MCRCS 2008 Warbirds Over Jersey

This page contains pictures from the 2008 Mercer County Warbirds Over Jersey Air Show held at Warren Kruse Field on September 13th and 14th, 2008. Click on a picture to see a larger image. Higher-resolution images of the models are available to their owners by emailing a request to webmaster@mcrcs.com.

Getting Ready

CD Seth Hunter kept his cool from the very beginning.	Rich Green stocked up for the hungry hoardes.	John Tanzer is our resident tent expert.	Bing Gearhart worked, despite serious soldering-iron injuries.	Keith Zimmerly had a hand in everything.
Dan Geerders, threatening to retire, was still in the kitchen.	Mr. Sound, Jim Meighan, made sure we could hear everything.	Sal Lucania and Mike Luciano weatherproofed the system.	Events VP Armand Graziani supervised a skeleton crew.	Barbara (Mrs. Bing) Gearhart encouraged us all.

The Big Day Dawns

Rick Andrese assembles his Nieuport 17 in the early AM.	The Lucianos brought a trailer full of models.	John Braun Sr. & Jr. assemble a captured P-51B.	James Smith assembles his Hellcat.	Michael Luciano examines his P-38.
Contest Director Seth Hunter prepares to launch the event.	Civil Air Patrol Cadets study Dan Basovitch's AT-6.	John Braun Sr. completes the setup of an Eindecker.	Bob Bennett and Sal Lucania furiously register pilots.	Ken Karpinski's Blohm & Voss BV141B, the oddest entry.
Charlie Kellogg is known for his detail work ...	... and the cockpit of his Skyraider ...	... and its pilots did not disappoint.	After the national anthem ...	... and a pilots' meeting, the show was ready to begin.

And the Event Takes Off

Paul Abati was a flight line inspector.	Rick Andrese started his G38-powered Nieuport 17 ...	... and took the first flight of the day.	Spanning 106", it stood out from the sky.	Several other warbirds prepared to follow.
Thomas Thomas and Frank Puccio flew matching PT-17s ...	... both in formation ...	... and separately.	Walt Siedlecki flew the only SE-5a at the show.	The Team Braun Eindecker, viewed from the bottom.
CAP cadets helped at the registration booth.	Dan Basovitch starts his glistening AT-6.	Dan Basovitch's AT-6 in flight.	Allan Schear captured much of the event on video.	Michael Luciano IV prepares to fly his Chipmunk.
Nobu Iwasawa's P-40 commanded the skies ...	... until the engine unexpectedly went to idle ...	... forcing an emergency landing in the corn.	Herb Wasserbach's team prepared his Cub for flight ...	... and recovered it from the corn.
Meanwhile, CAP cadets welcomed attendees ...	... and directed them to parking.

The People Make a Choice

Larry Alles doesn't always win the People's Choice ...	... but he's won every one we've held ...	... in the past two years.	Larry starts the two G-38s that power his B-25.	The corn in the background betrays the scale of the model.
But as the model clears the trees ...	... it becomes indistinguishable from its full-scale counterpart.	With a wingspan of 118" and a flying weight of 50 pounds ...	.. it circled the field at a scale-like speed.	Perhaps quieter than the full-scale, visually it was stunning.

Other Competitors and Judges

A Fuji 43 powered Seth Hunter's Junkers J10.	Dan Basovitch's AT-6 spanned 101" and weighted 28 pounds.	John English's 15-pound P-38 used OS .60s for power.	Ernie Emrich's 65" P-51 weighed 8 pounds.	Alan Newton's 90" PT-17 was powered by a Fuji 50.
A G23 powered Dale Wirth's 80" Sopwith Pup.	Rick Andrese's 106" Nieuport 17 used a G62 for power.	A 3W75 powered Charlie Kellogg's 37-pound Skyraider.	Joe Yuhasz flew these two electric biplanes.	Bruce Snyder's 93" Corsair flew on a G-62.
Michael Luciano III with his biplane.	James Smith flew this F-16 built from a Sig King Cobra kit.	Mike Luciano, Jr. with his 80" P-47 and his 70" Sopwith Pup.	John Braun Jr. with a German-captured P-51.	Sam Costello's 67" Spitfire used a .90 for power.
Ernie Emrich with his AT-6 and P-51.	A Wankel rotary engine powered Ernie's AT-6.	Joe Hanson's third-scale Albatross weighted 34 pounds.	His third-scale Dr.1 spanned 93" and weighed 37 pounds.	Aleksey Lomov's Hangar 9 P-51D 1.50 used a Saito 1.80.
Aleksey's Hangar 9 P-51D 60 used a Saito 1.25.	A Q75 powered John Smith's 38-pound Stearman PT-17.	The Team Braun Eindecker used a G-38 for power.	Powered by a Q52, Tom Dyl's P47-D could drop a bomb.	Paul Gentile's 96" Eindecker E3 weighed 14 pounds.
Paul's 86", 13-pound P-51B was electric powered.	The Peoples' Choice contest is held at noon on Saturday.	Spectators enjoy the chance to see models up close.	Each spectator casts one vote for his or her favorite model.	The model receiving the most votes wins.

Another Contest

Forrest (Woody) Miller won over $100 in the first 50-50.

Always generous, he shared with his benefactor.

An honest draw ...

... and another big winner.

Possibly the surest path to wealth.

And a Lot More Flying

Snoopy got quite a ride on Rick Andrese's Nieuport 17.	It doesn't look like it should fly, but it did.	Carl Gubkin readies his PT-19 for flight.	Joe Hanson Starts his Albatross.	The Germans flew P-51s, when they could get them.
Joe Yuhasz launches one of his electric biplanes.	Joe Hanson's Fokker Dr.1 in flight.	Larry Alles helped John Smith with his PT-13.	John's PT-13 takes to the air.	Aleksey Lomov's P-51D, Miss America, in flight.
John Eskow's Fokker D-8.	Seth Hunter's Junkers J10 in flight.	Adversaries should note his rear-facing gunner.	Keith Zimmerly filled the Sky with his 12' Avro 504C.	When the biplanes line up, there's trouble in the air.
Bob Levanduski's Fokker D-7.	Nobu Iwasawa's captured Nieuport 11.	It usually starts as a friendly formation.	Or just a leisurely flight in the open sky.	But before you know it, someone is on your tail.
Of course, turn about is fair play.	The excitement of the show can take its toll.