*** Top Gun 2011 & Frank Tiano's Events ***
06-27-2010, 01:32 PM
#1
*** Top Gun 2011 & Frank Tiano's Events ***
Ireceived this from Frank Tiano this morning and he has asked me to share this with everybody here. This involves all of his events including Florida Jets, Top Gun, and Monster Planes. The changes will start with Monster Planes later this year. As somebody who has spent long hours on the hot dirty flightline at the old sight Ican say this is a welcome relief, and a big thumbs up to Frank for the changes!!!!
To all Top Gun past and future contestants.
I have been granted the luxury of sharing some very good news with you here on this forum and on several others as well. The news is in several parts, each affecting the other so please bear with me for a few moments.
First, Top Gun, Florida Jets, Monster Planes and the new events we are planning will be held at a new and different part of Lakeland Airport, starting with “Monster Planes”, this Autumn. The new area is being constructed as you read this and will feature an 800 x 70 foot runway of beautiful Bermuda Grass. The overruns will be grass also and will have no “lip” so if anyone lands short of long there is no consequence to the landing gear or airframe. The flying area out in front of a pilot and to each side is unrestricted.
Top Gun will get a Rules Change, perhaps the last one for awhile. Because the Grass Runway enhances the takeoff behavior of tail dragger aircraft, we find it no longer necessary to reward those airplanes with a bonus score. There is an extra portion of runway that will allow tail draggers to take off into the wind, should cross wind conditions prevail.
The Top Gun Board has decided to add one new class and limit another. First, the Team Scale class must consist of a Builder and a Pilot. The Builder must be the “owner” of the model and must have financed the construction himself, with aid from the pilot if needed. NO outside, financial, intervention is allowed in this class, starting 2011.
The NEW class is titled “Unrestricted”. The Unrestricted Class will be comprised of a Minimum of THREE crew members and a Maximum of 6. The model may be funded by any person or group of people, a manufacturer, a company outside the hobby industry, we don't care! There are NO rules concerning the building of the model at all. ALL other rules of Top Gun static judging and flying do apply. We ask that ALL Team Members of the Unrestricted Class wear Team Colors, team clothing so to speak. We want to create some interest in model aviation, bring back some spark to Top Gun and we feel this class, looking similar to a NASCAR team, may be a step in the right direction. Unrestricted Class will be funded with prize money and awards the same as the other classes.
The Last Three things:
ONE: ARF models are allowed in Pro-Am, as long as the outline is considered by Frank Tiano, Chief Judge Bill Holland or Head Static Judge Bob Curry to be accurate enough to be in the spirit if the event. Permission to enter the model must be received before the event.
TWO: The one thing that still remains “unfair” to most contestants at Top Gun is that molded fuselages and wings with perfect skins and defined panel lines and surface details are sure to get excellent Craftsmanship Ratings. These higher scores are without a doubt easier to achieve with composite structures than with wooden components that have been hand formed, sanded, fiberglassed, sanded again, primered, detailed by hand and painted. With that in mind we feel there should be some sort of adjustment to the Craftsmanship Score only on Composite aircraft. And we mean where all components are composite, not a model featuring just a fiberglass fuselage. We have not decided how to do this yet and all we can promise is that the adjustment will be small, and fair.
THREE: We are amending the TIMED OUT Rule effective with 2011 Top Gun. A model may compete more than three or four times. The only limitation is that if the model has placed in the Top Three a total of three times, then it IS timed out. We feel this will allow some contestants, who have found it difficult to prepare a new model over the past several years, a chance to rejoin us.
Buy the way, we are considering to have ALL events we produce to END on Saturday, leaving Sunday for open flying for those who wish to do so while we are tearing the event down. But advertised dates will be Thursday thru Saturday for all events other than Top Gun. We are thinking that Top Gun might be able to run Tuesday thru Saturday.
ALL Input and Comments are welcome to [email protected].
I have been granted the luxury of sharing some very good news with you here on this forum and on several others as well. The news is in several parts, each affecting the other so please bear with me for a few moments.
First, Top Gun, Florida Jets, Monster Planes and the new events we are planning will be held at a new and different part of Lakeland Airport, starting with “Monster Planes”, this Autumn. The new area is being constructed as you read this and will feature an 800 x 70 foot runway of beautiful Bermuda Grass. The overruns will be grass also and will have no “lip” so if anyone lands short of long there is no consequence to the landing gear or airframe. The flying area out in front of a pilot and to each side is unrestricted.
Top Gun will get a Rules Change, perhaps the last one for awhile. Because the Grass Runway enhances the takeoff behavior of tail dragger aircraft, we find it no longer necessary to reward those airplanes with a bonus score. There is an extra portion of runway that will allow tail draggers to take off into the wind, should cross wind conditions prevail.
The Top Gun Board has decided to add one new class and limit another. First, the Team Scale class must consist of a Builder and a Pilot. The Builder must be the “owner” of the model and must have financed the construction himself, with aid from the pilot if needed. NO outside, financial, intervention is allowed in this class, starting 2011.
The NEW class is titled “Unrestricted”. The Unrestricted Class will be comprised of a Minimum of THREE crew members and a Maximum of 6. The model may be funded by any person or group of people, a manufacturer, a company outside the hobby industry, we don't care! There are NO rules concerning the building of the model at all. ALL other rules of Top Gun static judging and flying do apply. We ask that ALL Team Members of the Unrestricted Class wear Team Colors, team clothing so to speak. We want to create some interest in model aviation, bring back some spark to Top Gun and we feel this class, looking similar to a NASCAR team, may be a step in the right direction. Unrestricted Class will be funded with prize money and awards the same as the other classes.
The Last Three things:
ONE: ARF models are allowed in Pro-Am, as long as the outline is considered by Frank Tiano, Chief Judge Bill Holland or Head Static Judge Bob Curry to be accurate enough to be in the spirit if the event. Permission to enter the model must be received before the event.
TWO: The one thing that still remains “unfair” to most contestants at Top Gun is that molded fuselages and wings with perfect skins and defined panel lines and surface details are sure to get excellent Craftsmanship Ratings. These higher scores are without a doubt easier to achieve with composite structures than with wooden components that have been hand formed, sanded, fiberglassed, sanded again, primered, detailed by hand and painted. With that in mind we feel there should be some sort of adjustment to the Craftsmanship Score only on Composite aircraft. And we mean where all components are composite, not a model featuring just a fiberglass fuselage. We have not decided how to do this yet and all we can promise is that the adjustment will be small, and fair.
THREE: We are amending the TIMED OUT Rule effective with 2011 Top Gun. A model may compete more than three or four times. The only limitation is that if the model has placed in the Top Three a total of three times, then it IS timed out. We feel this will allow some contestants, who have found it difficult to prepare a new model over the past several years, a chance to rejoin us.
Buy the way, we are considering to have ALL events we produce to END on Saturday, leaving Sunday for open flying for those who wish to do so while we are tearing the event down. But advertised dates will be Thursday thru Saturday for all events other than Top Gun. We are thinking that Top Gun might be able to run Tuesday thru Saturday.
ALL Input and Comments are welcome to [email protected].
06-28-2010, 06:42 AM
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RE: *** Top Gun 2011 & Frank Tiano's Events ***
Sounds like the airport is pretty committed to keeping the events there as well. As always it should be a class act.
John
John
09-21-2010, 08:33 PM
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RE: *** Top Gun 2011 & Frank Tiano's Events ***
Sound like a winner to me !! I know my buddies from Salisaw Ok. & Paris Ar. will be happy, as they were about to build another airplane !!
