After completing the final round of the advance class and all serious stuff out of the way, the air combat event started in the early afternoon. The Apache rifle club brought out a dozen air pallet guns for guests to shoot down some foamie planes. As if that wasn’t enough, Jason Krause, Alan Szabo, and Mark Padilla volunteered their T-Rex 500 as targets for the event. Jason did some extremely close fly-by’s, while crazy Mark just flip flop right in front of the guns! Just as he thought he was invincible, somebody knocked off one of his links and ended his flight. Below you will find some photos of the poor heli after taking all those beatings.

Later we began the obstacle course event. Contestants need to fly their T-Rex 450 (500 was also allowed to entered, but nobody did) through an L-shaped box, circle around a Taipei101 model twice, land on a scale carrier ship, and then go through a meat grinder. Doug Marshall made the first attempt, flying his T-Rex 450 all the way to the meat grinder. This has proven to be the best flight, as no other contestants went as far as he did. Unfortunately nobody was able to complete the whole obstacle course this year. Better luck next time!

Then comes award ceremony. The top finishers were as follow:
Advance Class:

1. Lukas Riva
2. Duncan Osbourn
3. Alan Szabo
4. Theeradet Mahamontree
5. Chang-Fang-Hao
6. Jukrawut Rummaitree
7. YoungRok Son

Intermediate Class:

1. Korawich Thongsri
2. Mark Padilla
3. Frank Columbia
4. Benjarit Hotrabhavananda
5. DongRyul Lee

T-Rex 500 Class:

1. Ko-Huan-Chen
2. Timo Wendtland
3. YoungRok Son
4. Mark Padilla
5. Tu-Yu-Wei

Align was also presented with 3D master’s “Best Constructor’s Award.” At hand was 3D masters organizer Jeff from UK to present the award to Alex Tu of Align. This award is presented to outstanding manufacturer with breakthrough products. Congratulations to Align!

Just when we thought this was the end of our memorable trip, Align’s boss decided to treat all guests to a Japanese style BBQ feast at a popular restaurant called “Yuan Shao.” He basically booked the whole restaurant, as the 200+ guests filled the 2 stories. This restaurant served sliced marble beef that you cook on a charcoal stove on the table. The food would please even the most discriminating connoisseurs. I’ve had some good beef but this tops them all. Sorry I didn’t take any photos, as I was too busy cooking and eating.

The following day guests had the option to take a city tour up to the capital city of Taipei to see Taipei101 and National museum. My flight was on that day so I had to pass on the city tour, but I have been to Taipei 101 so I’ll share a few photos here. It’s currently the tallest skyscraper in the world, with a super fast elevator system that zooms you up to the top observation deck in 38 seconds. The elevator is even pressurized to prevent discomfort. The view from top is spectacular. This is a trip not to be missed if you plan on attending the Align fun fly.

[View with PicLens]

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I’ve been to a lot of fun flies in the past, and this is by far one of my favorite. The Align crews were extremely friendly, paid attention to every single detail, and ran the event very professionally. The helicopter flights were spectacular to watch, but it’s really all the people of the funfly I am going to miss. I bumped into old friends, met a lot of new ones, and witness the miracle Align has created. This to me was a trip of the lifetime, and this blog is a reminder of the memory from this fun fly. Thanks to Align’s Maggie, Wendy, and Alex.   See you guys next year!

[ contributed by Steph ]

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Day 3 – Sunday Sept 7th: More Qualifiers and Finals

The day started with perfect weather and another breakfast bag for the trip to the field. This morning the field was busier than previous day, as many pilots were up in the air getting their machines tuned. I counted up to 5 helis were up in the air at once, with others waiting patiently in line. Not to waste any time, the event was started at 8:30 sharp with the T-Rex 500 class again. At this time Align has decided there will only be this one round for the T-Rex 500 class due to time constraints. So everybody had to put out their best efforts trying to gain as much points as possible. Unfortunately Japanese flier Mr. Mitsutoshi Nakamura crashed his heli into the creek bed, luckly it didn’t submerge into the water and they had no problem retrieving it. Then we saw some solid performances by two locals: Mr. Chang-Fang-Hao and Ko-Huan-Chen, who ended up with the top two highest scores. But since Mr. Chang-Fang-Hao has already placed 5th in the advanced class, his title in the 500 class was passed onto Mr. Ko-Huan-Chen. Rounding up the top 5 in the T-Rex 500 class were Timo Wendtland of Germany, 12 years old YoungRok Son from Korea, Mark Padilla from USA, and Tu-Yu-Wei from Taiwan.

Also due to time constraints, the intermediate class was reduced to two rounds, with best scores from one of the rounds used in final placement. The Intermediate class saw some fierce competition again amongst the top finishers including Korawich Thongsri of Thailand, Mark Padilla and Frank Columbia of USA. They effortlessly piloted their helis into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd position finishes in the T-Rex 500 class. 12 years old Benjarit Hotrabhavananda (try saying that quickly 3 times) of Thailand and DongRyul Lee of Korea rounded up the top 5.

A quick 15 minutes lunch break was followed by the final round of advanced class. This final round has proven to be the most exciting round to watch. Most contestants seems to push their helis a little harder than previous rounds, many were 3D-ing their T-Rex 700 at insanely low altitudes. The edge of several helicopter’s blades had scrape marks, indicating ground contact during those low maneuvers. Mr. Tristan Balege (6th qualifier, 10th final standing) of France flew a little too low into the river bank and lost sight of the heli, then bounced back up for a 2 second recovery, but eventually dropped back down and ended his flight.

Here are some videos of the flights:

[View with PicLens]

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[ contributed by Steph ]

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Day 2 – Saturday Sept 6: Preliminary Rounds

Contestants and guests were instructed to meet at the hotel lobby at 6:45AM for shuttle bus to the flying field. While in the lobby, we were offered a bag of breakfast to take along to the field. I was pleasantly surprised by the content of the bag. There were combination of sweet pastries, croissants, ham and egg sandwich, fruit, yogurt, hardboiled egg, and orange juice. Needless to say, I was unable to finish all the food once again. There were just too much food. But those sweet pastries were delicious, some of the best I’ve had in a while.
After a 40 minutes ride we arrived at the field. The early birds were already out tuning and flying their helis. At around 8:30 everybody was gathered on the field for group photo and opening speech by local city/county officials. Strangely none of the T-Rex 450 made it to the group photo, but plenty of big 500/600/700 birds. The opening ceremony concluded with two T-Rexes hauling long strands of firecrackers reflecting the Taiwanese tradition to chase away the bad spirits and bringing good luck to the funfly.
The funfly had 4 categories: 3D Intermediate class, 3D advanced class, T-Rex 500 3D class, and T-Rex 450 obstacle course. We started off with the 3D advanced class preliminary round with 14 contestants. Unfortunately two of the top contenders, Lukas Riva and Alan Szabo, suffered minor crashes that prevented them from completing the first rounds. But we saw some great flying from 2005 3D master champion Duncan Osbourn, who wowed the crowd with his combination of graceful maneuvers and hard 3D style matched to tastefully done soundtrack. Nobody can make the helicopter dance like Duncan can. After the completion of advanced qualifier, the intermediate class began with 25 contestants, each with their own unique flying style and skill levels. We saw some good performances by US constants Mark Padilla and Frank Columbia, and some spectacular flights by Mr. Korawich Thongsri from Thailand. It was my first time watching Mr. Thongsri’s flying and I have to say, this guy will be a serious contender in the years to come. Not to be shadowed by Mr Thongsri was a 12 years old wizard DongRyul Lee from Korea. His explosive 3D maneuvers were quite nail-biting to watch.

Catered lunch was followed immediately after the completion of intermediate class . A lunch box of fried chicken, rice, and vegetables were served to everyone. I must say, I enjoyed just about every meals Align has provided, this was no exception. There were some large scale airplane demonstration, and Jason Krause flew a T-Rex 500 housed in the soon to be available Airwolf scale fuselage. The 500 had no problem with the weight of the scale fuselage, as Jason was flying some un-scale like 3D maneuvers! The fuselage features scale retracts and weapon pods on the belly. I must have one of these!

After the noon time fun and food, we went back to the advanced class for 2nd round of qualifying. This time Alan and Lukas performed flawless flights with crowds cheering. They are truly talented flyers and their flights are spectacular to watch.

Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and decided to rain. This was a typical Taiwanese summer weather, sunny and hot in the morning, with afternoon hard rain coupled by thunder and lightning. Did I mention it was very humid as well? I’d say probably 60-80% humidity throughout the day. The rain lasted about ½ hour and Align decided to continue the rounds as soon as the rain stopped. Luckily we were able to finish the 2nd round of advanced class and get started in the T-Rex 500 class. But only one T-Rex 500 contestant was able to finish his round before the rain started again. Needless to say the rain continued into the evening, forcing all events to be postponed until Sunday.

Align had some shows and activities planned for that Saturday evening, and didn’t let the rain stop them from making it happen. The cater truck arrived with several chefs cooking up food in the cover area, with everybody cramped around them to grab bites and stay dry. Live band had a stage setup to the side of the field, but later the two performers moved over to the food area to stir things up a bit. People ate their food while watching the performers sing and dance. Despite the really wet weather, everybody seems to be having lots of fun. Later the fireworks show finished up the evening, and everybody was shuttled back to the hotel afterwards.

Some videos from the Advanced Qualifiers:

[View with PicLens]

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[ contributed by Steph ]

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In the few short years Align has been producing RC helicopters, they have cranked out more models than any helicopter manufacturers. While most are familiar with their T-Rex line of helicopters, few are aware of the annual fun fly they organize every year in Taiwan. The Align Fun Fly and 3D Invitational has become the premier 3D helicopter event in Asia, attracting contestants from all over the world.  This year was no exception.

The 5th annual event took place on September 6-7 2008, at the Align company field 25 minutes away from their headquarter based in Taichung, central Taiwan. This year we saw top contestants and guests from all over the world including USA, Canada, China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Germany, France, Spain, UK, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, etc. Unlike other fun flies, Align was generously enough to cover all board, meals, ground transportation, and even a full day city tour for all contestants plus one guest.  So basically all you have to do is buy a plane ticket for yourself and your significant other, and you are covered for 5 days and 4 nights!  Even the funfly itself is free to enter.  How is that for a nice heli vacation?

Day 1 – Friday September 5: Arrival
Since there are guests arriving throughout the day, Align has constant shuttle buses going to the Taipei international airport (about 1 hour 40 minutes away) for pickups. All guests are dropped off at the Align headquarter where you get to meet the staff and take a tour of the facility. I am still amazed at how much they can crank out in this 5 stories factory.

After arriving at the office, we were greeted with snacks and drinks. There were work benches and DC power for contestants to unpack and assemble their helis. For those arriving earlier in the day, they were shuttled to the field for flight tests. If you or your significant other want to do some shopping, there is a Walmart like “Asia Go” store across the street. We dropped in to buy some souvenirs and kill time, and kill time we did; the store is huge! Later in the night all contestants and guests were treated to a Taiwanese feast at a restaurant across the street.  There were so much food, most table couldn’t finish all the dishes.  After dinner, we were hauled to the hotel in downtown Taichung (40 minutes away) to check in.

The Splendor hotel occupies a newly renovated 32 floor high-rise building in the heart of Taichung.  Align intentionally picked this location so guests can do some shopping and city exploring during spare time. We were arranged with a room up in the 30th floor and the view was spectacular.  The room was pretty big in size, nice and clean, had cable TV with many English speaking channels.  Immediately across the street there was the high-end Sogo department store, along with a multi-story Louie Vuitton company store immediately next door, offering some great shopping options for those who do not wish to join you at the flying field. (Mention that to your significant other half when you try to convince them to come along.)  Nearby are familiar US franchises such as McDonalds, Starbucks coffee, Chili’s, Ruth Chris steakhouse, and lots of 7-Elevens.  There are also bars and nightclubs nearby in case you didn’t get worn out by a full day of flying. So no matter what your preferences are, Taichung offers something for everyone.

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[ contributed by Steph ]

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More Align Fun-Fly videos.  One of Jukrawut Rummaitree from Thailand on his T-Rex 700.

[ video courtesy of align.com.tw ]

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I have tons of fun-flys to attend here in the U.S. and I am sorry I wasn’t able to attend the Align fun-fly in Taiwan.  I attended, courtesy of DYD Heli and Align, the HTC in 2006 and it was amazing.  I would love to visit Taiwan again someday.  Here is a small gallery of photos courtesy of Nithica at rcthai.net which will soon be reading our website in Thai.

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