and their flying skills. They flew big, lightweight models with plenty of power. The teams combined the skills of top-quality pattern fliers flying precision models.
It was great to see our Team USA working and flying together. There was the international experience of Rod Snyder, Scott Harris, and David Shulman working closely with Bob Bush and Jason Bauer, and they did us proud. Scott Harris built a new BVM F-86 for this event, and what a beauty it was; this one was just his best effort.
I have so many memories from this event and so many stories; it was a great experience. Roger Shipley, Dewey Davenport, and the entire support staff did a good job.
—JH
Sources
- 9th Jet World Masters 2011: www.jwm2011.com/welcome.html
- Jet Pilots' Organization: www.jetpilots.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
