Top Gun
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida was the scene April 24-27 of the Ninth Annual Top Gun Invitational, directed by Frank Tiano and sponsored by West Palm Beach Aero Club. Major sponsors were Pacer Technology, Robart Manufacturing, and Model Airplane News. A contestant can enter a model for three years, then he or she must replace it. Not only does this keep the field fresh, but it encourages pilots to build new models to be ready for the next event, or to have a spare in case of a mishap. Competitors at the Palm Beach Polo Club came from as far as Canada, Germany, and South America. Ed Gutierrez and Pedro Serco came from Bolivia to compete in Team Scale at their first Top Gun. Their SNJ-5 was built from Nick Ziroli plans during a three-year period. The 101-inch-span museum-quality model was powered by a G-62 engine.
Scale Masters
IT WAS still summer in Texas for the 18th annual US Scale Masters Championships in September 1997. The city of Irving welcomed everyone to beautiful North Lake Park, with Mayor Morris H. Parrish presiding over the opening ceremony. This was the third time the Masters has been hosted by the IRCFA. The mayor flew an RC trainer (for the first time, I'm guessing). The Irving RC Flyers Association, with president and Contest Manager Tom Coe, may have another new member from this experience. The city's involvement and support of model aviation competition and the Irving RC Flyers is very apparent in this park. Static competition started things off at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, where quite a few airworthy WW II aircraft receive tender loving care. The museum staff was very courteous to everyone involved in the Scale Masters. With their clean hangars, beautiful aircraft, and gift shop, it's a 4.0 operation.
Scale Flight Routines: For a Winning Combination
IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN to a Scale meet, watching a champion modeler finesse his aircraft through a flight routine, you realize very soon that the pilot knows his aircraft extremely well. There are no unexpected dives or swerves to the ground or toward the crowd. The entire flight is like a movie in time of the prototype aircraft's flight characteristics, realistic in every detail, right down to the three-point landing with flaps and landing lights. To attempt to copy this type of performance is the goal of every competition Scale pilot. They want to impress the judges with knowledge of their aircraft and show everyone in the crowd of fellow modelers and spectators that they "have the right stuff." Even if you don't fly Scale competition, this article will help you fly your Scale model more realistically at the local flying field or a Scale Fly-In. Who knows, you might try Scale competition and decide that it's really fun - which it is!
Why not Model . . .
Have you ever seen an airplane flying during an air show, fly-in, or sitting just inside a hangar at your local airport, that you would love to model? I have, many times. But sometimes I didn't know the name of the aircraft, or anything about it, other than it had a propeller or jet engine, and was military or civilian. These articles will explore specific aircraft that you don't see modeled that often - if at all. Hawker Hunter: Jet models fascinate most modelers, as well as the viewing public. They have a unique sound, powered by ducted fans
Why not Model: Grumman Widgeon
Some aircraft company names seem to stand out, such as Boeing and North American in civil or military aviation. Other company names are identified with historical events, such as Supermarine with the Schneider Cup Races or the Battle of Britain; or the Granville Brothers flying the Gee Bees in the National Air Races. Our subject this month was built by Grumman Aircraft Engineering Company - a firm that is immediately identified with US Naval Aviation.
