Terrance Bardue starts the engine on his Strega as Gary Harris holds at Oregon Flying Fun No. 1 in Portland. Mike Hazel photo.
Northwest Control-line fliers enjoy New
Year's Day flying
Rice Mill Road Airplane Park, Richmond, B.C., and Jim Walker Memorial Control-Line Flying Field, Portland, Ore., Jan. 1, 2024
Groups of CL enthusiasts turned out on New Year's Day for traditional fun-fly events that celebrated the beginning of 2024 in Portland, Ore., and in Richmond, B.C.
In Portland it was Oregon Flying Fun No. 1, hosted by the Northwest Fireballs, which was the first in a series of traditional Oregon winter fun sessions. (See Where the Action Is for details of the upcoming events.
In Richmond, fliers from the Vancouver Gas Model Club gathered for the annual Polar Bear Fun Fly.
Here are reports from the clubs on the activities:
Oregon Flying Fun No. 1
By Barbara White and Mike Hazel
"The Northwest Fireballs welcomed Pacific Northwest
Control-Line Flyers to the 2024 season with Flying Fun
No. 1 at Delta Park in Portland.
Mostly sunny skies smiled on the group, who enjoyed some of the best flying weather in months — blue skies, no wind, and a comfortable 42°. Fourteen flyers, with 25 planes, put up flights on two circles.
Several types of planes flown: 1/2-A
size Combat, various stunters, a throttled P-51, an
electric foamie jet, an autogyro, an experimental hybrid
plane with a rocket engine, and more.
A pot-luck lunch was enjoyed by all … good
food, drinks and deserts.
Attending this year were Terence Bardue, Darrin Bishop,
Jim Cameron, Don Curry, Roy DeCamara, Gary Harris, Mike
Hazel, Niels Madsen, Leighton Mangels, Will Naemura,
Bill Varner, Jesse Walls, Gary Weems.
The Fireballs look forward to another great year of
control-line flying in Portland.
More Portland photos
Jess Walls waits to launch Gary Weems' Flite Streak. Mike Hazel photo.
Darrin Bishop has the engine running on his board-wing trainer, as Bill Varner holds. Mike Hazel photo.
The board-wing trainer lumbers out of its launch. Mike Hazel photo.
Gary Weems is ready to take off his Cardinal, as Leighton Mangels waits for the launch signal. Mike Hazel photo.
Jim Cameron operates the three-line handle of a throttled airplane. Mike Hazel photo.
Planes await action in the Jim Walker Memorial Field pits. Don Curry photos.
At left, an unusual RC-throttled ARF jet; at right, a Baby Ringmaster and a board-wing trainer. Don Curry photos.
B.C. Polar Bear Fun Fly
By Chris Cox
and Larry Lewin
Happy New Year everyone!
The VGMC’s annual Polar Bear Fun Fly at
Rice Mill Road Airplane Park in Richmond was initiated
in 1985 by Chris "Partner" Sackett. Good on you,
Partner!
The weather this year was cold and
foggy; as Joan Cox noted on the ACFC Facebook page
(about) +2 degrees C. and I don’t think that it warmed
up much if any. That didn’t deter our intrepid
group! It wasn’t like two years ago when they
shoveled the runway or a decade ago when the fog was
freezing on the lines, so they flew!
Chris Cox had his No. 3 Hellcat, Arkady
Gorodetsky his Mig 3, Glen Little had his Tutor 2 and
the blue-nosed Mustang, James Cox flew a
throttle-controlled Corsair, Denis Cousineau had his
camouflaged Ringmaster and Partner flew the Red Devil,
a monoline stunt plane. The only mishap was when
Denis broke a prop on a LOW pullout. He should have
used sandpaper on the trailing edge of the replacement
prop because it did cut him and my band aids weren’t
big enough. The rest of us, Mr. Allan R., Ron B.,
Henry Hajdik, Ken Kalmakoff and Dr. Min (running his
R/C engine) just stood around and heckled those that
were brave enough to do.
About noon the majority adjourned to Boston Pizza for
lunch and a “verbal” flying session. Mostly, a good
day! Tight lines & stay safe!
Polar Bear Fun Fly photos
Arkady Gorodetsky prepares to fly his Mig 3 as Chris
Cox holds.
Glenn Little gets ready to fly his Mustang as Ron Belcourt holds, with Rose Cox in the middle.
James Cox prepares to start the engine on his Corsair as Chris Cox holds and Arkady Gorodetsky watches.
Chris Cox prepares to head for the handle while Alan Resinger holds Chris' Hellcat before the club's first flight of the year.
Denis Cousineau with his “Snow Camouflage” Ringmaster.
Chris Sackett starts the engine on his monoline Red Devil as Henry Hajdik holds.
Hobnobbing is the name of the game at a fun fly.
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This page was updated Jan. 6, 2024