Author: Mark Fadely
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/10
Page Numbers: 115,116,118
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There was tight competition at the XFC

by Mark Fadely [email protected]

Hello, and thanks again for stopping by. The end of 2012 is fast approaching.

For me, one of the highlights of each flying season is the Extreme Flight Championships (XFC). It is great to see all of the top pilots wringing out the latest top-level machines. The XFC is a 3-D contest that combines RC Giant Scale airplanes with helicopters. I was fortunate to make it to this year’s event. Incredibly, the pilots’ skills continue to improve each year.

Nick Maxwell led the way, flying his new Thunder Tiger G4 720 helicopter. Nick uses Futaba electronics.

Mikado dominated the event with team pilots Jamie Robertson and Kyle Dahl claiming the second- and third-place spots on the podium. Jamie flew his trusty Logo 600 controlled with a JR radio, while Kyle used the new Logo 700 XXtreme heli and a JR XG8 radio. Both Jamie and Kyle are previous XFC champions.

Every heli at the 2012 XFC was a flybarless, electric-powered machine. This has proven to be the best setup for competition.

There is an ongoing debate about the pros and cons of electric versus internal combustion for helicopters. Both power systems have benefits. Some of the top pilots I spoke with at XFC said that they generally fly a nitro-powered machine at fun-flys.

One of the main reasons the competitors prefer electric at competitions is because the consistent power output is not affected by weather conditions. Tuning a liquid-fuel engine during a hot and humid contest is a challenge that most pilots would rather not deal with.

The scoring among the seven finalists was tighter than ever. The judges had a difficult job finding flaws in any of the premier pilots’ flights.

This year, the judging panel included an elite group of knowledgeable individuals, including Darrell Bell. He designed the required maneuvers for the contest, so his pencil was sharp during the scoring.

There are three maneuvers each pilot must complete during the required (or Known) flight. There is also a Freestyle or Unknown flight in which all the moves are up to the pilot. Known flights are flown in the morning, with Unknowns taking place in the afternoon.

Congratulations to all of the 2012 XFC competitors. They all put on a great show and should be commended for their hard work and contributions to the hobby.

Golf Cart Problem

I’m going to shift gears and hear from my friend Tony Whiteside. Tony is always up to something fun, and this month is no exception. I have written about the pros and cons of nitro power versus electric power. One of the cons of electrics is you need to have some powerful charging equipment with the larger helicopters because they have high-capacity batteries.

Tony came up with an interesting concept that is perfect for attending fun-flys with electric helicopters. He, along with a friend, built a custom-fitted golf cart for fun-flys.

"Hi everybody, my name is Tony Whiteside. I have been flying helis for six years and I love all the friends I have made and the fun I have had. Before I start talking about the golf cart, I want to thank my sponsors, Will James, owner of Helifreak.com, and David Grey, owner of ProgressiveRC!

"These guys stepped up, and I mean stepped up—thank y’all so much! No way could I have made this happen without y’all! Will James even drove to Kentucky and worked a day with me on it.

"My story started when I crashed my golf cart and I needed to get it fixed. I did not have all the tools so I called on my friend down the street. His name is Binky Greenwell. I knew he worked in painting and body work.

"I got to know his family a little when I crashed a heli over their land. I was looking for parts, and next thing you know I was being shot at—by their renter!

"Binky came out, put a stop to it, and got the situation under control. It was not a big deal, and it’s just not a good idea to be on folks’ land around here without permission.

"Well, anyway, their whole family came out and helped me look for heli stuff, and friendships were formed right then and there. I wish I knew Binky years ago. Thank God for the shooting, or I would never have gotten to meet him! He is as cool and non-judging a man as they come. I had a blast working with him, and he makes work fun!

"He showed me he cared about me in many ways without saying it. That's how we do it here in Kentucky. We just do things for each other, and share with each other everything we can. He worked really hard on this cart! There is no way I could have done it without him. Thank you so much, Binky!

"I called Binky and he came over to take a look at my cart and he said, 'I love working on golf carts.' He said, 'Just come over and we will get started.' My mind races sometimes, and I can't slow it down—haha. As my ideas came, Binky would think of ways to make it happen.

"I wanted to put a Honda 2000 generator in there on sliding tracks, so we made it work. I then wanted some battery chargers under the seats and glove compartments; we did just that. David from ProgressiveRC sent me a 1500-watt power supply, two PowerLab 8 chargers, and a 208b charger. He also sent me a sidekick charger box for the hidden toolbox in the floorboards.

"In one of the glove compartments there will be a mad amount of USB ports and 12-volt plug-ins. There will also be an iPad in the headliner and an iPhone on the steering wheel to control a Bose speaker system.

"Binky painted all the metal work in tri-flake black, along with doing all the fabrication work to make the rear-end seats and sliding Honda generator fit.

"The graphics were all done by Dallas Fowler, owner of Digital EFX Wraps. Thanks dude, you rocked it!

"The seats were also done by Gary Cook. Chad Greenwell did some welding and stuff, also. Thanks, Chad!

"I got all my upgrades from golfcartking.com. I met this cool kid named Brent. He busted his hump getting all my parts fast. They sponsored my tray design for the gas carts, as they do not have them for gas carts, just electric, so I made one and it works great. It's the tray under the seat with chargers in the pictures.

"Binky and his family are great country folks. Binky's mom even worked on this cart. Her name is Bernice Greenwell and she is 76 years old. She even cooked me some fresh catfish dinners with catfish out of their own lake! She also gave me fresh eggs from the chickens she raises. Guys, this cookin' was good stuff.

"If anybody wants to see a video of the golf cart, I will be launching videos the same day as the magazine release. Tonybryanwhiteside is my YouTube channel."

Thanks, Tony. That is a great hometown story. It is fun to hear about helis bringing people together and making friends.

That is it for this month. See you next time.

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