Pilot of the Month: Robert Fish, D7 2015

My name is Robert Fish. I am 51 years old, and reside in Simi Valley, Ca. I began R/C modeling at age 11. My first radio was a Heathkit, which I built myself. When I began going to the airfield, I was attracted to some very sleek, fast airplanes, and their owners were the best pilots. They were pattern planes! I was hooked right from the beginning. And although I have flown many aspects of this hobby (scale, racing, IMAC, sailplanes), I have always returned to where my real heart is, and that’s pattern.

I grew up during a golden era of pattern. What is now called “Classic Pattern” was contemporary.  My first “real” pattern airplane was a Vertigo II that I built when I was 13. My Dad was flying R/C back then, and he taught me a lot about building a good airplane. My Dad was a master craftsman who went on to build a homebuilt (full size) airplane. I remember seeing pattern fliers like Joe Bridi, Dave Brown, Jim Oddino, and many other of the great pilots. These guys were like heroes to a young pattern flier. I had jobs with hobby shops and R/C manufacturers when I got to be of working age. I was able to pay for my hobby without much out of Mom & Dad’s pocket.

In 2004, I was recovering from an accident, and I had some time on my hands. I had taken a ten year break from R/C, and my interest came back. I went down to the hobby shop to buy an airplane kit to build, and I was in for a surprise. The hobby had changed radically in the ten years that I was inactive. I bought a .50 size pattern ARF. In 2007, I found the “Classic Pattern” movement, and it was game on. I found an old Vertigo II kit on line, and slowly built up a now classic. I had to remember and re-learn a lot of stuff along the way, but the resulting aircraft was well worth the effort.

I flew in my first pattern contest since 1993 in October of 2011. I got wind of a contest in some place called Arvin, and they were going to have classic pattern in addition to “regular” pattern. I was in. I figured that I might as well bring my AMA airplane as well. My re-discovery of pattern was a great experience, great people and great flying. From then on, it was pattern exclusively!

I started back in the intermediate class, and became District Champion in 2012. 2013 saw a move to the Advanced class, as well as a “real” 2 meter plane and electric power. 2014 brought another District Championship. My current ride is a BJ Craft Nuance, powered with a Contra-Drive.  We are a long, long way away from the Dirty Birdy from back in the day. I am also pleased to be a part of “Team Tailwinds”, the pattern group out of AVTI field in Lancaster, which currently holds two D7 District Champions and two CPA Regional Champions.

Even though AMA pattern is awesome, my first interest will always be Classic Pattern. Running the engines is not a problem for me; I grew up with that stuff. The airplanes are fast and sleek, nothing flies like a dialed in classic pattern airplane. Nothing! I fly Masters class when flying classic, I really enjoy being able to assemble my own pattern. I am the West Coast Regional Director for the Classic Pattern Association, and I really enjoy promoting classic pattern. This year saw new venues and a growth in attendance, as well as first ever Regional Championships (a “District Champs” for classic). There are a number of combined AMA/classic contests each year in D7, which I hope to see continue, but the goal is to grow the event to where it can stand on it’s own two feet. Classic has been a great avenue to bringing new blood to AMA pattern, including myself. My current classic fleet includes a Phoenix 7 and an EU1-A, both glow powered.

I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to receive so much help and guidance with my flying, but I owe much of the success that I have enjoyed to my good friend and coach Tony Frackowiak. Tony has taught me more about flying and aircraft set-up than I had learned in the rest of my years combined. Tony freely gives much of his time to help others along the way, I want to follow that example and be of help people grow and enjoy their pattern hobby. I enjoy coaching newer pattern fliers, in both AMA and classic pattern, paying it forward.

My goals for 2015 include a trip to the NATS flying Advanced there for the last time, and then moving on to Masters. I also enjoy flying “FAI Silver”, and plan on learning the integrated rolling maneuvers in the “F” sequences.

In forty years of R/C modeling, I have witnessed a lot of amazing developments like CA glue, computer radios, and the Contra-Drive unit made by Brenner Sharp. But in the pattern world, the biggest development that has come forth is Peter Vogel’s wireless scoring system. Peter’s system takes pattern scoring from the horse and buggy into the 21^st century. It is my sincere hope that the NSRCA takes the necessary action to make this available nationwide, as well as at the NATS. I would also like to see the NSRCA push to move the pattern NATS around the country on a rotating basis. This would make an expensive proposition available to more folks, if even only on a time to time basis.

The older I get, the more I come to appreciate the relationships that are built over time. I would like to thank the many friends that I have made in the pattern community, and I look forward to many more seasons with you. Pattern people are a breed apart, truly great folks indeed.

Maneuver complete!

Pilot of the Month: Steven J. Lampert, D7 2014 Sportsman Champion

The abridged version of me is that I’m 59, I live in Los Angeles, I’m married to my best friend Marina, and I have a 22 year old son, Cameron, who recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz and is an aspiring musician. I have been flying R/C on and off since 1969. Even though that sounds more like a confession than a statement of fact, the truth is that the hobby has been an integral part of my life for 40 years.

I was raised in a loving and supportive household in suburban Long Island NY with two older sisters who were out of the house by the time I was 9 years old. I thus enjoyed “almost” only child status which in my case meant that I was spoiled rotten and given the freedom and support to pursue various hobbies. As a young adult, I had a close family, good friends, a loving wife, and a son born in 1992. I founded an IT consulting firm that was growing at a good clip in a rapidly evolving industry that I still own and operate to this day. I was a 1977 graduate of Tulane University, and although I never pursued a career in the law, in 1980 I received my JD from the Cardozo School of Law in NY and passed the bar.

Until 1998, I was a lifelong and generally contented New Yorker, with no particular desire to live elsewhere. That is until the desire to relocate from NY to LA found me when I wasn’t even looking. That’s when my LA born and bred wife of 10 years (and mother of my then 6 yr old son) decided she had enough of New York and wanted to return to California. When we married, I had promised that if she gave NY a fair shake, I would move west if she was unhappy. In a nutshell, she was, and I did.

My first four years in LA were very difficult and humbling. The move had the unexpected consequence of pressing the proverbial “reset” button on many elements of my life. Within two years of moving, my marriage had failed, and I had so few friends, contacts, and prospective business leads that I nearly gave up trying to resurrect my IT firm. I learned that one consequence of having relatively few options means that the options that do present must be nurtured to fruition. I didn’t give up because I couldn’t; my life in LA had to succeed. Returning to NY was not an option, as that would have meant the end of my day-to-day relationship with my young son.

Slowly, things began to turn around on all fronts. As life began to regain a semblance of normalcy, my ability and interest in pursuing the hobby returned. By ’02, I began new building projects including my first 2M airplane; a ZN Caprise. I soon became a weekend regular at the Sepulveda Basin. I had my Atlanta and LA-1 which I brought from NY, and I think I became known as the guy who brought out these exotic pattern planes but never flew the pattern. But at least I could always build. And I soon got to know most if not all of the guys at the Basin who were interested in pattern.

I remember one weekend, perhaps sometime in 2004, I was at the Basin struggling, as I often did, with the OS 140 engine in my Caprise. A distinguished looking guy approaches me, and calmly informs me that the carbon fiber landing gear on my airplane had been installed backwards. “Excuse me, are you sure?” I must have replied. He calmly and confidently reiterated his observation with further clarification. “Yes.” We then introduced ourselves to each other, and of course, my first question was “…Aren’t you the guy who wrote that column for….?” That’s how I met Jim Oddino.

During this same period I also got to know Ralph DePalma quite well, and flew with him often at both the Basin, and Camarillo. By ’05 or ’06, it seemed obvious to me that the new electric power systems were viable and ready for prime time. I think the thought of finally being free from the complexity and unreliability of glow technology not only re-vitalized my interest in the hobby, but was the single most important factor that gave me the confidence to believe that I could develop my skills and eventually succeed at pattern.
Jim and Ralph were the key motivators that really got me started in organized pattern. By ’06 & ’07, I became an occasional spectator at some of the local contests. I would show up and look for those guys, and they always took the time to make me feel welcome and tried to give me an inside look at the flow of the event. As a newcomer, there was a lot to take in. I would always walk the flight line and kind of methodically examine and photograph some of the planes, trying to gain as much insight into the current state of the art, as possible.

In ’07, I committed myself to giving contest flying a try. I was completely energized (no pun intended) by the dramatic improvements and expanded product offerings in electric. I sold off every bit of glow related equipment I had accumulated over the years, and committed 100% to the nascent LIPO based electric technology. To get ready, I decided to build four 2-meter airplanes, including a ZN Line Oxalys, a Symphony (thanks Ralph), a Brio, and an Integral. A year later, I emerged from the cocoon of my workshop with four new electric airplanes. I never flew one of them in competition.

That finally happened in 2012 at Chip’s first Pattern Bash. I guess taking that first step was a little tougher than I thought. I ended up flying a Seb-Art Angel 50 during my first year “on tour”, and while my results (and the airplane) were pretty mediocre, I savored every moment of every contest, and made a number of terrific new friends. I think many of these are friendships I will carry with me for life.

Several months before that first contest, I joined the Bear Mountain Flyers Club in Arvin. The first thing that struck me about this group was that the talent level of the membership was absolutely astounding. From gifted designers and craftsmen to seasoned world class competitors in virtually all disciplines of the hobby, this club had all the bases covered. And yet, with no pretension, the guys welcomed me and made me feel at home and a part of their group from day one. Although the Arvin flying field is 100 miles from my home in LA, I try to get up there once a week to practice. A group of five or six club members has inaugurated a new tradition at the field that we have dubbed “Pattern Wednesday.” On any given Wednesday, our field might look like the practice day before a contest. There’s great camaraderie between the guys, a pervasive selflessness, and even an eagerness to help one another that defies expectation.

This October marked the completion of my third season flying pattern. I was really happy to have been able to attend some wonderful contests. Each event had its own special moments; some on the field and some off. I wish I could have attended every contest on the calendar. I know everyone really appreciated the efforts made by our CDs, who gave so generously of themselves by organizing and running these events. This year, I won the D-7 Sportsman crown. It was a special moment for me, because it validated the improvement in my flying I had been striving for over the course of the season. I owe that improvement to a combination of excellent coaching (thanks Leon, Gary, & Jim) and some very tough competition (you know who you are…) Still, for me, the actual competition has always been secondary to the simple joy of just being there and participating in the event with my friends.

Next season, I will try to make a credible effort to fly Intermediate. I will be happy if I can manage not to embarrass myself. I am planning to build a contra powered Xarelto bi-plane during the off season. I chose this design, not because I think it will help me to fly Intermediate, but because it is one of the very few high quality kits that are available. Hopefully, new F3A designs in high quality kit form will continue to be brought to market that provide more choice for builders, such as myself.

I also plan to help the Bear Mountain Flyers host a new pattern contest in the spring of 2015. Stand by for more details….. I have been considering sponsoring a “Concours d ’Elegance” award to recognize the effort and talent of those of us who build or compete with their own designs.

Thanks for letting me share a bit of my story with you. Have a happy and healthy holiday season and a great 2015 !

Pilot of the Month: Kirt Campbell, D7 2015 

I am a native of Bakersfield, CA, and a second generation swimming pool contractor, of over 30 years.  I am married to a very supportive wife, and we have a blended family with five grandsons, one granddaughter and another boy on the way, “boys are winning.”  I am looking forward to the day when grandbabies are old enough to fly.

With brand new Oxai Final’s Touch, a Chip Hyde design.

I work and reside in California, but we spend a lot of time at our second home in Mesa AZ.  Both locations have great flying fields and I have developed close friends and mentors in both communities.  I grew up around modeling, but did not learn to fly until 2006.

My father, Durwood Campbell, was an active modeler for over 40 years.  My interest was sparked after seeing some neighbors flying foamies at a park nearby my house. Once I showed interest in my dad’s hobby, he quickly got me involved. He flew Mode 1, but knew I should learn to fly Mode 2. We started out in the afternoons flying in the park with foamies, and quickly graduated to larger size gas model planes. Modeling gave us the opportunity to spend a lot of time together during his last few years, at the field or working on the next project.

After joining Bear Mountain Flyers in 2006, Leon Robison played a big part in teaching me IMAC sequences and later pattern; and still today, plays a large part in teaching and critiquing my flight geometry. I joined East Valley Aviators in Mesa AZ, where I met and was mentored by Bernie Boland in my early IMAC days. Tony Frackowiak, also spent hours coaching and helping me with plane set ups.

Until this past year, I have primarily flown IMAC gas planes.  Chip Hyde had a large influence on me taking up pattern. In the last couple of years, he has been a significant part in helping to improve my flying skills and fine tuning my planes, which in-turn, helped me get to the Unlimited class in IMAC and Masters in pattern. I just recently finished building the new Oxia, Final’s Touch. Honestly, I love all types of flying: foamies, 3D, IMAC, and pattern. It’s fun to change the pace and mix it up. I typically only have time to fly on the weekends, but I will sneak away from work several afternoons if I can. The week before a contest, I fly daily, if time permits.

After flying a well built and trimmed pattern plane, it’s hard to find anything that flies better. My concentration this past year has been solely on pattern. The District 7 community has been fun and good competition to fly against. In 2014 I enjoyed the season attending five pattern contests and attended the NATS for the first time. I ended the season winning the District 7 Masters Championships, and placed fourth at the NATS. 

2014 Masters D7 Champion, Fresno, CA.

 
The Bakersfield flying field has really grown with competitive flyers coming in from both Northern and Southern California on the weekends. We have a great facility and it has given me the opportunity to fly with some great pilots, the Kimbros and Stringers.  Both of these families have helped my continued growth in building and flying model planes.

This next year I look forward to focusing on pattern flying. My goal this year is to stay in Masters class one more season and work toward being on the podium at the NATS. Over three seasons ago, I switched over to Futaba, and I feel it was a great move for me. I recently have joined their team and am proud to be flying with them.  

D7 Pilot of the Month, Bill Sheets

I am 73 years old. My wife Cathy and I have been married for 40 years. We have one son. Cathy enjoys going with me to the pattern contests I attend - that’s what she says anyway! I’m semi-retired from radio broadcasting, doing part-time engineering work for two AM radio stations.

My interest in RC started in the late 1950’s. I was studying electronics at Pasadena City College and as part of the final exam, I was required to design and build an electronic device using only transistors. While looking through a Popular Electronics magazine, trying to come up with some Ideas for the project, I saw an article on how to build and fly an RC aircraft. The article included Plans for the airplane and schematics for the transmitter and receiver.

Early Pattern Contest

I went to a local hobby shop for information. The owner was very helpful and told me about a place where RC airplanes were flown. It was called Sepulveda Basin. Back then the area where the planes were flown was just a clearing next to the dam. I got to know a very nice pilot there who helped me learn how to fly the 48-inch wing span rudder only Piper Cub that I built from a kit. There were not too many frequencies available. Most pilots used 27.255 MHz. I had an amateur radio license, so I designed my transmitter for 53 MHz, the  six-meter band. The transmitter was AM CW tone modulated with a push button to turn the carrier on and off. The receiver was a simple tuned RF that produced a low voltage at the output, controlling a Bonner compound escapement.

At the 2000 Southern California Challenge

There were two other places where RC airplanes were flown. One was the parking lot in front of Los Alamitos race tract, and the other was an abandoned helicopter training area in Orange Co. This would later become Mile Square Park. This is where the multi RC airplanes like the Astro Hog were flown. There I met Bob Dunham from Orbit Electronics. I bought an Orbit Eight channel Reed system and Bonner servos. I had the frequency changed to a channel on 53 MHz and built an Astro Hog. The Astro Hog was a great airplane, very stable and easy to land.

But it still took 3 or 4 months before I could fly it on my own. Today the Astro Hog would be considered a very good low wing trainer. I finished my electronics training at Cal Poly Pomona and began working for a broadcasting Co. They were in the process of buying radio stations all over the U.S., and I was asked to inspect them and upgrade the directional antenna systems. Because of all the traveling, I left the hobby but I knew I would be back someday. During the next 15 years, I did a lot of traveling, got very involved in amateur radio, and got a Private pilot license.

Like Father, like son

In the late 1970’s, while my wife was at a baby shower in Westminster in Orange Co., I happened to drive by Mile Square Park. Looking for something to do, I drove in and discovered that it had become a premier RC flying site. I couldn’t believe the progress that had been made! I bought a used Kraft radio that was set up for mode 1. I didn’t know the difference. It was on 53.5 MHz. I built an RCM trainer, and Ralph De Palma Sr. at Whittier Narrows taught me how to fly again. Six months later I entered my first pattern contest in Pre-Novice at Mile Square, flying my RCM trainer. I met Glen Dean there and I have been flying pattern ever since.

With Shinden at the beautiful Oakdale field

I have attended two Nats, Seguin, Texas  in 1981 and Reno, Nevada in 1984. I enjoy flying with my friends, Lynn, Steve, and Jarvis on Saturday afternoons and then going to Chubby Steer for Chile afterwards. I am a member of three clubs, the Pomona Valley Model Airplane club (I have been their treasurer for the past 10 years), the Riverside RC club, and the Bear Mountain Fliers. I enjoy going to Arvin. It’s a great place to practice pattern!

With Valiant at Arvin

I love Pattern Flying and the people who fly pattern. I’m very grateful that I can still participate. Just like every other pattern flier, I can’t wait to start practicing after a contest and try to correct all the mistakes I made. I probably never will, but I’ll never stop trying.