Watts Over Owatonna
A variety of built-up, composite and foam EDF models were seen all weekend. This Cougar (above left) was enjoying some flight time during the Warbird Mass
The hot new design however at the Sig tent was the introduction of the T-Clips model. The T-Clips EP is modeled after the only clipped wing Taylorcraft in the world and owned by airshow pilot, Erik Edgren. The attractive red and black plane flew al- most non-stop throughout the weekend. With the sun setting, day one was rapidly coming to a close. Saturday was a big day so it was off to get a bite to eat, and turn in for the night.
Saturday morning got off to a great start.
The sky was clear and brilliant blue and the wind was calm, something that is ultra rare in the heartland plains of America. Straight- away I headed for the tent and confirmed with Steve how Saturday’s schedule was to take place. As mentioned earlier, FLYING MODELS was a sponsor and had two one-year digital subscriptions for the pilot prizes. To spice things up a bit more, other books and plans from the Carstens bookstore were also added to a prize pool. A Flyzone Sensei with factory installed “candy dropper” doors held four paper canisters with a short streamer attached to each one. One of the four canisters held a winning ticket to be presented at the FLYING MODELS booth. The Sensei was loaded up with its four canisters
Flight. Chris Sydor pulls into a knife edge with the Great Planes giant scale Revolver(above right). Chris says the plane flies a lot like a mild Pattern plane.
and the flight line was shut down so every- one could have a chance at grabbing a prize. The Sensei took off and went up to a moder- ate height until Steve, my spotter, gave me the go ahead to release the payload. Soon four bright orange streamers were slowly descending to the field. The winner received a small prize and the whole process started again every few hours throughout the day. This was most popular with the younger crowd.
The next Saturday event was the Warbird Mass Flight. Every type of warbird from the earliest S.E.5a to the latest F-16 took to the skies in a mass gaggle of military might. Two B-17s were part of the flight as well as a Dakota and many Mustangs and Spitfires. Amazingly with the amount of warbirds in the air at the same time; I didn’t see any mid-airs; what I did see were a lot of smiles. The fighters, bombers and trainers per- formed the traffic pattern perfectly until they came down for a landing, one by one. Pretty organized I must say.
Next it was time for one of the most anti - cipated events of the weekend, Combat! The rules were real simple. Each combatant had a streamer affixed to its tail, then the pilots lined up, end to end on the runway. When
the word was given, one by one, each pilot would release his fighter into the fur ball that would ensue. What a fur ball it was! It would not end until there was only one left flying. After other planes had succumbed to damage and spent batteries, it was Scott Russell who became this year’s 2013 Com- bat champion. There were more smiles and laughter as contestants picked up the pieces and walked back to their pits.
One of the items that makes the Watts Over Owatonna event so popular with model- ers is the Saturday night meal. Let’s face it, most events will have food available at the show and this one is no exception. From the early morning pancakes and sausage to the afternoon brats and hamburgers, the SMAC grill is open.
They even sell a Watts Over Owatonna bottle that can be purchased for $8.00 which includes a drink of your choice. The value comes when you can get refills all weekend long for only .50 cents.
By far the biggest value is the Saturday meal ticket. The cost is $12.00 but you will not be eating a burger and chips. No, the folks at Watts Over Owatonna will serve you a steak. That’s right, a steak dinner complete with a baked potato, corn on the cob and the
Dan Schmidt expertly flew this beautiful DH.84 Dragon (above left) all weekend. He ended up winning best Multi-engine for his efforts. The dinner line
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was long (above right) and it’s no wonder. A great dinner was put on by the members of SMAC that included corn on the cob, baked potato and steak.
OCTOBER 2013
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