WinterFest '97
John Hunton
A true modeling icon was honored at this Rixeyville, Virginia gathering
WinterFest '97 was held on October 12–13 at Rixeyville, Virginia. We enjoyed a wonderful two days of superb flying weather. Everyone who came to the Fest enjoyed it to the maximum. These annual WinterFests are held to honor Bill Winter, noted designer and writer. They turn out to be great flying-and-gab sessions in which all participants greatly enjoy themselves and each other.
Who could have guessed that during the early "competitive" years of modeling, when we were engrossed in collecting trophies, the real prize would be the quality friendships we made—friendships that span and last so many years?
While the group photo and its caption tell of the great modelers who attended the Fest, the real story is about Bill Winter and the exhibition and flying of his model designs.
In looking over the list of designs that Bill Winter has created during the past decade (17 from 1991–1997), and in seeing most of the prototype models at the annual WinterFests, one can only be amazed at the numbers and variety of designs produced. Beyond the depth of those numbers, however, is the quality of the endeavor. Add the variety of design purpose and model type, and you have an amazing breadth of understanding of the purposes and appeals of model aviation. Some models possess classic proportion and traditional values; others are successful excursions into uncharted areas—designs that push the envelope in places where a model seems unique. The common thread is the signature Bill Winter ethereal quality intended by the designer, which makes it possible for an observer, looking at the models in isolation or out of context, to say, "That's a Bill Winter design."
Since last year's WinterFest, Bill has completed three designs. Model Aviation magazine has agreed to publish the trilogy:
- Osprey 25 Sport
- Ascender
- Old 719 (now called Jester)
You might think that with the completion of the trilogy Bill might rest for a few days; no—he has developed two electric Speed 600 designs:
- Buzzer — a traditional design based on a 1950s CO2 model
- Hummer — an advanced swept-wing canard
The two designs are as far apart on the design spectrum as you can get, yet both are excellent fliers in their own way. A new low-winger with barn-door flaps is on the drawing board right now; Bill is already thinking beyond.
So long as Bill Winter keeps looking for niches of interest, exploring and probing, the beneficiaries of his search—the modeling community—will continue to enjoy a record of design creativity perhaps unmatched in model aviation history, with new aircraft being built before very eyes.
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