COFFEE AIRFOILERS WARBIRD FUN-FLY
By Stan Alexander | onawing4602@att.net
THE COFFEE AIRFOILERS MODEL RC Club, located on Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma, Tennessee, has been an AMA club since 1959. The club is celebrating its 62nd anniversary this year.
The field has a golf course nearby, as well as a shooting range to the south of the field. This time of year (July 17-18), the weather is hot and humid most of the time, but with rain in the forecast, there were still nearly 40 aircraft and many pilots lined up to fly for the club’s Warbird Fun-Fly.
This summer has been a wet one in parts of the eastern US. Weather shortened the AMA Scale Nats this year, as well as other events.
The weekend of the Coffee Airfoilers event looked as though it would be a washout. Although there was only one brief shower, the forecast was enough to dissuade some modelers from showing up with their warbirds.
Warbirds of all sizes flew throughout the day on Saturday. Foam models are becoming more popular, and I saw several sizes of Horizon Hobby T-28s there. You must remember to keep these models in the shade when they aren’t in the air—the sun will cook the foam and make it look pimply, especially on black or dark-painted areas. One of the added events this year was a spot-landing competition, which most of the pilots enjoyed.
Whitney Philbrick brought several World War I models, including his Fokker Dr.1 triplane and a nice Morane-Saulnier built from a Balsa USA kit. His Fokker was finished in a striking color scheme. Built to 1/4 scale from Scratch a Plane plans by Ron Preston several years ago, Whitney refinished the Fokker and added lots of scale details, including the cowling with scale fasteners. Power was provided by a Zenoah G-38 engine, as are many WW I Balsa USA models.
One of the nice things about the Coffee Airfoilers’ field is that it’s fairly level for events, including the parking area. You can bring a camper or motorhome there and set up for an extended stay if you are a member of the club or attending an event. The grass runway is long and smooth. It allows warbirds and classic models to make extended takeoffs and landings.
Upcoming Projects
When you start thinking about a new project, there are many choices for plans or kits, engines, electronics, and balsa or fiberglass. There is also much to think about. Do you want to compete with the model or just have it for fun?
My first rule of thumb is to document the model versus the full-scale aircraft then build it and add to it later if you change your mind and decide to compete with it.
While I’m finishing a model, I also have documentation and at least some parts of the next few models starting to collect in my shop storage area! Take a day to organize the shop too. Believe me, it helps.
It’s always a good idea to study the AMA Competition Regulations for fixed-wing RC Scale aircraft while preparing for a
competition or working on your documentation booklet. You can download the Competition Regulations from the AMA website.
For flight maneuvers, visit the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA) website to download the different diagrams for nearly all of the maneuvers you might want to fly in competition or at a fly-in. It’s better than boring holes in the sky!
2022 Top Gun Invitational
The founder and dreamer who started Top Gun, Frank Tiano, passed away in January 2021, but his wife, Carol, is continuing both Florida Jets and the Top Gun Invitational events.
Top Gun will be held April 27 to May 1, 2022, at Paradise Field in Lakeland, Florida. This is undoubtedly the world’s largest RC Scale competition. It draws international builders and pilots. Make your reservations early, and check out the website for more information about tents, entry fees, and vendor areas. Registration and rentals will only be available online.
SOURCES:
Coffee Airfoilers Model RC Club
www.coffeeairfoilers.com
Frank Tiano Enterprises
www.franktiano.com/events
AMA Competition Regulations
www.modelaircraft.org/events/competition-resources/competition-regulations
