2014 West Texas Warbirds
Event coverage by Terry Dunn. Hosted by the Wings Miniature Aircraft Society (WingsMAS) in Lubbock, Texas. Online bonus event coverage with photos and video.
In its seven year history, West Texas Warbirds has established a loyal following of top-notch scale modelers. Unlike other warbird events, nobody comes here to compete. This gathering is all about hanging out with like-minded warbird flyers and enjoying the wide open skies of Texas. While a handful of awards are handed out for exceptional models, they’re just icing on the cake. It’s the easy-going atmosphere that keeps modelers coming back each year. West Texas Warbirds (WTW) is hosted by the Wings Miniature Aircraft Society (WingsMAS), an AMA-chartered club based in Lubbock, Texas. The event takes place at the nearby Abernathy Municipal Airport, an inactive full-scale facility. Abernathy boasts a 4000’ x 75’ paved runway with countless acres of open fields all around. WingsMAS utilizes the WTW event as one of their primary public-outreach efforts each year. The club devotes considerable manpower to spreading the word about this event and encouraging folks to come check it out. Once there, spectators have access to a great viewing area and real-time commentary provided by WingsMAS member, Tom Wagner. Visitors are also given opportunities to mingle among the airplanes and pilots. They even get to vote for their favorite model to receive the People’s Choice Award. For the second year in a row, this honor went to Jimmy Cowman and his super-detailed B-17, built from Don Smith plans. Warbirds from any era are welcome at WTW. While a few WWI aircraft were present this year, unpredictable winds kept most of them grounded. One notable exception was Patrick Tinsley’s JN-4 Jenny from Maxford USA. Patrick and his biplane earned the “Best WWI Aircraft” award. The majority of the models present were WWII-era aircraft. Some were scratchbuilt, while others originated from kits or ARFs. It seemed that anytime an Allied ship was airborne at the same time as an Axis bird, an impromptu dogfight soon developed. Among the many WWII airplanes present, a few were noteworthy. Greg Pulcini’s 81” P-47 from Hangar 9 featured exceptional detail and weathering that really stood out. Greg logged some very smooth flights with the P-47 and took home the “Best WWII Aircraft” award. Bill Shirk brought out his very clean and attractive ESM P-39. Although his P-39 is relatively new, Bill flew it like an old favorite and earned the “Best Scale Flight” award. There were several turbine-powered models at WTW. These fast movers seemed particularly at home with the large runway and ample sky. Moh Ayoub earned the “Best Modern Aircraft” trophy with his gorgeous turbine-powered BVM Mig-15. The sun was shining throughout the weekend. Winds, however, varied from calm to downright blustery. That didn’t stop the flying, which was constant all weekend long. There were very few bad crashes, but the wind and Murphy caused more than a few rough landings and damaged models. Several of these mishaps can be seen in the video. Despite a few bruised models, 2014 West Texas Warbirds was another successful event for the WingsMAS club. Plans are already being made for next year. In fact, the club has recently repaved 1000’ of runway. Visit www.WestTexasWarbirds.com for more information and make plans to join us at the 2015 West Texas Warbirds event.
2 comments
West Texas Warbirds 2014
West Texas Warbirds
Add new comment