A visit to our Texas friends was in order - it has been a few years. The Caddo Mills airport, located in the northeast portion of the state, served as a great opportunity to present the F-100 for its first public flying demonstration.
C.D. Kevin Whitlow was assisted by the "Austin Gang" to provide an excellent venue for the 60 plus pilots to enjoy their sport. The weather was perfect due to the first cool front passage of the fall season the day before.
Jet events are what make our sport so much fun and allow people like us, who are in the business, to meet with our customer base. The events are always a learning experience for BVM.
I forgot to bring my flash fill attachment so some of the photo's aren't that great and some didn't turn out at all. I hope you enjoy what is presented anyway.

Bob Violett

George and Diane Jones brought grandson Zachary all the way from Colorado to enjoy the GSWFF. George now has hundreds of flights on his VIOFAN powered Bandit. His new MiG-15 will be ready soon.

David Reid's RAM 750 powered balsa Bandit got a lot of use. He had a problem with the rudder (see balsa Bandit Addendum) so he borrowed a fin/rudder from Vernon Montgomery's Bandit. How about that for parts interchangeability!

Dawn and Steve Ellzey have 3 perfectly built and finished BVM Jets and they flew them constantly during the show. Dawn's Maverick Pro features the California Raisins. One is relaxing on the wing while the other is in deep trouble - about to be consumed by the BVM .91 powered VIOFAN. Graphics are by Pro-Mark. Steve designed the "Smooth Stop" brake valve and has been awarded US patent #6,053,192 for it. BVM manufacturers this very unique device under an exclusive license agreement.

Our J.P.O. president truely enjoys this sport. He flies his RAM 1000 powered BVM F-4E relentlessly. Vernon's Phantom in the Edwards Air Force scheme is easy on the eyes even in the most challenging light conditions. Lucky for us the sun angle, clear blue sky and flat Texas terrain made this low fly-by photo possible.

The B-58 Hustler has been a Lynn McCauley project for several years. Early renditions flew successfully with .46 ducted fan power (special Viojett rotors cut down). This new effort by Robert Sickels from Arlington, Texas will be turbine powered.

The spectators got a chance to view these two groups of the models during the lunch break Saturday. It's a nice gesture to involve the audience but can be risky. A child damaged one of the models - fortunately it was easily repaired.

Our thanks to Kevin Whitlow for his efforts to make the GSWFF such a successful event. It's nice that he got a chance to fly his jet as well.

The following series of "Hun" photos will give you an opportunity to study some of its fine lines. We are really encouraged by the enthusiasm that many modelers have for this Century Series aircraft. The Super Sabre was the U.S. Air Force's first supersonic production fighter. Without the wing leading edge slats, it just wouldn't be a true representation because every photo you see of the real F-100 sitting on the ramp shows the slats in the extended position, and, they really work. Beautiful nose high and smooth touch downs were the part of our flying demonstration that critical jet jockeys admired the most. Of course, it is a fast jet with super vertical performance as well. This first prototype is powered by an AMT AT-280 (Pegasus) turbine. Production kits will accept the RAM 1000 and JET-CAT P-120 as well and will begin shipping in October 2000. More detailed photo's of how the kit is presented will appear later.

The highlight of the trip for me was getting to meet and talk with Blue Angel pilot LCDR. Scott Ind. He is the lead solo that flies the number "5" F-18 Hornet. Scott said he has one more year with the Blues and will then return to his duties defending our country as a carrier based F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot. What a great career for a man to experience. It was also interesting that Scott has an uncle that flew A-4's over North Vietnam about the same time as yours truely. I just had to wear my "Tail Hook" shirt for this photo opportunity. The site is in a parking lot at Sherman Field on Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The Blue Angel's hangar is in the background as are the containers that the Hornet spare engines are shipped in. Thank you Scott for your time, pleasant conversation and photo op. All of the best to you and your family. Tom Dodgen and I then toured the Naval Aviation Museum and finished our 19 hour, 1100 mile trip home. Any aviation enthusiast will find that this museum is absolutely one of the best ever. Every aircraft has been restored to perfection mostly by retired Navy volunteers, their craftsmanship would please the most discriminating scale modeler.