BY MODEL AIRPLAI bird-place Dennis Crooks' Learjet 35A on takeoff. The model flew impressively Mark Frankel's colorful F-4D Skyray was entered in Team This 1 / 5 . 4 - s c a l e F8F B at well over 120mph and was a big crowd pleaser. Dennis had to increase the Scale with Dean DiGiorgio as pilot and placed fifth. Whitley of Lynn H a v e r tire pressure so the big jet could get up enough speed on the grass runway. It Mark's construction article on this ducted-Ian-jet design plans, and it includes t was well worth the effort. appeared in the April '93 issue of "Model Airplane News." built. The mighty Navy The 18-pound O.S. .91-powered jet uses a Ramtech fan 0. S. 300 twin-cylinde unit and rides on Glennis wheels. wingspan, weighs 25 po, fuel tanks. Mel placed fit b y G E R R Y Y A R R I S H E NEWS & PACER TECHNOLOGY rcat was built by Mel Getting caught up in the fearsome crcsswind, this Japanese FL, using Jerry Bates A6M3 model 32 Zero built by Jeff Foley just avoids scratch- landing gear that Mel ing its wing tip. Jell built his model from a Dave Platt kit and •hter is powered by an placed seventh. An O.S. 1.08 engine powers the 18-pound, The main Top Gun for 1993, First-place Corvin Miller of ngine, has a 78-inch 1/5.5-scale, 80-inch-wingspan model with authority. Sarasota, FL, and his 1/4- scale Globe Swift. Corvin earned a ds and has "droppable" static score of 96.491 and a flight score of 91.958 for a winning total of 188.449. The model has a wingspan of 80 inches, weighs 21.25 pounds and is powered by an O.S. 160 twin-cylin- H E W E E K E N D O F M a y 1 a n d 2 w a s p e r f e c t f o r t h e 5 t h T o p der engine. T G u n S c a l e I n v i t a t i o n a l h e l d i n s u n n y W e s t P a l m B e a c h , F L . W i t h t e m p e r a t u r e s i n t h e m i d 8 0 s , a c a r p e t o f l u s h g r a s s o n t h e h u g e f l y i n g s i t e a n d 5 7 o f t h e b e s t s c a l e m o d e l a i r c r a f t e v e r b u i l t T h u r s d a y m o r n i n g t o t h e f i n a l r o u n d o n S u n d a y a f t e r n o o n , t h e c o m p e t i n g f o r t h o u s a n d s o f d o l l a r s i n p r i z e m o n e y a n d t r o p h i e s , c a l i b e r o f t h e m o d e l s a n d t h e e v e r - i n c r e a s i n g p r o f i c i e n c y o f t h e i r t h i s y e a r ' s T o p G u n e x t r a v a g a n z a w a s a l m o s t b e y o n d d e s c r i p - p i l o t s m a d e it i m p o s s i b l e t o s i n g l e o u t a n y m o d e l a s a s u r e w i n - t i o n . n e r . E a c h y e a r , t h e q u a l i t y , e n g i n e e r i n g a n d e x e c u t i o n o f t h e s e A c r o w d o f t h o u s a n d s a n d a h o s t o f s p o n s o r i n g m a n u f a c t u r - f l y i n g m a s t e r p i e c e s c o n t i n u e t o i m p r o v e , a n d t h a t t h e y ' r e a c t u a l - e r s w i t n e s s e d t h e e v e n t s t h a t m a d e u p t h i s t w o - d a y c o m p e t i - ly f l o w n is a t r i b u t e t o t h e h a r d w o r k a n d d e d i c a t i o n o f t h e m o d - t i o n . A s b e f o r e , Model Airplane News a n d P a c e r t e c h n o l o g y c o - e l e i t i b e h i n d t h e t r a n s m i t t e r s . s p o n s o r e d t h e m e e t , w h i c h m u s t n o w t r u l y b e t h e g r e a t e s t d i s - W e c o n g r a t u l a t e a l l t h e w i n n e r s — e s p e c i a l l y t h e n e w m a n o n p l a y o f R/C s c a l e a i r c r a f t s h o w m a n s h i p . t o p , C o r v i n M i l l e r , w h o f l e w h i s s c r a t c h - b u i l t , 1 / 4 - s c a l e G l o b e E x p e r t m o d e l e r s f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d c a m e f o r t h e c h a n c e S w i f t , a n d t h e T e a m S c a l e w i n n e r s , B o b V i o l e t t a n d J e r r y C a u d l e t o b e t h i s y e a r ' s T o p G u n w i n n e r . F r o m t h e f i r s t p r a c t i c e o n w i t h t h e i r L o c k h e e d T - 3 3 j e t . JUDGING The contest is a combination of static judging (this came first, for obvious reasons!) and flight judging. Practice flights are usually flown after the models have been "static-judged." The rules specify that neither the model's outline nor its markings may be altered in Eduardo Esteves of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, placed 19th with this 1/4-scale, scratch-buill Rearwin Skyranger. Covered with Sig Coverall cloth, the finish is automotive enamel. An O.S. 300 twin-cylinder 4-stroke engine powers the 112-inch-wingspan model. Eduardo scratch-built all the hardware on this seldom-modeled subject. 1. Eighth-place Kim Foster of Mansfield. OH, built this wonderful 1 / 4 - s c a l e model of a Nieuport 28 from the Proctor kit. Powered by a Y.S. 1.20 4-stroke engine, the model has an 80-inch wingspan, weighs 16 pounds and has an automotive lac- quer finish that duplicates a modern reproduction of the famous WW I • tighter. 2. The father-and-son team of Tony and David Malchione of Kennett Square, PA, prepare their T-33B T- Bird lor the second round.