THE FIFTH-ANNUAL Giant Scale flyin
was held September 1-3 at the US Air
Force Museum flying site at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton OH.
The site was located behind the
facility, on the runway used to bring
aircraft into the museum. The runway
was 150 feet wide and several thousand
feet long. It’s the same strip Chuck
Yeager and Bob Hoover flew from in the
early 1950s.
The flightline was more than 11⁄2 miles
long. There were bleachers for visitors,
and an area for vendors to set up booths
and displays; you could get that must-have
item for your model or learn how to get
started in the hobby.
Some of the vendors in attendance
included TnT Landing Gear, Balsa USA,
Planes & Things, Vel Pye, Robart
Manufacturing, Aircraft International,
Cactus Aviation, Carden Aircraft, and
Ohio R/C Models.
The event was free and open to the public.
DOGS and US Air
Force Museum unite
for great event
n Joe Balmer
ElectroDynamics’ (Livonia MI) Andy Low preps his turbine-powered F-15 for demo flight.
Mike Clemmens’ 1⁄2-scale Extra 300LS, done in full-
Frank Noll Jr. as part of the halftime show.
Typical of modern International Miniature Aircraft Association events, CAPs, Extras,
Sukhois, and other Giant Scale aerobatic models populated the site.
78 M ODEL AVIATION
RC AIR SHow 2000
February 2001 79
In preparation for the gathering, four
Dayton Ohio Giant Scalers (DOGS)
members put their models on display in
Kettering Hall of the museum
approximately two weeks before the event.
The aircraft included Dennis Kirby’s
aerobatic biplane—the Illusion; Bud
Edgel’s model of the Winnie Mae; Jim De
Winter’s S.E.5a World War I biplane; and
Gary Webb’s F-16 Fighting Falcon
ducted-fan jet and a 1⁄4-scale P-51D
Mustang.
These models were featured in a
segment promoting the event, aired by
the local ABC television station.
Thursday, August 31 was setup day. US
Air Force Museum personnel readied the
site, several motor homes, campers, and
aircraft trailers were parked in place,
and roughly 40 pilots were in attendance
with their sun shelters; the flightline was
taking shape.
Pilots swarmed the registration and
impound tent Friday morning, anxious to
get into the air. All went smoothly, and
most of their models were airborne in
short order.
As the fliers signed in, DOGS treasurer
Dwight Doench collected the fees, got the
proper paperwork, and dispensed pilot
identification tags and forms for the pilots.
DOGS president Jim Martin got the
impound area up and running.
Contest Director Jeff Holsinger called a
pilots’ meeting at 9 a.m., to get the day’s
Mike Sauls hovers his Carden CAP 232. When Mike is not flying, he is a state highway
patrolman in Mississippi. The model’s power is provided by a 3W engine.
A nice scratch-built Super Stearman, Powered by a 3W-140iB2 engine.
scale pilot Patty Wagstaff’s colors, was flown by
Photos by Mark Lanterman Graphic Design by Carla Kunz
RC Air SHOW 2000
80 M ODEL AVIATION
Matt Miller’s 1⁄7-scale B-17 was a hit! It had four Zenoah G-38
engines and was covered with .05 aluminum sheeting.
Angel of Okinawa Corsair was one of four that put on a great air show.
Tuskeegee airman Clifford Brown and Gary Webb with Gary’s P-
51D Mustang. Clifford paid a visit to the event Sunday.
Dynaflite PT-19 by Don and Christine Cipolla. She was the only
woman to fly at the event; she’s learning with this model.
events started. Event coordinator Frank Noll Jr. welcomed the
pilots and explained the rules, then it was time to fly!
Flightline director Gary Webb managed the six flightlines,
which were soon filled, and waiting lines formed.
The pilots were limited to 15 minutes of airtime per flight, to
give everyone a chance to get into the air. The aircraft ranged
from 1/2-scale aerobatic models to warbirds to turbine jets.
Meanwhile, the registration area was busy as even more pilots
checked in.
Visitors filled the bleachers and enjoyed the show. They
walked along the fence, looking at the models and talking to the
pilots.
Friday’s turnout exceeded expectations, which delighted the
DOGS and museum personnel.
During Friday’s halftime airshow, 1/2-scale aerobatic models
were flown. Frank Noll Jr. flew the Patty Wagstaff Extra 300LS
built by Mike Clemmens of Canada. If you didn’t know it was a
model, you would think it was full-scale.
George Thomas (Detroit MI) and Louis Patton (Louisville
KY) flew their turbine-powered jets. Both models were limited to
less than 200 mph by the AMA Safety Regulations for Model
Aircraft Gas Turbines, which means they flew at roughly half
throttle most of the time.
When Louis was asked how he controlled his speed, he said he
went to full throttle for four seconds, then backed off.
Next up were the large aerobatic aircraft, to “hot dog” for
the crowd. They put on quite a show! At least four large
models hung by their propellers within a few feet of each
other, backing down to the runway to dust it off or drag the tail
on the tarmac.
For a change of pace, Jerry Smith (Paducah KY) flew his Out
Quite possibly the fastest black
widow spider around is on the back
of Terry Nitsch’s (Grove City OH) F-
18 demo airplane.
February 2001 83
Law—a very small model that goes like
it’s on fire and is very aerobatic.
The warbirds flew, and the fighter
models did strafing runs and victory rolls,
much to the crowd’s delight.
It was back to open flying after the
halftime show, and still more pilots
arrived. The show closed for the day at 5
p.m., but open flying went on until it was
almost too dark to see the models.
Frank Noll Jr. test-flew one of the new
models—Gary Webb’s (Troy OH) P-51D
Mustang, built from a highly modified
Bud Nosen kit and finished in the colors
of the Tuskeegee Airmen.
Tuskeegee pilot Clifford Brown was in
attendance Sunday, and he honored us by
having his picture taken with the model.
Clifford, who is 78, is one of the
surviving Tuskeegee pilots from World
War II. He flew in the European Theater
with the 332nd Tuskeegee group, and he
saw action in the later stages of the war.
“The conditions and treatment was
bad, but we overlooked that because we
wanted the chance to fly and luckily, we
got to fly fighters,” said Clifford.
Clifford continued to fly in civilian
life. Now he lives in the Dayton area.
The P-51D had a 104-inch wingspan
with removable wingtips, and it weighed
36 pounds. It had Robart retracts, panel
lines, and rivet detail. Power was a G-62
on alcohol, using a 22 x 12 propeller. The
all-wood construction was fiberglassed
and painted with automotive paint.
The project took Gary two years to
complete.
The Mustang flew very well, but one
of the landing gear wouldn’t come down.
Frank had to belly-land the model in the
tall grass, but it lived to fly another day.
More pilots and a much larger crowd of
visitors arrived Saturday. The amount of
flying increased, and the lines grew
longer.
The “heavys” had arrived by the
halftime show. A B-32, a B-17, and a B-
29 flew together. Acting as cover were
several F4U Corsairs, a couple P-51s, a
Tigercat, and an “enemy” Me 109. Even
an OV-2 joined the show.
It was an inspiring sight with the
World War II Wright Field buildings in
the background.
The F4Us, from Indiana, have been to
the past shows. They do a great job, and
we look forward to them attending.
Terry Nitsch flew his F-18A show
turbine in his usual excellent manner.
What a smooth flier!
All the models from Friday flew
again, and they did an excellent job.
After the show, models were lined up
on the runway and the visitors were
allowed out to view them. An estimated
180 models were on display, and at least
that many more didn’t go out to the
runway.
The sky was filled with every kind of
model until roughly 4:30, when a
thunderstorm moved through the area.
This brought the flying to a quick halt.
The US Air Force Museum was opened
for the pilots Saturday evening, and
they got up-close and personal with the
aircraft.
While that was going on, the DOGS
sold tickets for the IMAX® theater.
More than 200 pilots, wives, and friends
attended the showing of “Storm
Chasers.”
A raffle of items donated by the vendors
was held before the show, and many very
nice items were given away.
Hobbico donated an Almost Ready to
Fly trainer kit this year, and the DOGS
held a special drawing with only the
tickets from the Boy Scouts. This was a
way to show appreciation for the
thankless job they do of parking cars.
We will have more special drawings
next year.
Sunday was wind-down time; modelers
got in one last flight, then packed up to
leave.
The halftime show was small, but it
was still very good; we even had some
pyrotechnics to add. To help fill in the
show, the Buckeye Aero Squadron—an
AMA Air Show Team—performed with
aerobatic, Scale, rocket, and novelty
models.
The DOGS members and their wives
who worked with the food and ice
cream deserve a very big thanks for the
terrific job they did. The food was
great, and so was the service. The show
wouldn’t have been successful without
them.
Thanks to Randd Associates, Z-93
radio, WING FM 102.9 radio, WING
1410 radio, Jack Huelsman Auto Mall,
Federal Flooring Co., and P&R
Communications. R/C Hobby Center
donated special T-shirts for the event,
which quickly became collector items.
Thanks also to the US Air Force
Museum and its personnel. A portion of
the proceeds benefit the Special Olympics
of Greater Dayton and the Air Force
Museum Foundation.
The US Air Force Museum estimates
that more than 20,000 visitors attended
this year’s event. This greatly increased
the number of museum patrons, and it
helped expose the general public to our
hobby and to the rich history of US air
power.
Approximately 200 pilots were
registered for the event, and the museum
is already making plans for our sixth flyin,
which will be held Labor Day
weekend 2001.
Make plans now for a great ending to
the summer flying season! MA
Joe Balmer
200 Wilson Rd.
Troy OH 45373
