The Radio Controlled Thunderbolts Of Dave Gianakos

Fire Ball. The most recent project is another M model called Fire Ball. This unusually painted aircraft was flown in the 63rd Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group in the final months of WWII. The striking colors took some getting used to, but it grows on you. Today, it is one of my favorite paint schemes of WWII fighters. This model features gun and ammo bays like those of Lorene. But in this case I scratchbuilt the guns, to make them lighter than the Dragon guns. Each machine gun has about 30 individual pieces of handcrafted woods, including opening breeches on each gun. The bullets came from a manufacturer who machined them out of solid brass, and includes scale, working links to connect them. Because of the weight of the four strands of bullets, they are removed prior to flying the airplane. Other features on Fire Ball included the scale working cowl flaps, and a powered canopy using a pneumatic piston. Also, a scale 215 gallon flat tank was designed by me and used as a drop tank attached to the belly shackles, as the wing pylons were removed late in the war. It has been dropped successfully without damaging it on flights. Fire Ball has competed in many contests, and winning many awards in the process. It will undergo a major overhaul this winter and will fly a few more contests next year before being retired and going to a museum somewhere. A lot of my motivation in doing these models is honoring the men who flew them. Many are no longer with us, and those who are won’t be here much longer. It’s the inevitable conclusion of what many call “the greatest generation.” It’s been a privilege and honor to meet at least some of these old warriors in the course of building and flying these models.