Warbirds Over Delaware

27 years of military magic

27 years of military magic

If you have a soft spot for fighters, bombers, and other dogfighting aircraft, then there’s no better RC event to attend than the annual Warbirds Over Delaware (WOD) in Newark, Delaware. Hosted by the Delaware R/C Club at Lums Pond State Park, this year’s impressive gathering of warbirds celebrated the event’s 27th anniversary. We have said this many times before, but this well-attended event just keeps getting better and better as time goes by. All the excitement and heavy-metal aerial action now takes four full days. Most of the regular attendees take a week-long vacation and arrive on the Wednesday before the event. Contest directors Dave and Pete Malchione and all the hardworking volunteers who put the WOD event together always earn their pay—and it shows, as the number of registered pilots continues to grow. There were more than 150 pilots on the list this year, and with six well-organized flight stations and excellent flightline staff, everyone got their fill of flight time.

For many warbird enthusiasts, this event is one of the very best, not just because of all the great warbirds lined up on pit row but also because of all the friends and flying buddies with whom they share the flightline. Everyone who attends WOD enjoys the great personalities you run into and the welcoming attitudes of the pilots you meet for the first time. An attendee in the pit area describes WOD by saying, “There are no strangers at the event—just a bunch of best friends you haven’t met yet.”

As far as warbird attendance goes, there was just about every type of military aircraft represented this year. You name it, from classic P51 Mustangs and P40 Warhawks to British Spitfires, German Messerschmitts and Stukas, Japanese Zeros, and American Corsairs, all the icons were there en masse. Several standouts were also active on the flightline, and it is these special efforts that make the event a mustattend affair.

FIGHTING JETS

When he wasn’t doing his job as Air Boss for the midday airshow, Paul LeTourneau could be seen flying his giant aluminumclad T33 Shooting Star. With its classic straightwing format and tip tanks, it was an excellent counterpoint to Dave Malchione Jr.’s gorgeous whiteandred U.S. Navy T45, which is a more modern trainer aircraft. Another impressive and graceful jet demo was flown by Scott Geller, who piloted his huge

BAE Hawk. And if you wanted something extra special, there were formation demo flights that included three A10 Warthogs. Paul, Dave, and Scott got together and performed impressively closein, tight formation flights as well as lowlevel highspeed passes down the runway. Both Scott and Paul were flying Mibo A10s, while Dave flew his Skymaster Warthog. Hearing six turbine engines all running at the same time is something you won’t forget any time soon.

One of the favorite parts of the midday show came when Andy Kane flew his turboprop-powered SIAIMarchetti SF.260. Andy is a smooth and precise pilot, and he used a smoke system to make one of the biggest smiley faces you’ll ever see right over the show center.

HEAVY METAL

Perhaps the main heavy-metal star of the show was the big and impressive B-26 Marauder. Now a regular part of the WOD event, the B-26 was originally built by Paul LeTourneau. For the last two years, Paul’s Marauder has been part of Malchione’s RC Squadron, and it was expertly piloted by Dave Malchione Jr. You just can’t appreciate the size and sheer power of this World War II bomber until you have seen it up close. The Marauder was built from a set of Jerry Bates plans enlarged to 1/5 scale, and it features traditional balsa-and-plywood construction. It has a 170-inch wingspan and is powered with a pair of thunderous Desert Aircraft DA-100 twin-cylinder gas engines. Few people remember, but when Paul had originally finished the Marauder, it was in a standard olive drab paint scheme. He later stripped off all the paint and applied a beautiful aluminum-clad finish, with all the panel lines and rivet details. The Marauder has a redundant receiver setup,

so it splits the 19 servos aboard between two receivers for an added measure of safety. The scale retractable landing gear were specially made for the bomber by Bob Walker (founder of Robart Manufacturing), and the wheels and functional brakes are from Glennis Aircraft.

Each year, the show team flies a tribute flight in the memory of those military members who paid the ultimate price in the service of their country. This year, the flight was executed with the massive Marauder and a pair of CARF-Models F4U Corsairs. And as always, all the demo flights were choreographed to music and were thought-provoking.

OVER THE TRENCHES

Now a regular part of the WOD event are the impressive mass flights for WW I and WW II airplanes. Known as the “Gaggle Flights,” this year saw more than 20 biplanes in the massive WW I patrol. The definition of RC warbird excitement, the vintage gaggle flight looked—and sounded—just like a scene from the recent WW I movie Flyboys. During the WW II gaggle, the volume got kicked up to 10 and the action was right on the deck, with multiple strafing runs to wake everyone up. Thanks to 2.4GHz radio systems, these popular mass flights are now quite popular and are being flown all across the country. With just a single midair collision suffered during the WW I gaggle, these spectacles were a real crowd favorite.

If you step away from the flightline, WOD also includes a well-attended vendor area for RC products and several food and drink opportunities. Ask anyone who’s been there on a hot July afternoon and you’ll find out that everyone loves the flavored shaved ice! The crowds that show up over the weekend are super-sized, and there is a regular shuttle bus that brings in a lot of folks from around the area. The venue also has plenty of space for trailers and campers. Add a giant storage tent for everyone’s airplanes, with overnight security, and you realize that Warbirds Over Delaware is an event for modelers run by modelers.

ELECTRIC MAYHEM

To close the activities of the warbird gathering, there is a special event that has become almost legendary. Simply known as “Electric Mayhem,” these aerial antics are intended for old and worn-out foamie planes, which are used to fly through a gauntlet of ground fire in the form of Airsoft, Paintball, and potato cannons. The rules are simple: Make as many flights through the hot zone as you can, and the last plane left in the air when it’s all over is the winner. This year, there was even a special purposebuilt Model Airplane News target plane, but it—and many other victims—did not make it to the end! It was a lot of fun for everyone involved.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Just like every year, the 27th annual Warbirds Over Delaware giant-scale event was an awesome way to recharge your fighter and bomber batteries. The models, the pilots, and the entire atmosphere surrounding this event were definitely worth the trip. If you want to feel and experience a true warbird experience, pencil in this amazing gathering for next July. Visit the website of the Delaware R/C Club (delawarerc.org) for more information.

Now a regular part of the WOD squadron, this impressive 1/5-scale B-26 Marauder was flown on several bombing missions by Dave Malchione Jr.

You could not ask for better event support than that given by Team Horizon. Most, if not all, of the midday airshow pilots were wearing the familiar “blue shirts,” and right at the center of it all was the huge Horizon tent. Its team headquarters’ tent was open to anyone who wanted to take a closer look at the amazing airshow aircraft and to chat with the pilots.

This beautifully finished AT-6 Texan was flown by Matt Chapman, who dropped in early to attend the event. Scratch-built from enlarged Ziroli plans, the Texan is 1/4 scale, has a 114-inch wingspan, and is powered by a Moki 250cc radial engine.

Scott Geller flew several demo flights with his huge BAEHawk. Built from a Tomahawk kit, his jet is powered by a JetCat 300 turbine engine. Scott uses a JR radio andPowerBox systems. Top: This Curtiss P-6EHawk was flown by Dave Mauger of Freehold, New Jersey. Powered by a Saito150 four-stroke engine, it has a 74-inch wingspan and weighs 16 pounds. Dave uses a Spektrum DX9 radio for control. Above: A Douglas Skyraider loaded for bear is chased by a Spitfire during the WW II gaggle flight.

Two of the three A-10 Warthogs that flew in amazing formation demo flights are caught as they line up for a high-speed, lowaltitude run over the runway.

This giant-scale turbinepowered T-33 Shooting Star was flown by Air Boss Paul LeTourneau. One of the largest biplanes at the event, this Sopwith Pup is the work of Jerry McCallum. Powered by a huge radial engine, Jerry’s biplane is just one of three giant-scale planes he flew this year.

Here’s a typical scene from the WW I gaggle flight: Gerry Yarrish’s 1/3-scale Fokker Triplane trailing smoke as it is being pursued by Gene Gavin’s Nieuport 11.

Ron Liska flew his beautifully detailed Curtiss “Jenny” during the WW I gaggle.The Jenny has a 150-inch wingspan and is powered by a 3W 60cc gas engine. The classic biplane weighs in at 33 pounds.