Florida jets 2000

Model Airplane News, Jul 2000 by Uravitch, Rich

Contrails over the Sunshine State

What exactly were nearly 100 of the 150 enthusiasts that showed up at the Florida Jets 2000 thinking? Sure, the name was Florida Jets, but did that mean turbines? Well, in this case, it would seem so, as the number of turbines outdistanced ducted fans by at least a two-to-one margin. Is there a clear and obvious reason for this upstart RC propulsion system to experience such an incredible level of acceptance? There are reasons, but one of them isn't cost of ownership and operation. Those of you who read my turbine survey in the January 2000 issue of Model Airplane News probably noticed that the price of admission to this no-longerexclusive club is quite high. Whether it's due to increased levels of disposable.income, a desire to trade up, or just the plain old "gotta have it at any cost" attitude of jet modelers, turbines are growing in popularity. They are here to stay, and their future looks brighter than ever. Only a turbine engine can convincingly emulate the performance, sound and appeal of a jet aircraft. The turnout at Florida Jets proved this unequivocally!

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Which ingredients are required to provide a showcase for some of the hottest and most exciting flying machines that you've ever seen? Well, a great flying site is a must, and for jet operations, they don't get much better than the Flagler County Airport in Bunnell, FL, just a stone's throw north of Daytona. The affable Frank Tiano, promoter of the event, secured a big chunk of the facility from the city fathers. From flightline operation to traffic management and on-site recovery staff, all the bases were covered; the event ran more smoothly than any I've seen in a long time. The only thing that Frank couldn't get his arms around was the weather; the first two days were exceptional, but by late afternoon Saturday, the wind down the runway was blowing at a sustained 20 to 25mph! A front blew through and brought with it those terrific winds in which nothing felt comfortable being flown, except maybe a few inadequately anchored tents! On the subject of wind direction: it was surprising to me how few fliers seemed comfortable flying a right-hand traffic pattern. I had the feeling that, if the wind had been blowing from the opposite direction (dictating lefthand traffic), we might have seen a lot more flying. In spite of this, more than 400 flights were logged, most of them in the first 211 days. That's a lot of JP-4 and glow fuel!

CAN I GET A WITNESS?

More than 1,800 spectators witnessed and enjoyed some truly interesting models and exciting flying performances. Florida Jets 2000 was a decidedly international get-together, with Argentina, Venezuela, France, the U.K. and Switzerland represented, along with the ever-present contingent from Puerto Rico headed by Felipe Vidal.

Here are a few examples of some really neat things 1 found while strolling around the pits and vendor area. Eddie Weeks's giant DC-10 in FedEx markings got everyone's attention wherever it was parkedeven more so when it flew! Eddie literally carved this behemoth from foam blocks, hollowed things out where necessary and installed radio gear and a pair of turbines. The model flew really well. The long, slow roll and loop might have been a little out of character for the type, but they sure were impressive! Eddie employed much the same fabrication technique on a large sport jet he called the Isobar," one of a pair that was present; the other was by Mark "Rocketman" Pokrywka. This large, relatively lightly loaded model displayed some of the most docile landing qualities of any jet there; except, maybe, for Rich Fong's F-106.

You can always count on Argentinean Gustavo Campana to show up with something exceptional. This year's entry was an equally big and beautiful Mirage 2000 from the Eric Rantet* kit and powered by the new RAM* 1000 turbine. Lurking in a secluded corner of the BVM* tent was the next scheduled release from Bob Violett Models: a really big, spectacular and scale F-100 "Hun." Though still unfinished, this Super Sabre will have available all the traditional BVM goodies such as retracts, wheels and brakes when the kit is released; it should be even more well received than its very successful F-86 predecessor. The latest from Dave Platt*, a gorgeous Hawker Hunter, is a model of the classic jet scratch-built from Dave's own plans. This model is sensational. If you want to build one, start drawing your own plans, as I don't think Dave intends to release the design. Too bad!

It turns out that the Ziroli* F9F Panther may have been way ahead of its time! This design from Nick Sr. goes back about eight years; I remember watching the prototype fly from our New York club field. Well, Bill Steffes built one from Nick's plans and powered it with the time-proven Dynamax*/O.S.* 91 package. The model made its initial flight at this meet in the capable hands of Dave Malchione Sr. After a long takeoff run, the big Cat got on the step and flew in a very scale-like fashion on dulled-fan power. The size of this airplane makes it a natural for conversion to turbine power.