January 2012 The Inside Loop


Editor Jay Smith [email protected]		 TO SOME, jets are the pinnacle of flight, whether it’s full-scale or RC. It’s easy to be drawn in by their looks, flight characteristics, and the incredible sights and sounds provided by their turbine engines. Watching jets perform is exciting and can easily fuel one’s craving for the knowledge and skill required to pilot one. Becoming an RC jet pilot is within reach of most modelers. Electric-powered ducted-fan (EDF) offerings can provide the wow factor that we crave, at a skill level and price point that is well within reach. As with other segments of the hobby, jets can be as complex, detailed, and expensive as you want them to be. For a jet pilot interested in competition, the Jet World Masters has to be at the top of the list. This prestigious event brings together the world’s top pilots with the most realistic Scale military and civilian turbine-powered aircraft to compete for the title of the Jet World Master.
Teams from 16 countries converged at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The museum proved to be a wonderful location for the competition and has hosted other RC events in the past.
Dayton is an easy drive from Muncie, Indiana, and I had the opportunity to spend a day at the Jet World Masters. After walking through the large tents where the models were kept and looking at all the impressive jets, I couldn’t wait to get up near the flightline and see these aircraft perform under the control of their skilled pilots. Several vendors attended and AMA brought the Education trailer and provided attendees a chance to fly on the RC flight simulators and put together balsa gliders and color them. Spending only one day at the event inspired me to come home and pull one of my jets out of the hangar for some much needed stick time. T.J. Rohyans was able to attend nearly the whole event, which spanned two weeks, to provide us with some fantastic photos and an overview of the competition. He gave us more photos than we could print, so we made the additional images available online. Look for a link in the article and sit back and enjoy the wonderful photography! If the coverage of the Jet World Masters gets you excited to build your own jet, the Gloster Meteor construction article, by Jim Young, should be to your liking. The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies’ first operational jet. It seems fitting that I began putting together my editorial on the 66th anniversary of one of this aircraft’s notable flights. On November 7, 1945 at Herne Bay in Kent, United Kingdom, Group Captain H.J. (Willy) Wilson set the first official air speed record by a jet aircraft of 606 mph in the Gloster Meteor! I would like to thank Liz Goettee and the U.S. Navy for providing us with this month’s terrific cover photo. We had the opportunity to interview Navy Capts. Tom “Huffer” Huff and Robert “Hoot” Gibson. Both men are not only jet fighter pilots, but also AMA members. In “Carrier Decks and Beyond,” you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about them and I hope you find their stories to be as interesting in print as these two gentlemen are in person. While we are on the topic of the military and about to celebrate Veteran’s Day as we go to print, I would like to take a moment to thank all our veterans! Being one myself, I can appreciate the dedication and sacrifices made by all who serve. Whoever coined the phrase “Freedom isn’t free,” surely must have had the military in mind. Before you put down this month’s issue, be sure to read our “About Us” feature on Sig Manufacturing Company for your chance to win a Sig Kadet LT-40 ARF! MA


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