12th annual Warbirds over Delaware

Model Airplane News, Nov 2003 by Yarrish, Gerry

a perfect weekend for dogfights! by Gerry Yarrish

It had been several years since I last attended the IMAA Warbirds over Delaware (WOD) meet, so I was very pleased to cover the 2003 event for this issue. The trip to Newark, DE, takes me about 4 hours, so I loaded up my trailer the night before and headed out early Friday morning. When I arrived, I quickly set up the tent and unloaded my models and then just sat there for a minute or two to let it all sink in. In front of me was the huge, beautifully groomed runway, and stretching the full length of the flightline were rows and rows of similar tents that were all filled with big, beautiful warbirds.

The WOD is much more than just a giant-scale model event. It's a place where friends meet year after year to show off their latest projects; it's a place where history is paid homage, and it's a grand opportunity to see some of the best warbird models flown on the East Coast. By the time I had unpacked my camera gear, I had made up my mind that I wouldn't wait as long to come back again for the weekend event.

A PERFECT WEEKEND

Hosted by the Delaware RC club, Warbirds over Delaware is always held on the weekend after the 4th of july, and this year's event marked the 12th anniversary of the Lums Pond State Park get-together. The weather couldn't have been better. I was a bit waterlogged from all the rain in my neck of the woods, so getting a little sunburned over the weekend was a small price to pay. Blue skies, a mild breeze and a ton of killer warbirds is a hard combination to beat!

The flying site is one of the best I have ever flown at; it's in a state park, and the site is impeccably maintained. Ample parking space and the spacious pit areas make it an ideal venue. Contest directors Pete and Dave Malchione reported that this year's event had the best attendance ever, and the pilot count was over 160 with close to 300 models-impressive numbers indeed! A look at the registration forms showed pilots had come from California, Florida, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey-and even the UK-to chew up the skies over Delaware!

"Fast" Eddie Leauter was the announcer, and his good-humored litany kept everyone well informed. Whether it was a WW I biplane, a German dive-bomber, or a South Pacific fighter, Eddie was very fast in correctly identifying the model and its pilot!

One of the things that makes the WOD special is the club's close relationship with local charities. This year, a portion of all the money generated by the raffles went to the National Leukemia Foundation. The club enjoys help from Boy Scout Troop 30 of Stanton, DE, in manning the busy canteen and the Young Marines Unit from Middletown, DE, who handled parking-lot duties. An AMA Delta Dart building program also took place over the weekend, and it was open to anyone who wanted to try their hand at building one of the little rubber-band-powered free-flight models. Spectators came by the busloads and numbered in the thousands!

A very large manufacturers' area was set up adjacent to the runway and the main pavilion. From kits and engines to props, glue and sunglasses, it was a regular RC flea market. Topping off the day's activities was a big Saturday evening barbecue. What more could a hungry warbird lover ask for?

ON THE FLIGHTLINE

Flying began at 8 a.m. and continued until 5 p.m.; at that time, the field became available for open flying. Five flight stations provided almost nonstop flight opportunities as long as your frequency pin was available.

The event was open to all IMAA-legal warbirds; monoplanes must have at least an 80-inch span, and biplanes must span at least 60 inches. Regardless of your taste in military "wingage," there was something for everyone. From Eindeckers, Bristol Scouts and Stearmans to Mustangs, Warhawks, Thunderbolts and B-25s, the sky was filled with serious warbirds.

Each day, I was able to put in four or five flights with my well-worn Piper L-4 Grasshopper. I even had an opportunity to fly other people's planes. My good friend and fellow warbird nut Sal Calvagna and his merry band of warbird lovers from the Long Island Aero Radio Society (LIARS) accounted for close to 40 airplanes. You couldn't throw a stick without hitting a warbird from Long Island! On several occasions, Sal allowed me (and several others) to fly his "pass-around" IT-19. We gave Sal's low-wing military trainer quite a workout. Thank goodness for 30-minute epoxy!

At every warbird meet, there seems to be an unspoken rule that there must be at least one battle for the champ of "How low can you go?" and this year, there were several excellent low-flying duels! My pick for low-flying champ was Ty Brown from Kannapolis, NC; he flew several impressive fighters, but the one that stuck in my mind the most was his beautiful green Japanese Zero. Built from scratch, Ty's big Rising Sun war machine had a 108-inch span and was powered by a Quadra 75. Equally as impressive was Trent Wilhelm of Salisbury, NC, who also flew several heavy-metal birds. His B-2S spanned 110 inches and was powered by two U.S. Engines 41cc powerplants that made you really sit up and take notice when he performed those down on-the-deck passes. Trent didn't spend much time on the ground; he also flew the wings off his super sweet Douglas AD Skyraider. This all-white, ground-support aircraft was loaded to the teeth with rockets and bombs. Spanning 100 inches and powered by a Zenoah G-62, Trent's "Sandy" put on quite a show!