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Flying Aces Nationals: The best of free flight scale

Model Airplane News, Dec 1998 by Marshall, Larry

MAGINE A MEET at which several hundred scale airplanes are all on the flying field at the same time. Imagine, also, that you can fly whenever you want. Imagine intense competition going on while people are laughing, giggling, and poking fun at one another. if you put all those visions together, you might get close to an image of What occurs at the Flying Aces Nationals held in Geneseo, NY.

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Many things set the FAC Nats apart from other meets. First, because it is mostly free-flight scale, there is no radio impound and no restriction on the number of planes that can be in the air at one time. Thus, the number of flights made during the weekend is staggering. There were 1,426 official flights during the weekend, but this does not include the hundreds of practice flights that took place. Maybe more important for the spectators are the rules that give bonus points for multi-engine, multi-wing, floats, canards, etc. The result is the widest variety of scale airplanes you're likely to see anywhere on the planet. Where else can you see Farman transport planes, an Autocar, a Dornier DoX, a Pond Racer, an Avro 547 airliner, a Wright Flyer and a Tilbury Flash intermixed with just about every warbird ever built?

Another thing that causes the wide diversity is the number of events. Pilots don't compete in a single scale event at this meet; there are 25 or so events, most of them scale. There are several events for WW I aircraft, several for WW II, and many others covering Thompson Trophy and Greve race planes, pioneer (prior to WW I) aircraft and many other civilian-aircraft classes. Each requires the use of a different model aircraft.

Some events are timed, with the goal of gaining a 2-minute flight, three times. But others-specifically the race and warbird events-are done in mass-launch fashion. These are a delight on the eyes, and the participants have a ball, as it's an opportunity for competitors to cluster together, knowing that it is their aircraft that they must "trust" to do the winning, and generally, there is considerable banter between competitors in the form of good-natured ribbing. Because of the large number of entrants, several groups fly for most events, and the qualifying winners move on to the next round. For instance, there were 45 entrants in the WW II event. It was neat to see Wildcats, Hellcats, Zeros, Tonys and other fighter planes circling overhead en masse.

Judging for scale accuracy and craftsmanship is also a part of the FAC Nats, and the photos of the planes attest that attention to detailing these models is not compromised by the desire that they fly well. Panel lines, rigging wires and superb markings are all part of the equation; to this, add the fact that these airplanes are released with only the builder's skill at trimming to guide them.

This year, the weather was magnificent, with low winds and sunny skies. Even the oppressive heat that typified this July didn't materialize, and there were smiles all around because of it. It was, however, warm enough to make me wish I owned the ice cream concession. One thing about free flight is that you can get your daily exercise while enjoying model aviation, and to a reporter trying to cover the many flights, the Geneseo field was mighty big. I also think the FAC'ers liked to see me run, as it seemed that every time I was on one side of the field, something really neat started to happen on the other side! But I was in heaven and didn't want to miss any of it, so off I went, bounding across the grass like a ... well, kinda like an old elephant, but I got there, ultimately.

Don Srull was there with his arsenal of gorgeous aircraft. His Dornier DoX, with its 12 props and electric power, is simply one of the most stately aircraft I've ever seen fly. His SantosDumont canard is another of my favorites, as it just looks as if it shouldn't fly, and yet it flies very well and is very stable.

Vance Gilbert was there in all his glory. To meet Vance is to love him. He's full of life, doesn't take himself or his airplanes too seriously and is always able to make the folks around him smile. Vance has a preference for old passenger planes, and he builds some really nice, little-known airliners. In his air force is a Cant, a tri-motor on floats. He also flies an Avro 547 triplane and a Marchetti 573, which is also a tri-motor. Any of these planes would be a challenge as an R/C model and yet Vance makes it look easy, flying them as free-flight rubber models.

It's said that we have no "new blood" in our hobby, that younger people aren't interested. Well, if you ever have a chance to attend the FAC Nats, you'll see a bunch of young folks doing magnificent modeling work. Tom Hallman's Mitsubishi IMF1 (first in Golden Age Military) is a sight to behold. Tom is an artist, and his finishes are superb. Terry Pittman enjoys CO^sub 2^ power, and he was flying several interesting subjects. I particularly enjoyed his Farman Sport, which he powered with a Gasparin 300. But you just have to admire a guy who builds a peanut-scale Bleriot and flies it with a Gasparin 24T. This plane flew really well, and yet it had the dimensions of a large dragonfly. Chris Starleaf continues to produce super models, and his Pond Racer (13-inch span) was particularly neat.

Flying Aces Nationals: The best of free flight scale

Model Airplane News, Dec 1998 by Marshall, Larry

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