15th December 2007 – as every advent time – there was the competition of indoor models in Děčín train station hall called Xmas Icicle 2007. As a part of the competition the Peanut category was organized as well. For the scale modellers seventy five minutes were appointed in the afternoon, but even meantime we were bothering other free flight modellers with our test flights....
The view into very complex classicism ceiling evoked uncertain feelings – as a sharp eye could find the parts of models caught in previous years on cornices and light cylinders – here is a bit from propeller, there is a stabilizer, there a part of Formanek’s model covered in spider webs. But retroactively I have to say that the model dodging among obstacles which offer about 20 % chance of “free flight” and about 50 % chance of surviving with no damage after flight direction change in narrow hall is very attractive for the audience, and if the hall gives the chance it also brings a pleasure to the modeller, different from the flight in huge hall with not traps (the difference is similar to the cheer from monthly paycheck and cheer from the roulette jackpot).
The first flight amazed not just the audience but also the modeller – R.Pajas was surprised by his pistacio Bristol Scout C, as it elegantly in perfect upward turn came up to the roof truss, for about 30 seconds it slalomed there and after 45 seconds flight it smoothly landed to his feet. Applause of the hall. Everybody got started, the unfinished beers were put away and the flights exploded…. Adam Jeník started his pistacio and meanwhile 21 models are leaving their box hangars. Internationality was ensured by Bernard Guest from Munich, initiator of Jumbo Scale 2008, with nicely made Waco-cabin. The model however was flying the right turn, which together with Bernard’s whole day effort to trim the model evoked Adam to the lecture in English regarding the advantages of the left – Bernard was smiling all the time. Veteran modellers were represented by Jiří Schreiber with Comper Swift and Pavel Formánek, who showed the novices the beautiful models of float Besson MB-410/411 and short nosed Moran N, that after nice trimming flights refused the obedience to his master and could not be forced to the nice turn. Besson successfully attended the competition and showed several smooth flights just below the lamps. Adam was excellently flying his Bücker Bü-133 Jungmeister and Fokker D.VII, he used thinner TanSS-2005 (about 2.8 instead of 3.2) and it paid off: first flight of Fokker was rewarded by second applause of the audience. Bücker even made 30 seconds vibrating flight with single propeller blade. Martin Huk brought balsa sheet SE-5 (16g) and he was trimming the plane all afternoon with R. Pajas, until it flew well with 3.2 and with 2x1.8 he could attend the competition – big joy for beginner peanut modeller. (Note – the numbers are the rubber crossections in mm, model weight is in grams without the rubber band). Viktor Lukáč together with with Adam Jeník were tuning their floats Macchi and Zeppelin for better and better flights which resulted in mid air collision and planes were set aside. Similarly Robert Pajas “finished test flights” with his Tiger Moth, once he managed the model to fly high enough there were the rings (sport equipment) which sent the model into relentless heating radiator; this way the new not-trimmed models were set aside (luckily that was not the case for Robert’s Zlín Z-526 AFS-V and Viktor’s Hawker B Fury). And the exhibition of nicely flying models could start. Victor’s Cessna and Helio Courier made the most stable and longest flights of the whole competition. Pleasure for the eye. The same with Watrmann Gosling by P. Onemichl, that is a luxury model – probably the best built model of the whole meeting.
The competition itself was purely for fun of it, other categories modellers put their models aside and we could see that they are looking forward our show. Audience and applauses were making the atmosphere. The ending was extremely nice: Pajas and Jeník used their WWI models and mutual interlacing of Fokker with SE5 in circles ended by bringing down the Fokker to the corner of the hall, SE5 with 1200 rubber turns did not make it to the lamps, so the England wins; but Adam starts quickly once again and the last moments of 50-sec flight he accompanies his opponent wing by wing with the landing at the same time. The applause after this show was a thank you for the whole competition.
3. Formanek - Besson MB-410/411 50s - 167b
2. Onemichl - Watermann Gosling - 59s - 171.60
1. Jeník - Fokker D.VII - 57s - 171.75
In the gallery there are only new models, the older ones are already described on this server (e.g. report from F4F Teplice), plus there is report from Bernard Guest on SFA web
text: Robert Pajas; foto: Tomáš Vostradovský, Martin Huk, Robert Pajas
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