2 ModelAirplaneNews.com MARCH 2017 3

12 O’Clock High

Primary SPonSorSModel Airplane News

Horizon Hobby Zap Glue

SuPPorting Balsa USA

Bavarian Demon Gyro EZ Balancer

Flight Brothers House of Balsa

Metal Building SuppliesFrank Tiano Enterprises

Spektrum Nick Ziroli Plans

A relAxed And fun rC sCAle gAthering TexT & PhoTos by Rich URavitch

Monster Planes

What was the last RC scale event you’ve attended? Fun, wasn’t it? Entertaining, too?

How about educational? It always amazes me, attending the number of events that I do, just how much talent is possessed by those involved in RC. From design and fabrication right up to flying, you’d be hard-pressed to find another pastime that requires as broad a range of skills as RC. Even considering the overshadowing of the traditional building phase by ARF models, the outlook of our hobby in general looks fairly healthy. And if you want clear evidence of it, all you need to do is attend an event like 12 O’Clock High to be convinced.

ThiseventtakesplaceatagreatflyingsitelocatedatParadiseField,LakelandLinderAirportinLakeland,Florida.MonsterPlanes,previouslyanindependentevent,hasnowbeencombinedwith12O’ClockHightobroadenparticipationevenfurther,asevidencedbythediversityofsubjectsatthisyear’sgathering. Ithasbeensaidthatinterestinscratchbuildingorevenkitbuildingseemstobeonthedeclineandextremelevelsofprefabricationarethewaveofthefuture.Thatmaynotbetotallyaccurate;itdependsonwhoyou’retalkingto,thetypeofevent,andyourdefinitionof“building.”Whilethemajorityofentriesonhandatthiseventwere

builtfromhighlyprefabricatedpackages,manyothers,especiallytheWWIsubjects,werebuiltfromtraditionalwoodkits,withothersbeingtotallyscratch-builtfromplans.Withthisinmind,Idecidedtotakeacloselookatthesubjectsonhandtogetsomefeelforthetruthinthiswidelyheldopinion. Asyoumightexpect,mostofthemodelsbeingflownwerescaletypes,replicatingfull-scaleaircraftofdifferenttypes,suchaswarbirds,jets,civilianaerobatictypes,andcommercialsubjects—somethingforeveryone.Althoughthiswasnotacompetition,participantswereeligibleforspecialawardsinavarietyofcategories.

Greg Arnette’s McDonnell Douglas T-45 Hawk looks great from any angle, especially this one. The level of prefabrication and detail in the airframe is amazing.

The more-frequently-seen all-yellow color scheme on a Stearman gave way to this attractive Ziroli design, which was built and flown by Rene Alvarez. The G62 seems to be a popular powerplant for these large biplanes.

Another Moki 250 radial-powered F4U Corsair from the well-known CARF-Models kit, this one by Sal Becherano. The full-scale version resides in the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York.

Flightline Standouts

12 O’Clock High

The Best Warbird Trainer?Nick Ziroli Sr. himself was on hand to watch over his latest design as built and flown by his friend Ed Buchholz. It’s a Cessna 150M—or, as finished by Ed in U.S. Air Force markings, a T-51A. Nick decided to take a break from the heavy metal warbirds and came up with the Cessna, which is easy to build, is the right size, and uses a G23 Zenoah for power. It might just be the best warbird trainer yet! Typical of all of Nick’s designs, it’s all wood with fiberglass components available.

ThelargestmodelonhandwasaPiperL-4GrasshopperbuiltbyKennethHurtadofromtheBillHempeloffering.The40%CubvariantusesaGT-80forpower.Thisbehemothwasspectacularsittingontheground,evenmoresowhenairborne—especiallywhentwofull-scaleCubsdidalowflybyovertherunway.Itwasdifficulttotellthedifference!ThisCubisclearevidenceofjusthownicescalemodelslookwhenflyingonthewingratherthanunderbrutepower.Kennydidagreatjob,especiallywiththerealistictouch-and-gosandpatternwork.

Fromanotherwar,anothertime,anothererabutequallynoteworthywastheBestWWIawardrecipient,BillToppa,forhisbeautifulFokkerD.VII.This1/3-scalemachinewasbuiltfromtheBalsaUSAkitandispoweredbyaDA-85engine.Billapparentlydoesn’tbelieveinhangarqueens,ashisFokkerwasairborneateveryopportunity!Thefinishiswelldoneandunique,adeparturefromtheusuallozengefabriccoveringsotypicaloftheperiod.Ireallylikethismodeljustforwhatitrepresentsineffortandperseverance.BalsaUSAisclearlythego-tosourceforWWImodelingenthusiasts.It’snicetoseethecompanystillproducingsomegreatkitsforbuilders.

AnotherwastheNakajimaKi-43“Oscar”flownbyeventpromoterFrankTiano.Thissubjectisnotoftenmodeled,andafterwatchingitfly,it’shardtounderstandwhythatisthecase.Itisacruiser—smooth,precise,andwellmannered—kindoflikeascalepatternship!It’satraditionalall-woodbalsa-and-ply-constructionairframefinishedwithfiberglassclothandresin.FrankstartedwithasetofplansfromArturoZapata,cutdownsomebalsatrees,andstartedbuilding.Forthoseofyouwishingtoduplicatethisgreatmodel,Arturohasplansandkitsavailable.FrankreceivedtheBestWWIIawardforhiseffort—againstsometoughcompetition.

I love this rarely seen Saab J35 Draken, a Gripen predecessor—it just looks so good in the air. The full-scale version is of Swedish design and still in service. Frank Alvarez uses a SimJet turbine in this 53-pound, 64-inch-span beauty.Therewereanumberofunusualorrarelyseensubjectsonhand,nottheleastofwhich

wasSaabJ35DrakenenteredbyFrankAlvarez.This1/5-scaleSwedishdeltawasbuiltfromanAirworldkit,weighs53pounds,andispoweredbyaSimJetturbine.Auniqueaircraft,itappearsverystableinflight,withitsdeltaplanformprovidingallthatarea.

Event promoter Frank Tiano found time during

the event to fly his brand-new Nakajima Ki-43

“Oscar,” built from Arturo Zapata plans/kit. Now,

is that a pattern ship, or what? And guess what?

It was actually built out of wood. (Some of you may

remember that material.)

The man himself, Frank Tiano, with assists from designer Arturo Zapata and ace modeler Sean Curry, gets ready to launch his new Ki-43 “Oscar.” The 110-inch-span model weighs 50 pounds and is powered by a Moki 180. Frank also won the Best Military award with his “Oscar.”

Preparing for another sortie over the Western Front, Bill Toppa preps his 1/3-scale Fokker D.VII. From the Balsa USA kit, it weighs 29 pounds and is powered by a DA85.

Nick Ziroli Sr. seems to be texting for clearance information as buddy Ed Buchholz gets his Cessna T-51 (“C150” to you civilians) ready to launch. Ed’s model is the second one built from the new Ziroli plan.

Ed Buchholz’s Cessna T-51 on a flyby. This newest Ziroli design spans 80 inches and uses a G23. It’s a perfect giant-scale trainer. Nick retrofit his prototype with electric power.

Oneofmyall-timefavoritesistheunique,natural-aluminum-finishedGrummanF4FWildcatflownbylongtimescaleenthusiastScottProssen.We’veseenitbefore,butitstillhasthat“lookatme”attraction.HismodelwasbuiltfromtheimportedFischerkitandusesaMoki250radialtoeasilyhaulits54poundsaround.Ofcompositeconstruction,theWildcatwasofWWIIvintageandsawextensiveserviceintheSouthPacific.Its114-inchspanequatesto1/4scale,andthemodelislargeenoughtocommandattentionwhilestillbeingtransportable.Theretractmechanismworksflawlessly,anditisclearthatScottiscomfortablewiththemodel,havingflownitsmoothlythroughanumberofscalemaneuvers.

MARCH 2017 7 6 ModelAirplaneNews.com

12 O’Clock High

How Does He Do It?Nearly all the events I have attended at Paradise Field have included a noontime show of some sort. It provides an opportunity for some of the participants to lay back, grab some lunch, and just walk around looking at other folks’ airplanes. Although spectators have been seeing some really cool models flying all morning, the break time is special and usually features something out of the ordinary, something they probably haven’t seen before and likely to be spectacular. Returning to fill that slot again this year was Franco DiMauro with his amazing performance of 3D jet flying. His Dassault Rafale fighter was made from an Aviation Design “kit” and used a pair of KingTech K160G2 turbines, producing a combined thrust of 70 pounds! They were equipped with full-thrust vectoring nozzles to enable the nearly 10-foot-long jet to perform some of the wildest controlled gyrations you’ve ever seen, including tumbles, hovering, true flat spins, and lots of other extraordinary maneuvers you didn’t think 55-pound jets could do! Franco is one “hot stick” with amazing flying skills!

JimmyPriveproved,onceagain,thathereallyknowshiswayaroundatransmitterandhasaclearunderstandingofflightdynamics.HeputhisBalsaUSASuperCubthroughanumberoflow-altitudedisplaysthatemployedsome“crossedcontrol”techniquesthatwouldhavemadeguyslikeBobHooverandSeanTuckerproud.Intypicalairshowfashion,Jimmy’sCubwassmoke-equippedtoenhancethevisuals;itlookedgreatagainsttheblueFloridasky.ThemodelisG62poweredandcomesinat32pounds.

Adding to the entertainment at halftime were these two Cubs, flown by a pair of 16-year-old members of the local EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) group. They did a great job keeping it tight and right down the runway. Youth involvement in aviation is alive and well.

Nick Ziroli Sr. (left) and Tom Smith pose with Tom’s veteran A-1 Sandy. Nick has designed many giant-scale warbirds, and Tom builds, details, and flies them better than most. Lots of skills possessed by these two! (Photo by David Hart)

Always a favorite, this P-47 Razorback is even more so in the capable hands of ace stick, Franco DiMauro, who flies it when he’s not hovering his big Dassault Rafale. The CARF-Models kit/Moki radial is a proven combination.

Sal Becherano’s CARF-Models Corsair has a wing-fold feature that really looked great on its taxi back from landing—until the crosswind got him.

TomSmithprovedthatoldSkyraidersneverdie—theyjustkeepsoldieringon,justlikethefull-scaleversionstheyreplicate.Tomhasbeenflyingthismodelcompetitivelyforanumberofyears.Itstilllooksgreat,andhehassuregottencomfortablewithit.AvintageZirolidesign,thismodelgivescredencetotheideathatitmightbethebest-flyingZiroliwarbirdoutthere.

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The bright red Super Cub, flown by Jimmy Prive,

spans 144 inches and was built from a Balsa USA kit.

A Zenoah G62 provides the heat source for the

dramatic smoke system.

12 O’Clock High

Therewasahugeassortmentofeyecandyonhand,eachwithitsownsomethingspecialtooffer.Itmadenodifferencewhatyourpreferencewas—atleastonerepresentativewasthere.FromWWIandWWIIplanestotoday’sfront-linefighters,biplanes,monoplanes,andjetsofalleras,includingthegorgeousT-45AHawkbyGregArnettefromtheAirMasterkit,thiseventoffersproofthatwhenyoucombineaneventthemewitharelaxed“fly-in”environment—asitewithgreatamenities,spectacularFloridaweather,andagreatbunchofpeoplewhoenjoy,andareinvolvedin,thehobby—theresultcanonlybepositiveandfulfillingforeveryone.12O’ClockHighhadsomethingforspectatorsandparticipantsalike.Trytomakenextyear’sevent—youwon’tbedisappointed! J

Special awardS AwArd SponSor winner Model

Best ww i Model Airplane News Bill Toppa Fokker D.VII

Best Golden Age Flite Brothers David DeWitt Waco UPF-7

Best ww ii Nick Ziroli Plans Franco DiMauro & Roberto Zelaya P-47

Best Military Balsa USA Frank Tiano Ki-43 “Oscar”

Best Civilian Metal Building Supplies James Prive Super Cub

Best Craftsmanship House of Balsa Tom Smith A-1 Skyraider

Best Jet Bavarian Demon Gyro Henry Castellanos F-16 “Viper”

Best Biplane EZ Balancer Mike Zellars Stearman PT-17

Special recognition Spektrum Kenny Hurtado Piper L-4

Special recognition Frank Tiano Enterprises Greg Arnette Hawk T-45

Critics’ Choice Zap Glue Tom Smith A-1 Skyraider

Critics’ Choice runner-up Horizon Hobby Henry Castellanos F-16 “Viper”

Mark Shapiro’s striking Grumman F8F Bearcat looked great on a series of flybys. Built from a 3W kit and powered by a Moki 250, it sounded musical.

Greg Arnette explains some of the finer points of his Special Recognition award-winning T-45 Hawk to Rob Lynch and two other event participants.