36th Vintage Stunt Championships

Model airplanes scattered on grass field.

Control Line Aerobatics

As seen in the July 2025 issue of Model Aviation.

THE 36TH VINTAGE Stunt Championships (VSC) was held at the former Christopher Columbus Park (now Danny Lopez Park) in Tucson, Arizona, March 12-15, 2025. Drawing pilots from across the country, the event blends competition with a reunion-like camaraderie. Despite unpredictable weather, the contest, expertly organized by Jim Hoffman and crew, offered excitement and great flying.

With cool and calm conditions, the VSC kicked off on Wednesday, March 12, with the Old-Time Stunt (OTS) competition, which featured 12 entries, with 10 of them completing official flights. Pilots were divided into two groups and alternated between two circles, with the final scores determined by the best flights on each.

People gathered outdoors, some by picnic tables under a canopy, with a cloudy sky above. — The pilots’ meeting for VSC XXXVI was conducted by CD Jim Hoffman at Christopher Columbus Park (recently renamed Danny Lopez Park) in Tucson AZ. Photo by Colleen Gilbert.

The judges included Larry Lind burg and Jim Renkar for circle one and Mark Gerber and David Fitzgerald for circle two. Joe Gilbert took first place flying a Ringmaster with a Brodak 25, followed by Lou Wolgast with a Humongous, and Dennis Adamisin with an electric Barnstormer. In the afternoon, appearance judging for Classic and Super 70s also took place and was handled by Jim Allen and Roy Andrassy.

Thursday was the start of Classic and Ignition OTS. Rain and a high wind warning marred the day. After one round of Classic was completed, conditions worsened, with gusts up to 46 mph that halted further flying. The remaining rounds were rescheduled for Friday.

In Ignition OTS, only Bart Klapinski and Jim Lee competed, with Bart taking top honors flying a Wildman 60 using an Anderson Spitfire .64 engine. The judges were Burt Brokaw and John Callentine.

Friday had better weather, allowing completion of the Classic competition’s remaining three rounds and the Ringmaster OTS Round One to be flown. Judges included Randy Powell, Lou, Warren Tiahrt, and David. Only one crash occurred when Jim Rhode’s Apteryx suffered minor landing gear damage. Jim Hoffman took first place in Classic, with Joe and Dennis Nunes in tow.

Ringmaster OTS also began and was judged by Chris McMillin and Keith Trostle. Out of 10 entries, only five flew, with Joe winning again.

Saturday, high wind again plagued the final day of Super 70s and the Ringmaster OTS final round. Super 70s saw three pilots brave the gusts and fly only one round each. Jim Lee won with 388.5 points, followed by John Wright and Steven MacBride. Ringmaster OTS concluded with final placements unchanged.

Despite the wild weather, VSC XXXVI was a celebration of vintage models, passionate pilots, and resilience in the face of nature’s unpredictability.

Man holding a large model airplane outdoors. — Dennis Nunes burps his Gladiator while getting ready for Classic! He flew it to third place. Special thanks go to Dennis for his great coverage of the VSC! Photo by Jim Hoffman.

Model aircraft scattered on grassy field under clear sky. — Appearance judging for the Classic and Super 70s classes. Gilbert photo.

The highlight of the VSC is the Saturday evening banquet. For most, it had been a busy week of activity and now it was coming to an end. Individuals started to arrive at 5 p.m., and the banquet room was filled with people from all over the country. Strangely, it sometimes can be difficult to recognize fliers when they get all cleaned up and are not in their flying clothes and hats. Better yet, it was nice to see and meet some of their "better halves" as they included their wives. Before long, it was time to sit down for an excellent dinner.

In all, VSC XXXVI proved to be an outstanding and successful event this year. With the cold and windy weather proving to be what it was, for the most part, everyone had an unbelievably fantastic time. It was so good to meet up with friends who you perhaps see only once a year at this event—and to meet new faces as well. Hopefully, there will be more of that in the future.

Sadly, with all good things, this event came to an end. Everyone had the opportunity to say their farewells, and most headed their separate ways home.

It takes an army of volunteers to put on an event such as this. There are so many individuals to thank, from those who set up the field and tear it down to the dedicated tabulators, runners, pull-testers, and judges. Thank you! None of this would be possible if not for these great volunteers.

A special thank-you needs to go to the contest director of this magnificent event, Jim Hoffman, and his staff. His tireless energy and skills running this event are tremendous responsibilities. Well done, Jim!

Man kneeling next to a model airplane on a paved area, sunny day. — John Callentine is shown with his beautiful P-51D Mustang. Photo by Ivan Murphy.

Man kneeling beside a colorful model airplane on asphalt. — Jim Hoffman is shown with his gorgeous Lunar. Special thanks to Jim for running a great VSC event every year! Murphy photo.

If you were not able to make this fantastic event, don’t worry—there is next year. You have a whole year to prepare for one of the outstanding events in our Control Line modeling world. You will have a fantastic time and meet some great people for sure.

Special thanks to Dennis Nunes for providing the report from the VSC. To read his full blow-by-blow report, visit the Flying Lines website. The link is listed in "Sources."