I’m glad to be here. Throughout the years I have really enjoyed reading Mark Fadely’s helicopter column. I always felt that it was a good thing for helicopters to have a regular place in Model Aviation. It’s a great resource for heli pilots, as well as a good way to expose our side of the hobby to those who haven’t tried flying helicopters.
When I found out that Mark was retiring from the column, my immediate selfish thought was, “What’s going to happen to our heli column?” I’ve been writing articles for RCGroups.com for more than four years now, so I decided to throw my hat into the ring. After a number of conversations and emails with the powers-that-be at MA, I now find myself at the helm of this particular part of the magazine.
I’m excited about this and have plenty of ideas churning in my head, but I also want to make the column as interactive as possible. I want to hear your ideas about what types of content you would like to see here, and I encourage you to drop me an email with your thoughts or suggestions. This is, after all, your heli column, and I will do my best to bring you interesting and relevant articles each month.
In the meantime, I’m sure you will join me in wishing Mark all the best, and in thanking him for his tireless work with the magazine.
The Heli Extravaganza
I was fortunate to travel to a number of cool helicopter fun-flys in 2013, but one of them stands out. The Heli Extravaganza is a relatively new helicopter event that debuted in September 2012.
If you still have your December 2012 issue of MA, you will see a great article about the inaugural event from our very own Jennifer Orebaugh, MA’s associate editor (the December 2012 issue is also online in the MA Digital Library). It is quickly becoming one of the “go-to gatherings” of the year, and with good reason.
The Heli Extravaganza is a three-day helicopter fun-fly that is held at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it is also where Joe Nall Week is held each year.
In 2000, Pat Hartness and his crew began creating one of the premier aviation sites in the world. Home to RC and full-scale air shows throughout the year, the 440-acre property boasts a 7,000-foot Bermuda grass runway that would make most well-manicured putting greens blush with envy. It also has two gazebos, private bath houses, campsites, 6 miles of hiking trails, a restored World War II Air Force control tower, a 50-acre lake stocked with fish, and a 5-acre duck pond.
If that wasn’t enough, there is also a 10,000-square-foot hangar with an adjoining patio and outdoor fireplace that overlooks the lake. A visit to this place can be a family affair. There is plenty to do for everyone, making it an ideal place for any kind of fly-in.
Similar to the motto of the venue at which it’s held, the emphasis of the Heli Extravaganza is on “fun, fellowship, and hospitality.” It is one of the few places where “Average Joe” pilots such as I can rub shoulders with great people and some of the best aeromodelers in the hobby, in a relaxed and non-competitive atmosphere. Similar to other gatherings, you can catch up with old friends and make new ones along the way. It’s always great to meet new people with similar interests.
Some of the top pilots in the hobby attended the event, including Matt Botos, Bert Kammerer, Marcus Kim, Tim Jones, and James Haley. All put on impressive flights and spent the rest of their time hanging out and helping any pilots who needed it. Everyone flew safely and respected their neighboring pilots. There was every type of flying at the gathering—from Scale to speed to 3-D.
There were a number of different flightlines set up for the event. If you didn’t want to fly on the main one, you could choose to fly at any of the other less crowded flightlines.
Everyone had fun this year, and it didn’t matter what color your shirt was or which helicopter you flew. We were all simply having a good time.
We had one minor drawback during the event when the rain rolled in for most of the day on Saturday. Despite this, the Heli Extravaganza attracted approximately 130 pilots, and many brought their families. Some stayed at hotels, some camped in RVs (is that really camping?), and others pitched tents.
There were many mass outings for dinner in the evenings, and Saturday’s pilots’ dinner became a pilots’ lunch to accommodate the impending rain. The food on-site was great, and I had one of the best barbecue sandwiches I’ve eaten in a long time.
Heli Extravaganza stood out to me because it was laid back and well organized. Egos were left at the gate, and everyone settled in for a wonderful weekend (except for the rain) of flying fun. Even when it rained, people had a good time flying foamies—some of them wading out into the duck pond to retrieve the airplanes (you know who you are!). There was even a day-long marathon build of a Synergy E5 under the gazebo (which was flown later).
The organizers and staff at Triple Tree did a great job, and I believe this special event will continue to grow into something spectacular.
