WW I
FLYING
CIRCUS
Though the majority of the weekend is
for flying heavy-metal WW II warbirds, a
very popular part of the weekend is the
mass takeoff and flight of dozens of
WW I aircraft. This new tradition started
at last year’s CHWOD event—all the
WW I biplanes that could be accommodated were all lined up and started at
once for a Le Mans-style start. Last
year, the grand total was an impressive
22. With the aid of 2.4GHz radio technology, this year’s collection of intrepid
aviators, chasing one another in the
grand fur ball was bumped
up to 33. It was truly an
amazing sight!
As if taken straight from
a dogfight scene from an
old Dawn Patrol movie, the
parade of vintage warbirds
was constant with hardly a
break in the action. While
some flew high cover just
under the low ceiling of
clouds and others hedged
hopped mere yards off the deck, the
main body of dogfighters was a combination of precision flying and chaos.
Ever since the release of the 2006 aviation movie Flyboys, interest in WW I
biplanes has skyrocketed. I am sure
Balsa USA with their impressive collection of WW I RC kits is extremely
pleased!
Above: Three intrepid WW I avi-
ators line up for a strafing run.
Right: Ron Liska’s beautiful
Curtiss Jenny has a 150-inch
span and is powered by a 3W
60cc gas engine. Below right:
The lineup of WW I aircraft
before the mass launch ran
more than half the length of the flightline.
(Photo by John Philbrick). Below left:
Bombs away! Sal Calvagna drops off a spe-
cial delivery package! Left: Keith
Zimmerly scratch-built his Gotha IV
Bomber in only eight weeks. He drew his
plans on a piece of sheetrock! The air-
plane is built using traditional balsa and
plywood construction and it has a
wingspan of 19 feet. Two Fuji 43cc gas
engines spinning 22x10 props power the
46-pound
bomber.
