Western Front Dawn Patrol 2009 - Sept. 19-20, 2009

PfalzPflyer · 13 July 2009, 09:22 PM

"The R/C Celebration of Early Aviation"

Hosted by Cobras R/C Club (A.M.A. Charter #744) and held at Cobras Field approx. 9 miles South of Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Open to "Scale" and "Semi-Scale" R/C models representing planes from the first 30 years of powered human flight (1903-1933), with particular emphasis on Great War types.
World War 1 planes will do a Dawn Patrol at first light, then "Pioneers of Flight"-era, World War One, Barnstormers-era, and early Golden Age plane models will fly throughout the day.
Spectators are free, but a $5.00 landing fee and A.M.A. membership are required to fly. IMAA members are welcome - our BIG field is perfect for IMAA-legal planes.
Limited campsites are available on a "first come" basis. A food vendor will be on site.

For details visit:
Western Front Dawn Patrol's Home Page.

Or contact:
Dean Dingman, Event Director
PfalzPflyer@netscape.net

sdurnal · 30 July 2009, 05:11 AM

I wish I could make it to your event, Dean, but the last two Saturdays in Sept. are mandatory work days. (each year) This also leaves me out of the DPR.

PfalzPflyer · 30 July 2009, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdurnal

I wish I could make it to your event, Dean, but the last two Saturdays in Sept. are mandatory work days. (each year) This also leaves me out of the DPR.

We'll miss you Stan, but I certainly understand about the "vacation blackout" thing. My company does the same thing with the whole month of August, which means I won't be making it back to the Hoosier Dawn Patrol unless I change jobs.

However, be aware that the monthly "Dusk Patrol" meetings have become quite popular. It may be possible to do a two-day one sometime in the Spring of next year. It would be WW1-only, a lot more informal than the actual Dawn Patrol, and probably be by invitation only. If we decide to do it, you may consider yourself invited!

Best regards,
Dean

PfalzPflyer · 14 September 2009, 09:19 PM

Hope to see a few of you there!

Dean Dingman, Event Director
Western Front Dawn Patrol 2009
Western Front Dawn Patrol's Home Page.

Fliegermann · 16 September 2009, 03:24 AM

What type of events take place during a typical Dawn or Dusk Patrol. If there is a simulated combat, what rules or guidlines are put into effect. I really wish I could be present for your next event.

PfalzPflyer · 16 September 2009, 08:40 AM

Fliegermann,

The event is a fairly laid-back scale fun-fly, with some "mission-oriented" flying (formation flying, mock combat, etc.) thrown in, too.

The flying is loosely structured by time period, as well. Since the event is open to scale R/C planes from the 1903-1933 time frame, we have the WW1 (and earlier) stuff flying for an hour or two, followed by the Barnstormers-era stuff for awhile, then back to WW1. In other words, we have things scheduled to fly by their respective timeframe, in rotation.

Regarding R/C Combat, we actually have plans to start a monthly WW1 R/C Combat league next year, similar to what the Canadians in Ontario have with their "Bloody April" event. In fact, one of the raffle prizes at this year's event is a "Combat S.E.5a" that was generously donated by the good people at Arizona Model Aircrafters.

But the only "combat" flying we'll be likely to have this year is Terry Lamm and I chasing each other around the sky with our 1/5-scale Fokker Triplane and Sopwith Camel models like we did last year. It was really popular with the spectators, and Terry and I had so much fun that we couldn't wipe the big grins off our faces for about an hour.

Best regards,
Dean in Omaha

P.S. Did I mention that we really DO fly at dawn on Saturday and Sunday?

PfalzPflyer · 28 September 2009, 09:23 PM

The event went very well, and we had a great time.

Photos of the flightline from Sunday can be seen here:
Western Front Dawn Patrol's 2009 Annual Fun Fly.

best regards,
Dean Dingman, Event Director
Western Front Dawn Patrol 2009

Fliegermann · 29 September 2009, 09:33 AM

Dean,
Nice photo coverage of your Dawn Patrol. How many "birds" did you have? Congratulations on what appears to be a very successful event.

PfalzPflyer · 30 September 2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fliegermann

Dean,
Nice photo coverage of your Dawn Patrol. How many "birds" did you have? Congratulations on what appears to be a very successful event.

I think that the event CD Larry Puls said that he counted 43 on Saturday. Unfortunately we were having so much fun that nobody thought to actually line them up and take a flightline picture until Sunday, by which time attendance had diminished. Next year we'll have to do it right and get a pic on Saturday.

To be honest, we were a bit surprised at the good attendance. After last year's lower turnout, we were thinking we might get 20 pilots. Instead, folks just kept showing up, and we wound up with an even 30 for the weekend.
We're already looking forward to next year's event. Everyone who was there was saying, "This is great! We'll be back next year... and we'll bring our friends!" So we could easily see even better turnout next year.

Dean in Omaha

WinterHawke · 30 September 2009, 02:14 PM

Congratulations, Dean, on what sounds like a resoundingly successful event. Would've like to have attended, but I was pre-occupied with Dayton. Next year's schedule should be much cleaner.

How was your weather - darn near every event I've been read about or been to this year has had horrible

(or worse) weather at some point - did the wind gods smile on you??

Best regards,

Lee