IRCHA Jamboree 2006 through Wizards’ Eyes

[wizard]

August 12, 2006 After a 16 hour shift on the ambulance, I got in the car and headed for Muncie, Indiana. A little less than 4 hour later, I arrived at the AMA site and drove to the area where the IRCHA Jamboree was held. The first thing I noticed was the size of the AMA site. It is huge. I had never be to the site before and was impressed. As I drove back to the Jamboree I was rubber necking. The first thing that I saw was a session of control line combat. A little farther back I saw someone with a control line pulse jet. Looking farther to the left there was someone practicing F3A flight.

As I approach the Free Flight field where the Jamboree was held I could see the flight line across the field. It looked like the flight line was almost a quarter mile long. Canopies lined the flight line and it seemed like every pilots station was in use. I finally found a place to park and started my first visit to an IRCHA event. As I walked through the line of canopies I was impressed at the variety of helicopters in attendance. There were scale military and civilian of almost every design, and aerobatic helicopters. There were micro electrics, large electrics, glow fuel, gas, and turbine powered.

As I walked along I was also looking at the vendors. If it was for a helicopter, it was for sale. Everything from radios and electronics to complete kits. If you needed graphics for your chopper there was even someone there ready to set you up. Manufactures had the newest items on the market on display. Newly released Helicopters including a version without flybars.

Then there was the action on the flight line. I watched a everyone from kids in the single digits, to folks in there, let’s just say retirement age, were flying there machines. Everything from scale flight to all out blade twisting 3D action. I watched as a 12 year old practiced mowing the grass. I watched as a scale fire fighting chopper made passes.
Then the games began. One of our own members did very well in the drag races. There were a few T-rexs re-kitted in the pylon races. Some of the pilots were just hanging out in one area with a little friendly "Hey can you top this" competition.

While I was there I had the pleasure of spending time with the friends I have made through the Giants. I got a tour of the flight line from Kitman, Mister Popel, and got to hang with MadMax, Biff, Toro, and Snap-a-sarus, Elie. It was like a family reunion (I think I may be the strange cousin from out of town).

As the sun was going down the pilots were having a nice meal, and they were calling for pilots to register for the night fly. As darkness fell and everyone was waiting for the competition to began someone had a mini flying wing with light they kept spinning into the runway to the enjoyment of the gathering crowd. Finally it was time for the night flight competition to began there were 12 pilots that flew one at a time. The Pilots put on a fantastic display of night flying pushing it lower and lower and faster and faster. There were two mishaps during the night flying one chopper was put in hard. The other was an impressive display of piloting skill by mister Youngblood. On a fast diving pass he was low enough that the tail rotor struck the ground leaving the lights from the tail on the runway. He went on to finish his flight but was unable to move on to the final round due to the fact that he had actually broken the blades on his tail rotor. One of the coolest thing about the night flying was the fact that the event was scheduled at the time of the Perseid meteor showers. This set a backdrop of falling stars to the counter point of the graceful display given by the pilots.

At this point in the evening Elie and I started to decide that it was time to find someplace to eat. So we loaded into the car, Toro and Biff in the front, Max, Elie, and myself shoehorned into the backseat. We then proceeded to set off in search of food. I cringe and laugh at the same time remembering the experience of driving around the city of Muncie at midnight trying to find the elusive restaurants that are still open at midnight. Elie on one side yelling "Bad-Ass" and Max on the other ...being Max. Toro sitting in the drivers seat having to put up with 4 backseat drivers. Biff in the front seat telling his rendition of what it would be like if Max visited the Vatican. We were all laughing so hard it almost hurt. When we finally got back to the site after filling the hallow spot that is a stomach, there were still a few pilots out flying their lighted helis.

My only regret about going to the IRCHA Jamboree was that I didn’t have the time off work to get there earlier. Yes it is true that I don’t fly helis but I have always been interested in them. It was a joy to watch the many skilled pilots. I later learned that they had 501 registered pilots, making it the largest RC Helicopter event in the world.

--------Wizard

[SleepyC]

MAn Wiz... good write up...
DAMN.. you guys HAD FUN!
GIANT STYLE!
Or should I say HELI GIANT STYLE!
nice nice!!



S