RADIO CONTROL JETS
Delmar Ellis, 8877 Meadowview Drive, West Chester, OH 45069
Late summer and fall bring a frenzy of jet meets and activity. Wherever you live, there is probably something to see in your area.
If you didn't go to any events this year, you missed tremendous excitement. Many new aircraft and engines are showing up, and the quality of finishing and flying is continually improving.
Scale Masters was held in Columbus, Ohio this year, allowing me to attend, at least briefly. The Scale events will be reported on next month, so I'll just comment about jet participation.
The winner in Expert Scale was Terry Nitsch, and third was Tom Cook. Terry flew his Minuteman P-80 and Tom flew his T-33. Other jet pilots in the top 10 were Jeff Foley (T-33), Dave Ribbe (MiG-15), and Shailesh Patel (F-4).
In Team Scale, Rei Gonzalez and Albert Araujo placed second with their RAM (RA Microjets)-powered Mirage 2000.
International Jet Scale Qualifier
During the week preceding the Superman Fan Fly, the U.S. team for next year's international meet was selected by a qualifier competition. The individuals who built and flew presented keen competition, and the new team members are:
- Tom Cook
- Dave Ribbe
- Ken Nogy
- Terry Nitsch
- Richard Fong
In Team Scale, where builder and pilot are separate, members are:
- Bob Violett / Jerry Caudle
- Rei Gonzalez / Albert Araujo
The U.S. can be very proud of our representatives. Any one of them is fully capable of winning next year. The international meet will be in Austria in August.
Superman Fan Fly
Superman is flown in early October, and many show up for the "last fling of summer." Nearly 200 pilots attended this year, including several international competitors. Their comments were most favorable, and you can count on their return next year.
Flying was intense, with seven pilot stations open simultaneously. There were usually at least five aircraft in action at one time.
Several manufacturers introduced new products at Superman; there is space to mention only a few.
CAI (Crow Aviation, Inc.) Sport Jets
Scotty Bolduc brought a team of demo pilots to show off the range of new sport jets. The Razor was introduced at Superman last year. Built specifically for turbines of 12–17 pounds thrust, it is fast, smooth, aerobatic, and exciting.
The new Raptor is similar, but scaled up for 22-pound-thrust engines such as AMT's Pegasus. If anything, the Raptor was even quicker than the Razor. The new smaller Raven is designed for ducted fan power but is also sleek and quick. I wonder how long it will take for someone to think to install a small turbine, such as a Golden West, into the Raven.
All of these aircraft are top-grade, fully molded and reinforced, with engine ducts, shrouds, inlets, fuel tanks, and even plumbing and wiring-harness assemblies. CAI is now an AMT dealer, so you can buy everything in a package if you want.
Century Jet Models
Century Jet Models displayed a prototype new sport jet, the Scorpion. It is intended for ducted fans such as Ramtec. With finished weight in the 11- to 12-pound class, it should really scream. It looks fast just sitting on the bench.
Sophia Turbines
Mr. Hoya brought flying demo teams from Japan, Hawaii, and Europe to show his latest turbine engines. It was a very impressive and successful show.
The Sophia J-450S has been upgraded with a new ECU, which works great.
In addition, a new engine — the J-850S — was introduced. It is similar to the J-450S in size and appearance but produces 18.7 pounds of thrust. It also includes the new ECU.
The J-450S and J-850S incorporate a new ground-start box, which simplifies the start sequence. They run on a mixture of white gas and kerosene and are AMA-accepted. Based on their trouble-free weekend of demo flights, it is a desirable engine package indeed.
JPX Turbines
The propane-fueled JPX26OP now has a kerosene-burning stablemate, the JPX26OK. It did not fly during the sanctioned meet but was on display.
Tom Dodgen, test pilot, met with the AMA Turbine Committee to conduct ground tests away from the spectator area. Results were successful, and the JPX26OK is now AMA-accepted. It produces 4–15 pounds of thrust while weighing eight ounces less than the propane engine. It includes an ECU and ground-start box.
I want to give special recognition to Jerry Caudle for a fine qualifier and Superman jet meet. Jerry is a gentleman, a true friend, and a real jet-modeling ambassador for the U.S.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
