1/8 Air Force in the Spring
At this annual gathering of RC scale enthusiasts, the flying is as gutsy as the designs are bold. If pictures really are worth a thousand words, then this photo essay must be good for over a million. Huge, awesome, detailed, realistic, incredible, clever, gutsy — the 1/8 Air Force Spring Fly‑In lives up to every superlative.
As usual, the 1991 fly‑in drew a throng of notables in RC scale—Crooks, Hempel, Hildebrand, Thornton, McClung, Rivaldo, Collier, and many more. The two‑day event overflowed with memorable aircraft and flying; the focus here is on the highlights.
Highlights
- Bill Hempel Sr. and Bill Hempel Jr.
- Flew a huge Lockheed C‑5B Galaxy powered by four Webra 60s. Bill Jr. was at the controls and put on gutsy flying: four‑point rolls and inverted flybys with the model’s large T‑tail sweeping as low as 12 inches off the deck.
- Also flew a large Stuka dive bomber equipped with a realistic siren and a Spinks Acromaster. The Acromaster, powered by a G62, produced heavy smoke during a series of inverted spins (about 12–15 in a sequence).
- Bill Hempel Jr. later trained military pilots to fly million‑dollar RPVs in Israel (through December 1990).
- C‑47 Dakota and Lockheed C‑130
- A C‑47 Dakota, built from Nick Ziroli plans, with twin G38 engines and weighing about 46 lb, was among the big transports on display.
- A Lockheed C‑130, created by Nick Rivaldo, was shown and is soon to be available from Jet Hangar Hobbies for about $1,200.
- Robert McClung
- Brought a fleet of large scale aircraft, including a 110‑in.‑span Mosquito.
- Also presented a Liberty Sport biplane (about 92‑in. span, ~24 lb, powered by a Saito 42).
- Col. Bob Thacker and Jerry Kikkert
- Col. Bob Thacker was present as a notable figure in scale flying.
- Jerry Kikkert of Tucson, Arizona, brought and piloted a full‑scale P‑82; he reportedly built the plane in 33 days. (Bob Thacker has piloted the full‑scale P‑82 in the past and set records.)
- Rick Hoskings
- Flew an F6F‑3 Hellcat featuring operating flaps and a sliding canopy.
- Doug Crumley
- Presented a scratch‑built Cessna O‑1E Bird Dog, constructed from three‑views with no plans, and showing incredible detail. This model was expected to do well in the Scalemasters contest.
Scalemasters and the spirit of the event
- The Scalemasters contest was a major draw. The Fly‑In is less about routine displays and more about pushing boundaries—showing what can be done in RC scale building and flying.
- The event’s unique, impressive entries set a high standard for craftsmanship, ingenuity, and showmanship.
In general, the 1/8 Air Force Spring Fly‑In is where hyperbole meets reality: bold designs, gutsy flying, and a community that continually raises the bar for scale modeling.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
