
"That was the definitive war of our time, and it was the rapid advance of warcraft," Les Morrow said. Horsepower multiplied tenfold, and speeds quadrupled. His father agreed, pointing out the technological progression of planes during that period. West Texas has been revamping its roster and the squads latest acquisition. "They call it the golden age of aviation," said Nick Morrow, Les' son. ODESSA, Texas The indoor football season kicks off on Saturday when the Warbirds head to Amarillo to face the Venom. The aircraft represent various countries and war eras, but it's hard not to notice how many come from World War II. McLarty anticipates about 20-25 pilots for each annual show, together with 50-60 planes. "It turned out to be one of the most successful fighters Germany had," Morrow said. The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s.

The symbol is on the tail end of Les Morrow's plane from Nazi Germany. "We've got enemies," he said with a laugh. "It's not like you just take it out of a box and a day later, a weekend later, you're done," he said.Ī few feet away from McLarty's Spitfire, a Nazi swastika reveals the model aircraft don't just represent the good guys. Certain details such as shading are designed to mimic wear and tear, from exhaust damage to gunshot residue. Some of the basic pieces came from a kit plenty of additions he made from scratch. "It was really instrumental in the Battle of Britain," McLarty said, referring to a more than three-month-long 1940 combat in which the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against the German Air Force. Like the model aircraft in general, a goal was to make it as historically accurate as possible. Bugg, who is from Odessa, works and owns JAZ Diesel.
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The Lubbock dentist spends months creating each.Īt the recent show, a Supermarine Spitfire, is based on a model that flew with the Royal Air Force of Great Britain in World War II. The West Texas Warbirds, an indoor professional football team in Odessa, announced Zack Bugg has been hired as the team’s new general manager. Like most model aircraft enthusiasts, McLarty works in another field and builds the planes as a hobby. "You can doll 'em up and make 'em look good, but being able to fly good, that's a whole 'nother skill," contest director Bryan McLarty said.

Along with the people's choice award, planes are honored as best World War II aircraft, contest director's choice, best modern aircraft - typically a jet - and best scale flight.Īnd while the planes are fun to look at while they're displayed, that's only part of the contest. Visitors vote for their favorite plane after they view a showcase.

From Interstate 27, take exit 21 onto FM 2060. The annual air show is held at Abernathy's municipal airport, a few miles east of town. ABERNATHY - They're smaller than real warplanes, but that's the main difference.Īs far as style and detail, planes at Wings Miniature Aircraft Society's West Texas Warbirds show are close to identical.
