Scale World Championships
The Scale Aeromodeling World Championships was held in Pretoria, South Africa. Held at Swartkop Air Force Base and Museum, the site featured a beautiful runway with taxiways and grass/dirt to fly from. At any FAI Scale competition, the pilot has the right to take off and land into the wind. This is especially useful for the multitude of WW I aircraft. This air base, where the second-oldest Air Force in the world is based, accommodated the modelers' every need.
Why Not Model . . .P47
AT A FLY-IN OR SCALE MEET, you usually see at least one P-47. Why? Look at the moments of the aircraft: a nice, long (if fat) fuselage; a longer nose than most WW II fighters; large wing and tail surfaces. In a word, P-47s "groove," even in rough air. It's a wonder we don't see more P-47 models. One of the best models of this type that I've had the pleasure to watch or judge was the Yellow Aircraft kit ("Little Demon") built and flown by Bill Carver. Top Flite, Yellow Aircraft, Roval, Jemco, and just about every other kit manufacturer has had at least one P-47 kit in their inventory over the years.
Sal's Dream: Test pilot and modeler share a piece of aviation history
AS PART of my duties as a District II Associate Vice President for Suffolk and Nassau (NY) counties, I attended a Fun-Fly at the Brookhaven Model Airplane Facility in Bellport NY, co-hosted by the Long Island Aero Radio Society (LIARS) and the Suffolk Wings. One of the participants, Sal Calvagna of Holbrook NY, approached me with photo album in hand and began to tell me about a late-summer meeting between a group of model enthusiasts and one of the last remaining test pilots for the fastest airplane of World War II. Sal is a Scale model devotee and a member of the International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA). He and a group of other local large-scale devotees travel the Northeast and attend as many events as their wives permit!
Radio Control: Scale
THE 1998 AMA SCALE NATS was held at the International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. Like the other portions of the Nats, the AMA Special Interest Group (SIG) for Scale runs the events in its specialty: NASA (National Association of Scale Aeromodelers). Take one of the best flying sites in the country; add the best Scale modelers and models in various classes; combine these ingredients with sunny skies, little wind, and low humidity, and a high temperature in the low 80s; then throw in a great banquet, and you have the beginnings of a great contest. Add several understanding, supportive wives and many other volunteers, judges, Event Directors, and Flightline Directors, and you have all the ingredients for a great AMA Scale Nats.
Scale Masters: Terry Nitsch edges Greg Hahn at Columbus
Held September 17-20 in Columbus, Ohio at the Darby Dan Airport, the 1998 U.S. Scale Masters Championships was the final chapter in a year-long process of Scale qualifying contests across the United States. The local clubs (Westerville Model Aero Association and The Ohio Radio Kontrol Society) orchestrated this gigantic undertaking masterfully, with more than 80 volunteers. Contest Director Bill Midgley managed the event, with guidance and assistance from Mike Barbee and Terry Nitsch-two Scale modelers who were instrumental in bringing Scale Masters back to Columbus after the success of the 1995 event.
