 Newlyweds Sherri
and Nick Ziroli Sr. preparing the Skyraider for flight three.
 Spacewalker on the static judging table, ready to be scrutinized.
 The large Pitts flown in team scale by Frank Kagele and Travis Gier was powered by a four cylinder engine.
FLIGHT JUDGING
 As mentioned before, the pilots have to fly four rounds of
competition, enabling them to fly in front of each group of judges
during a single round. The three highest scoring rounds are averaged
for the total flight score. This means that a pilot can throw away
his or her lowest scoring round in the event of a missed maneuver or
if flight had to be aborted for technical reasons.
The
flight program consists of 10 maneuvers: five maneuvers are mandatory
for all aircraft and the remaining five
should be prototypical of the subject. The
mandatory maneuvers include takeoff, slow fly-by, fast fly-by, overall flight
realism, and landing. The pilot must then select an additional five maneuvers
that will not only best suit the model’s performance, but also best represent
the full-scale aircraft’s performance. Here, a scale modeler uses strategy
in selection of not only aircraft but also possible maneuvers to be executed
in competition.
Obviously, a model
of one of today’s highly aerobatic
aircraft such as an Extra 300 would need to demonstrate some of the more rigorous
and performance-based
maneuvers such as point rolls, snaps and others that are characteristic of
that type of aircraft. On the other hand, a model of the venerable Piper Cub
would
not be expected to be on its back for half of the flight and indeed would be
downgraded for doing so, despite the fact that the model has that facility. |
THE
TOP GUN EXPERIENCE
Judges hard at work.
 |
Top Gun is the brainchild
of Frank Tiano, and it is Frank’s
hard work and incredible attention to detail that has made Top
Gun the world’s most recognized RC Scale event. In order
to be invited, you need to have previous experience
and must also be recognized as a good scale flier and builder.
Each
year, the number of people asking for an invitation
far outnumbers the allowances of the contest, so
a five-man board conducts a selection process.
They look at
things like past scale achievements, quality of the model and flight skills.
About 50% of the
contestants are previous years’
Top Gun contenders
because you are automatically invited back the following year once you
place well.
This is part of what makes Top Gun so great. Many pilots have
made it a priority each year to go back to reunite
with old friends and to compete on very fair and friendly terms.
While it is a tough
competition, you will always see the individual pilots helping their competitors
with spare
parts or repair assistance if needed.
Promoter
Frank Tiano calling for Johnny
Hernandes during
his F-16 flight.
|
On Friday and
Saturday night respectively, the Top Gun cocktail party
and banquet are on the program. Most
pilots have brought their spouses, and this
is a classy
affair. This year’s banquet was held at the beautiful Eaglebrook
Golf and Country Club, with a nice four-course dinner, wine and dancing.
This
year’s
banquet was very special, as Nick Ziroli Sr. and Sherri Miller were married
there in front of all their RC friends.
The work that
goes into this event is staggering. The total budget
is over $100,000 and when you see all the
facilities provided, you understand why.
Everything
from the shaded pit areas, overnight storage tent with full security,
and camping area to the vendor area is first class.
A big chunk of the budget
is spent
on trophies and awards, with more than $10,000 in cash prizes for the
winners.
On top of the
nice facilities, the people like the crew from the
Imperial RC Club that host the event make
all the difference. The Imperial RC
Club handled
impound and crowd control. The flight line crew are experts at running
a smooth event, and they definitely succeeded in making sure everything
was
operating
in a safe and efficient manner. Frank is lucky to have such a dedicated
group of people working with him. It truly is great to witness the
enthusiasm of
all the volunteers.
Outline accuracy being judged.
GETTING THERE
By
the way, if you are an experienced scale modeler
and would like to be invited to Top Gun, the procedure is
very simple: Give Frank
Tiano
a call
at (863)
607-6611 or email him at frank@franktiano.com for more information.
The cost to enter
is $50 per pilot, but you will get your investment back in terms
of the merchandise given away, along with the
experience of a lifetime. |
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