Vintage Stunt Championships XIII
those who fly in it now, and especially those who paved the way.
By the time we arrive, we have slipped into a sort of time warp that places us somewhere between 1946 and 1969 for a whole week. That makes the long trip a bargain!
This edition of the VSC was the best one yet. Contest Director (CD) JoAnn Keyville, her husband/helper Mike, and their crew have gotten the administration part down to a science, and they have gained a tremendous amount of confidence in the always-necessary on-the-spot decision making.
The VSC has grown up. In 13 seemingly very short years, this contest has become an institution with a worldwide, ultra-positive reputation. Having recently taken on the chore of CDing a large East Coast meet, now I can really appreciate their dedication to Mike’s original dream.
Mike’s dream and the origins
For those of you who haven’t heard the story, Mike’s dream was to have all of his childhood Stunt heroes come to where he was living and fly for him.
Mike began the realization of that dream in 1989 with VSC I, which was held near his then-hometown of Lakewood, California at the legendary Whittier Narrows field.
The turnout at that first gathering was modest, with only 36 combined entries in Old-Time Stunt (OTS) and Classic. However, the event made some noise and was covered by Dick Sarpolous (who happened to be in the neighborhood) for Flying Models.
Mike and JoAnn moved to the desert town of Mesa, AZ later that year. They announced that there would be a VSC II, and it would be held in March at the home field of the Tucson-based Cholla Choppers. No one thought it would work at that venue—except Mike and JoAnn.
Let the record show that when Mike says something, it might pay to listen to him. This is the 12th year for VSC in Tucson, and it has grown into the aforementioned institution. I think it will go on forever.
The 2001 event
I can’t give you a blow-by-blow account of the meet; there’s too much happening at once! When asked to write it up, I got in touch with several people whom I know are excellent photographers and asked them to provide the necessary images.
I hit the jackpot on this score, with some really great shots. My thanks go out to:
- Will Hubin
- Dawn Kaler
- Walter Menges
- Ricci Pyatt
- Lucky Pyatt
Following are the vital stats of this year’s gathering, held March 22–25, 2001 at Christopher Columbus Field.
There were 67 entries in the OTS event.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
