Fly Out Report – Castle Airport Giant Scale R.C. Fly In

report and photos from Bruce Estes

Scott Thompson, Dave Magaw, and myself flew in my Cardinal to Castle Airport on May 27 to view the “Castle Airport Giant Scale Radio Control Model Fly In.” This event is held every Memorial Day weekend and draws attendees from all over the West Coast. Typically, the event will have 125 registered pilots and about
250 models. The rules are simple: The models must have a wingspan of at least 80” or be 1/4 scale. The 1/4 scale rule allows jets to fly in this event. The event is not a contest, just a great time for modelers to showcase their best, most impressive models at this event. The type of models included turbine jets, 35% scale aerobatic airplanes, racers flying at more than 200 mph and lots of World War II airplanes with wing spans from 80” to 16’. The weather was pleasant, the flight was great, and the company was superb.

Is that a real B-24 Liberator on the Castle flight line? Sure looks like one but, nope, it is a large scale RC model. The detail that goes into these flying models reveals the hundreds of hours it must take to build one.

Dave Magaw provides some scale to show the size of this B-29 Superfortress model. The wingspan comes in at sixteen feet and it weighs a reported sixty-eight pounds. Not sure if that is empty weight or weight loaded with fuel and bombs. It does carry bombs, doesn’t it?