Radio Control: Jets
Late summer brings on many jet meets, where we gather to share good times, see old friends, and show off our craftsmanship and flying skills. I recently attended two of the best in the Midwest: Heart of Ohio and Superman. The quality of the entire field gets better and better every year. Some of the highlights and new products are discussed in the following sections. I'm sure many other recent meets have provided the same excitement and new product introductions. It's a great time to be in jet modeling.
Radio Control: Jets
JET PILOT'S ORGANIZATION (JPO): Jet modeling has grown as a sport and hobby interest ever since the mid-1970s. It now has a recognized national organization to support it: in October 1993, AMA formally approved JPO as the Special Interest Group (SIG) for jets. JPO was founded for the purpose of promoting and advancing ducted-fan and turbine-powered technology, and for the sport, recreation, and fellowship of all interested individuals.
Radio Control: Jets
IN 1995, fliers from the United States were World Champions in FAI Jet Scale, both as a team and individually, with Garland Hamilton winning top honors. This event is planned to occur every two years. In anticipation of the 1997 world competition, US team tryouts will be held this fall. The qualification event will be held at Metropolis, Illinois on October 2-3, immediately before the Superman jet meet. Judging will be based on the static score and the average of two flying rounds. Contestants will be competing for one of four spots in Expert class and one of two spots in Team class. Registration is $100 per Scale entry. Regional Fan Flys Cincinnati Fan Fly: This fan fly took place in early June and was a most enjoyable event. I particularly appreciate these regional events-they're low-key, noncompetitive, and rarely overpopulated. They're more like a homecoming.
Turbine America
The flying site is ideal for jets, with 72 × 700-foot crossed runways and a large paved ramp for startup. Planned site improvements include gravel parking areas adjacent to the taxiway/road access. This will alleviate the only major logistical difficulty for future events. The flying site provides a large, clear overflight area. The only visible obstruction is an empty farmhouse and silo about 1/2 mile off one end of the runway. Wouldn't you know that someone would hit the silo sooner or later? The unfortunate victim Lewis Patton's airplane. Lewis hit the silo with a beautiful Heinkel scale model while he was fighting what may have been radio problems. Fortunately the remains were reported to be repairable. It just goes to show that the gremlins can bite even the best of us. Fortunately there were only two other "fatalities" over the weekend.
Radio Control: Jets
JETS AT TOLEDO: The RC Expo at the Toledo Seagate Centre always includes strong jet model participation. This year's Expo (held April 12-14) was no exception. Almost every current jet manufacturer was present. The displays gave visitors an opportunity to shop and investigate the newest products and technologies, and to talk to the supplier sources. I counted a dozen jet-aircraft manufacturers' displays. Most of the equipment and accessory suppliers provided elaborate layouts as well. Some of the largest and busiest booths were from radio suppliers. There is a technology race from which jet modelers can really benefit! The capabilities of the latest computerized radios are staggering.
