John Hupe’s AC-119K Stinger Flies Again
In 2012, John Hupe's restored RC AC-119K Stinger flew again, 40 years after its last flight. The event celebrated his legacy as an Air Commando.
F3A World Championships
The F3A World Championships took place September 10–18, 1999, in Holley, Florida, featuring 94 competitors from 35 countries. Sebastian Heger of Germany won, while the US team clinched the championship.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
This has been a trying time for me, but fortunately we usually learn from our experiences. Very briefly, I did a "Farmer Brown" with my Nats airplane (that means I planted it). For the first time in many years I dumb-thumbed an airplane into the ground. The engine died with the airplane low and inverted during a square horizontal eight at a contest in Lafayette, LA. I tried to quarter-roll quickly and pull hard to get it back to the landing area. Unfortunately I didn't roll the airplane (I don't know why), and when I did the hard pull the ground rose up and smote the airplane. What do I do now for a Nats airplane? I managed to pick up a framed up-Atlanta on the way back from the contest and started to work on it Monday night two weeks ago. The test flight was yesterday. That's 15 days from start to flight! I don't know how long it takes most people to build a Pattern airplane, but six to eight weeks is normal for me when I work on it diligently.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
As you read this, we're moving into uncharted RC territory. All of the new frequencies will be available for use. The new frequencies are a true double-edged sword because of the benefits and problems they bring. We'll be doubling the frequencies we can use and that should ease problems of over-crowding on some frequencies. The new narrow-band equipment should give us plenty of spacing between channels. The problems we'll have will be from the older equipment which will still be around. Clubs around the country will have to wrestle with how to accommodate the wideband equipment. Some clubs will require all narrow-band equipment, and that will ease any interference worries, but it will put a financial hardship on some people with the older equipment who can't afford to upgrade.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
Natsphobia has struck, and as this column is being written it's only two weeks before I leave for the Nats. The next issue will be Model Aviation 's annual Nats issue, and this time there will be a change in how the Nats RC Pattern coverage will be handled. Usually either I cover the whole thing or a replacement columnist handles it all. However, in recent years the burden of handling the entire category has become greater for me, due to my multifaceted role as a judge, competitor, and columnist. This year I will judge the first three days' competition (Sportsman and Expert Turnaround) and compete in the Master class during the next three days (Advanced, Master, and FAI). Attempting to get information on the competition, take pictures, and get the competitors' matrix data is very difficult while acting as a judge. So this year Paul Verger will report on all aspects of the Sportsman/Expert Turnaround competition while I'm judging. You may remember that Paul did the reports on last year's Nats and the World Championships. I'll cover the Advanced/Master/FAI competition. We'll both try to get as many photos as we can so there'll be lots of good ones for the MA staff to pick from. Look for the Verger/Van Putte Nats Pattern report in the November issue (shall we call it the Van Putte/Verger Merger?).
