As the Showcase got underway Sunday morning, the big guns brought out the big birds.

Ali Machinchy, one of the world’s most renown RC jet pilots from England was dominating the air early on Sunday. His favorite toy of choice, the blue and white Viper sport jet, was noticeably outperforming all other jets in the air. Machinchy was simply able to maneuver on a different level than most all other pilots flying.

Ali Machinchy brings home another one safely with some obvious opinions on some changes to make. Photo by Andrew Stevens

His inverted and knife-edge passes presented the most risk, as some bordered close to single-digit feet from the ground. And those passes that weren’t that low, morphed into bold and daring perpendicular bolt-aways from the runway off into the distance.

As if that weren’t enough, some passes also ended up in steep and sudden climbs into the heavens that resulted in spinning and dropping falls back to earth from their peak. Quite a show to say the least.

And when I asked Ali why it seemed his favorite model to fly was his blue and white Viper he commented, “because the Viper is the most accessible jet out there. Its easy to maneuver for the high amount of performance it has. Everything about it is solid all the way around.”

Not only was Ali flying his own Jets, but everyone else got in line to have him fly their models. From the A-10 Warthog, to the Victory, and everything in-between, Machinchy seemed to be constantly up in the air flying something.

Scott Marr, another big-time RC ace from Florida, and pilot of a Reno Air Race champion model, brought his Tomahawk Futura to the table, along with a line of other Futura models. These jets were definitely different than the mainstream, as their futuristic and modern design was a great alternative to everything else on display.

Scott Marr brings another Futura sport jet to the runway. Photo by Andrew Stevens

Marr also boasted the Shockwave sport jet, a candy-red beauty that was by far the fastest jet in the sky all weekend. An aerodynamically clever design, the Shockwave lived up to its nickname. While having to actually be traveling three and a half times faster than it was going to break the speed of sound barrier, (comparing the conservative peak speed of the Shockwave – 220 mph, to the speed of sound barrier, 768 mph), the Shockwave still widely opened eyes, ears and nerve-endings. As it made aggressive passes along the runway, it was literally there, and then gone in the blind of an eye.

As the afternoon progressed, the fans were finally allowed onto the runway to vote for their favorite jets of the showcase. Kids adult-sized and child-sized alike were given a treat in the ability to examine these complex systems up-close and personal. Being able to meet and greet with the pilots and their prides was something engaging for everyone and entirely embodied the essence of Fansmanship.

The fans get a chance to check out all of the models and pilots in the showcase. Photo by Andrew Stevens

Best of the West 2012 was a complete and encompassing success as it has been the past two years I have been fortunate enough to attend, and as I’m sure it will be once again next October. More and more pilots from around the world are making it a go-to destination, and rightfully so.

Event director Joe Casteleao and all that assist him are deserved the utmost amount of credit and gratitude for being such accommodating hosts once again. Everyone that made the whole production happen should be proud of both how seamless the entire meet unfolded and and how fulfilling the experience was.

Mark it down on your calendar right now – Best of the West 2013, next October. If you find your way to the ‘Willow, you’ll find an escape in the air.

Feel free to check out Part 2 photos below!

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Event director Joe Castelao holds a pilot briefing on the runway prior to the showcase getting underway. Photo by Andrew Stevens

A consistent flow of RV’s and hobby trailers slowly gave way to glorified airborne toys that are valued in the hundreds, thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars.  Some of the participants made their way to the destination from points around the world as early in the week as Monday.  When Fansmanship.com arrived Thursday, all but a handful of the total that were to be involved in the Saturday Showcase had already made their way to the scene.  As the event reached its penultimate on Saturday, several pilots, technicians, modelers, vendors, event staff and most importantly, fans, were all present to take in the majesty of this elite hobby.

Event Director Joe Castelao once again piloted a smooth and turbulent-free flight for all involved.  Planning and coordinating all of the licenses, permits, rentals, catering, awards, and emergency and event personel truly takes the entire year leading up to the next event to have all of your ducks in a row.  The efforts of Mr. Castelao and all around him should be commended and appreciated.  Best in the West is first class when it comes to these types of events, and this year there wasn’t even the slightest hiccup as the entire production unfolded.

Master of Ceremony Sam Wright addresses the runway, tents and fans as the showcase gets underway. Photo by Andrew Stevens

The voice of Best in the West, the golden pipes of longtime announcer Sam Wright brought the perfect amount of marvel to everyone within speaker earshot.  His descriptions were the perfect compliment to all the action taking place in the sky, as veteran or novice pilots and fans alike seemed to welcome and enjoy the colorful and informative broadcast.  I personally got to spend a lot of time taking it all in with Sam, as sitting next to him at the announcer’s booth was the ideal perspective to effectively capture the entire display.

On my initial walk around the tents I noticed that, although each model was unique in its own way, the one thing that all of these birds had in common was their internal intricacy.  Anyone can go to their local hobby shop and buy a small electric-powered jet that is essentially “plug and play” for a few hundred dollars – but these high-end puzzles of wood, fiberglass, plastic, metal, electrical wire, tubing, batteries and turbine engines have all the elaborate complexity of the human body.

Jet Cat USA technician Scot Sneed awaits the pilot to return to test his finished product on the runway. Photo by Andrew Stevens

I was fortunate enough to get a complete inside look at what a technician goes through in order to fix a number of problems and get these jewels flight-ready.  One of my best friends, Scot Sneed, is an engine and all-around hobby technician for Jet Cat USA.  Located in Paso Robles, California, Jet Cat USA is a satellite operation of the German-based turbine engine manufacturer.  Jet Cat has very few competitors, as a dominant majority of all jets of these magnitude around the world employ Jet Cat turbine engines.  Jet Cat USA in Paso Robles supplies and services all of their turbine engines in the entire Western hemisphere. 

Knowing the ins and outs of these engines that range from $2,500 to $7,500 and how they mesh with the rest of the internal system is something that isn’t gained overnight.  Watching and assisting “Dr. Sneed” with his remote-controlled patients was well worth the trip. The main thing to consider in the guts of these jets, is that if only one little thing isn’t right in the entire system of dozens if not hundreds of things, the whole arrangement isn’t going to work.  And the procedure of knowing what to look for in the entire order of each particular system is truly something incredible.  And what was most outstanding is that Sneed fixed all of the problems he was charged with at a rate of 100% on this weekend.  

Tam Nguyen spots his nine-year-old son Sean as he walks his electric-powered jet back up the runway into the pits after another successful flight. Photo by Andrew Stevens

Another wonderful thing this exciting and fulfilling hobby features is the family connection.  Based in Silicon Valley, California, the Tam Jets operation always features elite models and pilots at these types of events.  Owner Tam Nguyen is a respected veteran in RC jet circles around the world.  Tam’s son, Sean Nguyen has already become a pilot well beyond his years at only nine years old.  You heard me right.  Nine. And he probably already flies better than half of all RC jet pilots in the industry.  And to see father and son come together and share something that is both business and enjoyment for Dad and 100% fun for son is something that poetically transcends RC jet modeling.  Tam should be incredibly proud of his son Sean.  He put on a great show for everyone that was fortunate enough to be present at the event.

Most of Thursday and the early part of Friday was reserved for practice flights and testing.  The testing you ask?  The players versus the environment.  Buttonwillow in October still has more of a feeling of summer than it does fall.  Temperatures early in the event ranged from the the high 80’s to the low 90’s with a limited wind factor.  The pilots had no complaints, as these conditions are beyond ideal for jet flight.  The one and only downside?  Well, if you want to get picky, Buttonwillow presents a very dry heat.  And surprisingly enough, humidity trumps dryness as far as ideal flight conditions are concerned.  In conversations with several pilots and technicians, I learned that heavier air works extremely better than dry air when you consider turbine engine efficiency and overall performance, which is a reasonable trade in exchange for whatever slight difference there may be in fuel consumption.

A couple of early on-lookers are present for the event equivalent of batting practice, taking a preliminary view of all that was available on the runway and in the air. Photo by Andrew Stevens

Early to mid-morning Friday, a few hardcore fans came a day early to get a preview of what would be on display the next day.  For only $10 dollars fans could purchase a pit pass and walk through the pit areas to view the jets up close, as well as be able engage the pilots and technicians.  This pass was good for both Friday and Saturday, as the real enthusiasts that showed up a day early could get some value in showing up before the masses arrived and the showcase may have made everyone less accessible. 

As the sun reached its peak Friday afternoon, one of the most recognized modelers in the industry finally arrived with his hobby trailer full of projects.  Henry Nguyen rolled in with event director Joe Castelao’s A-10 Warthog, an annual show favorite.  This classic Vietnam War scale model was known for its nickname “tank buster.”  Armed with a 30 mm rotary cannon, the A-10 Warthog was primarily used as the nose of the spear in escorting squadrons on bombing missions.

Top modeler Henry Nguyen explains to event director Joe Castelao about the new additions to his A-10 Warthog. Jet Cat technician Scot Sneed looks on. Photo by Andrew Stevens

The amount of detail the A-10 boasted inside and out put all other jets at the show to shame.  How precise and accurate everything was inside the cockpit had to be what stood out most about the majestic killer.  And after being able to study most all of the birds intensely as Friday afternoon turned into evening, this particular part of the hobby as a whole seemed to be the most impressive – detail, detail, detail. Things like high-rate performances of engines and the different aerodynamic qualities of airframes definately has a certain amount of attraction for the pilot in us all, but the hobbyist in us all can’t help but appreciate the overall detail of these fine sport and scale models.  

If all the chatter, laughter and wrenching going on around the tents all day and evening Friday was any indication, the Saturday showcase was shaping up to be something special. 

Part 2 of Fansmanship.com’s coverage of the Best in the West 2012 RC Jet Event will be available to view in the coming days.  Stay tuned!

Please view the Part 1 photo gallery below.  More pictures and video to come!

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If our studio looked like this, maybe the podcast would have sounded better today…

Despite the horrible sound and mediocre cell reception on the second segment, today’s fansamanship.com podcast is still worth listening to — if you’re patient.

J.D. Scroggin from the Tribune joined the podcast for the first segment, discussing his hatred of UCSB tortilla-throwing tradition and the Cal Poly football team’s 6-0 record. He had some good insight on whether an 11-0 regular season is possible, among other things.

In the second segment, Andy Stevens talked about his third trip to a remote control (RC) jet show. At the Best in the West this weekend in Buttonwillow, CA, Andy is watching some of the finest pilots in the world fly their RC helicopters and jets, some of which cost upwards of $20,000.

If you can get past the poor sound quality, I hope you enjoy the podcast. If not, I won’t take it personally. We’ll try to do better next time.

The weather was cooperative, as the winds were low and the sun was sky high. Although one of the industry’s titans who was present at the spring event, Florida-native David Shulman, was not present, rally coordinator Joe Castelao was able to recruit one of Europe’s best, England’s Ali Machinchy, to serve as the headliner. This was an exciting thing for all enthusiasts from the region that were present, as for most, this was the first opportunity to see the flying ability of one of the greats from overseas.

The event organizer, Joe Castelao, put together a well-oiled machine that featured a vast collection of talent, some special features that were not expected by all fans that attended, and a flawless execution of the entire rally as a whole. There wasn’t a hiccup all weekend.

Here is a short clip of Castelao being interviewed by a local reporter at the outset of the event.

Early Friday morning, the runway was littered with all of the best models that were brought to the event from around the world, as the pilots were lined up and ready to get their birds in the air. The conditions were so nice early Friday that there seemed to be a race to get in line on the runway. Below are just a few of the sport and scale models that were featured.

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The Victory scale model was once again a big hit. There were two brought to the event and one was sold. This was again undoubtedly my favorite model of the entire event.

This sport jet was the largest sport jet at the event. The video below gives you an idea of the sheer size and power of this huge sport jet.

The difficulty of flying an RC helicopter is extremely high. The difficulty of flying an RC helicopter of this size is off the charts.

The aforementioned Ali Machinchy from across the pond flew a scale A-10 Warthog designed by Henry Nguyen.

Machinchy then had a tandem fly with Dave Presta, as they flew the two victories that were brought to the event. With the sun setting, the way the clouds began to turn orange meshed perfectly with the slow and majestic passes of the victories. It was a great way to end the day.

There always seems to be at least one major crash every one of these events, and early the following day, that’s just what happened. Speaking with the pilot of the destroyed jet, he was more than just a bit incensed. He informed me that he was coming in for a landing and some “rookie” didn’t realize the jet in front of him was slowing down to land and ran right up the back of the jet, destroying both jets. This is what a totaled turbine looks like.

For a frame of reference, here are a couple of models of what Jet Cat engines look like brand new. From new and shiny to toasted and totaled. Ouch.

Towards the end of the day Saturday, Castelao brought in some professional fireworks and incorporated them into a flight. The fans were pumped.

At the end of the event, all the jets were lined up and the fans were allowed out onto the runway for a fan vote of the best jets at the event.

“The Willow” was once again a success. The pilots, modelers and vendors that made it happen for all the fans that attended deserve a great deal of credit. Also, upwards of almost $1,000 was raised for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which is always a nice touch to any event. Fansmanship can’t wait for California Jets 2012 in the spring!