THE BLUE MAX
By Jay Smith, Executive Editor | jays@modelaircraft.org
I RECENTLY returned from The Blue Max event. For the first time, it was held at the Ocala Flying Model Club in Florida to help accommodate it as an ever-growing event. The Ocala field was reserved from Wednesday morning, January 22, through the following Sunday. Officially, the gathering was listed as a two-day event on Friday and Saturday, but similar to several other flying events, it began two days earlier, with World War I aircraft in the air on Wednesday.
This was the 16th year for The Blue Max. I was fortunate to attend the inaugural event that was held at Fantasy of Flight, Kermit Weeks’ museum in Polk City, Florida. The first year was plagued with extremely high wind, and I believe that only two aircraft flew during it.
This was the 16th year for The Blue Max. I was fortunate to attend the inaugural event that was held at Fantasy of Flight, Kermit Weeks’ museum in Polk City, Florida.
This year, the wind wasn’t a problem, but it was extremely cold, with below-freezing temperatures throughout several days. This also caused icy conditions farther north that prevented some pilots who had planned to travel to Florida for The Blue Max from attending.
Look for more information about The Blue Max in an upcoming issue of Model Aviation.
Correction: The “In the Air” article in the February 2025 issue of Model Aviation that recognized the late John Kukon’s induction into the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame stated that John, his son, and his grandson founded a Control Line circle at the Western Carolina Radio Club. The correct club’s name is the Washington Crossing Radio Control Flyers Association. We regret the error.
