Top Gun

Top Gun

Stan Alexander

Great RC scale tradition continues at new Florida venue with two new classes

This was a year of change for the Top Gun Invitational, held April 24–28, which in many ways is good for the continued growth of the yearly scale championship. The location of the event—formerly the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club at West Palm Beach, Florida—was changed to the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida, approximately four hours northwest of the polo club. This is the same airport at which the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) holds Sun 'n Fun, its annual southern version of the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, gathering. The EAA site at the airport is like a small Oshkosh, with a museum, gift shop, administrative offices, hangars, and more.

The airport location offers unlimited overfly area at both ends as well as at the back of the site. The runway isn't as wide as the field at the polo club, but many modelers appreciated the adjacent grass strip. Glen Torrance Models added grass next to the asphalt runway for World War I vintage aircraft and tail-draggers.

The 14th annual contest began Tuesday with practice flying and setup for all events. The public was invited to attend free of charge the first two days to see what Top Gun is about. This year the program included Scale Free Flight competition, Scale Radio Control, Scale Helicopter, midday air shows, and AMA Delta Dart competition for kids during the weekend. Vendors and sponsors filled the area behind the grandstands with merchandise and souvenirs. There was a food court, and everyone appreciated the shade provided by tents and the abundance of trees in the parking area.

New models garner a great deal of attention each year at Top Gun. The Top Gun rule allows a model to compete for three years; after that you must build a new one or repaint the existing one. Standouts this year included Al Kretz's Douglas SBD Dauntless (built from Jerry Bates plans), the Bob Violett Models (BVM) F-100 Team Scale entry built by Joe Grice, Bob Violett's F-100 Super Sabre Designer Scale entry, and Gustavo Campana's Jet Tech Aero L-159 Albatros attack jet. Several favorites were lost to mechanical problems or crashes before the competition started; last year's Expert winner, Terry Nitsch, lost his Rafale B.01.

Scale Helicopter Competition

Last year Top Gun included a Scale Helicopter competition for the first time. The category wasn't run according to standard AMA rules and limitations; it used specifically designed Top Gun rules. One of the main changes was an increased weight limit. Static competition went well last year, and several contestants brought hangar queens and some beautiful scale helicopters. This year was the first time Top Gun ran helicopter flight competition as well.

Contest director Jerry Hicks promoted and preplanned the event, which grew from the prior year. The aircraft were set up at the end of the field, with plenty of shade for contest administration.

Requirements and rules are open: weight limit is 50 pounds dry, and there is no limit to how they are electronically equipped as long as one-pilot transmitters fly them. Any size of piston engine is allowed. As in scale fixed-wing competition, any modification from the full-scale aircraft may be included but will incur a deduction in static points. Models are safety-checked, and each model must have been flown at least three times before appearing at Top Gun. The Builder-of-the-Model rule applies; each contestant must sign a statement that the model is scratch-built or from a kit and list all components they did not make.

There were nine entries—including military, civil, and work helicopters—in static and flight competition. Bell helicopters were the favorite, with four variations present.

Results

• High static score: Peter Wales with his Aerospatiale Lama. This Swiss design has many intricate details.
• Fourth place static: Doug Bruns' Bell OH-13 Sioux (reminiscent of the helicopters on the M*A*S*H television show).
• Flight competition winner: Russell Mattieni with his Bell LongRanger, scoring 179.666.

Static Judging, Flight Competition, and Incidents

Static tables were set up in various parts of the field, and judges spent several days completing their evaluations. High static scores help put competitors in good positions for the rest of the competition; this year those with high static scores generally did well in flight.

High static scores included:

• Ramon Torres — T-34C-1 in World Scale
• Joe Grice — F-100 in Team Scale
• Jeff Foley — designer Bf 109E-3 in Designer Scale
• Mike Gross — S.E.5a (Dennis Bryant plans) in Expert

There were a few accidents during practice and competition:

• During a practice flight, Terry Nitsch's Rafale B.01 was lost. When he dropped the external dummy wing tanks, one apparently caught the tip of a missile on the underside of the model. The tank caught and pushed the left aileron up, forcing the model into the ground.
• Another jet went out of control and into a wooded area at the end of the runway. Drought conditions contributed to a small fire that was quickly extinguished. Crossed trims on the transmitter may have caused this loss.

Notable Models and Kits

Aero L-159 Albatros

• Builder: Gustavo Campana
• The full-scale L-159 is built in the Czech Republic by Aero; it is a multipurpose subsonic jet used in training and attack roles (Advanced Light Combat Aircraft, outgrowth of the L-39).
• The new Jet Tech L-159 kit features GFK honeycomb construction with rivets and panel lines molded in. It lists for approximately $2,000 (current exchange rates) from Switzerland. Add retracts, gear, and brakes (approx. $920). The model has a wingspan of 58.3 inches, length 91.1 inches, and weighs roughly 30 pounds. Powered by a RAM 1000 turbine, it's finished with PPG automotive paint.

BVM F-100 Team Scale (Joe Grice / David Shulman)

• David Shulman flew the Team Scale F-100 built by Joe Grice. Joe spent time working individual pieces of aluminum sheet stock for modeling use and covered the model with Flite-Metal (.0015-inch) that he burnished panel by panel, weathering and buffing each panel. The finish made the model a work of art.
• Awards: high static score in its class, Critics' Choice, and Best Jet.
• "Pretty Penny" (other noted model) spanned 70 inches, weighed 35 pounds, and was powered by an AMT Pegasus turbine.

Douglas SBD Dauntless (Al Kretz)

• Builder: Al Kretz (Jerry Bates plans)
• Finished in the scheme of the full-scale aircraft in the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.
• 85-inch wingspan, powered by a Saito two-cylinder four-stroke engine.
• Cockpit is complete with a fully functional canopy; rear-firing machine guns are mounted and retract into the fuselage as on the full-scale aircraft.
• Access to a museum aircraft allowed a complete documentation pack for building.

World Scale

This was the first year for World Scale at Top Gun. The entry list included nine contestants. World Scale is a form of Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) scale competition with a few changes for Top Gun: only two static and flight judges, a model weight limit of 33.33 pounds (15 kg—the maximum weight at the Scale World Championships beginning in 2005), multiple flightlines, and standard score sheets.

Documentation and a good selection of full-scale photos are valuable in this class. Flight maneuvers are similar to AMA maneuvers with a few exceptions, including the Descending 360. For more about FAI Scale, see the AMA website and the F4 section of CIAM (the International Aeromodelling Committee).

Notable World Scale results

• 1st: Ramon Torres (T-34C) — own design, sold through RTR Engineering. Turbo version painted in a Moroccan Air Force color scheme; 80-inch span, powered by a YS 140 four-stroke engine. High static and high flight scores.
• 2nd: Cliff Tacie — Aeronca L-16 (simple but beautiful), O.S. 1.160 twin-powered.
• 3rd: Steve Sauger — Fairchild, 1/4-scale model with 108-inch wingspan, 22 pounds.

Team Scale

It was a battle of the jets in Team Scale. New BVM F-100s were prominent, but results included:

• 1st: Joe Grice and David Shulman — all-aluminum-covered F-100 (Joe built; David flew).
• 2nd: Ian Richardson and Steve Elias (Great Britain) — BVM F-100D (two-seat), finished in the scheme of Colonel Art Johnson's aircraft; powered by an AMT Pegasus turbine; 31 pounds.
• 3rd: George Maiorana and David Pinegar — Tu-4 (Russian B-29) electric-powered by four MaxCim NEO 13Y motors; 25 pounds, covered and finished with Flite-Metal aluminum.

Designer Scale

Designer Scale featured a wide variety of aircraft types, from a World War I Siemens to an F-100 jet fighter.

Notable Designer Scale results

• 1st: Bob Violett — his new F-100 two-seat fighter design. Flight scores of 96.625, 97.000, and 96.625 in the last three rounds secured the win.
• 2nd: Jeff Foley — Bf 109E-3 (own model), scored 189.792, finished in a North African desert paint scheme.
• 3rd: Roy Vaillancourt — Hawker Typhoon (1/5 scale), 97-inch span, 47 pounds; Roy designs and kits through Vaillancourt Aviation.

Expert Scale

Expert class had the most entries from outside the U.S. Jet types took six of the first 10 places.

Notable Expert results

• 1st: Joe Rafalowski — Jet Model Products Lockheed T-33 powered by a JetCat P-160 turbine. Joe is a two-year Top Gun veteran and a Delta Airlines pilot for 17 years. He included scale details such as the yaw indicator on the upper cowl and an instrument training hood for the rear cockpit.
• 2nd: Gustavo Campana — Aero L-159 Albatros, missed first by 0.041 point.
• 3rd: Kim Foster — de Havilland Mosquito (110-inch span), Laser 150–powered, plans from Jerry Bates.

Event Highlights and Extras

• George Jenkins High School (Lakeland) provided the color guard for the flag ceremony each morning.
• Half-time shows and parties in the pits were popular. Terry Nitsch flew his BVM BobCat XL with the Captain Salami sound-barrier performance accompanied by Frank Tiano on the public-address system.
• Vendors filled a row behind the pits, representing many well-known names in the hobby.

Sponsors

Primary sponsors

• Model Airplane News
• Pacer® Technology / ZAP®
• Super Chips

Additional sponsors

• Airtronics
• Bob Violett Models
• Cyber Heli
• Frank Tiano Enterprises
• Glen Torrance Models
• O.S. Engines / Futaba
• Robart Manufacturing
• Aerotech Models
• American Eagle Aircraft
• Altech Marketing
• Century Helicopters
• Dave Platt Models
• JR
• RC Report magazine
• Ron Norris
• Testors Corp.
• Traplet Publications
• Mini Hobby
• Top Gun Hobbies
• Aircraft International

Judges and Officials

• Chief Judge: Bill Holland
• Assistant Chief Judge: Bill DeVera
• Flight Captain: Jim Parker
• Flight Judges: Mike Marecki, John Smith, David Anderson, Russell LePre, Harry Andren, Chauncey Dance
• Static Judges: Lee Henderson, Rich Uravitch, Bob Curry, Mike Bacon, Steve Harris, Len Bechthold, Narve Jensen (also World flight judge)
• Scoring: Rosella (Rosie) Curry

Fair skies and tailwinds. MA

Stan Alexander 3709 Valley Ridge Dr. Nashville, TN 37211-3831 onawings@mindspring.com

Sources:

• Jet Tech

Franz Walti Bleicherhubelweg 10 CH-4852 Rothrist, Switzerland +41-62-794-354 Fax: +41-62-794-3785 www.jettech.ch/e-engang.html

• Flite-Metal

16155 Espinosa Dr. Houston, TX 77083 (281) 530-5823 www.flitemetal.com

• Bob Violett Models

170 SR 419 Winter Springs, FL 32708 (407) 327-6333 Fax: (407) 327-5020 www.bvmjets.com

• R.T. Aerospace

3601 S.W. 137th Ave. Miramar, FL 33027 (954) 441-7479 www.rtaerospace.com

• Vaillancourt Aviation

18 Oakdale Ave. Farmingville, NY 11738-2828 (631) 732-4715 www.vaillyaviation.com

• Jerry Bates Plans

102 Glenwood St. Mobile, AL 36606 (251) 478-6720 www.scaleaero.com/jerrybates.htm

• National Museum of Naval Aviation

Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL 32508 (800) AIR-NAVY www.navalaviation.com

• Jet Model Products

211 N. Mullen Rd. Belton, MO 64012 (816) 331-0356 Fax: (816) 331-3930 www.jetmodelproducts.com

• Glen Torrance Models

2404 Rane Rd. Elfland, NC 27243 (919) 643-1001 Fax: (919) 392-1094 www.gtmodels.com

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.