BERUSTY

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The Tiporare...

I assumed the photo next to the pink "Circus Circus" vehicle with the "Circus Hobbies" color schemes, included a Hippo Tipo, more than likely built and flown by Donny Weitz and may also have been flown by Chip Hyde. Mr. Hyde also drove a "Circus Circus" decorated vehicle for a period of time.

Hipo Tipo...Personally, I called (pestered) Mr. Hanson as a Jr. in H.S. (he was always gracious and courteous) from time to time and bugged him enough to be allowed to purchase a "Hipo Tipo" in the Fall of 1980. My kit did not have the molded channel in the fuselage, requiring the builder to fabricate one out of 1/32 plywood and with modeling techniques...it would look great. The idea was to have the tuned pipe partially buried in the fuselage side, using a rear exhaust engine...incredibly clever at the time.

Buried pipes in Tiporare's...EDS, an english company produced a muffled tuned pipe with crook or bend at the high point to be used for side exhaust installations, narrow header, to clear the wing of a Curare type model. Doug Ferguson, great builder, top 10 FAI pilot early-mid 80's, built a Tiporare in Winter of 1980 with an inverted OS .61 "RF". The engine, header and pipe were completely enclosed and featured a 1/32 plywood floor seperating the pipe and nose retract from the radio compartment. The model was painted in 100% white K&B Superpoxy and test flown a few times and basically given to me as Doug thought it was too heavey. In the Fall of 1980, I sold and shipped the model to the Northwest never to be seen again. Dean Koger who lived in the Omaha and Doug flew the E-U1A's produced by Scully of Aerocomposites.

Rusty Dose
Team Futaba

GP G-Rod

I am fairly certain that during Chip's days of driving "the van"...it was around Jekyll time. (2 stroke- webra red head era)

I would bet one Asano prop that the airplanes next to the van were Donny's.

cheers,
George

GP G-Rod

My boss worked for Circus Hobby from 1986-89.....so just after this era....his gues is either Tony Bonetti or Donny.

I know this is off topic to the original post.....but it is hard to not comment on some of my child hood heros from growing up in So Cal...and competing in Novice and Sportsman during the hay day of AMA pattern and the district 10 circuit.

take care,
George

doxilia

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Hey Steve,

Cool!

It seems to me that there are relatively few classic pattern lovers in this town but maybe that's because I have not found them yet. Or... because they jumped ship!

I actually came back to live here in '88 after my childhood years abroad (several places). Since '88 I have been back and forth between Canada and the US but as they years pass, I realize that Montreal is essentially now home. My wife is from here and so are my kids so that pretty much settles it. WA is a beautiful state - at some point I thought I might end up spending a fair amount of time there but instead lived in Oregon and in Vancouver, BC. For all intensive purposes the West coast is stunning - love the Cascades.

Back to the subject in question. You should reconsider that auction transaction and instead, think about a friendly exchange between real Tipo fans - have been one since I was 15. It is only now, a few decades later, that I'm actually getting to build one!


David.

Insomnia88

The picture was taken at the 1983 Masters in Rough River, Kentucky. The pink airplane with the inverted engine is Don Weitz, it had a long stroke Webra with a S turn hearer and the pipe in the top of the fuselage. The other belonged Ron (Leslie Montague) Gilman. It appears to also have a long stroke Webra in it. They both worked for Circus Hobbies at the time.
Jim Kimbro

doxilia

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I remember those days... I lived and breathed pattern... even if it was only while lying awake at night.

Anyone read the tour de force thread recently started by Chip on Duralite and A123's? I guess given that Chip started flying pattern when he was - what, 6 - he must be in his 40's now. Anyone know if he's still an active competitive pilot?

Interesting details on your Hipo story Rusty.

David.

doxilia

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Here's an idea...

did Jim Kimbro have the nats during the 80's? If so, gotta be his plane...

sorry about the continued speculation. Really we should let it rest but it's hard to keep a bunch of guys quiet who think of the 70's and 80's as the glory days of RC!

David.

doxilia

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Jim,

always great to read your contributions to this forum! And of course, the above sort of details could only be provided by someone like yourself. Thanks for offering that info.

I have to admit that as soon as I saw your interest in this thread (not your post per se - I just read it now), I wondered if this Tipo on auction might be yours. I will also admit that along with the Tipo, your Deception is probably the one other aircraft that kept me awake at night in my teens. It's strange how that can happen to a young lad. But that kind of dreaming eventually comes around... My recent two year quest for a Deception kit finally bore fruit this summer and is prominent in my shop and demanding when it will be built. Hopefully, by next summer I'll have her on the wing along with her identical baby brother (40" span) which I scratched earlier this year. Unfortunately I have yet to finish the little one although the airframe is complete. I was considering a YS 61 AR with pipe under the canopy but an OS Hanno could also be an option. Any suggestions?


Best regards, David.

RFJ

No. Not in the Masters class anyway.

Ray

N8598U

It amazes me how something as simple as a toy like this can have so many
just lying awake at night as to who's this is. I put less effort into my private ticket.
And that was to fly the real thing.
Oh well, to each his own.

I will say however, I too hope to see pictures when it is done.
It is kind of catchy though.

Have a great day Gentlemen.

Steve...

stuntflyr

I must say that this model has produced a lot of traffic. Neat ship. I know, I just had to have the first Tipo I found available (Great Planes kit built ship). They have that effect on people, and I've had lots of real airplanes, raced, acro, antiques, etc. Models are for anyone, easy to store, too!
I find the bids so far are very in line with what's available today. Should be a good find for the ultimate Tipo. I bought a T2A MK II glass and sheeted foam kit from Carolina Custom and it was 500 bucks. The Hippo Tipo for around the same sure makes sense.
Chris...

bob27s

My Feedback: (19)

Just to provide continuity.....
Those two photos are ones I took at the 1983 Nats at Westover AFB in Mass.
Ron Gilman flew one, but I thought the otherone belong to Steve Helms ..... but it could have been Don's ..... I will have to look at some of my other old photos from the time

Gregg G

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I thought in 1983 that Steve was flying an Arrow.

Greg Grigsby

bob27s

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Nah.... I am not 100% sure, but I would not imagine Steve was flying an Arrow that season.

1983 is when the "quiet" stuff was starting to make the scene. So there was an emerging trend toward bigger planes, longer pipes, lower rpm, some folks using 3 bladed props. Dave Brown's Illusion was a good example flying the 3-blade and long pipe setup. Ivan Christianson flew a Citation that year with an OS rear rotor rear exhaust engine, totally enclosed and a 3-blade prop that was whisper quiet. Chip was flying a Hanson Diottel with a Rossi .61 LS engine matched with a .65 size pipe and a quiet lower rpm setup.

The Hippo Tipo 825 was a very good performer and took advantage of the Webra RE on a long pipe - they flew smoothly, had a "slower" look and presented very well in flight, and generally built to about 9 lbs when done properly. Wing loading was light, and it held energy in the verticals quite well. I forget what size the IM glass props were, I think 11.2 x 8.8 (285mm dia or some metric mix of numbers).

Steve was always on the front side of that aircraft and trends development curve. So if one of these is not his, no big deal, but he probably was not flying an older-school rocket ship that year (like some of us).

I am going to try and find that negative so I can read the names below the canopy on each plane.

Bob

(edit-sp)

MMcConville

My Feedback: (4)

A little history.
Actually if those are from 1983, models were still quite fast. The team trials in Rough River KY (my first team trials) was the first contetst where noise was checked. Most everyone put 3 blade props (Graupner) on existing models. They were still fast just not quite as loud. db limit was 105 a 3 meters. I flew a Tiporare, OS .61FSR, ED pipe and Graupner 3-blade prop there.
Team that year was Dave B with the Illusion, Tony F flying a Tiporare and either Dean Koger (EU-1A) or Steve Helms. I dont remember. I believe that year Steve Helms was flying a modified Citation. I cant remember what he called it, but it was a play on the word Citation. (Sensation or something) . Tony F was somewhat my mentor so I was flying the same set-up as him.

That was the last year for old style pattern at the F3A level. In 1984, turnaround was born amd models and power set-ups changed a lot. That was the year Chip was flying the Hansen Dalotel (not 1983).

RFJ

Mike,

This might bring back some more memories

Ray

bob27s

My Feedback: (19)

Good info Mike, and thank you.

Yep, it was when quiet started to happen, but aircraft were still going fast.

Back in 83 I was flying Advanced, and quiet had not quite set it at my level yet

I was flying a Bootlegger that season at the Nats (Rossi power) and a rear-exhaust modified Compensator (OS power). I move into the Eu-1A and Tipo750 starting 1984.


That team trials list is great too......
Clearly the two hippos belonged to Don and Ron

I think I still have a couple of Max Dailey props somewhere in the workshop [&:]

Gregg G

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Bob,
I got an email from Steve. In 1983 he was flying Arrows and then before the World Championships he switched to a Naruke Cosmos. Hope this helps.

Greg Grigsby

MMcConville

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Holy Cow. That is awesome! It does bring back memories! I like the age 18 part my my name especially

Cant believe that Helms' model was listed as Sensation. I couldnt have remembered that 5 minutes later.

RFJ

Didn't noticed that - made you the youngest contestant by some years. Had to laugh at the oldest swinger in town's entry: Tony Bonetti - age unknown

Ray

bob27s

My Feedback: (19)

Outstanding ..... thanks for the update and correction !

Damn....... that 26 years ago almost...... holy cow. I can barely remember what I had for breakfast.

dhal22

breakfast? i had breakfast?

Old RC Aviator

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I must confess to being a tad confused by the pictures of the Circus Circus Tipo and the Hippo Tipo. The Circus Circus Tipo has anhedral in the horizontal Stab and the Hippo Tipo seems not to have it where my Hippo Tipo has the anhedral. Was it an option left to the builder whether to put in the anhidral or not? Sorry for the crappy spelling.
JAY.

Upon taking another look at the pictures it may be the way the picture was taken.

MMcConville

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I see that kind of question a lot. Remember this was in the day of kits, everything was an option left up to the builder. I remember when I first started pattern in 1978, Hanno had just won the worlds withthe Curare, and thus a lot of models I saw at contests had anhedral added to them; Phoenixes, Dirty Dirdys etc etc.
Kinda like adding cantalizers to todays pattern plannes.

impactiq

My Feedback: (57)

Depending on what version of the Tiporare you bought.... the fuse had 2 sets of marks to do the stab straight or with anhedral.