Best Pilots

"PAPPY" PLACES AT TOP GUN 2011!

CONGRATULATIONS to FRANK HARRIS and KYLE GOODWINE

To be simply invited to compete in Frank Tiano's international scale competition known as TOP GUN, is an honor. To actually bring home a trophy, I suspect would have the participant walking on air for a year. Best Pilots customer Frank Harris was part of the team that was invited to compete with this outstanding F4F-4 Wildcat in the Unlimited Class at Top Gun 2011. If you look closely at the photos, you will notice that this immaculant rendition of the Wildcat is piloted by none other than Best Pilots 1/5 scale Pappy Boyington!!

Pappy in a Wildcat? - Frank informed me that Pappy flew Wildcats in the period after he left the Flying Tigers and before he took command of the F4U Corsair equipped Black Sheep Squadron. He wasn't known to have flown the Wildcat in combat, only training and familiarization flights.Is that a realistic looking model or what? Photos by RC Ken of RCUniverse.

Frank writes:

 

Lyle, just a quick note to let you know that Pappy was flying his F4F-4 Wildcat at the 2011 Top Gun. Kyle Goodwine flew the Wildcat and placed 3rd in the unlimited class, was runner up for best Military aircraft,  and won the best performance with a 4 stroke engine.

 Pappy was a big part in the overall sucess.

Thank you again for an outstanding product that we are proud to display.

Regards,

Frank Harris

Frank, thanks for the kind words and it is an honor to have one of our pilots in one of the best scale aircraft in the world! Congratulations to Kyle and the entire team - Outstanding job! - Lyle Vasser

The judging Team at Top Gun. The toughest scale judges in the world, but also some of the nicest! One thing is for sure, this is the expression you want judges to have when they are looking at your model aircraft! 

 

Dave Gianakos - Expert Modeler & Best Pilots customer

When you create something, be it a favorite food, hot rod cars, or pilot figures, you anticipate, but are a little intimidated, by having an expert critique your work. Recently, I had a customer purchase a pilot from me, who just happens to build models for the Smithsonian Air & Space museum. He is expert modeler, Dave Gianakos!

Our note from Dave - 

 Hi Lyle: Just wanted to tell you how happy I was with the P-47 pilot I bought from you. The figure is so detailed and accurate that it was fairly easy to paint and make it look very realistic. 

I am putting this figure in a 1/4.53 scale P-51 that I am restoring to be installed in the Spirit of Flight Center north of Denver, CO on September 24. The pilot who flew the original plane that I am making a replica of, Col. Bill Getz (USAF, ret), will be coming out from California to Colorado for the event. He really enjoyed seeing the pictures of the pilot in his plane, and there is some resemblance, too!

I should have it ready for picture shoots in about a month or so. 

You sell a good product for a good price.  

Cheers, -Dave Gianakos

Click the following links for articles about Dave ---http://www.6thscale.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=2379&syn=3576

 http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/in_the_museum_may07.html?c=y&page=1

I was extremely gratified that the Best Pilots Bob Sweeney figure was to his liking. It’s official - we can now say Bob is of “museum quality”!