36 ModelAirplaneNews.com
FLORIDA JETS 2019
Sincetheeventismoreofafly-inmeetrather
thanacontest,participantsareprettymuchfree
toflyasmuchasthey’dlike.Thereisnojudging
(exceptforspecialawards)orflightscoring—
justpurejettingaroundanear-perfectFlorida
sky.Someofyouwithrootsinjetactivitymay
recallductedfansbeingtheprimarypropulsion
systemfor“jet”models.Well,thatentiremode
ofmotionhasgrown,owingtoahugeincreasein
theavailabilityofelectricductedfan(EDF)power
systemsandairframes,mostlyinjection-molded
foam,tothepointthatRC“jet”modelingnow
representsasignificantsegmentofthehobby.
TECHNOLOGY MARCHES ON
Morepurekerosene-firedturbineshavearrived
onthesceneinavarietyofsizesandthrust
ratings,allthewayfrom 6 poundsrightonupto
awhopping 50 pounds,makingnearlyany-size
jetmodelareality.Rightalongwiththisturbine
progress,wefindtheductedfan,thistimetaking
advantageofthenewgenerationandever-
improving“energycells”ofelectricpower,which
havecapturedmuchoftheRCworld.Motorsand
battery-technologyadvancesmakethisformof
jetpropulsionalmostunbeatableandaccessible
nowtoalargergroupofenthusiasts.Goneare
thedaysofglow-poweredductedfanunitswith
theirerratictunedpipes,criticalneedle-valve
settings,blownglowplugs,andear-piercing
exhaustnotes.Intheirplaceisthe“pluginthe
battery,taxiout,andtakeoff”simplicityand
reliabilityofoperation.Sohowdidthemixof
turbinesandEDFsstackupatFloridaJetsthis
timearound?
OnethingwasevidenttomeasIwandered
aroundthefour-dayevent:Turbine-powered
jetmodeling,atthislevel,isnotforthefaintof
heartorshallowofpocket.Makingarough
costestimateofthe“typical”jetonhand,I
cameupwith$10–12Kasabenchmark.That’s
aplanethat’sontheramp,readytogo.Think
I’mkidding?Let’sdothemath.“Kit,”turbine
system,retracts,radio,gyros,andothergoodies—
thenumberiseasytoestablish.Now,some
folksprefertohavesomeoneelse—someone
withmoreexperience,perhaps—putallthese
componentstogethertoproduceaready-to-fly
package.Addcostsforthisserviceand$15,000
becomesarealisticnumber.
Talkingwithalotoftheparticipants,however,
Iconcludedthatcostisrarelyincludedinthe
conversation.It’snotusedasayardstickby
whichanythingismeasured.Inspiteofthe
costsinvolved,thepeoplewhopursuethis
segmentofthehobbyenjoytheirendeavors
Sport and scale jets
from CARF, the Mephisto
and A-4 Skyhawk,
were frequently flown
throughout the meet.If you can believe
it, this F-16 Viper
is a plug-and-play
offering from Bob
Violett Models,
which was
expertly flown by
Roberto Zelaya.Classic BVM design: the Bandit.
This version is electric powered.The host club, Imperial R/C, offered a great raffle and
provided all the flightline and support staff. Terrific job, guys!