It’s a combination of flying and building skills that counts when you enter the Top Gun Scale Invitational competition and the highlight of the banquet dinner is the presentation of the special achievement awards. From High Static to the Best of Classes and the flight performance recognition, the hardware is eye-opening just s much as the winning airplanes and their pilots. Here’s this year’s line up for Top Gun gold.
STATIC AWARDS
Award Sponsor Winner Aircraft Score
Masters High Static ZAP GLUE Jeff Foley BF-109E 97.917
Expert High Static FLY RC Jack Diaz Fouga 99.167
Team High Static RC SPORT FLYER Graham Mears T-33 97.417
Unlimited High Static MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS Team Rudy 96.167
Best Civilian Runner- Up RED BULL Tim Cardin T50 Bobcat
Best Civilian (Pilots Choice) BOLD PROPS Mike Fetyko Stearman
Best Military Runner- Up SPEKTRUM RADIO Gabriel Pellegrini F-100
Best Military (Pilots Choice) HORIZON HOBBY Mike Barbee Grumman Wildcat
Best WW2 RAY & ROBINS HOBBY Brian O’Meara P-47
Best Biplane EZ BALANCER John Boyko Pitts Special
Best WW 1 FALCON PROPS David James SPAD VII
Best Pre WW2 WARBIRDS OVER the ROCKIES Jack Buckley DH82 Tiger Moth
Best Jet ELITE AEROSPORTS Jack Diaz Fouga
Best Pro-Am PRO CORTEX – DEMON GYROS Gustavo Campana Pampa
Best Pro-Am SPORT MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS Aarahn Stewart P-47
Engineering Excellence ZAP GLUE Skip Mast C-130
Outstanding Craftsmanship MICRO FASTENERS Todd Bixby Airco DH1A
Best Unlimited Showing ROBART MFG. Randy Clark YAK 130
Top Buns Award FLY GIRLS Mike Fetyko
Best Jet Performance KING TECH TURBINES Peter Goldsmith F-104
Best WW2 Performance CARF MODELS Brian O’Meara P-47
Best Multi Performance GLOBAL JET CLUB David Payne B-17
Critic’s Choice Runner-up FTE Mike Barbee T-34
Critic’s Choice Award Zap Glue & MAN Mike Barbee Wildcat
Mr. Top Gun– Jack Diaz
Same group of fossils showing up to this year after year. Nice to see at least 2 or 3 unusual models. Ehhh. Zzzzzz.
Hey Bill A. Gee whiz, I looked up and down the roster of Top Gun 2015 Participants that were INVITED to be at TOP GUN (and REPEATEDLY) because they’re the BEST MODELERS in the WORLD and it’s an Honor to be invited…….didn’t see your name anywhere. Hmmmmmm
Congrats to all the winners! The models look truly spectacular!
Hey Bill A., lighten up! Didn’t see your name in the results, who are you to talk? These folks are there, year after year, because they are that good, and they take the time and money(gobs of it) to be a part of this event and others. I think it awesome we have this going, I’m afraid to think of what it will be like when Frank gets tired of it all. The calibre of competition keeps improving and it spurs new ideas and technigues that we all can emulate. Our entire ‘Walter Mitty’ world is because of this sort of thing. Scale competition has always been extreme but gratifying when your ‘peers’ recognize your accomplishments. My only ‘bitch’ is the magazines don’t spend enough ‘ink’ on pictures and articles and possibly ‘how to’s’ from this stuff to do the competitors justice!
I agree with Bruce’s comments below. I would never have neither the building skill, nor the sheer patience to build, far less enter one of the masterpieces into a competition of this caliber. I will just build my humble airplanes and fly and make mistakes. I have one airplane that I was trying to complete at my level of ‘scale’ without an documentation, and that took me about 300 + hours, I would not even attempt one of the above caliber. Beautiful workmanship all round you guys, be proud, ALL of you!!!