Florida Jets Report - page 2

The Bud Bandit by Vern Kramer won the Best Sport Turbine award because of its exquisite paint scheme and craftsmanship. Part of the rewards for attending events like Florida Jets is that you can closely inspect such absolute perfection. Photo's can never do justice here. Son Larry flies it like its just another Bandit. AMT AT-180 powered of course, the Kramer's are AMT reps. Graphics by ProMark.

A couple of prolific fliers from California, Tony Frackowiak and Dan Avilla said they thoroughly enjoyed Florida Jets and flew more than a dozen flights each. Tony's RAM powered MiG-15 is in its 2nd season and has been flown at several western meets. BVM's MiG sales get a boost every time. Dan's F-80 with RAM 750 power is finished with the Coverite Presto chrome coat and detailed to perfection. This color scheme is quite visible against almost any sky condition. Dan's efforts were awarded the "Best Scale Jet pre 1960". We are all glad they made the trip.

The Best Twin Turbine Award was won by Jack and Geraldo Diaz who brought their twin RAM 1000 powered Rafale from Venezuela. Take-off and climb performance is very entertaining. Look for this scale beauty at Top Gun '01.

Hot Shot Bandit buddies, Chris Huhn and David Ribbe put on some inspiring duet demos. One flying at 20 feet, the other at 30 feet crossed head on at show center with a closing speed of over 450mph - hope you didn't miss it. Bandits are the sport jet of choice for many pilots like Chris and Dave, they are fast, extremely aerobatic and can operate and land in undesirable wind conditions better than anything else out there. BVM pilots prove it time and again.

This RAM 500 powered balsa Bandit impressed a lot of us. The combination yields a light loaded model capable of very slow landing pattern speeds and still fly up to 175mph at the top end. Mitch Weiss is very excited about his new airplane and the electric auto start RAM 500 - you will see this combo at several meets this year. This is another paint job that the camera just can't fully capture. Since Mitch is a computer guy (Weisco Computers Inc.) he created all of the graphics himself with a combination of paint masks and laser printed decal transfers. Multiple coats of clear were then polished with #2500 grit, compound, polish etc.

In a few years the BVM F-100D may challenge our own F-4 for popularity in the scale arena at the big jet meets. It's flawless performance during the event attracted a lot of attention from those that appreciate a big and powerful scale fighter. An AMT AT-280 provides perfect engine reliability while the servo operated leading edge slats allow the thin wing Super Sabre to ease on to the runway with nose high, super stable approaches and touchdowns.

George and Charlotte Allison, Duff Waldron, Ed Pinzon and Ron Werner, all from California joined Patty Generali for a photo after visiting the BVM facility. Our showroom is always open to jet enthusiasts and we had lots of visitors the week following the event. The Orlando area has many attractions that further justify a trip to Florida Jets.

Some friends from Britain enjoyed the sun at Florida Jets. Nick Smith was assisted by pal Gordon Hughes in getting his balsa Bandit with P120 power ready for flight. See previous for close up of David Gladwin and his Phantom. Pictured below from left to right is Nick Smith, Gordon Hughes and David Gladwin.