Top gun 2003: 15th annual scale showdown for the best of the best!

Model Airplane News, Aug 2003 by Smith, Jerry

When you hear the words "Top Gun," you think of someone who is the very best at what he does: banging away at the target aircraft. But Top Gun is also a scale contest at which the very best scale RC builders and fliers from all over the country-and the world-come to do battle. Not just a scale meet, Top Gun is a "by-invitation-only" competition for which fliers must earn the right to be considered. Top Gun is the very best of the best competing for the highest honors.

For 15 years, the major Top Gun sponsors have been Model Airplane News and Pacer Technology (Zap glue), and over the years, the event has garnered an impressive list of supporters without whom it could not function. Top Gun 2003 was held in late April at the impressive Lakeland Under regional airport in Lakeland, FL. This site has proven to be the best ever and is truly ideally suited to Top Gun's high standards. It provides a wide-open flying area with no restrictions on the pilots or on the planes.

Top Gun is as much a social event as it is a contest. A lot of work is involved in accommodating 70 to 80 contestants and making everything work out smoothly. Sixteen paid judges, several scorekeepers and the many members of the host Imperial RC Club all make it come together. A staff of five sets everything up and tears it down, and 10 dedicated workers cover every chore from parking cars to latrine duty.

Spectators have a dizzying array of activities from which to choose at Top Gun. More than 60 manufacturers were on hand, creating an atmosphere similar to that of a mini trade show and a virtual hobby shop combined.

The grandstand afforded all a great view of the action. Announcer Sam Wright kept everyone informed of the events scheduled throughout the day, and for those who wanted to see the models up close, a pit pass was the ticket to mingle and talk to the pilots about their airplanes.

The noontime show is also great to watch; it provides entertainment by some of the best demo pilots in the world. You just have to see it all to really appreciate this extravaganza of precision RC scale and aerobatics! It's well worth the price of admission!

Special thanks to the hosts-the Imperial RC Club-and to contest director Mike Zubricky, Dell Pratt and the many volunteers. Most of all, thanks to Frank Tiano, who worked tirelessly for our pleasure. If you've never attended Top Gun, mark your 2004 calendar; it's always the last weekend in April. You'll have the time of your life observing the wonderful world of realistic scale aircraft built by the best craftsmen in the world. As always, Top Gun remains the "must-see" scale event-period!

TOP GUN SCORING

Top Gun has three classes of competition. In Expert, the builder and pilot must be the same person. The Master class is for builders who have drawn their own plans and built their models entirely by themselves. In Team, the pilot and builder are different people who may both work on the model.

The judging parameters for Top Gun are slightly different from those of most other AMA scale contests. The static judging score sheets consist of four sections instead of three. Thirty points are awarded in each of three categories: Outline, Color and Markings and Craftsmanship. Then there is a separate, 10-point category for Realism. A requirement is a documentation presentation book, by which the model is judged. Three judges view the model from a distance of 15 feet and scrutinize its side, front and top views while a fourth judge stands right next to the model to evaluate craftsmanship and realism. The judges are not allowed to touch the model. The "Builder-of-the-model" rule is strictly enforced at Top Gun, and the model must be flown by its builder unless it is entered in Team.

FLIGHT SCORES

The flight portion of the contest includes four rounds of flying; two on Saturday and two on Sunday. The maximum score for the 10 maneuvers is 10 points each, for a possible perfect score of 100. The lowest flight score is discarded, and the remaining three rounds are averaged for a final flight score. The contestant must fly four mandatory maneuvers and five optional maneuvers for a total of nine maneuvers. Flight realism (worth a maximum of 10 points) is also judged and is added to the total flight score. Each flight has a time limit of 15 minutes.

The four mandatory maneuvers are takeoff, slow flyby, fast flyby and landing. The five optional maneuvers should be prototypical of the full-scale aircraft. Some of the maneuvers are: prototypical taxi out and back, figure-8, strafing run, inverted flyby, touch-and-go, overshoot to landing and a descending, 360-degree circle. You wouldn't expect to see a B-29 bomber do a roll or a spin, or fly an inverted low pass; the idea is to impart realism during flying. The total contest score is the sum of the static score and the flight score.

The official Top Gun rulebook is well defined and covers all aspects of the event. Over the past 15 years, it has been revised and amended many times to eliminate cheating and to provide an equitable platform for all contestants.