2005 IRCHA Jamboree

2005 IRCHA Jamboree

Ray Stacy | [email protected] As seen in the January 2006 issue of Model Aviation. WHERE CAN YOU go and hang out with close to 500 of your best buddies, doing what all of you like to do best? The 2005 International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association Jamboree, or IRCHA Jamboree for short.
Adam Tashjian built his stunning Air-Crane from the first production kit from Vario. East Coast Scale Helicopters imports the kit. IRCHA was established in 1984 as a means to unite model-helicopter pilots and promote the safe flying and advancement of model-helicopter flying. You can check out the Web site at ircha.org/. The 2005 IRCHA Jamboree was the organization’s 12th such event. I have been to a number of them throughout the years, including the first one held in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. The 2005 Jamboree was by far the biggest and best that I have attended.
Each day started with Ralph Dalusio’s model flying the American flag while the national anthem was played. There were 467 pilots registered, and some traveled from as far as Australia, Germany, and England. The pilots covered all skill levels, from just learning to hover to the World Championships competitors. Ages ranged from 9 years old to—well, I’m not certain. This is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new friends.
SKS Video captured all the action and conducted several on-camera pilot interviews, including this one with Kyle Stacy. This year’s Jamboree was hosted in Muncie, Indiana: the home of our Academy of Model Aeronautics. This was my first trip to the Muncie facility. Possibly like many of us, I have always wondered what the AMA site was really like. Our interests have been well cared for! I was impressed with not only the AMA Headquarters building and the AMA National Model Aviation Museum, but the various flying sites that were beautiful and well maintained. I am glad to see IRCHA and AMA working so closely together on an event of this magnitude. The Jamboree started August 11 and lasted until August 14; it was four days of nothing but flying! The flightline was opened on the 10th, which was a good thing because many people arrived early. Some people just can’t get enough of this stuff! Our group arrived early Thursday morning. We were greeted by the sounds of helicopters in the air and people running back and forth between merchants, trying to take in the latest and greatest in RC helicopters. The flightline and “Vendor Row” extended in both directions for as far as I could see. I was suddenly glad I had reserved one of the golf carts for the weekend!
Every morning IRCHA President Ron Kummer started with a pilots’ meeting. This was to go over the day’s agenda and discuss all rules for safe flying. I think almost every top model-helicopter company was represented on Vendor Row, and that was certainly the place to get the deals. We quickly found a spot for our tent and unloaded our belongings.
How is this for a gorgeous flying site? The flightline stretches for almost as far as you can see! IRCHA President Ron Kummer and his staff did a great job of organizing the process to register. There were two lines for signing in: one for pilots who preregistered and one for those who did not. The pleasant Holly Swartz was there to make sure everyone found his or her way into the proper line.
Mr. IRCHA—Ron Kummer—prepares to present one of the four Futaba MZ radios that were given away. After we signed in and received our badge and IRCHA Jamboree shirt, we were directed to the radio impound, which was a significant operation in itself. Dan Monroe and his crew did a fantastic job of coordinating this station; keeping 467 pilots and their respective frequencies straight is no easy task. Dan has developed a software package that, in conjunction with AMA’s equipment, handled the frequency control beautifully.
Dan Monroe and his Frequency Control SW program did a great job of keeping the radio waves under control. Once your radio was checked at one end of the impound trailer, your name and frequency were entered into the computer database. To check out your radio, you went to the other end of the trailer where they brought up your pilot number to see if your frequency was available. If it was, you were given your radio and a pager to keep with you. If your frequency was unavailable, you could see how much time the person with your channel had left before search began. Pilots who had synthesized systems could get a report of all open channels and pick the one of their choice. Dan’s system will even show you, on the fly, which frequencies are used the most. Once you had the pager and transmitter, the 30-minute clock started and you were free to fly. At the end of the half hour, the pager was activated, meaning it was time to return your radio and pager to the impound. If you did not come back, you were paged on the public-address system. I know this from personal experience! During the busy times the 30-minute periods could be too short; you might have been called back before you were even able to get to a flight station to fly, but those instances were rare. There were a few times when getting the pager and radio back became a challenge, but you might expect that with this many pilots. I think every type of model helicopter was represented at the Jamboree, ranging from the tiny electric-powered Trex up to the awesome Bergen turbines owned by Greg Alderman.
Matt Botos and Marcus Kim take a break during the manufacturers’ demonstrations. All team pilots were available to answer questions.
Jason Krause and Todd Bennett put the long-awaited Synergy design through its paces. It was no surprise to see that the model performed beautifully. Throughout the day those present were treated to demonstrations by some of the best pilots in the world. One of my favorites was the “Triple Threat” performed by Jeff Swartz, Mark Fadely, and Matt Botos.

Jeff Swartz, Mark Fadely, and Matt Botos perform the “Triple Threat.” This was nicely done to music, thanks to Mark. They executed a choreographed routine with their helicopters that was amazing to watch. At one point they had two helicopters in a Hurricane, with the third doing low-level flips in the middle. Later I heard one of the pilots say, “Imagine how good it would be if we actually practiced”! The raffle prizes were the most impressive lineup of helicopter paraphernalia ever assembled! I saw Futaba 14MZ radios, JR radios, Airtronics radios, Hirobo Evo 90 helicopters, Raptor 90 helicopters, Bergen Intrepid helicopters, Century helicopters, engines, support equipment, and more. It was huge. There was more than $10,000 in prizes. Ron Kummer did a great job of keeping things running, and he passed out prizes throughout the day. Yes, the jamboree is one big fun-fly event, but there is still a bit of friendly competition. A Scale contest was held, in which we got to see some of the bestlooking helicopters in the country. Tim Dawson won with his beautiful Aérospatiale Puma. His scale building skills are exceptional. I was disappointed to see that Tim did not bring his trademark top hat.
Scale-event winner Tim Dawson (L) prepares the Puma for a near-perfect flight. The next event was a drag race hosted by Ron Lund of Rick’s R/C. This is exciting to watch—from a distance! There was also a Class I competition scheduled, but I believe it had to be canceled because of some nasty weather that came through. It was amazing to this northern boy to see how quickly a storm could come up, dump rain and wind all over the place, and then leave!
This picture was taken in the early afternoon! The storms in Muncie roll in fast, but the sun comes back almost as quickly. The event also featured engine clinics, radio clinics, setup clinics, and more. There was something for everyone. Many of us took advantage of the rain to check out the AMA museum. This is a “must-see” attraction if you are ever in the area. I got to relive my entire childhood in the replica vintage hobby shop and see most of the stuff I played with as a kid in fully restored condition. It was great fun sharing all the memories with my young son.
According to the author, his whole childhood is represented in this replica hobby shop located in the AMA museum. I still need to contact the museum and see if AMA is interested in putting my father’s original Schluter Huey Cobra on exhibit. Tim Dawson has even offered to restore it for display. That’s an offer we can’t pass up. Back on the flightline, the Raptor line appeared to be the most popular helicopters. At one point all Raptor pilots were asked to bring their models to center stage for a group picture. I am going to guess that there were more than 150!
“Would all Raptor pilots please come to center stage for a group photo?” There must be more than 150 of them! After the picture Jeff Fassbinder, Jeff Swartz, and Alan Szabo tossed Thunder Tiger shirts and hats into the group. Nice gesture, guys! When the sun went down we were treated to some fantastic night-flying, which must be seen to be appreciated. The same exciting maneuvers performed during the day are even better at night, and sometimes—well, the pilots don’t know exactly where the ground is! And if that weren’t enough, back at the hotel there was a group of guys flying their Trex and Blade helicopters out in the parking lot under the streetlights. Those who attend the Jamboree really don’t want to stop. Sunday was the day to start to wind down. Ron Kummer had a quick IRCHA meeting and then gave away more prizes until he got to the granddaddy of them all. The final prize was a package consisting of a Hirobo Evolution 90 helicopter, a Futaba 14MZ radio, and an O.S. engine! That alone made it worth the trip! Congratulations to all the winners. If you didn’t make it to the IRCHA Jamboree this year, clear your calendar for next year and plan on attending. You won’t be disappointed. As I write this I don’t think the dates for the 2006 event have been set, but I would guess that it will be in the same general time frame as this year. Check the IRCHA Web site for details. Many thanks to Run Kummer and all the volunteers for making this event so successful. Ray Stacy | [email protected]
Announcer Greg Poppel has only missed one IRCHA Jamboree in 12 years! He did a great job. Century pilot Kam Wyatt and gas-engine expert Bill Meador return after an excellent demo with the Century Predator. A number of golf carts were available for transportation. The flightline was so long that it was almost a necessity.
Alan and Danny Szabo did a great job of keeping the crowd on its feet with spectacular Raptor 90 demonstration flying.
Jeff Swartz and Mike Fortin visit along the flightline in their “Electric Cadillac.” Enjoying friends is one of this event’s lures.
Have sound; will travel. This cart carried sound equipment to allow practicing choreographed routines to music.