4th Annual Jets Over Deland Fly-In
Wally Zober
Overview
The Golden Hawks R/C Modelers' fourth annual Jets Over Deland Fly-In was a blockbuster. More than 90 registered pilots and 125 R/C ducted‑fan (RCDF) models attended—every model flew; there were no hangar queens at this meet.
Organization and venue
This year's Jets Over Deland was directed, organized, and promoted by Contest Director Frank Anderson (of Canada). Frank has been a mover and shaker in the hobby for many years with a broad background in free flight, pylon racing, pattern, R/C scale, sport flying, and jets. Frank and assistant CD Paul Bartel did a great job putting the event together.
Central Florida has become a hotbed for jet (DF) modeling because of excellent flying weather and many great flying sites. Most local clubs have hardtop runways or close‑cut, rolled‑grass landing strips with wide open areas for long final approaches.
The Golden Hawks' flying facility is situated on an abandoned runway at the DeLand County Airport. The runway is 2,000 feet by 750 feet, with a concrete base and blacktop surface—ideal for R/C jet models.
Weather
Weather was excellent: mid‑70s with light winds straight down the runway.
Registration, banquet, and presentations
On Friday night, early registration tables were set up in a motel banquet hall where most out‑of‑town participants were staying. A cold buffet with snacks and a wet bar provided a relaxed setting for pilots and crew to trade ideas and socialize.
Later, CD Frank Anderson introduced Bob Violett, who gave an informative talk about solving jet model problems and discussed his company, Bob Violett Models (BVM), and some of its products.
Attendance
Fliers came from across the U.S. and abroad, including:
- Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, New York, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Virginia, Texas
- Canada, England, Brazil
Aircraft and manufacturers
A wide selection of ducted‑fan jet models attended: single‑ and twin‑engine models, military jets, and sport jets. BVM dominated numerically—an estimated 50 to 60 of the 125 jets were BVM models. Byron Models and Yellow Aircraft were well represented, along with Tom Cook Big Bird F‑4 Phantoms and models from Bob Parkinson and Top Gun.
Flying operations and speed trials
Flying began at 9:00 a.m. after a brief pilots' meeting at 8:45 to review safety and operating rules for flying at an active airport with many spectators. The radar gun was set for speed qualification; to qualify, a model had to fly 200 mph or faster.
Qualifiers:
- David (Dave) Ribbe
- Terry Nitsch
- Joe Rafalowski
- Mike Kirby
- Roger Shipley
Dave Ribbe won the speed event with his BVM Aggressor II at 216 mph. Roger Shipley’s BVM Ultra Viper (built by Jerry Caudle) recorded 204 mph at Deland (209 mph at Metropolis).
Awards
- Best of Show: Terry Nitsch — BVM F‑86 (also won the 1992 Scale Masters)
- Best Military Jet: Malcolm Kay (Chorleywood, Herts., England) — BVM T‑33 in U.S. Navy livery
- Best Nonmilitary Jet: Bill Harris (Crystal City, Missouri) — BVM sport jet Maverick
- Best Scale Flight: Bob Fiorenze (Winter Springs, Florida) — Yellow Aircraft Playboy F‑14A Swing Wing (tied with his Yellow Aircraft F‑117 Stealth Fighter)
- Target Speed: Bob Barnes (Orlando, Florida) — Sport Eagle F‑15; predicted 90 mph, achieved 87 mph
- Pilot Traveling Farthest: Greg Fitzpatrick — Mirage‑5F scratch‑built from St. Albans, Herts., England
- Sportsman Award: Bob Fiorenze — for good sportsmanship during formation flying (he assisted Charlie Trivits after a mid‑air collision)
- Most Flying Time: Carl Spurlock (Des Moines, Iowa) — flew several jets (Byron F‑18, T‑2 Tiger Shark, F‑86, F‑16, and his original A‑7 Corsair)
- Scale Technical Achievement: Bob Fiorenze — Yellow Aircraft F‑14A Tomcat (twin engines, scale working gear, brakes, spoilers, flaps, and operating swing wings)
- Quietest‑Sounding Jet: Lynn Elsner — BVM F‑86 equipped with a BVM quiet pipe
- Most Helpful Spouse: Joy Burke (Fort Myers, Florida) — finished painting her husband's F‑4 Phantom despite being confined to a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy
Notable models and pilots
- Eric Mey — 1/10‑scale A‑6 Intruder (O.S. .90 DF; also flies with Rossi .90 or K&B .82); uses modified Rhom‑Air rotary retracts; finished with lacquer primer and low‑luster gray auto lacquer overcoated with flat AeroGloss clear. Produced by Mey's High Tech Hobby; A‑6 accessory line forthcoming.
- Dr. Lynn Stevens (Illinois) — Panavia Tornado swing‑wing, glassed surfaces, powered with two O.S. .91 engines and twin Byron burners; uses Century Jets retracts and Glemmis brakes; 24 lb, 85" span, ~54 oz fuel per flight; flown with Airtronics seven‑channel system.
- Dave Latsha (Lemoyne, Pennsylvania) — BVM Aggressor II with BVM fan, engine, retracts, JR RC; painted like Bill Elliott #11; finished with K&B epoxy and Del‑clear; weighs ~11 lb.
- Art Schneider — 27‑year‑old Buckeye D‑2 Trainer (O.S. .65 DF, Turbax fan); weighs 13 lb; still flies well.
- Michael Burke — Byron KFIR (O.S. .91, Byron fan) and a George Miller F‑4 Phantom (O.S. .91, Byron fan); both with fuel mixture control and Futaba nine‑channel system.
- Dave Checefsky — Byron MiG‑15 (K&B .82, Byron fan); glass‑cloth finish; fixed gear; great entry‑level jet.
- Rick Fusco — F‑86 (Jet Hanger Hobby kit, K&B .75, Turbax fan, Mac tuned pipe); Spring air retracts; painted with Rust‑Oleum; wings MonoKoted.
- Jim Braun (JPO representative) — Top Gun MiG‑29 (O.S. .91, Byron fan, Futaba seven‑channel); Robart struts, Spring air retracts, flaps, rudder, ailerons; glass fuselage and sheeted foam‑core wings; two fuel tanks; acrylic urethane camo; ~14 lb.
- Delta‑X sport jet (new) — O.S. .91 DF, Byron fan, tuned pipe, Futaba 1024; manufactured in Brazil, distributed from Miami. Info: Mr. Bautista, (305) 673‑5172.
- Roger Shipley (Springfield, Illinois) — BVM Ultra Viper with BVM .91 engine, BVM ducted‑fan system, BVM quiet pipe, BVM landing gear, nine‑channel Futaba PCM; flown by builder Jerry Caudle.
- Dave Nicholson (Ponce Inlet, Florida) — modified Byron MiG‑15 with BVM tractor fan, inlet ducting, thrust tube, BVM .82 engine, quiet pipe; clocked at 164 mph.
- Sunny Judah — Yellow Aircraft F‑16 in Thunderbird scheme (O.S. .91, Dynamax fan, Spring air retracts, Deltron finish; Futaba 1024, seven servos).
- Rob Lynch — Kress Line F‑20 Tiger Shark (O.S. .91, Byron fan, BVM landing gear, inflight mixture, Futaba).
- Allan Smith and Jerry Matherly — two smallest jets (Mid‑West Jesters with Bob Kress RK‑20 fan systems): Allan used a K&B 3.5 DF with outboard carb, orange/white MonoKote, top speed 84 mph (JR five‑channel); Jerry used O.S. .25 DF, chrome MonoKote, top speed 78 mph (Futaba).
- William Luyanda — Tom Cook Starfire with Tom Cook retracts, Dynamax fan, O.S. .91; finished in auto lacquer and Del‑clear; 13 lb, 52" span; piloted by Umberto Comaless.
- Jerry Caudle — new red and yellow BVM Maverick; noted for exceptional finish work.
- Mike Cherry (England, editor of R/C Jet International) — Saab Viggen.
Incidents and repairs
During formation flying, two Yellow Aircraft F‑14A Black Playboy jets (Bob Fiorenze and Charlie Trivits) collided in a spectacular mid‑air crash. Bob's F‑14 lost its rudder and crashed; Charlie's F‑14 also crashed. Bob assisted Charlie after the accident. Bob Fiorenze's F‑14 has since been completely repaired and is flying again.
Event wrap‑up
Jets Over Deland '93 officially ended Sunday afternoon with awards and media photos. Sunday night participants were invited to an open‑house party and a tour of Bob Violett's new facility, with plenty of food, drinks, and jet modeling conversation.
In summing up, a good time was had by all. If the Golden Hawks Jets Over Deland continues to grow at its present rate, it may soon become the granddaddy of all R/C jet events.
Till next time, stay well and keep 'em flying!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
