It all began back in 1995.
Before that time the only practical way to fly a model jet had been to fit a piston engine and a propeller in the nose, but now, for the first time in the history of model flying, model jets could dispense with the propeller in favour of the new Jet Engines.The technology of the models and the sophisticated piloting skills of their operators fascinated the thousands of spectators who come to see them; spectators who had previously viewed model flying just as the toy department of the world of full-size aviation. So what could be more natural than to exploit this new development and gather together the world’s best pilots and models at one location, so that the best of the best could pit their abilities against each other in a sporting competition?
The result is the International Jet Model Committee (IJMC), which continues to co-ordinate these activities world-wide, and the establishment of the Jet World Masters event for Model Jets.Modern model jets are packed full of technology, and often cost considerably more than 10,000 Euro to produce, although the actual value of these works of art is really impossible to assess. Over the years the constructional standards of the contestants have risen to breathtaking levels, and many of them represent the fruit of far more than 1000 hours of work.
All of them feature fully-equipped cockpits, thousands of simulated rivets and panel lines, and many exhibit even the smallest of placards to be found on the full-size aircraft. These models are really far too beautiful to fly.Of course, the spectators have the opportunity to talk to the pilots and examine these masterpieces at close range, and for them a World Masters is a unique experience, not least because it is the only way of seeing the world’s best models and pilots “in the flesh”.
The first task of the entrants is to present their models to the static judges for their evaluation: the “static judging” phase.
The task of the judges is to assess the extent to which the model emulates the original machine, using the documentation supplied by the competitor as a reference. They even go so far as to compare the marks of soiling on the fuel tank cap!!Afterwards the pilots are required to produce a flight schedule from a catalogue of manoeuvres, and demonstrate the models in the air in front of the flying judges.Three rounds of flying are held, of which two counts:
the lowest-scoring flight is discarded.The World Champion is the pilot who achieves the highest total of static and flying points. There is also a team event contested by each nation’s best three pilots.Every Jet World Masters competition is also a major cultural event. This starts with the official opening ceremony, which is the host country’s opportunity to welcome the teams from all over the world.
The contest lasts seven days, and each evening is taken up with a variety of communal events; we all meet old friends and make new ones; we also part as friends, and not without promising to “see you again in two years’ time”.I wish to extend a warm invitation to all of you to attend the World Masters, and I promise that you will be talking about the event for months to come.
