The Blue Max Holding onto History in Model Form

"The Blue Max" text with two vintage biplane models.

Photos provided by the author and David Hart

As seen in the May 2025 issue of Model Aviation.

For 2025, The Blue Max moved to a new location, its third home in the event’s 16 years. The Ocala Flying Model Club (OFMC) provided much-needed space for the growing event. The 200-acre flying site, with a 48 × 600-foot paved runway, is maintained by member volunteers.

Vintage biplane with painted designs flying against a clear blue sky. — Kenny Hurtado’s Balsa USA 1/3-scale Sopwith Pup features a cool dragon on the side that was painted by his wife. It was modeled after an aircraft used in the Australian Air Corps as a trainer.

Red and black vintage biplane flying over a field, featuring a skull emblem. — Allen Hinton’s 1/3-scale Fokker D.VII was built from a Balsa USA kit.

A spacious pavilion for gathering a and smaller covered pit area shelters have electrical outlets for pilots’ convenience. There is a designated area for gliders and helicopters that also has electrical outlets in the pit shelters. The cook shack is open during flying events. Many of the club members constructed the shelters.

The OFMC reserved the field for the event from Wednesday morning, January 22, through Sunday morning, January 26. Officially, the event is listed as a two-day event on Friday and Saturday, but similar to several other flying events, it began two days early, with World War I aircraft in the air on Wednesday.

Red vintage biplane flying low over field, blue border. — John Welcome rebuilt this S.E.5a and kept it from ending up in the trash. He flew it during The Blue Max.

Vintage biplane flying, with red and white squares, number 04 in the corner. — Mike Wartman and his 1/3-scale Balsa USA Nieuport 17 won the Immelmann flight class. The aircraft has a Polish color scheme.

Model biplane with blue and green colors, marked K139B, flying over a field. — David Laver won a flight award with his S.E.5a.

Biplane with RAF roundels flying, number 06 in corner. — Nick Capone purchased this prebuilt Sopwith Triplane and made it ready for flight.

I was fortunate to attend the inaugural event that was held at Fantasy of Flight, Kermit Weeks’ museum in Polk City, Florida. The first event was plagued with high wind and only two aircraft flew at it (that I am aware of).

This year, the wind wasn’t a problem, but it was extremely cold, bringing bitterness to the north and below-freezing temperatures to Florida for a few days. This also caused icy conditions that prevented some northern pilots from traveling to the Sunshine State to attend. An estimated 25 pilots or so were impacted by the weather.

It was, in fact, so cold that Steve Thomas was seen at the event bundled up and not wearing his customary shorts. Steve joked that this was likely the first event he had attended without wearing his typical event attire.

A couple of things really stood out at the event that I had never encountered. One was the large number of poppy flowers and crosses that were located at the show’s center in front of the main pavilion. The poppy field has one poppy for each year since the end of World War I. The crosses represent each country that was involved in WW I.

The Blue Max encouraged pilots to dress in WW I attire. Contest Director (CD) Scott Lee dressed as a Lafayette Escadrille aviator, while Curtiss Switzer dressed as a German aviator.

The typical thing to do at a Dawn Patrol event is to fly at dawn; however, on Thursday, rain and sleet kept flying at bay. On Friday morning, the temperature was 32°, and on Saturday, it was 21°. As expected, the pilots’ meeting was pushed back because attendees were not eager to leave their RVs, tents, or hotels until the temperature warmed up.

Toy plane on table with person adjusting wing, number 07 in corner. — This beautiful, 1/3-scale Balsa USA Nieuport 28 is owned by Mike Barbee and features a UMS 125cc radial engine.

Model airplane on a table outdoors, person working on it, number "08" in corner. — Lee McDuffee’s Pfalz E.I Eindecker was constructed using a modified 1/3-scale Balsa USA kit. It is electric powered and has a sound system with engine and machine guns sounds.

Yellow biplane in flight, dropping a small object, clear blue sky. — Cooper Bradford and his grandfather scratch-built this Caproni Ca.3. The Italian heavy bomber first saw service in 1915.

Scott had a plan to rouse his pilots. He walked down the length of the field cranking an air raid siren, which definitely got the attention of the pilots who chose warmth over the bragging rights for being the first to fly that day!

The quality of aircraft at every Dawn Patrol I have attended is always high, and I enjoy chatting with those who build and fly these early aviation marvels. If building wasn’t a pilot’s thing, I saw at least four or five Horizon Hobby 87-inch Fokker D.VII 30 to 60cc ARFs. Interestingly, a few of the pilots chose to change the factory color scheme. One was done in yellow to match that of Lothar Von Richthofen, the brother of the Red Baron. Another featured Ernst Udet’s candy cane scheme. The Richthofen aircraft has been re-covered, while the Udet aircraft used Callie Graphics decals. Both looked the part and had me seriously considering purchasing one.

Man in vintage pilot attire with model triplane on grass field. — Curtiss Switzer’s 40% Fokker Dr.I was the largest WW I model in attendance at The Blue Max.

People examining a model plane on tables under a pavilion. — Billy Freeland and Bill Fuori judge this Albatros. Billy is an accomplished competitive builder and flier in the RC jet community. Bill has judged at Top Gun and many other Scale events.

Model airplanes on display under tents in a grassy field with large trees. — The flightline was filled with many beautiful WW I aircraft, and the OFMC provided a great field where the event can continue to grow.

Although many commonly seen aircraft at Dawn Patrols were in attendance, such as Sopwiths and Fokkers, I came across an airplane I had never seen before, Gene Gavin’s Phönix D.I. The D.I was a single-seat fighter aircraft that entered the war in late 1917. Gene received a static award for his aircraft at the event.

Flight judging was done for both the Open class and the Immelmann class. The flights were judged by Curtiss and J.D. Hannah for the Open class and Scott and J.D. for the Immelmann class. Pilots flew a set of maneuvers that were judged. The Immelmann class is the more advanced class.

Throughout The Blue Max, music and sounds of WW I aircraft were played. On Saturday, Jay Fiero, the "Voice of the Blue Max," announced for the day. Even given the cold, several spectators attended the event.

Two men smiling, holding a trophy shaped like a wooden plane. — Joe Friend received the Pinedecker incident award from Scott Lee. This is for a pilot who had an unfortunate ending to his airplane. In Joe’s case, it was a Fokker Dr.I.

Three men smiling, one holding a framed award and a glass cup. — Some cool WW I awards were given that included medals from the conflict. The author was moved to receive one himself for his support of the event this year and in the past.

Three men standing, one holding a model plane box labeled "Fokker DR-1 Triplane." — Jesse Hindes was the recipient of the 1/3-scale Fokker triplane donated by Balsa USA.

Man standing outside with model plane; number 16 in the corner. — Gene Gavin’s Phönix D.I. The D.I was a single-seat fighter aircraft that entered the war in late 1917. Gene was awarded a static award for his aircraft at the event.

Award Winners

Static

Gene Gavin: Phönix D.I
Steve Thomas: Sopwith Pup
Warren Farmer: Nieuport 23
Tony Corrino: Albatros D.Va

Flight

John Welcome: S.E.5a
Patrick Ash: Fokker D.VII
Wesley Miller: Fokker D.VII
David Laver: S.E.5a

Max Immelmann Class

Mike Wartman: Nieuport 17

Best Central Powers

Curtiss Switzer: Fokker Dr. I

Best Allied

Forces Allen Hinton: Hanriot

Craftsmanship

Tim Sibley

Award to the Ocala Flying Model Club

Jesse Hinds, OFMC president

Support of The Blue Max

Jay Smith, executive editor, Model Aviation

Best Uniform

Curtiss Switzer

Spirit of The Blue Max

Scott Lee, CD

AMA District V Vice President Andy Griffith has attended several previous versions of The Blue Max and attended this year’s event on Friday. Because I grew up in Florida, it is always great to chat with Andy about things going on in my home state and in the district.

Lee McDuffee and his wife, Helen, also attended the event. Lee handles the RC portion of the Dawn Patrol Rendezvous in Ohio. He typically attends approximately eight Dawn Patrol events a year and tries to keep the community aware of WW I events throughout the country. Lee is featured on the back page of this issue in "I Am the AMA."

On Friday night, the plan was to watch a WW I movie at the field; however, because of the cold, the pilots instead converged on a local Mexican restaurant. An awards ceremony and dinner were held on Saturday evening. Some really cool WW I awards were provided, which included medals from the conflict. I was moved to receive one for supporting the event this year and in the past. Mike and Cindy Wartman also helped, with Cindy making The Blue Max glasses that were given away at the awards ceremony.

Men in vintage military uniforms beside "The Blue Max" sign, with red flowers and crosses. — Curtiss wears his German flight gear, while CD Scott is dressed in a Lafayette Escadrille French uniform.

I asked Scott to sum up the importance of the event. "We are 107 years removed from the ending of WW I. Dawn Patrol-type events are the opportunities you have to see the old aircraft fly. We are holding onto history with events such as The Blue Max. We are a link to the past."

On Sunday, I took advantage of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, which was near the hotel where I stayed. I was last there in the late 1980s or early ‘90s. Two buildings house more than 100 cars, and it is worth a visit if you are in town. Don, at age 93, can sometimes be found in the museum visiting guests.