Road to Top Gun
Wayne Fussell >
P- 47 Thunderbolt
Built by Wayne Fussell, this P- 47
was based on a Meister Scale kit and
completed in a little over a year. It made
its debut at Top Gun 2011 (piloted by PJ
Ash) where it placed fifth in Pro-Am Pro.
For 2012, upgrades have been made and
the plane will be flown this year by Dino
Di Giorgio. The Jug has a wingspan of
102 inches and weighs 52 pounds. The
jug has operational cowl flaps, wing tank
drop, flaps and Scale Sierra retracts. It
is powered by a YDA-112 twin-cylinder
engine. The wing is traditional built-up wood and the fuselage is molded fiberglass. The entire
airframe is covered with Flight Skinz aluminum foil available from Solo Props. Guidance is provided
by a JR X9303 transmitter and Hitec servos. The paint scheme was used on a P- 47 piloted by Capt.
James T Moore who flew the aircraft in the South Pacific Theater.
P.J. Ash >
MArtin BAker MB. 5
From Lexington, KY, P. J. Ash is entering a
rather different plane this year. It is called
a Martin Baker MB. 5 which was the last
aircraft the Martin Baker Company flew
before building ejection seats. P.J. built his
impressive aircraft using from scale 3-views.
It spans 97 inches and the fuselage length
is 102 inches. It has a ZDZ 80 gas engine
for power and is guided by a JR Radio. It’s
a traditional all-wood construction with
fiberglass cloth and resin covering.
Mike Gross Sr. > Sopwith Camel
One of the nicest warbird guys you’ll ever meet is Mike Gross Sr. of Mastic Beach, NY. Mike is going
to be competing with his beautiful Sopwith Camel which he built from Mick Reeves plans. A member
of the Long Island Skyhawks Club, he’ll be entered in the Expert class. Mike started building his
project in October, 2010 and the W W I fighter was test flown exactly one year later in 2011.
Mike says: “I enjoyed all 1,500 hours I put into the build!” The Camel weighs 42 pounds ready to fly
and is powered by a DLE 111cc twin-cylinder gas engine turning a Xoar 29x8 propeller. It is controlled
by a JR 12X radio with JR 8611 and 8711 servos. The radio operates the scale control yoke (stick) and
rudder bar which move the flight surfaces. The Camel is covered with Solartex and all color and
markings are painted with KlassKote epoxy paint. Min Wax stain and rub-on polyurethane, as well as
many acrylic paint colors were used to create that impressive finishing, weathering and aging.
