Peter Goldsmith's-BAE HAWK 100

Peter Goldsmith’s impressive BAE Hawk 100 turns heads even when it’s sitting on the flight line at the most recent Top Gun Scale Invitational, where it earned a nearly perfect 99 points from the static judges— the highest in the Expert class!

- DEBRA CLEGHORN

We wanted to take a closer look at this incredible RC jet, and also talk to the man who detailed and flew it to win the coveted Mr. Top Gun title for the second time.

Model Airplane News: How did you get started in scale competition?

Peter Goldsmith: My very first scale competition was actually in Australia, at an event south of Sydney. I flew a Sig Skybolt. I had no idea what I was doing; it was a disaster, in fact, a very humbling experience. My first Top Gun experience was in 2005. It was the first time Frank Tiano had offered up the Pro-Am class with no static judging. I flew a Don Smith B-17. Again, I was humbled by the experience. Flying a B-17 off a hard runway in a 20 to 25 mile per hour wind blowing straight out was character-building, to say the least. The clear takeaway in 2005 for me was the quality of the models—truly inspirational. As a side note, I am a product of Top Gun’s Pro-Am class, because there was no way I would have attempted a Top Gun entry otherwise. It’s a fantastic way to get involved in scale competition.

MAN: Tell us about the full-size jet you chose to replicate.

PG: The aircraft is modeled after the Australian Airforce version of the Hawk 100. The commemorative scheme celebrated 76 years of the Black Panther Squadron. The aircraft, Mud Guard, was nicknamed by the base commander as it was shiny on top and dirty underneath. It was used to promote the RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force] at many airshows throughout Australia.

MAN: Your 1/3.5-scale rendition of the Australian BAE Hawk 100 earned a nearly perfect score of 99 points from the static judges at Top Gun. What, exactly, did this beauty get marked down on?