Top Gun 2003/09

18 MODEL AVIATION
2003
Top Gun
■ Stan Alexander
Best of the best
gather in Florida
for the country’s
premier RC
Scale event
Sean Cassidy built this toothy F6F
Hellcat from Don Lien plans. It spans
80 inches, weighs 29 pounds, has
Robart 90° retracts.
n its second year at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in
Lakeland, Florida—the same site as the Experimental
Aircraft Association’s Sun ’n Fun full-scale fly-in—Top
Gun was held April 23-27. Sun ’n Fun was held a few
weeks earlier, with all kinds of great subjects for Scale
modelers. Just off of runway 9, the Florida Air Museum
offers year-round access to modeling subjects and homebuilt
aircraft.
Top Gun has grown in the location at which it’s now held. If you
want to take the kids to Disney World or any of the other theme
parks in the Orlando area, they are approximately 30 minutes from
the field. There are air museums in the area, and Tampa is roughly a
30-minute drive.
The AMA Delta Dart program was in full swing the week of the
contest. Dave Platt held the Scale Free Flight contest again this year,
and the daily halftime shows please the crowds each year.
As in past Top Guns, contestants came from around the world.
Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Thailand were represented. The
modelers who traveled the farthest this year were builder Mike
Selby and pilot Kalvin Lim: the Team Scale competitors from
Bangkok, Thailand.
Mike and Kalvin brought a whole crew with them and their
Grumman F7F Tigercat. The 1⁄5-scale, 122-inch-wingspan model
dropped drones, which weren’t powered, and they glided to the
ground for the next flight. It was sad when the model was lost on
Sunday.
Gerardo Galvez came from Naucalpan, Mexico, again this year
with his Stearman in a US Navy color scheme. The model was built
from the old Sterling kit, and it flew great.
Field conditions were better this year than last, with the 60-footwide
paved taxiway and the grass area directly next to it. The grass
was in much better shape, everything was greener, and you could
tell that there had been much more rain than last year. The grass was
smooth and level; with the asphalt runway, it makes a great site for
tail-dragger-type airplanes.
Weather in Florida at any time of the year can be unsettled, and
it was when we arrived. The weather had a bearing on modelers
who practiced and those who didn’t. Several pilots chose not to
practice. Those who did, some with their contest models, did score
higher in the overall outcome of the event. In general, the weather
was the best I’ve seen at Top Gun in many years.
The big story at Top Gun this year was the simple Scale airplanes
breaking some of the long-held concepts that your model has to
have flaps and retracts to win at a contest. By “simple” I mean a
four- or five-channel model without retracting landing gear, bombs,
tanks, etc.
An uncomplicated, well-finished and -documented Scale aircraft
that is flown well can easily place in the top 10, and even win. Some
such models included Graeme Mears’ Super Cub in Team Scale,
Kim Foster’s de Havilland D.H.94 Moth Minor in Expert class, and
Bud Roane’s Thomas Morse Scout and Lloyd Roberts’ Bowers Fly
Baby in Masters.
While I was talking to Kim about his Moth Minor, he said he
had located the aircraft in Arlington, Texas, at the Confederate Air
Force. He obtained the name of the airplane’s caretaker and sent
him several rolls of film, asking him to shoot photos of every part of
the aircraft and its markings.
This accomplished, Kim said “I bought a $30 set of plans from
Jerry Bates, $100 worth of balsa and plywood, and built the model
to match the documentation.”
Several changes were made for this edition of Top Gun. The Scale
helicopter event wasn’t held, and the World Scale event flown last
year was dropped. Categories at this contest included the Master
Class (formerly Designer Scale), for modelers who designed their
own plans, built the models from those plans, and flew them; Expert
Class, for those who built from plans or kits; and Team Scale, in
which a builder and pilot paired up.
An addition to the Top Gun rule book this year is a 2%
deduction from flight scores for jet models with a great deal of
prefabrication, including the wing panels. I’m sure that this
September 2003 19
Bob Patton scratch-built his North American T-28 Trojan Navy
trainer from fiberglass, foam. He made mold plugs too!
Gary Allen designed and built 1⁄3-scale Bü.133 Jungmeister
aerobatic biplane and painted it in Swedish color scheme.
Sam Snyder’s scratch-built de Havilland Swallow: a post-World
War II experimental jet. Tom Dodgen flew it in Team Scale.
Trip Galasso’s B-26B built from Don Smith Plans. It sustained
damage on a hard landing, but Trip is making repairs.
I Photos by the author Graphic Design by Lydia Whitehead
regulation will be watched closely in the next
several years for its success or failure to even
out the competition between the propellers
and turbines.
Also beginning this year, as in AMA
Scale rules, the 10th maneuver is Realism in
Flight. If you would like to obtain a copy of
the Top Gun rules, check out
www.franktiano.com.
There were several new models at the event
this year, and a few were making their last
visit to Top Gun. This contest has a threeyear
rule, which means that you can only
compete with the same model for that period
of time, after which you have to completely
repaint the aircraft or bring another.
After three years, a number of modelers
elect to use different color schemes, others
take out a model they haven’t flown in a few
years, and the more ambitious competitors
come with new airplanes. It usually takes at
least a year to get all of the bugs out of a new
model and get comfortable with it in flight,
especially on landings.
One of the new aircraft debuted this year
was a 41%, 1⁄3-scale clipped-wing
Monocoupe 110 Special that Paul Donofrio
built from Vern Clemens Plans. The red-andwhite
racer spanned 118 inches, weighed 47
pounds, and was finished with Sig Koverall
and Randolph dope. It was powered by a
3W-120 engine. Paul asked Anthony Greco
to pilot the Monocoupe in Team Scale, and
he did an excellent job.
Another eye-catching new model was the
Airborne Early Warning (AEW) B-29/Tu-4
that builder George Maiorana entered in
Team Scale with his pilot Dave Pinegar.
According to George, two turboprop
versions of this airplane were sent to China
from the Soviet Union.
The model spanned 115 inches and
weighed 29.7 pounds. The Tu-4 was
powered by electric motors and was covered
with an aluminum product called Flite-
Metal. The electric power combined with the
homemade four-blade propellers and the
rotating radar dome made this a unique
model to watch.
The beautiful 1⁄3-scale Piper PA-18 Super
Cub that Graeme Mears of Canada built
garnered many awards. It was highly detailed
and showed what you can do with a model of
20 MODEL AVIATION
Paul Donofrio built this 1⁄3-scale Monocoupe 110 Special. It spans 118 inches and flies with authority with a 3W-120.
Joe Rafalowski won Expert with his Bob Violett Models F-100. It
weighs 35 pounds and is powered by a JetCat 100 turbine.
A tropical version of the Bf 109E-4 by five-time Top Gun Masterclass
winner Jeff Foley taxis back to the line.
a simple subject. The airplane weighed 45
pounds.
Graeme researched the full-scale PA-18
for 12 years before building this model. He
used factory drawings, photographs, and
full-scale aircraft measurements to draw his
plans then build the airplane. This is scratch
building at its best.
The 144-inch-span Cub was powered by
a Moki 3.60 twin engine, which I believe is
the same engine Graeme used in his de
Havilland Tiger Moth a few years back.
The flight judges chose to give this model
and its pilot Dave Patrick the NASA Flight
Achievement Award, for the most
prototypical flight performance during the
contest. Graeme and Dave also received cash
and awards for Best Civilian Aircraft, Team
Scale High Static Score, and Critics’ Choice.
This was the model’s first contest, so look
out for it later.
A real jewel that impressed many with its
flight performance was a model of a fullscale
jet from just after World War II which
looks like a stealth jet of today. Sam Snyder
scratch-built the turbine-powered de
Havilland Swallow, and it was truly elegant
in flight. With the tailless design, Sam really
had to watch it in the turns.
Mike Hipwell built and campaigned a
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV, and he picked
a unique photo-reconnaissance color scheme.
The bottom of the model was painted yellow,
and there was a yellow “P” on the side of the
aircraft.
Mike used a Moki 1.80 for power and
finished the Spitfire in ordinary latex indoor
house paint covered with polyurethane for
fuel-proofing. There were two camera ports
on the aircraft, and the rivets were burned in
each panel with a soldering gun.
Team Scale: Last year’s winner—Joe Grice
with his North American Super Sabre F-100
“Pretty Penny”—had to take a second-place
finish. This model took Best of Show and
Best Jet at this year’s Toledo expo.
Graeme Mears’ 1⁄3-scale Piper PA-18
took first place in Team Scale by less than a
point. Dave Patrick flew the model to the
win during the last round, with a score of
97.375 for his fourth flight. Third place went
to the familiar team of builder George
Maiorana and Dave Pinegar with the
September 2003 21
Joe Rafalowski’s Expert-class-winning
Bob Violett Models North American F-100
Super Sabre is captured on final
approach.
Gustavo Campana came from Argentina with this beautiful Aero
L-159 jet trainer. He finished fifth in Expert.
This year’s Team Scale winner was this 144-inch-span PA-18
Super Cub built by Graeme Mears and flown by Dave Patrick.
Builder Mike Selby and pilot Kalvin Lim brought this F7F
Tigercat Team Scale entry from Thailand. Inset shows one of
two drones the F7F carried into flight and dropped. The model
was lost on Sunday.
22 MODEL AVIATION
Bob Violett brought his own version of his company’s F-100
Super Sabre and finished second in Master Scale.
Dennis Crooks swings his P-38 around for a “slow and dirty”
flyby. Dennis finished third in the Expert class.
Hal Parenti’s unusual Ryan Fireball on a flyby. It has a YS 120
engine with exhaust exiting the jet tailpipe.
David Hayes likes crop dusters. This year he brought a new
version of the Rockwell Thrush powered by a Saito 180.
David Wigley built this stunning Hawker Tempest Mk V from a
Vailly Aviation kit and finished it in the D-Day trim scheme.
Jeff Foley scratch-built all of the interior components for his
Master-winning Bf 109E-4’s cockpit. Incredible!
Bud Roane’s Thomas-Morse Scout World War I trainer is one of
the simpler aircraft that scored well (see text).
George Maiorana brought a new airplane to the Weak Signals’
Toledo Show and to Top Gun this year. It is a model of an aircraft I
haven’t seen before, but it looks familiar. Before static judging at
Top Gun, George was still adding parts to the aircraft. Talk about
waiting until the last minute!
I thought you might be interested in some background and some
of the processes that George went through while building the Tu-4
and the Chinese AEW aircraft, which are both powered by electric
motors.
There were three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses that made
emergency landings in Vladivostok in the Soviet Union in 1944.
The crews were allowed to leave, but the communist military kept
their aircraft.
Two of the airplanes were disassembled for detailed evaluation
and their parts were sent throughout the Soviet Union to be copied.
The third copy was kept in flying condition for evaluation. What
resulted was an almost exact copy of the Boeing B-29 that was
designated the Tu-4. More than 1,200 Tu-4s were built up until
1953.
George Maiorana and Skip Mast spent many hours collecting
information about the B-29 and documenting the aircraft in the US
Air Force Museum at Dayton, Ohio. They measured the different
parts of the aircraft, how high it sits off of the ground at different
points, and they took many photos for the design work and for
building the models that would follow.
This is the third airframe from the original design that George
built. The first was the Miss America ’62, which was powered by
four four-stroke engines. That model was demolished in a crash
after losing one engine, stalling, and going in. George decided that
that was it for “wet power,” and he switched to electric power for
all of his models; he reasoned that electric would be more reliable.
The second model was built as an electric-powered Russian Tu-
September 2003 23
A Russian Bear
George Maiorana’s Chinese AEW was on display at the 2003 Weak Signals Toledo Show in Ohio. Notice the scalelike aluminum finish.
MaxCim electric motors reside in the elongated turboprop
nacelles. Note the scale exhaust outlets.
You can see the rotating radar dome that sits atop the
Continued on page 27 fuselage behind the wing. An amazing effort!
(Following is information about the top 10 finishers in each class. In Team Scale, each listing has the builder’s name next to the aircraft information.)
Master Class
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Jeff Foley Bf 109E-4 own design Moki 2.10 Platt Moki 20 x 8 JR 1⁄4.5 86 inches 25 pounds
2. Bob Violett F-100 Sabre own design AMT BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 69 inches 36 pounds
3. Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby own design Kavan scratch-built Dynat. 22 x 8 JR 1⁄3 108 inches 32 pounds
4. David Hayes Rockwell own design Saito 1.80 scratch-built APC 18 x 6 JR 1⁄5.5 107 inches 27 pounds
5. Pat McCurry Me 109G-10 own design 3W-70 PCM Models Moki 22 x 12 JR 1⁄4 101 inches 40 pounds
6. Hal Parenti Ryan Fireball own design YS 120 Robart APC 16 x 8 Airtronics 1⁄6 72 inches 19 pounds
7. Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V own design Sachs 5.80 scratch-built Moki 26 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 118 inches 35 pounds
8. Bud Roane Sopwith own design
11⁄2-Strutter
9. Bob Patton T-28 Trojan own design 3W-100 Robart 3W 28 x 10 Futaba 1⁄4 114 inches 52 pounds
10. Nick Ziroli Sr. Stearman own design Robart radial scratch-built Zinger 26 x 12 Airtronics 1⁄5 87 inches 32 pounds
Expert Class
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Joe Rafalowski F-100 BVM JetCat 160 BVM N/A JR 1⁄6 70 inches 30 pounds
2. Kim Foster Moth Minor Jerry Bates Plans Laser 1.50 Robart Zinger 18 x 5 Futaba 1⁄4 110 inches 15 pounds
3. Dennis Crooks P-38 Nick Ziroli Plans Husky 3.3 Robart Zinger 22 x 10 Futaba 1⁄5 114 inches 45 pounds
4. Tommy Wood F-18C Hornet Yellow Aircraft Two RAM 1000s Yellow Aircraft N/A JR 1⁄7 72 inches 44 pounds
5. Gustavo Campana Aero L-159 Walter Godez T-1000 Franz Waldi N/A Futaba 1⁄5.5 68 inches 30 pounds
6. Tim Redelman F-4 Phantom BVM JetCat BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 57 inches 28 pounds
7. Martin Hendrickson T-34 own design GT-80 Robart Bolly 24 x 10 JR 1⁄4 109 inches 52 pounds
8. Al Kretz Spitfire Mk XVI Yellow Aircraft Moki 1.80 Yellow Aircraft Zinger 18 x 8 Futaba 1⁄5 88 inches 25 pounds
9. Lee Rice F4U Corsair Holman/Royal O.S. 1.08 Earl Aune APC 15 x 6 Airtronics 1⁄6 76 inches 20 pounds
10. Bill McCallie Fw 190A-3 Vailly Aviation D&B 3.7 Vailly Aviation Mejzlik 22 x 10 JR 1⁄5.5 94 inches 33 pounds
Team Scale
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Dave Patrick
Graeme Mears Super Cub scratch-built Moki 3.80 scratch Mejzlik 24 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 144 inches 45 pounds
2. David Shulman
Joe Grice F-100 BVM AMT 450 BVM N/A JR 1⁄6 69 inches 34 pounds
3. David Pinegar
George Maiorana AEW/Tu-4 scratch-built electric/MaxCim scratch scratch Futaba 1⁄15 115 inches 30 pounds
4. Scott Russell
Wayne Siewert P-47 Aerotech Models Brison 4.2 Robart Zinger 22 x 10 Futaba 1⁄6 82 inches 32 pounds
5. Dean DiGiorgio
Tony Urbano F4U Corsair Nick Ziroli Plans G-62 Robart 22 x 8 JR 1⁄5 92 inches 35 pounds
6. Tom Dodgen de Havilland
Sam Snyder Swallow scratch-built JetCat 120 scratch-built N/A JR 1⁄5 98 inches 32 pounds
7. Anthony Greco
Paul Donofrio Monocoupe Vern Clements 3W-120 scratch-built Zinger 32 x 10 JR 1⁄2.5 118 inches 47 pounds
8. Paul Bageman
Mark Taylor F-100 BVM JetCat 120 BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 69 inches 32 pounds
9. Dorin Luck
Gary Allen Bucker Bü.133 scratch-built G-62 scratch-built 3W 24 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 86 inches 23 pounds
10. Brian O’Meara
Jim Hammond Ki-61 Don Smith Webra 1.20 Gene Barton Moki 16 x 8 Airtronics 1⁄5.5 86 inches 17 pounds
24 MODEL AVIATION
Lloyd Roberts built a full-scale Bowers Fly Baby then built this
model of it! The rare Kavan wet-sump engine powers it.
Kim Foster starts the Laser 150 engine in his 110-inch-span de
Havilland D.H.94 Moth Minor. It weighs 17 pounds.
Top Gun 2003 Technical Information
Category Winner Aircraft
Master High Static Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby
Expert High Static Gustavo Campana Aero L-159
tied
Joe Rafalowski F-100
Team High Static Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Civilian Aircraft Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Military Aircraft Joe Grice F-100D
Best Biplane Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V
Best Pre-WW II Aircraft Paul Donofrio Monocoupe
Best Jet Joe Grice F-100D
Engineering Excellence George Maiorana Tu-4
Best Cockpit Interior Patrick McCurry Me 109G
Charlie Chambers Craftsmanship Award Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby
Grey Eagle Award Nick Ziroli Sr.
Critics’ Choice (Runner-Up) Patrick McCurry Me 109G
Critics’ Choice Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Two-Stroke Performance Jeff Foley Bf 109E
Best Four-Stroke Performance Hal Parenti Ryan Fireball
Best Gas Performance Dennis Crooks P-38
Best Multi-Engine Performance Dave Voglund Me 110
Best Jet Performance David Shulman F-100
Mass Launch Awards Wayne Siewert Found 100
September 2003 25
Top Gun 2003 Static and Flight Awards
Top Gun 2003 Results
Expert
Place/Winner Aircraft Static Total
1. Joe Rafalowski North American F-100 96.083 187.878
2. Kim Foster de Havilland Moth Minor 95.000 187.625
3. Dennis Crooks P-38 Lightning 94.333 186.458
4. Tommy Wood F-18C 92.667 186.125
5. Gustavo Campana L-159 96.083 185.794
6. Tim Redelman F-4 Phantom 93.000 183.528
7. Martin Hendrickson Beechcraft T-34A Mentor 92.750 181.708
8. Al Kretz Spitfire Mk XVI 91.000 181.000
9. Lee Rice F4U-1D Corsair 93.750 180.625
10. Bill McCallie Fw 190A-3 91.833 180.416
Master
Place/Winner Aircraft Static Total
1. Jeff Foley Bf 109E 96.500 189.750
2. Bob Violett F-100F 95.667 188.767
3. Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby 98.583 187.458
4. David Hayes Rockwell Thrush 93.917 186.500
5. Pat McCurry Me 109G-10 94.500 186.125
6. Hal Parenti Ryan FR-1 Fireball 92.917 183.792
7. Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V 97.333 182.416
8. Bud Roane Sopwith 11⁄2-Strutter 92.083 182.333
9. Bob Patton T-28C 92.000 181.458
10. Nick Ziroli Sr. Stearman 90.500 180.708
Team
Place/Winners Aircraft Static Total
1. Dave Patrick, Graeme Mears Super Cub PA-18 98.583 193.208
2. David Shulman, Joe Grice F-100D 98.417 193.110
3. David Pinegar, George Maiorana Tu-4 96.750 188.667
4. Scott Russell, Wayne Siewert P-47 Thunderbolt 97.500 185.417
5. Dean DiGiorgio, Tony Urbano Corsair F4U 92.750 185.042
6. Tom Dodgen, Sam Snyder de Havilland Swallow 94.500 184.792
7. Anthony Greco, Paul Donofrio Monocoupe 110 94.750 184.583
8. Paul Bageman, Mark Taylor F-100 92.667 179.642
9. Dorin Luck, Gary Allen Bucker Bü.133 93.083 179.625
10. Brian O’Meara, Jim Hammond Ki-61 Tony 92.167 176.917
26 MODEL AVIATION
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Expert Class: Longtime Scale competitor
Dennis Crooks built one of the hardest Scale
subjects to fly, but it’s a commonly known
aircraft: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
Dennis flew the 114-inch-span Nick
Ziroli Plans design with a Futaba PCM
radio. Husky 3.3 engines hauled the 45-
pound model around the sky, and the
landing gear came from Robart. Dennis
finished third.
All week (“Neither wind nor rain ... ”)
Kim Foster flew the fabric off of his D.H.94
Moth Minor. This aircraft was the British
equivalent of the US PT-19. Kim’s
consistent flying and 95.00 static score put
him in second place, only missing first by
.253 point.
With all of the high-dollar aircraft
competing in this category, it was great to
see a simple trainer with excellent
documentation and flown well almost win.
Kim finished third last year, so I’m sure
he’ll move up another notch sometime soon.
Joe Rafalowski built one of Bob Violett
Models’ North American F-100 Super
Sabres for this year’s competition. He won
last year with a T-33, so entering with the
fighter versus the jet trainer didn’t hurt a
bit.
Joe controlled the F-100 with a JR PCM
10 radio, and a JetCat 160 turbine was used
for power. Joe won Expert, as he did last
year, with a final score of 187.878.
Master Class: The winners in all three
classes were victorious by less than a point
each this year. Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) team member Lloyd
Roberts finished third in the Master division
with his scratch-built, 1⁄3-scale Bowers Fly
Baby.
Lloyd’s documentation included photos
and drawings of the full-scale aircraft he
built. Lloyd competed with this model at the
Scale World Championships in Lausanne,
Switzerland, in 2000. This is the only
occasion I know of where the modeler built
the full-scale aircraft too.
Second place in Master went to last
year’s winner Bob Violett with one of his F-
100 Super Sabres; eight of them were
entered this year. Several of Bob’s kits were
flown all week, and a new kit of the familiar
North American F-86 Sabre jet is coming
out soon.
Bob’s model trailer is more like a mobile
workshop on wheels. It’s the largest I’ve
seen, and it can house multiple aircraft and
all of the support equipment and spares to
keep them flying.
Jeff Foley flew his familiar tropical
version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 to a
repeat win and the title of Mr. Top Gun for
the second time. Jeff has won the
Master/Designer class for five of the six
years he has entered this model. The 86-
inch-span German fighter is on its second
color scheme, and its third year in the desert
scheme marks the last year for it, so Jeff
went out with a bang.
Suffering from the Palm Beach crud,
Jeff could hardly stand Saturday during the
flight competition. On his second flight, one
of the air tanks for the retract landing gear
ruptured and he had to make a gear-up,
belly landing. But after Jeff and his model
were medicated, rested, and had a good
Sunday, he came out on top.
Jeff’s scratch-built model was powered
by a Moki 1.80 engine, had modified Dave
Platt retract mechanisms and scratch-built
struts and hubs, weighed 25 pounds, and
was controlled with a JR PCM 10 radio.
The model was finished with polyester resin
and fiberglass cloth, and was painted with
K&B paints and Super Poxy.
Jeff had more documentation on the fullscale
World War II aircraft than most
modelers who competed with fighters. He
found four authentic World War II photos
of the subject. It paid off; a 96.500 static
score combined with consistent flight marks
is what makes Mr. Top Gun.
With the spectator and contestant turnout
that Top Gun has, sponsors want to be a
part of the event. This year’s primary
sponsors were Model Airplane News and
Pacer Technology.
Other major sponsors included
Airtronics, O.S./Futaba, Robart
Manufacturing, FTE Turbine Works, JR
radios, The Gunner’s Mate, Bob Violett
Models, Nick Ziroli Plans, Aircraft
International, Aero Tech Models, Dave Platt
Models, Dixie Cutrone, Gerard Enterprises,
Pro Mark, RC Report, Saito Engines, RC
Scale International, Sheraton 4 Points
Hotel, Top Gun Hussies, Van Dell Jewelers,
and Tamiya.
It takes a small army of workers, judges,
and volunteers to run an international
contest such as this. The local Imperial RC
Club provided many of the workers. I want
to give out a special thanks to Rosie!
Again Frank Tiano put together one of
the best Scale championships, air shows,
and trade events anywhere. Hope to see you
there next year! MA
Stan Alexander
3709 Valley Ridge Dr.
Nashville TN 37211
[email protected]

18 MODEL AVIATION
2003
Top Gun
■ Stan Alexander
Best of the best
gather in Florida
for the country’s
premier RC
Scale event
Sean Cassidy built this toothy F6F
Hellcat from Don Lien plans. It spans
80 inches, weighs 29 pounds, has
Robart 90° retracts.
n its second year at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in
Lakeland, Florida—the same site as the Experimental
Aircraft Association’s Sun ’n Fun full-scale fly-in—Top
Gun was held April 23-27. Sun ’n Fun was held a few
weeks earlier, with all kinds of great subjects for Scale
modelers. Just off of runway 9, the Florida Air Museum
offers year-round access to modeling subjects and homebuilt
aircraft.
Top Gun has grown in the location at which it’s now held. If you
want to take the kids to Disney World or any of the other theme
parks in the Orlando area, they are approximately 30 minutes from
the field. There are air museums in the area, and Tampa is roughly a
30-minute drive.
The AMA Delta Dart program was in full swing the week of the
contest. Dave Platt held the Scale Free Flight contest again this year,
and the daily halftime shows please the crowds each year.
As in past Top Guns, contestants came from around the world.
Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Thailand were represented. The
modelers who traveled the farthest this year were builder Mike
Selby and pilot Kalvin Lim: the Team Scale competitors from
Bangkok, Thailand.
Mike and Kalvin brought a whole crew with them and their
Grumman F7F Tigercat. The 1⁄5-scale, 122-inch-wingspan model
dropped drones, which weren’t powered, and they glided to the
ground for the next flight. It was sad when the model was lost on
Sunday.
Gerardo Galvez came from Naucalpan, Mexico, again this year
with his Stearman in a US Navy color scheme. The model was built
from the old Sterling kit, and it flew great.
Field conditions were better this year than last, with the 60-footwide
paved taxiway and the grass area directly next to it. The grass
was in much better shape, everything was greener, and you could
tell that there had been much more rain than last year. The grass was
smooth and level; with the asphalt runway, it makes a great site for
tail-dragger-type airplanes.
Weather in Florida at any time of the year can be unsettled, and
it was when we arrived. The weather had a bearing on modelers
who practiced and those who didn’t. Several pilots chose not to
practice. Those who did, some with their contest models, did score
higher in the overall outcome of the event. In general, the weather
was the best I’ve seen at Top Gun in many years.
The big story at Top Gun this year was the simple Scale airplanes
breaking some of the long-held concepts that your model has to
have flaps and retracts to win at a contest. By “simple” I mean a
four- or five-channel model without retracting landing gear, bombs,
tanks, etc.
An uncomplicated, well-finished and -documented Scale aircraft
that is flown well can easily place in the top 10, and even win. Some
such models included Graeme Mears’ Super Cub in Team Scale,
Kim Foster’s de Havilland D.H.94 Moth Minor in Expert class, and
Bud Roane’s Thomas Morse Scout and Lloyd Roberts’ Bowers Fly
Baby in Masters.
While I was talking to Kim about his Moth Minor, he said he
had located the aircraft in Arlington, Texas, at the Confederate Air
Force. He obtained the name of the airplane’s caretaker and sent
him several rolls of film, asking him to shoot photos of every part of
the aircraft and its markings.
This accomplished, Kim said “I bought a $30 set of plans from
Jerry Bates, $100 worth of balsa and plywood, and built the model
to match the documentation.”
Several changes were made for this edition of Top Gun. The Scale
helicopter event wasn’t held, and the World Scale event flown last
year was dropped. Categories at this contest included the Master
Class (formerly Designer Scale), for modelers who designed their
own plans, built the models from those plans, and flew them; Expert
Class, for those who built from plans or kits; and Team Scale, in
which a builder and pilot paired up.
An addition to the Top Gun rule book this year is a 2%
deduction from flight scores for jet models with a great deal of
prefabrication, including the wing panels. I’m sure that this
September 2003 19
Bob Patton scratch-built his North American T-28 Trojan Navy
trainer from fiberglass, foam. He made mold plugs too!
Gary Allen designed and built 1⁄3-scale Bü.133 Jungmeister
aerobatic biplane and painted it in Swedish color scheme.
Sam Snyder’s scratch-built de Havilland Swallow: a post-World
War II experimental jet. Tom Dodgen flew it in Team Scale.
Trip Galasso’s B-26B built from Don Smith Plans. It sustained
damage on a hard landing, but Trip is making repairs.
I Photos by the author Graphic Design by Lydia Whitehead
regulation will be watched closely in the next
several years for its success or failure to even
out the competition between the propellers
and turbines.
Also beginning this year, as in AMA
Scale rules, the 10th maneuver is Realism in
Flight. If you would like to obtain a copy of
the Top Gun rules, check out
www.franktiano.com.
There were several new models at the event
this year, and a few were making their last
visit to Top Gun. This contest has a threeyear
rule, which means that you can only
compete with the same model for that period
of time, after which you have to completely
repaint the aircraft or bring another.
After three years, a number of modelers
elect to use different color schemes, others
take out a model they haven’t flown in a few
years, and the more ambitious competitors
come with new airplanes. It usually takes at
least a year to get all of the bugs out of a new
model and get comfortable with it in flight,
especially on landings.
One of the new aircraft debuted this year
was a 41%, 1⁄3-scale clipped-wing
Monocoupe 110 Special that Paul Donofrio
built from Vern Clemens Plans. The red-andwhite
racer spanned 118 inches, weighed 47
pounds, and was finished with Sig Koverall
and Randolph dope. It was powered by a
3W-120 engine. Paul asked Anthony Greco
to pilot the Monocoupe in Team Scale, and
he did an excellent job.
Another eye-catching new model was the
Airborne Early Warning (AEW) B-29/Tu-4
that builder George Maiorana entered in
Team Scale with his pilot Dave Pinegar.
According to George, two turboprop
versions of this airplane were sent to China
from the Soviet Union.
The model spanned 115 inches and
weighed 29.7 pounds. The Tu-4 was
powered by electric motors and was covered
with an aluminum product called Flite-
Metal. The electric power combined with the
homemade four-blade propellers and the
rotating radar dome made this a unique
model to watch.
The beautiful 1⁄3-scale Piper PA-18 Super
Cub that Graeme Mears of Canada built
garnered many awards. It was highly detailed
and showed what you can do with a model of
20 MODEL AVIATION
Paul Donofrio built this 1⁄3-scale Monocoupe 110 Special. It spans 118 inches and flies with authority with a 3W-120.
Joe Rafalowski won Expert with his Bob Violett Models F-100. It
weighs 35 pounds and is powered by a JetCat 100 turbine.
A tropical version of the Bf 109E-4 by five-time Top Gun Masterclass
winner Jeff Foley taxis back to the line.
a simple subject. The airplane weighed 45
pounds.
Graeme researched the full-scale PA-18
for 12 years before building this model. He
used factory drawings, photographs, and
full-scale aircraft measurements to draw his
plans then build the airplane. This is scratch
building at its best.
The 144-inch-span Cub was powered by
a Moki 3.60 twin engine, which I believe is
the same engine Graeme used in his de
Havilland Tiger Moth a few years back.
The flight judges chose to give this model
and its pilot Dave Patrick the NASA Flight
Achievement Award, for the most
prototypical flight performance during the
contest. Graeme and Dave also received cash
and awards for Best Civilian Aircraft, Team
Scale High Static Score, and Critics’ Choice.
This was the model’s first contest, so look
out for it later.
A real jewel that impressed many with its
flight performance was a model of a fullscale
jet from just after World War II which
looks like a stealth jet of today. Sam Snyder
scratch-built the turbine-powered de
Havilland Swallow, and it was truly elegant
in flight. With the tailless design, Sam really
had to watch it in the turns.
Mike Hipwell built and campaigned a
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV, and he picked
a unique photo-reconnaissance color scheme.
The bottom of the model was painted yellow,
and there was a yellow “P” on the side of the
aircraft.
Mike used a Moki 1.80 for power and
finished the Spitfire in ordinary latex indoor
house paint covered with polyurethane for
fuel-proofing. There were two camera ports
on the aircraft, and the rivets were burned in
each panel with a soldering gun.
Team Scale: Last year’s winner—Joe Grice
with his North American Super Sabre F-100
“Pretty Penny”—had to take a second-place
finish. This model took Best of Show and
Best Jet at this year’s Toledo expo.
Graeme Mears’ 1⁄3-scale Piper PA-18
took first place in Team Scale by less than a
point. Dave Patrick flew the model to the
win during the last round, with a score of
97.375 for his fourth flight. Third place went
to the familiar team of builder George
Maiorana and Dave Pinegar with the
September 2003 21
Joe Rafalowski’s Expert-class-winning
Bob Violett Models North American F-100
Super Sabre is captured on final
approach.
Gustavo Campana came from Argentina with this beautiful Aero
L-159 jet trainer. He finished fifth in Expert.
This year’s Team Scale winner was this 144-inch-span PA-18
Super Cub built by Graeme Mears and flown by Dave Patrick.
Builder Mike Selby and pilot Kalvin Lim brought this F7F
Tigercat Team Scale entry from Thailand. Inset shows one of
two drones the F7F carried into flight and dropped. The model
was lost on Sunday.
22 MODEL AVIATION
Bob Violett brought his own version of his company’s F-100
Super Sabre and finished second in Master Scale.
Dennis Crooks swings his P-38 around for a “slow and dirty”
flyby. Dennis finished third in the Expert class.
Hal Parenti’s unusual Ryan Fireball on a flyby. It has a YS 120
engine with exhaust exiting the jet tailpipe.
David Hayes likes crop dusters. This year he brought a new
version of the Rockwell Thrush powered by a Saito 180.
David Wigley built this stunning Hawker Tempest Mk V from a
Vailly Aviation kit and finished it in the D-Day trim scheme.
Jeff Foley scratch-built all of the interior components for his
Master-winning Bf 109E-4’s cockpit. Incredible!
Bud Roane’s Thomas-Morse Scout World War I trainer is one of
the simpler aircraft that scored well (see text).
George Maiorana brought a new airplane to the Weak Signals’
Toledo Show and to Top Gun this year. It is a model of an aircraft I
haven’t seen before, but it looks familiar. Before static judging at
Top Gun, George was still adding parts to the aircraft. Talk about
waiting until the last minute!
I thought you might be interested in some background and some
of the processes that George went through while building the Tu-4
and the Chinese AEW aircraft, which are both powered by electric
motors.
There were three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses that made
emergency landings in Vladivostok in the Soviet Union in 1944.
The crews were allowed to leave, but the communist military kept
their aircraft.
Two of the airplanes were disassembled for detailed evaluation
and their parts were sent throughout the Soviet Union to be copied.
The third copy was kept in flying condition for evaluation. What
resulted was an almost exact copy of the Boeing B-29 that was
designated the Tu-4. More than 1,200 Tu-4s were built up until
1953.
George Maiorana and Skip Mast spent many hours collecting
information about the B-29 and documenting the aircraft in the US
Air Force Museum at Dayton, Ohio. They measured the different
parts of the aircraft, how high it sits off of the ground at different
points, and they took many photos for the design work and for
building the models that would follow.
This is the third airframe from the original design that George
built. The first was the Miss America ’62, which was powered by
four four-stroke engines. That model was demolished in a crash
after losing one engine, stalling, and going in. George decided that
that was it for “wet power,” and he switched to electric power for
all of his models; he reasoned that electric would be more reliable.
The second model was built as an electric-powered Russian Tu-
September 2003 23
A Russian Bear
George Maiorana’s Chinese AEW was on display at the 2003 Weak Signals Toledo Show in Ohio. Notice the scalelike aluminum finish.
MaxCim electric motors reside in the elongated turboprop
nacelles. Note the scale exhaust outlets.
You can see the rotating radar dome that sits atop the
Continued on page 27 fuselage behind the wing. An amazing effort!
(Following is information about the top 10 finishers in each class. In Team Scale, each listing has the builder’s name next to the aircraft information.)
Master Class
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Jeff Foley Bf 109E-4 own design Moki 2.10 Platt Moki 20 x 8 JR 1⁄4.5 86 inches 25 pounds
2. Bob Violett F-100 Sabre own design AMT BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 69 inches 36 pounds
3. Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby own design Kavan scratch-built Dynat. 22 x 8 JR 1⁄3 108 inches 32 pounds
4. David Hayes Rockwell own design Saito 1.80 scratch-built APC 18 x 6 JR 1⁄5.5 107 inches 27 pounds
5. Pat McCurry Me 109G-10 own design 3W-70 PCM Models Moki 22 x 12 JR 1⁄4 101 inches 40 pounds
6. Hal Parenti Ryan Fireball own design YS 120 Robart APC 16 x 8 Airtronics 1⁄6 72 inches 19 pounds
7. Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V own design Sachs 5.80 scratch-built Moki 26 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 118 inches 35 pounds
8. Bud Roane Sopwith own design
11⁄2-Strutter
9. Bob Patton T-28 Trojan own design 3W-100 Robart 3W 28 x 10 Futaba 1⁄4 114 inches 52 pounds
10. Nick Ziroli Sr. Stearman own design Robart radial scratch-built Zinger 26 x 12 Airtronics 1⁄5 87 inches 32 pounds
Expert Class
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Joe Rafalowski F-100 BVM JetCat 160 BVM N/A JR 1⁄6 70 inches 30 pounds
2. Kim Foster Moth Minor Jerry Bates Plans Laser 1.50 Robart Zinger 18 x 5 Futaba 1⁄4 110 inches 15 pounds
3. Dennis Crooks P-38 Nick Ziroli Plans Husky 3.3 Robart Zinger 22 x 10 Futaba 1⁄5 114 inches 45 pounds
4. Tommy Wood F-18C Hornet Yellow Aircraft Two RAM 1000s Yellow Aircraft N/A JR 1⁄7 72 inches 44 pounds
5. Gustavo Campana Aero L-159 Walter Godez T-1000 Franz Waldi N/A Futaba 1⁄5.5 68 inches 30 pounds
6. Tim Redelman F-4 Phantom BVM JetCat BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 57 inches 28 pounds
7. Martin Hendrickson T-34 own design GT-80 Robart Bolly 24 x 10 JR 1⁄4 109 inches 52 pounds
8. Al Kretz Spitfire Mk XVI Yellow Aircraft Moki 1.80 Yellow Aircraft Zinger 18 x 8 Futaba 1⁄5 88 inches 25 pounds
9. Lee Rice F4U Corsair Holman/Royal O.S. 1.08 Earl Aune APC 15 x 6 Airtronics 1⁄6 76 inches 20 pounds
10. Bill McCallie Fw 190A-3 Vailly Aviation D&B 3.7 Vailly Aviation Mejzlik 22 x 10 JR 1⁄5.5 94 inches 33 pounds
Team Scale
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Dave Patrick
Graeme Mears Super Cub scratch-built Moki 3.80 scratch Mejzlik 24 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 144 inches 45 pounds
2. David Shulman
Joe Grice F-100 BVM AMT 450 BVM N/A JR 1⁄6 69 inches 34 pounds
3. David Pinegar
George Maiorana AEW/Tu-4 scratch-built electric/MaxCim scratch scratch Futaba 1⁄15 115 inches 30 pounds
4. Scott Russell
Wayne Siewert P-47 Aerotech Models Brison 4.2 Robart Zinger 22 x 10 Futaba 1⁄6 82 inches 32 pounds
5. Dean DiGiorgio
Tony Urbano F4U Corsair Nick Ziroli Plans G-62 Robart 22 x 8 JR 1⁄5 92 inches 35 pounds
6. Tom Dodgen de Havilland
Sam Snyder Swallow scratch-built JetCat 120 scratch-built N/A JR 1⁄5 98 inches 32 pounds
7. Anthony Greco
Paul Donofrio Monocoupe Vern Clements 3W-120 scratch-built Zinger 32 x 10 JR 1⁄2.5 118 inches 47 pounds
8. Paul Bageman
Mark Taylor F-100 BVM JetCat 120 BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 69 inches 32 pounds
9. Dorin Luck
Gary Allen Bucker Bü.133 scratch-built G-62 scratch-built 3W 24 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 86 inches 23 pounds
10. Brian O’Meara
Jim Hammond Ki-61 Don Smith Webra 1.20 Gene Barton Moki 16 x 8 Airtronics 1⁄5.5 86 inches 17 pounds
24 MODEL AVIATION
Lloyd Roberts built a full-scale Bowers Fly Baby then built this
model of it! The rare Kavan wet-sump engine powers it.
Kim Foster starts the Laser 150 engine in his 110-inch-span de
Havilland D.H.94 Moth Minor. It weighs 17 pounds.
Top Gun 2003 Technical Information
Category Winner Aircraft
Master High Static Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby
Expert High Static Gustavo Campana Aero L-159
tied
Joe Rafalowski F-100
Team High Static Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Civilian Aircraft Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Military Aircraft Joe Grice F-100D
Best Biplane Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V
Best Pre-WW II Aircraft Paul Donofrio Monocoupe
Best Jet Joe Grice F-100D
Engineering Excellence George Maiorana Tu-4
Best Cockpit Interior Patrick McCurry Me 109G
Charlie Chambers Craftsmanship Award Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby
Grey Eagle Award Nick Ziroli Sr.
Critics’ Choice (Runner-Up) Patrick McCurry Me 109G
Critics’ Choice Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Two-Stroke Performance Jeff Foley Bf 109E
Best Four-Stroke Performance Hal Parenti Ryan Fireball
Best Gas Performance Dennis Crooks P-38
Best Multi-Engine Performance Dave Voglund Me 110
Best Jet Performance David Shulman F-100
Mass Launch Awards Wayne Siewert Found 100
September 2003 25
Top Gun 2003 Static and Flight Awards
Top Gun 2003 Results
Expert
Place/Winner Aircraft Static Total
1. Joe Rafalowski North American F-100 96.083 187.878
2. Kim Foster de Havilland Moth Minor 95.000 187.625
3. Dennis Crooks P-38 Lightning 94.333 186.458
4. Tommy Wood F-18C 92.667 186.125
5. Gustavo Campana L-159 96.083 185.794
6. Tim Redelman F-4 Phantom 93.000 183.528
7. Martin Hendrickson Beechcraft T-34A Mentor 92.750 181.708
8. Al Kretz Spitfire Mk XVI 91.000 181.000
9. Lee Rice F4U-1D Corsair 93.750 180.625
10. Bill McCallie Fw 190A-3 91.833 180.416
Master
Place/Winner Aircraft Static Total
1. Jeff Foley Bf 109E 96.500 189.750
2. Bob Violett F-100F 95.667 188.767
3. Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby 98.583 187.458
4. David Hayes Rockwell Thrush 93.917 186.500
5. Pat McCurry Me 109G-10 94.500 186.125
6. Hal Parenti Ryan FR-1 Fireball 92.917 183.792
7. Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V 97.333 182.416
8. Bud Roane Sopwith 11⁄2-Strutter 92.083 182.333
9. Bob Patton T-28C 92.000 181.458
10. Nick Ziroli Sr. Stearman 90.500 180.708
Team
Place/Winners Aircraft Static Total
1. Dave Patrick, Graeme Mears Super Cub PA-18 98.583 193.208
2. David Shulman, Joe Grice F-100D 98.417 193.110
3. David Pinegar, George Maiorana Tu-4 96.750 188.667
4. Scott Russell, Wayne Siewert P-47 Thunderbolt 97.500 185.417
5. Dean DiGiorgio, Tony Urbano Corsair F4U 92.750 185.042
6. Tom Dodgen, Sam Snyder de Havilland Swallow 94.500 184.792
7. Anthony Greco, Paul Donofrio Monocoupe 110 94.750 184.583
8. Paul Bageman, Mark Taylor F-100 92.667 179.642
9. Dorin Luck, Gary Allen Bucker Bü.133 93.083 179.625
10. Brian O’Meara, Jim Hammond Ki-61 Tony 92.167 176.917
26 MODEL AVIATION
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turboprop Chinese version of the Tu-4.
Expert Class: Longtime Scale competitor
Dennis Crooks built one of the hardest Scale
subjects to fly, but it’s a commonly known
aircraft: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
Dennis flew the 114-inch-span Nick
Ziroli Plans design with a Futaba PCM
radio. Husky 3.3 engines hauled the 45-
pound model around the sky, and the
landing gear came from Robart. Dennis
finished third.
All week (“Neither wind nor rain ... ”)
Kim Foster flew the fabric off of his D.H.94
Moth Minor. This aircraft was the British
equivalent of the US PT-19. Kim’s
consistent flying and 95.00 static score put
him in second place, only missing first by
.253 point.
With all of the high-dollar aircraft
competing in this category, it was great to
see a simple trainer with excellent
documentation and flown well almost win.
Kim finished third last year, so I’m sure
he’ll move up another notch sometime soon.
Joe Rafalowski built one of Bob Violett
Models’ North American F-100 Super
Sabres for this year’s competition. He won
last year with a T-33, so entering with the
fighter versus the jet trainer didn’t hurt a
bit.
Joe controlled the F-100 with a JR PCM
10 radio, and a JetCat 160 turbine was used
for power. Joe won Expert, as he did last
year, with a final score of 187.878.
Master Class: The winners in all three
classes were victorious by less than a point
each this year. Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) team member Lloyd
Roberts finished third in the Master division
with his scratch-built, 1⁄3-scale Bowers Fly
Baby.
Lloyd’s documentation included photos
and drawings of the full-scale aircraft he
built. Lloyd competed with this model at the
Scale World Championships in Lausanne,
Switzerland, in 2000. This is the only
occasion I know of where the modeler built
the full-scale aircraft too.
Second place in Master went to last
year’s winner Bob Violett with one of his F-
100 Super Sabres; eight of them were
entered this year. Several of Bob’s kits were
flown all week, and a new kit of the familiar
North American F-86 Sabre jet is coming
out soon.
Bob’s model trailer is more like a mobile
workshop on wheels. It’s the largest I’ve
seen, and it can house multiple aircraft and
all of the support equipment and spares to
keep them flying.
Jeff Foley flew his familiar tropical
version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 to a
repeat win and the title of Mr. Top Gun for
the second time. Jeff has won the
Master/Designer class for five of the six
years he has entered this model. The 86-
inch-span German fighter is on its second
color scheme, and its third year in the desert
scheme marks the last year for it, so Jeff
went out with a bang.
Suffering from the Palm Beach crud,
Jeff could hardly stand Saturday during the
flight competition. On his second flight, one
of the air tanks for the retract landing gear
ruptured and he had to make a gear-up,
belly landing. But after Jeff and his model
were medicated, rested, and had a good
Sunday, he came out on top.
Jeff’s scratch-built model was powered
by a Moki 1.80 engine, had modified Dave
Platt retract mechanisms and scratch-built
struts and hubs, weighed 25 pounds, and
was controlled with a JR PCM 10 radio.
The model was finished with polyester resin
and fiberglass cloth, and was painted with
K&B paints and Super Poxy.
Jeff had more documentation on the fullscale
World War II aircraft than most
modelers who competed with fighters. He
found four authentic World War II photos
of the subject. It paid off; a 96.500 static
score combined with consistent flight marks
is what makes Mr. Top Gun.
With the spectator and contestant turnout
that Top Gun has, sponsors want to be a
part of the event. This year’s primary
sponsors were Model Airplane News and
Pacer Technology.
Other major sponsors included
Airtronics, O.S./Futaba, Robart
Manufacturing, FTE Turbine Works, JR
radios, The Gunner’s Mate, Bob Violett
Models, Nick Ziroli Plans, Aircraft
International, Aero Tech Models, Dave Platt
Models, Dixie Cutrone, Gerard Enterprises,
Pro Mark, RC Report, Saito Engines, RC
Scale International, Sheraton 4 Points
Hotel, Top Gun Hussies, Van Dell Jewelers,
and Tamiya.
It takes a small army of workers, judges,
and volunteers to run an international
contest such as this. The local Imperial RC
Club provided many of the workers. I want
to give out a special thanks to Rosie!
Again Frank Tiano put together one of
the best Scale championships, air shows,
and trade events anywhere. Hope to see you
there next year! MA
Stan Alexander
3709 Valley Ridge Dr.
Nashville TN 37211
[email protected]

18 MODEL AVIATION
2003
Top Gun
■ Stan Alexander
Best of the best
gather in Florida
for the country’s
premier RC
Scale event
Sean Cassidy built this toothy F6F
Hellcat from Don Lien plans. It spans
80 inches, weighs 29 pounds, has
Robart 90° retracts.
n its second year at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in
Lakeland, Florida—the same site as the Experimental
Aircraft Association’s Sun ’n Fun full-scale fly-in—Top
Gun was held April 23-27. Sun ’n Fun was held a few
weeks earlier, with all kinds of great subjects for Scale
modelers. Just off of runway 9, the Florida Air Museum
offers year-round access to modeling subjects and homebuilt
aircraft.
Top Gun has grown in the location at which it’s now held. If you
want to take the kids to Disney World or any of the other theme
parks in the Orlando area, they are approximately 30 minutes from
the field. There are air museums in the area, and Tampa is roughly a
30-minute drive.
The AMA Delta Dart program was in full swing the week of the
contest. Dave Platt held the Scale Free Flight contest again this year,
and the daily halftime shows please the crowds each year.
As in past Top Guns, contestants came from around the world.
Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Thailand were represented. The
modelers who traveled the farthest this year were builder Mike
Selby and pilot Kalvin Lim: the Team Scale competitors from
Bangkok, Thailand.
Mike and Kalvin brought a whole crew with them and their
Grumman F7F Tigercat. The 1⁄5-scale, 122-inch-wingspan model
dropped drones, which weren’t powered, and they glided to the
ground for the next flight. It was sad when the model was lost on
Sunday.
Gerardo Galvez came from Naucalpan, Mexico, again this year
with his Stearman in a US Navy color scheme. The model was built
from the old Sterling kit, and it flew great.
Field conditions were better this year than last, with the 60-footwide
paved taxiway and the grass area directly next to it. The grass
was in much better shape, everything was greener, and you could
tell that there had been much more rain than last year. The grass was
smooth and level; with the asphalt runway, it makes a great site for
tail-dragger-type airplanes.
Weather in Florida at any time of the year can be unsettled, and
it was when we arrived. The weather had a bearing on modelers
who practiced and those who didn’t. Several pilots chose not to
practice. Those who did, some with their contest models, did score
higher in the overall outcome of the event. In general, the weather
was the best I’ve seen at Top Gun in many years.
The big story at Top Gun this year was the simple Scale airplanes
breaking some of the long-held concepts that your model has to
have flaps and retracts to win at a contest. By “simple” I mean a
four- or five-channel model without retracting landing gear, bombs,
tanks, etc.
An uncomplicated, well-finished and -documented Scale aircraft
that is flown well can easily place in the top 10, and even win. Some
such models included Graeme Mears’ Super Cub in Team Scale,
Kim Foster’s de Havilland D.H.94 Moth Minor in Expert class, and
Bud Roane’s Thomas Morse Scout and Lloyd Roberts’ Bowers Fly
Baby in Masters.
While I was talking to Kim about his Moth Minor, he said he
had located the aircraft in Arlington, Texas, at the Confederate Air
Force. He obtained the name of the airplane’s caretaker and sent
him several rolls of film, asking him to shoot photos of every part of
the aircraft and its markings.
This accomplished, Kim said “I bought a $30 set of plans from
Jerry Bates, $100 worth of balsa and plywood, and built the model
to match the documentation.”
Several changes were made for this edition of Top Gun. The Scale
helicopter event wasn’t held, and the World Scale event flown last
year was dropped. Categories at this contest included the Master
Class (formerly Designer Scale), for modelers who designed their
own plans, built the models from those plans, and flew them; Expert
Class, for those who built from plans or kits; and Team Scale, in
which a builder and pilot paired up.
An addition to the Top Gun rule book this year is a 2%
deduction from flight scores for jet models with a great deal of
prefabrication, including the wing panels. I’m sure that this
September 2003 19
Bob Patton scratch-built his North American T-28 Trojan Navy
trainer from fiberglass, foam. He made mold plugs too!
Gary Allen designed and built 1⁄3-scale Bü.133 Jungmeister
aerobatic biplane and painted it in Swedish color scheme.
Sam Snyder’s scratch-built de Havilland Swallow: a post-World
War II experimental jet. Tom Dodgen flew it in Team Scale.
Trip Galasso’s B-26B built from Don Smith Plans. It sustained
damage on a hard landing, but Trip is making repairs.
I Photos by the author Graphic Design by Lydia Whitehead
regulation will be watched closely in the next
several years for its success or failure to even
out the competition between the propellers
and turbines.
Also beginning this year, as in AMA
Scale rules, the 10th maneuver is Realism in
Flight. If you would like to obtain a copy of
the Top Gun rules, check out
www.franktiano.com.
There were several new models at the event
this year, and a few were making their last
visit to Top Gun. This contest has a threeyear
rule, which means that you can only
compete with the same model for that period
of time, after which you have to completely
repaint the aircraft or bring another.
After three years, a number of modelers
elect to use different color schemes, others
take out a model they haven’t flown in a few
years, and the more ambitious competitors
come with new airplanes. It usually takes at
least a year to get all of the bugs out of a new
model and get comfortable with it in flight,
especially on landings.
One of the new aircraft debuted this year
was a 41%, 1⁄3-scale clipped-wing
Monocoupe 110 Special that Paul Donofrio
built from Vern Clemens Plans. The red-andwhite
racer spanned 118 inches, weighed 47
pounds, and was finished with Sig Koverall
and Randolph dope. It was powered by a
3W-120 engine. Paul asked Anthony Greco
to pilot the Monocoupe in Team Scale, and
he did an excellent job.
Another eye-catching new model was the
Airborne Early Warning (AEW) B-29/Tu-4
that builder George Maiorana entered in
Team Scale with his pilot Dave Pinegar.
According to George, two turboprop
versions of this airplane were sent to China
from the Soviet Union.
The model spanned 115 inches and
weighed 29.7 pounds. The Tu-4 was
powered by electric motors and was covered
with an aluminum product called Flite-
Metal. The electric power combined with the
homemade four-blade propellers and the
rotating radar dome made this a unique
model to watch.
The beautiful 1⁄3-scale Piper PA-18 Super
Cub that Graeme Mears of Canada built
garnered many awards. It was highly detailed
and showed what you can do with a model of
20 MODEL AVIATION
Paul Donofrio built this 1⁄3-scale Monocoupe 110 Special. It spans 118 inches and flies with authority with a 3W-120.
Joe Rafalowski won Expert with his Bob Violett Models F-100. It
weighs 35 pounds and is powered by a JetCat 100 turbine.
A tropical version of the Bf 109E-4 by five-time Top Gun Masterclass
winner Jeff Foley taxis back to the line.
a simple subject. The airplane weighed 45
pounds.
Graeme researched the full-scale PA-18
for 12 years before building this model. He
used factory drawings, photographs, and
full-scale aircraft measurements to draw his
plans then build the airplane. This is scratch
building at its best.
The 144-inch-span Cub was powered by
a Moki 3.60 twin engine, which I believe is
the same engine Graeme used in his de
Havilland Tiger Moth a few years back.
The flight judges chose to give this model
and its pilot Dave Patrick the NASA Flight
Achievement Award, for the most
prototypical flight performance during the
contest. Graeme and Dave also received cash
and awards for Best Civilian Aircraft, Team
Scale High Static Score, and Critics’ Choice.
This was the model’s first contest, so look
out for it later.
A real jewel that impressed many with its
flight performance was a model of a fullscale
jet from just after World War II which
looks like a stealth jet of today. Sam Snyder
scratch-built the turbine-powered de
Havilland Swallow, and it was truly elegant
in flight. With the tailless design, Sam really
had to watch it in the turns.
Mike Hipwell built and campaigned a
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV, and he picked
a unique photo-reconnaissance color scheme.
The bottom of the model was painted yellow,
and there was a yellow “P” on the side of the
aircraft.
Mike used a Moki 1.80 for power and
finished the Spitfire in ordinary latex indoor
house paint covered with polyurethane for
fuel-proofing. There were two camera ports
on the aircraft, and the rivets were burned in
each panel with a soldering gun.
Team Scale: Last year’s winner—Joe Grice
with his North American Super Sabre F-100
“Pretty Penny”—had to take a second-place
finish. This model took Best of Show and
Best Jet at this year’s Toledo expo.
Graeme Mears’ 1⁄3-scale Piper PA-18
took first place in Team Scale by less than a
point. Dave Patrick flew the model to the
win during the last round, with a score of
97.375 for his fourth flight. Third place went
to the familiar team of builder George
Maiorana and Dave Pinegar with the
September 2003 21
Joe Rafalowski’s Expert-class-winning
Bob Violett Models North American F-100
Super Sabre is captured on final
approach.
Gustavo Campana came from Argentina with this beautiful Aero
L-159 jet trainer. He finished fifth in Expert.
This year’s Team Scale winner was this 144-inch-span PA-18
Super Cub built by Graeme Mears and flown by Dave Patrick.
Builder Mike Selby and pilot Kalvin Lim brought this F7F
Tigercat Team Scale entry from Thailand. Inset shows one of
two drones the F7F carried into flight and dropped. The model
was lost on Sunday.
22 MODEL AVIATION
Bob Violett brought his own version of his company’s F-100
Super Sabre and finished second in Master Scale.
Dennis Crooks swings his P-38 around for a “slow and dirty”
flyby. Dennis finished third in the Expert class.
Hal Parenti’s unusual Ryan Fireball on a flyby. It has a YS 120
engine with exhaust exiting the jet tailpipe.
David Hayes likes crop dusters. This year he brought a new
version of the Rockwell Thrush powered by a Saito 180.
David Wigley built this stunning Hawker Tempest Mk V from a
Vailly Aviation kit and finished it in the D-Day trim scheme.
Jeff Foley scratch-built all of the interior components for his
Master-winning Bf 109E-4’s cockpit. Incredible!
Bud Roane’s Thomas-Morse Scout World War I trainer is one of
the simpler aircraft that scored well (see text).
George Maiorana brought a new airplane to the Weak Signals’
Toledo Show and to Top Gun this year. It is a model of an aircraft I
haven’t seen before, but it looks familiar. Before static judging at
Top Gun, George was still adding parts to the aircraft. Talk about
waiting until the last minute!
I thought you might be interested in some background and some
of the processes that George went through while building the Tu-4
and the Chinese AEW aircraft, which are both powered by electric
motors.
There were three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses that made
emergency landings in Vladivostok in the Soviet Union in 1944.
The crews were allowed to leave, but the communist military kept
their aircraft.
Two of the airplanes were disassembled for detailed evaluation
and their parts were sent throughout the Soviet Union to be copied.
The third copy was kept in flying condition for evaluation. What
resulted was an almost exact copy of the Boeing B-29 that was
designated the Tu-4. More than 1,200 Tu-4s were built up until
1953.
George Maiorana and Skip Mast spent many hours collecting
information about the B-29 and documenting the aircraft in the US
Air Force Museum at Dayton, Ohio. They measured the different
parts of the aircraft, how high it sits off of the ground at different
points, and they took many photos for the design work and for
building the models that would follow.
This is the third airframe from the original design that George
built. The first was the Miss America ’62, which was powered by
four four-stroke engines. That model was demolished in a crash
after losing one engine, stalling, and going in. George decided that
that was it for “wet power,” and he switched to electric power for
all of his models; he reasoned that electric would be more reliable.
The second model was built as an electric-powered Russian Tu-
September 2003 23
A Russian Bear
George Maiorana’s Chinese AEW was on display at the 2003 Weak Signals Toledo Show in Ohio. Notice the scalelike aluminum finish.
MaxCim electric motors reside in the elongated turboprop
nacelles. Note the scale exhaust outlets.
You can see the rotating radar dome that sits atop the
Continued on page 27 fuselage behind the wing. An amazing effort!
(Following is information about the top 10 finishers in each class. In Team Scale, each listing has the builder’s name next to the aircraft information.)
Master Class
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Jeff Foley Bf 109E-4 own design Moki 2.10 Platt Moki 20 x 8 JR 1⁄4.5 86 inches 25 pounds
2. Bob Violett F-100 Sabre own design AMT BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 69 inches 36 pounds
3. Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby own design Kavan scratch-built Dynat. 22 x 8 JR 1⁄3 108 inches 32 pounds
4. David Hayes Rockwell own design Saito 1.80 scratch-built APC 18 x 6 JR 1⁄5.5 107 inches 27 pounds
5. Pat McCurry Me 109G-10 own design 3W-70 PCM Models Moki 22 x 12 JR 1⁄4 101 inches 40 pounds
6. Hal Parenti Ryan Fireball own design YS 120 Robart APC 16 x 8 Airtronics 1⁄6 72 inches 19 pounds
7. Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V own design Sachs 5.80 scratch-built Moki 26 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 118 inches 35 pounds
8. Bud Roane Sopwith own design
11⁄2-Strutter
9. Bob Patton T-28 Trojan own design 3W-100 Robart 3W 28 x 10 Futaba 1⁄4 114 inches 52 pounds
10. Nick Ziroli Sr. Stearman own design Robart radial scratch-built Zinger 26 x 12 Airtronics 1⁄5 87 inches 32 pounds
Expert Class
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Joe Rafalowski F-100 BVM JetCat 160 BVM N/A JR 1⁄6 70 inches 30 pounds
2. Kim Foster Moth Minor Jerry Bates Plans Laser 1.50 Robart Zinger 18 x 5 Futaba 1⁄4 110 inches 15 pounds
3. Dennis Crooks P-38 Nick Ziroli Plans Husky 3.3 Robart Zinger 22 x 10 Futaba 1⁄5 114 inches 45 pounds
4. Tommy Wood F-18C Hornet Yellow Aircraft Two RAM 1000s Yellow Aircraft N/A JR 1⁄7 72 inches 44 pounds
5. Gustavo Campana Aero L-159 Walter Godez T-1000 Franz Waldi N/A Futaba 1⁄5.5 68 inches 30 pounds
6. Tim Redelman F-4 Phantom BVM JetCat BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 57 inches 28 pounds
7. Martin Hendrickson T-34 own design GT-80 Robart Bolly 24 x 10 JR 1⁄4 109 inches 52 pounds
8. Al Kretz Spitfire Mk XVI Yellow Aircraft Moki 1.80 Yellow Aircraft Zinger 18 x 8 Futaba 1⁄5 88 inches 25 pounds
9. Lee Rice F4U Corsair Holman/Royal O.S. 1.08 Earl Aune APC 15 x 6 Airtronics 1⁄6 76 inches 20 pounds
10. Bill McCallie Fw 190A-3 Vailly Aviation D&B 3.7 Vailly Aviation Mejzlik 22 x 10 JR 1⁄5.5 94 inches 33 pounds
Team Scale
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Dave Patrick
Graeme Mears Super Cub scratch-built Moki 3.80 scratch Mejzlik 24 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 144 inches 45 pounds
2. David Shulman
Joe Grice F-100 BVM AMT 450 BVM N/A JR 1⁄6 69 inches 34 pounds
3. David Pinegar
George Maiorana AEW/Tu-4 scratch-built electric/MaxCim scratch scratch Futaba 1⁄15 115 inches 30 pounds
4. Scott Russell
Wayne Siewert P-47 Aerotech Models Brison 4.2 Robart Zinger 22 x 10 Futaba 1⁄6 82 inches 32 pounds
5. Dean DiGiorgio
Tony Urbano F4U Corsair Nick Ziroli Plans G-62 Robart 22 x 8 JR 1⁄5 92 inches 35 pounds
6. Tom Dodgen de Havilland
Sam Snyder Swallow scratch-built JetCat 120 scratch-built N/A JR 1⁄5 98 inches 32 pounds
7. Anthony Greco
Paul Donofrio Monocoupe Vern Clements 3W-120 scratch-built Zinger 32 x 10 JR 1⁄2.5 118 inches 47 pounds
8. Paul Bageman
Mark Taylor F-100 BVM JetCat 120 BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 69 inches 32 pounds
9. Dorin Luck
Gary Allen Bucker Bü.133 scratch-built G-62 scratch-built 3W 24 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 86 inches 23 pounds
10. Brian O’Meara
Jim Hammond Ki-61 Don Smith Webra 1.20 Gene Barton Moki 16 x 8 Airtronics 1⁄5.5 86 inches 17 pounds
24 MODEL AVIATION
Lloyd Roberts built a full-scale Bowers Fly Baby then built this
model of it! The rare Kavan wet-sump engine powers it.
Kim Foster starts the Laser 150 engine in his 110-inch-span de
Havilland D.H.94 Moth Minor. It weighs 17 pounds.
Top Gun 2003 Technical Information
Category Winner Aircraft
Master High Static Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby
Expert High Static Gustavo Campana Aero L-159
tied
Joe Rafalowski F-100
Team High Static Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Civilian Aircraft Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Military Aircraft Joe Grice F-100D
Best Biplane Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V
Best Pre-WW II Aircraft Paul Donofrio Monocoupe
Best Jet Joe Grice F-100D
Engineering Excellence George Maiorana Tu-4
Best Cockpit Interior Patrick McCurry Me 109G
Charlie Chambers Craftsmanship Award Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby
Grey Eagle Award Nick Ziroli Sr.
Critics’ Choice (Runner-Up) Patrick McCurry Me 109G
Critics’ Choice Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Two-Stroke Performance Jeff Foley Bf 109E
Best Four-Stroke Performance Hal Parenti Ryan Fireball
Best Gas Performance Dennis Crooks P-38
Best Multi-Engine Performance Dave Voglund Me 110
Best Jet Performance David Shulman F-100
Mass Launch Awards Wayne Siewert Found 100
September 2003 25
Top Gun 2003 Static and Flight Awards
Top Gun 2003 Results
Expert
Place/Winner Aircraft Static Total
1. Joe Rafalowski North American F-100 96.083 187.878
2. Kim Foster de Havilland Moth Minor 95.000 187.625
3. Dennis Crooks P-38 Lightning 94.333 186.458
4. Tommy Wood F-18C 92.667 186.125
5. Gustavo Campana L-159 96.083 185.794
6. Tim Redelman F-4 Phantom 93.000 183.528
7. Martin Hendrickson Beechcraft T-34A Mentor 92.750 181.708
8. Al Kretz Spitfire Mk XVI 91.000 181.000
9. Lee Rice F4U-1D Corsair 93.750 180.625
10. Bill McCallie Fw 190A-3 91.833 180.416
Master
Place/Winner Aircraft Static Total
1. Jeff Foley Bf 109E 96.500 189.750
2. Bob Violett F-100F 95.667 188.767
3. Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby 98.583 187.458
4. David Hayes Rockwell Thrush 93.917 186.500
5. Pat McCurry Me 109G-10 94.500 186.125
6. Hal Parenti Ryan FR-1 Fireball 92.917 183.792
7. Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V 97.333 182.416
8. Bud Roane Sopwith 11⁄2-Strutter 92.083 182.333
9. Bob Patton T-28C 92.000 181.458
10. Nick Ziroli Sr. Stearman 90.500 180.708
Team
Place/Winners Aircraft Static Total
1. Dave Patrick, Graeme Mears Super Cub PA-18 98.583 193.208
2. David Shulman, Joe Grice F-100D 98.417 193.110
3. David Pinegar, George Maiorana Tu-4 96.750 188.667
4. Scott Russell, Wayne Siewert P-47 Thunderbolt 97.500 185.417
5. Dean DiGiorgio, Tony Urbano Corsair F4U 92.750 185.042
6. Tom Dodgen, Sam Snyder de Havilland Swallow 94.500 184.792
7. Anthony Greco, Paul Donofrio Monocoupe 110 94.750 184.583
8. Paul Bageman, Mark Taylor F-100 92.667 179.642
9. Dorin Luck, Gary Allen Bucker Bü.133 93.083 179.625
10. Brian O’Meara, Jim Hammond Ki-61 Tony 92.167 176.917
26 MODEL AVIATION
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Expert Class: Longtime Scale competitor
Dennis Crooks built one of the hardest Scale
subjects to fly, but it’s a commonly known
aircraft: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
Dennis flew the 114-inch-span Nick
Ziroli Plans design with a Futaba PCM
radio. Husky 3.3 engines hauled the 45-
pound model around the sky, and the
landing gear came from Robart. Dennis
finished third.
All week (“Neither wind nor rain ... ”)
Kim Foster flew the fabric off of his D.H.94
Moth Minor. This aircraft was the British
equivalent of the US PT-19. Kim’s
consistent flying and 95.00 static score put
him in second place, only missing first by
.253 point.
With all of the high-dollar aircraft
competing in this category, it was great to
see a simple trainer with excellent
documentation and flown well almost win.
Kim finished third last year, so I’m sure
he’ll move up another notch sometime soon.
Joe Rafalowski built one of Bob Violett
Models’ North American F-100 Super
Sabres for this year’s competition. He won
last year with a T-33, so entering with the
fighter versus the jet trainer didn’t hurt a
bit.
Joe controlled the F-100 with a JR PCM
10 radio, and a JetCat 160 turbine was used
for power. Joe won Expert, as he did last
year, with a final score of 187.878.
Master Class: The winners in all three
classes were victorious by less than a point
each this year. Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) team member Lloyd
Roberts finished third in the Master division
with his scratch-built, 1⁄3-scale Bowers Fly
Baby.
Lloyd’s documentation included photos
and drawings of the full-scale aircraft he
built. Lloyd competed with this model at the
Scale World Championships in Lausanne,
Switzerland, in 2000. This is the only
occasion I know of where the modeler built
the full-scale aircraft too.
Second place in Master went to last
year’s winner Bob Violett with one of his F-
100 Super Sabres; eight of them were
entered this year. Several of Bob’s kits were
flown all week, and a new kit of the familiar
North American F-86 Sabre jet is coming
out soon.
Bob’s model trailer is more like a mobile
workshop on wheels. It’s the largest I’ve
seen, and it can house multiple aircraft and
all of the support equipment and spares to
keep them flying.
Jeff Foley flew his familiar tropical
version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 to a
repeat win and the title of Mr. Top Gun for
the second time. Jeff has won the
Master/Designer class for five of the six
years he has entered this model. The 86-
inch-span German fighter is on its second
color scheme, and its third year in the desert
scheme marks the last year for it, so Jeff
went out with a bang.
Suffering from the Palm Beach crud,
Jeff could hardly stand Saturday during the
flight competition. On his second flight, one
of the air tanks for the retract landing gear
ruptured and he had to make a gear-up,
belly landing. But after Jeff and his model
were medicated, rested, and had a good
Sunday, he came out on top.
Jeff’s scratch-built model was powered
by a Moki 1.80 engine, had modified Dave
Platt retract mechanisms and scratch-built
struts and hubs, weighed 25 pounds, and
was controlled with a JR PCM 10 radio.
The model was finished with polyester resin
and fiberglass cloth, and was painted with
K&B paints and Super Poxy.
Jeff had more documentation on the fullscale
World War II aircraft than most
modelers who competed with fighters. He
found four authentic World War II photos
of the subject. It paid off; a 96.500 static
score combined with consistent flight marks
is what makes Mr. Top Gun.
With the spectator and contestant turnout
that Top Gun has, sponsors want to be a
part of the event. This year’s primary
sponsors were Model Airplane News and
Pacer Technology.
Other major sponsors included
Airtronics, O.S./Futaba, Robart
Manufacturing, FTE Turbine Works, JR
radios, The Gunner’s Mate, Bob Violett
Models, Nick Ziroli Plans, Aircraft
International, Aero Tech Models, Dave Platt
Models, Dixie Cutrone, Gerard Enterprises,
Pro Mark, RC Report, Saito Engines, RC
Scale International, Sheraton 4 Points
Hotel, Top Gun Hussies, Van Dell Jewelers,
and Tamiya.
It takes a small army of workers, judges,
and volunteers to run an international
contest such as this. The local Imperial RC
Club provided many of the workers. I want
to give out a special thanks to Rosie!
Again Frank Tiano put together one of
the best Scale championships, air shows,
and trade events anywhere. Hope to see you
there next year! MA
Stan Alexander
3709 Valley Ridge Dr.
Nashville TN 37211
[email protected]

18 MODEL AVIATION
2003
Top Gun
■ Stan Alexander
Best of the best
gather in Florida
for the country’s
premier RC
Scale event
Sean Cassidy built this toothy F6F
Hellcat from Don Lien plans. It spans
80 inches, weighs 29 pounds, has
Robart 90° retracts.
n its second year at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in
Lakeland, Florida—the same site as the Experimental
Aircraft Association’s Sun ’n Fun full-scale fly-in—Top
Gun was held April 23-27. Sun ’n Fun was held a few
weeks earlier, with all kinds of great subjects for Scale
modelers. Just off of runway 9, the Florida Air Museum
offers year-round access to modeling subjects and homebuilt
aircraft.
Top Gun has grown in the location at which it’s now held. If you
want to take the kids to Disney World or any of the other theme
parks in the Orlando area, they are approximately 30 minutes from
the field. There are air museums in the area, and Tampa is roughly a
30-minute drive.
The AMA Delta Dart program was in full swing the week of the
contest. Dave Platt held the Scale Free Flight contest again this year,
and the daily halftime shows please the crowds each year.
As in past Top Guns, contestants came from around the world.
Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Thailand were represented. The
modelers who traveled the farthest this year were builder Mike
Selby and pilot Kalvin Lim: the Team Scale competitors from
Bangkok, Thailand.
Mike and Kalvin brought a whole crew with them and their
Grumman F7F Tigercat. The 1⁄5-scale, 122-inch-wingspan model
dropped drones, which weren’t powered, and they glided to the
ground for the next flight. It was sad when the model was lost on
Sunday.
Gerardo Galvez came from Naucalpan, Mexico, again this year
with his Stearman in a US Navy color scheme. The model was built
from the old Sterling kit, and it flew great.
Field conditions were better this year than last, with the 60-footwide
paved taxiway and the grass area directly next to it. The grass
was in much better shape, everything was greener, and you could
tell that there had been much more rain than last year. The grass was
smooth and level; with the asphalt runway, it makes a great site for
tail-dragger-type airplanes.
Weather in Florida at any time of the year can be unsettled, and
it was when we arrived. The weather had a bearing on modelers
who practiced and those who didn’t. Several pilots chose not to
practice. Those who did, some with their contest models, did score
higher in the overall outcome of the event. In general, the weather
was the best I’ve seen at Top Gun in many years.
The big story at Top Gun this year was the simple Scale airplanes
breaking some of the long-held concepts that your model has to
have flaps and retracts to win at a contest. By “simple” I mean a
four- or five-channel model without retracting landing gear, bombs,
tanks, etc.
An uncomplicated, well-finished and -documented Scale aircraft
that is flown well can easily place in the top 10, and even win. Some
such models included Graeme Mears’ Super Cub in Team Scale,
Kim Foster’s de Havilland D.H.94 Moth Minor in Expert class, and
Bud Roane’s Thomas Morse Scout and Lloyd Roberts’ Bowers Fly
Baby in Masters.
While I was talking to Kim about his Moth Minor, he said he
had located the aircraft in Arlington, Texas, at the Confederate Air
Force. He obtained the name of the airplane’s caretaker and sent
him several rolls of film, asking him to shoot photos of every part of
the aircraft and its markings.
This accomplished, Kim said “I bought a $30 set of plans from
Jerry Bates, $100 worth of balsa and plywood, and built the model
to match the documentation.”
Several changes were made for this edition of Top Gun. The Scale
helicopter event wasn’t held, and the World Scale event flown last
year was dropped. Categories at this contest included the Master
Class (formerly Designer Scale), for modelers who designed their
own plans, built the models from those plans, and flew them; Expert
Class, for those who built from plans or kits; and Team Scale, in
which a builder and pilot paired up.
An addition to the Top Gun rule book this year is a 2%
deduction from flight scores for jet models with a great deal of
prefabrication, including the wing panels. I’m sure that this
September 2003 19
Bob Patton scratch-built his North American T-28 Trojan Navy
trainer from fiberglass, foam. He made mold plugs too!
Gary Allen designed and built 1⁄3-scale Bü.133 Jungmeister
aerobatic biplane and painted it in Swedish color scheme.
Sam Snyder’s scratch-built de Havilland Swallow: a post-World
War II experimental jet. Tom Dodgen flew it in Team Scale.
Trip Galasso’s B-26B built from Don Smith Plans. It sustained
damage on a hard landing, but Trip is making repairs.
I Photos by the author Graphic Design by Lydia Whitehead
regulation will be watched closely in the next
several years for its success or failure to even
out the competition between the propellers
and turbines.
Also beginning this year, as in AMA
Scale rules, the 10th maneuver is Realism in
Flight. If you would like to obtain a copy of
the Top Gun rules, check out
www.franktiano.com.
There were several new models at the event
this year, and a few were making their last
visit to Top Gun. This contest has a threeyear
rule, which means that you can only
compete with the same model for that period
of time, after which you have to completely
repaint the aircraft or bring another.
After three years, a number of modelers
elect to use different color schemes, others
take out a model they haven’t flown in a few
years, and the more ambitious competitors
come with new airplanes. It usually takes at
least a year to get all of the bugs out of a new
model and get comfortable with it in flight,
especially on landings.
One of the new aircraft debuted this year
was a 41%, 1⁄3-scale clipped-wing
Monocoupe 110 Special that Paul Donofrio
built from Vern Clemens Plans. The red-andwhite
racer spanned 118 inches, weighed 47
pounds, and was finished with Sig Koverall
and Randolph dope. It was powered by a
3W-120 engine. Paul asked Anthony Greco
to pilot the Monocoupe in Team Scale, and
he did an excellent job.
Another eye-catching new model was the
Airborne Early Warning (AEW) B-29/Tu-4
that builder George Maiorana entered in
Team Scale with his pilot Dave Pinegar.
According to George, two turboprop
versions of this airplane were sent to China
from the Soviet Union.
The model spanned 115 inches and
weighed 29.7 pounds. The Tu-4 was
powered by electric motors and was covered
with an aluminum product called Flite-
Metal. The electric power combined with the
homemade four-blade propellers and the
rotating radar dome made this a unique
model to watch.
The beautiful 1⁄3-scale Piper PA-18 Super
Cub that Graeme Mears of Canada built
garnered many awards. It was highly detailed
and showed what you can do with a model of
20 MODEL AVIATION
Paul Donofrio built this 1⁄3-scale Monocoupe 110 Special. It spans 118 inches and flies with authority with a 3W-120.
Joe Rafalowski won Expert with his Bob Violett Models F-100. It
weighs 35 pounds and is powered by a JetCat 100 turbine.
A tropical version of the Bf 109E-4 by five-time Top Gun Masterclass
winner Jeff Foley taxis back to the line.
a simple subject. The airplane weighed 45
pounds.
Graeme researched the full-scale PA-18
for 12 years before building this model. He
used factory drawings, photographs, and
full-scale aircraft measurements to draw his
plans then build the airplane. This is scratch
building at its best.
The 144-inch-span Cub was powered by
a Moki 3.60 twin engine, which I believe is
the same engine Graeme used in his de
Havilland Tiger Moth a few years back.
The flight judges chose to give this model
and its pilot Dave Patrick the NASA Flight
Achievement Award, for the most
prototypical flight performance during the
contest. Graeme and Dave also received cash
and awards for Best Civilian Aircraft, Team
Scale High Static Score, and Critics’ Choice.
This was the model’s first contest, so look
out for it later.
A real jewel that impressed many with its
flight performance was a model of a fullscale
jet from just after World War II which
looks like a stealth jet of today. Sam Snyder
scratch-built the turbine-powered de
Havilland Swallow, and it was truly elegant
in flight. With the tailless design, Sam really
had to watch it in the turns.
Mike Hipwell built and campaigned a
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV, and he picked
a unique photo-reconnaissance color scheme.
The bottom of the model was painted yellow,
and there was a yellow “P” on the side of the
aircraft.
Mike used a Moki 1.80 for power and
finished the Spitfire in ordinary latex indoor
house paint covered with polyurethane for
fuel-proofing. There were two camera ports
on the aircraft, and the rivets were burned in
each panel with a soldering gun.
Team Scale: Last year’s winner—Joe Grice
with his North American Super Sabre F-100
“Pretty Penny”—had to take a second-place
finish. This model took Best of Show and
Best Jet at this year’s Toledo expo.
Graeme Mears’ 1⁄3-scale Piper PA-18
took first place in Team Scale by less than a
point. Dave Patrick flew the model to the
win during the last round, with a score of
97.375 for his fourth flight. Third place went
to the familiar team of builder George
Maiorana and Dave Pinegar with the
September 2003 21
Joe Rafalowski’s Expert-class-winning
Bob Violett Models North American F-100
Super Sabre is captured on final
approach.
Gustavo Campana came from Argentina with this beautiful Aero
L-159 jet trainer. He finished fifth in Expert.
This year’s Team Scale winner was this 144-inch-span PA-18
Super Cub built by Graeme Mears and flown by Dave Patrick.
Builder Mike Selby and pilot Kalvin Lim brought this F7F
Tigercat Team Scale entry from Thailand. Inset shows one of
two drones the F7F carried into flight and dropped. The model
was lost on Sunday.
22 MODEL AVIATION
Bob Violett brought his own version of his company’s F-100
Super Sabre and finished second in Master Scale.
Dennis Crooks swings his P-38 around for a “slow and dirty”
flyby. Dennis finished third in the Expert class.
Hal Parenti’s unusual Ryan Fireball on a flyby. It has a YS 120
engine with exhaust exiting the jet tailpipe.
David Hayes likes crop dusters. This year he brought a new
version of the Rockwell Thrush powered by a Saito 180.
David Wigley built this stunning Hawker Tempest Mk V from a
Vailly Aviation kit and finished it in the D-Day trim scheme.
Jeff Foley scratch-built all of the interior components for his
Master-winning Bf 109E-4’s cockpit. Incredible!
Bud Roane’s Thomas-Morse Scout World War I trainer is one of
the simpler aircraft that scored well (see text).
George Maiorana brought a new airplane to the Weak Signals’
Toledo Show and to Top Gun this year. It is a model of an aircraft I
haven’t seen before, but it looks familiar. Before static judging at
Top Gun, George was still adding parts to the aircraft. Talk about
waiting until the last minute!
I thought you might be interested in some background and some
of the processes that George went through while building the Tu-4
and the Chinese AEW aircraft, which are both powered by electric
motors.
There were three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses that made
emergency landings in Vladivostok in the Soviet Union in 1944.
The crews were allowed to leave, but the communist military kept
their aircraft.
Two of the airplanes were disassembled for detailed evaluation
and their parts were sent throughout the Soviet Union to be copied.
The third copy was kept in flying condition for evaluation. What
resulted was an almost exact copy of the Boeing B-29 that was
designated the Tu-4. More than 1,200 Tu-4s were built up until
1953.
George Maiorana and Skip Mast spent many hours collecting
information about the B-29 and documenting the aircraft in the US
Air Force Museum at Dayton, Ohio. They measured the different
parts of the aircraft, how high it sits off of the ground at different
points, and they took many photos for the design work and for
building the models that would follow.
This is the third airframe from the original design that George
built. The first was the Miss America ’62, which was powered by
four four-stroke engines. That model was demolished in a crash
after losing one engine, stalling, and going in. George decided that
that was it for “wet power,” and he switched to electric power for
all of his models; he reasoned that electric would be more reliable.
The second model was built as an electric-powered Russian Tu-
September 2003 23
A Russian Bear
George Maiorana’s Chinese AEW was on display at the 2003 Weak Signals Toledo Show in Ohio. Notice the scalelike aluminum finish.
MaxCim electric motors reside in the elongated turboprop
nacelles. Note the scale exhaust outlets.
You can see the rotating radar dome that sits atop the
Continued on page 27 fuselage behind the wing. An amazing effort!
(Following is information about the top 10 finishers in each class. In Team Scale, each listing has the builder’s name next to the aircraft information.)
Master Class
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Jeff Foley Bf 109E-4 own design Moki 2.10 Platt Moki 20 x 8 JR 1⁄4.5 86 inches 25 pounds
2. Bob Violett F-100 Sabre own design AMT BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 69 inches 36 pounds
3. Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby own design Kavan scratch-built Dynat. 22 x 8 JR 1⁄3 108 inches 32 pounds
4. David Hayes Rockwell own design Saito 1.80 scratch-built APC 18 x 6 JR 1⁄5.5 107 inches 27 pounds
5. Pat McCurry Me 109G-10 own design 3W-70 PCM Models Moki 22 x 12 JR 1⁄4 101 inches 40 pounds
6. Hal Parenti Ryan Fireball own design YS 120 Robart APC 16 x 8 Airtronics 1⁄6 72 inches 19 pounds
7. Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V own design Sachs 5.80 scratch-built Moki 26 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 118 inches 35 pounds
8. Bud Roane Sopwith own design
11⁄2-Strutter
9. Bob Patton T-28 Trojan own design 3W-100 Robart 3W 28 x 10 Futaba 1⁄4 114 inches 52 pounds
10. Nick Ziroli Sr. Stearman own design Robart radial scratch-built Zinger 26 x 12 Airtronics 1⁄5 87 inches 32 pounds
Expert Class
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Joe Rafalowski F-100 BVM JetCat 160 BVM N/A JR 1⁄6 70 inches 30 pounds
2. Kim Foster Moth Minor Jerry Bates Plans Laser 1.50 Robart Zinger 18 x 5 Futaba 1⁄4 110 inches 15 pounds
3. Dennis Crooks P-38 Nick Ziroli Plans Husky 3.3 Robart Zinger 22 x 10 Futaba 1⁄5 114 inches 45 pounds
4. Tommy Wood F-18C Hornet Yellow Aircraft Two RAM 1000s Yellow Aircraft N/A JR 1⁄7 72 inches 44 pounds
5. Gustavo Campana Aero L-159 Walter Godez T-1000 Franz Waldi N/A Futaba 1⁄5.5 68 inches 30 pounds
6. Tim Redelman F-4 Phantom BVM JetCat BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 57 inches 28 pounds
7. Martin Hendrickson T-34 own design GT-80 Robart Bolly 24 x 10 JR 1⁄4 109 inches 52 pounds
8. Al Kretz Spitfire Mk XVI Yellow Aircraft Moki 1.80 Yellow Aircraft Zinger 18 x 8 Futaba 1⁄5 88 inches 25 pounds
9. Lee Rice F4U Corsair Holman/Royal O.S. 1.08 Earl Aune APC 15 x 6 Airtronics 1⁄6 76 inches 20 pounds
10. Bill McCallie Fw 190A-3 Vailly Aviation D&B 3.7 Vailly Aviation Mejzlik 22 x 10 JR 1⁄5.5 94 inches 33 pounds
Team Scale
Contestant Aircraft Kit Manufacturer Engine Landing Gear Propeller Radio Scale Span Weight
1. Dave Patrick
Graeme Mears Super Cub scratch-built Moki 3.80 scratch Mejzlik 24 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 144 inches 45 pounds
2. David Shulman
Joe Grice F-100 BVM AMT 450 BVM N/A JR 1⁄6 69 inches 34 pounds
3. David Pinegar
George Maiorana AEW/Tu-4 scratch-built electric/MaxCim scratch scratch Futaba 1⁄15 115 inches 30 pounds
4. Scott Russell
Wayne Siewert P-47 Aerotech Models Brison 4.2 Robart Zinger 22 x 10 Futaba 1⁄6 82 inches 32 pounds
5. Dean DiGiorgio
Tony Urbano F4U Corsair Nick Ziroli Plans G-62 Robart 22 x 8 JR 1⁄5 92 inches 35 pounds
6. Tom Dodgen de Havilland
Sam Snyder Swallow scratch-built JetCat 120 scratch-built N/A JR 1⁄5 98 inches 32 pounds
7. Anthony Greco
Paul Donofrio Monocoupe Vern Clements 3W-120 scratch-built Zinger 32 x 10 JR 1⁄2.5 118 inches 47 pounds
8. Paul Bageman
Mark Taylor F-100 BVM JetCat 120 BVM N/A JR 1⁄7 69 inches 32 pounds
9. Dorin Luck
Gary Allen Bucker Bü.133 scratch-built G-62 scratch-built 3W 24 x 10 Futaba 1⁄3 86 inches 23 pounds
10. Brian O’Meara
Jim Hammond Ki-61 Don Smith Webra 1.20 Gene Barton Moki 16 x 8 Airtronics 1⁄5.5 86 inches 17 pounds
24 MODEL AVIATION
Lloyd Roberts built a full-scale Bowers Fly Baby then built this
model of it! The rare Kavan wet-sump engine powers it.
Kim Foster starts the Laser 150 engine in his 110-inch-span de
Havilland D.H.94 Moth Minor. It weighs 17 pounds.
Top Gun 2003 Technical Information
Category Winner Aircraft
Master High Static Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby
Expert High Static Gustavo Campana Aero L-159
tied
Joe Rafalowski F-100
Team High Static Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Civilian Aircraft Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Military Aircraft Joe Grice F-100D
Best Biplane Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V
Best Pre-WW II Aircraft Paul Donofrio Monocoupe
Best Jet Joe Grice F-100D
Engineering Excellence George Maiorana Tu-4
Best Cockpit Interior Patrick McCurry Me 109G
Charlie Chambers Craftsmanship Award Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby
Grey Eagle Award Nick Ziroli Sr.
Critics’ Choice (Runner-Up) Patrick McCurry Me 109G
Critics’ Choice Graeme Mears Super Cub
Best Two-Stroke Performance Jeff Foley Bf 109E
Best Four-Stroke Performance Hal Parenti Ryan Fireball
Best Gas Performance Dennis Crooks P-38
Best Multi-Engine Performance Dave Voglund Me 110
Best Jet Performance David Shulman F-100
Mass Launch Awards Wayne Siewert Found 100
September 2003 25
Top Gun 2003 Static and Flight Awards
Top Gun 2003 Results
Expert
Place/Winner Aircraft Static Total
1. Joe Rafalowski North American F-100 96.083 187.878
2. Kim Foster de Havilland Moth Minor 95.000 187.625
3. Dennis Crooks P-38 Lightning 94.333 186.458
4. Tommy Wood F-18C 92.667 186.125
5. Gustavo Campana L-159 96.083 185.794
6. Tim Redelman F-4 Phantom 93.000 183.528
7. Martin Hendrickson Beechcraft T-34A Mentor 92.750 181.708
8. Al Kretz Spitfire Mk XVI 91.000 181.000
9. Lee Rice F4U-1D Corsair 93.750 180.625
10. Bill McCallie Fw 190A-3 91.833 180.416
Master
Place/Winner Aircraft Static Total
1. Jeff Foley Bf 109E 96.500 189.750
2. Bob Violett F-100F 95.667 188.767
3. Lloyd Roberts Fly Baby 98.583 187.458
4. David Hayes Rockwell Thrush 93.917 186.500
5. Pat McCurry Me 109G-10 94.500 186.125
6. Hal Parenti Ryan FR-1 Fireball 92.917 183.792
7. Rich Feroldi Albatros D.V 97.333 182.416
8. Bud Roane Sopwith 11⁄2-Strutter 92.083 182.333
9. Bob Patton T-28C 92.000 181.458
10. Nick Ziroli Sr. Stearman 90.500 180.708
Team
Place/Winners Aircraft Static Total
1. Dave Patrick, Graeme Mears Super Cub PA-18 98.583 193.208
2. David Shulman, Joe Grice F-100D 98.417 193.110
3. David Pinegar, George Maiorana Tu-4 96.750 188.667
4. Scott Russell, Wayne Siewert P-47 Thunderbolt 97.500 185.417
5. Dean DiGiorgio, Tony Urbano Corsair F4U 92.750 185.042
6. Tom Dodgen, Sam Snyder de Havilland Swallow 94.500 184.792
7. Anthony Greco, Paul Donofrio Monocoupe 110 94.750 184.583
8. Paul Bageman, Mark Taylor F-100 92.667 179.642
9. Dorin Luck, Gary Allen Bucker Bü.133 93.083 179.625
10. Brian O’Meara, Jim Hammond Ki-61 Tony 92.167 176.917
26 MODEL AVIATION
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w/chgr.,900 m.a.
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turboprop Chinese version of the Tu-4.
Expert Class: Longtime Scale competitor
Dennis Crooks built one of the hardest Scale
subjects to fly, but it’s a commonly known
aircraft: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
Dennis flew the 114-inch-span Nick
Ziroli Plans design with a Futaba PCM
radio. Husky 3.3 engines hauled the 45-
pound model around the sky, and the
landing gear came from Robart. Dennis
finished third.
All week (“Neither wind nor rain ... ”)
Kim Foster flew the fabric off of his D.H.94
Moth Minor. This aircraft was the British
equivalent of the US PT-19. Kim’s
consistent flying and 95.00 static score put
him in second place, only missing first by
.253 point.
With all of the high-dollar aircraft
competing in this category, it was great to
see a simple trainer with excellent
documentation and flown well almost win.
Kim finished third last year, so I’m sure
he’ll move up another notch sometime soon.
Joe Rafalowski built one of Bob Violett
Models’ North American F-100 Super
Sabres for this year’s competition. He won
last year with a T-33, so entering with the
fighter versus the jet trainer didn’t hurt a
bit.
Joe controlled the F-100 with a JR PCM
10 radio, and a JetCat 160 turbine was used
for power. Joe won Expert, as he did last
year, with a final score of 187.878.
Master Class: The winners in all three
classes were victorious by less than a point
each this year. Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) team member Lloyd
Roberts finished third in the Master division
with his scratch-built, 1⁄3-scale Bowers Fly
Baby.
Lloyd’s documentation included photos
and drawings of the full-scale aircraft he
built. Lloyd competed with this model at the
Scale World Championships in Lausanne,
Switzerland, in 2000. This is the only
occasion I know of where the modeler built
the full-scale aircraft too.
Second place in Master went to last
year’s winner Bob Violett with one of his F-
100 Super Sabres; eight of them were
entered this year. Several of Bob’s kits were
flown all week, and a new kit of the familiar
North American F-86 Sabre jet is coming
out soon.
Bob’s model trailer is more like a mobile
workshop on wheels. It’s the largest I’ve
seen, and it can house multiple aircraft and
all of the support equipment and spares to
keep them flying.
Jeff Foley flew his familiar tropical
version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 to a
repeat win and the title of Mr. Top Gun for
the second time. Jeff has won the
Master/Designer class for five of the six
years he has entered this model. The 86-
inch-span German fighter is on its second
color scheme, and its third year in the desert
scheme marks the last year for it, so Jeff
went out with a bang.
Suffering from the Palm Beach crud,
Jeff could hardly stand Saturday during the
flight competition. On his second flight, one
of the air tanks for the retract landing gear
ruptured and he had to make a gear-up,
belly landing. But after Jeff and his model
were medicated, rested, and had a good
Sunday, he came out on top.
Jeff’s scratch-built model was powered
by a Moki 1.80 engine, had modified Dave
Platt retract mechanisms and scratch-built
struts and hubs, weighed 25 pounds, and
was controlled with a JR PCM 10 radio.
The model was finished with polyester resin
and fiberglass cloth, and was painted with
K&B paints and Super Poxy.
Jeff had more documentation on the fullscale
World War II aircraft than most
modelers who competed with fighters. He
found four authentic World War II photos
of the subject. It paid off; a 96.500 static
score combined with consistent flight marks
is what makes Mr. Top Gun.
With the spectator and contestant turnout
that Top Gun has, sponsors want to be a
part of the event. This year’s primary
sponsors were Model Airplane News and
Pacer Technology.
Other major sponsors included
Airtronics, O.S./Futaba, Robart
Manufacturing, FTE Turbine Works, JR
radios, The Gunner’s Mate, Bob Violett
Models, Nick Ziroli Plans, Aircraft
International, Aero Tech Models, Dave Platt
Models, Dixie Cutrone, Gerard Enterprises,
Pro Mark, RC Report, Saito Engines, RC
Scale International, Sheraton 4 Points
Hotel, Top Gun Hussies, Van Dell Jewelers,
and Tamiya.
It takes a small army of workers, judges,
and volunteers to run an international
contest such as this. The local Imperial RC
Club provided many of the workers. I want
to give out a special thanks to Rosie!
Again Frank Tiano put together one of
the best Scale championships, air shows,
and trade events anywhere. Hope to see you
there next year! MA
Stan Alexander
3709 Valley Ridge Dr.
Nashville TN 37211
[email protected]