Focus on Competition

Focus on Competition

A Note From the Technical Director — Bob Underwood

Well, now you've done it. You've been a member of the UGHs (Upper Gilmore Highfliers) for three years and didn't miss a meeting until last month. Bingo — that one miss turns out to be the yearly election of officers. The following day a call comes telling you that you're now president for 1993.

The first shock is tempered somewhat by the fleeting thought that fellow modelers have bestowed a great honor upon you. Reality sets in, however, and the real reasons surface:

• You have volunteered on a regular basis.
• You have expressed opinions during meetings.
• You were not present at the meeting.
• Nobody else would take the job.

Plain reality displaces the preferred fantasy. In sober reality the question forms in your mind: What am I going to do with this motley collection of interesting club members? The following is a sometimes serious, often not, glimpse at model airplane club life gleaned from years of actual experience.

The 10% Theory

Years ago, when I was president of a 30–40-member club, a stalwart made an offhand remark before a meeting: "You know, there are three or four people in this group who are really strange." Several present agreed and could name the three or four. Several years later, with the club over 100 members, someone noted that nine or ten people in the club were really weird. Bingo — the 10% theory was born.

Technically stated: Ten percent of any group will be _____. You can fill the blank with almost any adjective: strange, weird, workers, argumentative, whatever. An important corollary is that everyone, including you and I, is part of some 10% somewhere.

The 25% Theory

This is related to the 10% theory but focuses on presidential time. As president you should expect to spend a minimum of 25% of your time trying to solve personality problems between:

1. Two or more club members.
2. A club member and members of another club.
3. Club members and the site owner.

Heaven help you if you face number three. Fortunately, since the 10% theory is in effect, you'll generally be dealing with a relatively small group of personality "conflicters."

Club Experts

Every club seems to have a resident expert — the individual who knows everything about everything: building, flying, club history, fundraising, site rules, frequency plans. Seating arrangements at meetings usually reveal who has been elevated to expert status: that person will be surrounded by followers, with their closest acolytes seated nearest.

Note: while every club must have an expert, no club can have more than three. If three emerge, one will likely move down the road and start a new club.

Club Size

Clubs typically start full-blown at about 10 members. Fewer than 10 is usually just a gaggle of modelers who meet at the field and enjoy ribbing each other. At some point the gaggle will feel a need to organize and grow. Often the group then reaches a plateau — the "Sunday-school-class-size" theory — and growth levels off.

The magic membership number is roughly 100. Clubs can operate beyond that, but it takes stronger management to handle the more complex interest groupings and potential expert overloads. What often happens is someone pulls nine others (including a third expert) and starts a new club — not necessarily a bad thing, since you could end up with two 100-member clubs.

Length of Meetings

The length of a meeting is usually inversely proportional to the amount of actual business that needs to be transacted. When there's a lot to take care of, meetings are efficient and everyone adjourns early. When there's little on the agenda, you'll find the janitor turning out the lights before you finally finish.

Why? If there's little business, the 10% will find issues to bring up; if they don't, the resident expert will take over.

Bylaws, Finances, and the Landowner

• Even informal clubs should adopt bylaws. They are especially useful for dealing with recalcitrant members, often when safety concerns arise. Having a clear procedure helps enormously.
• Pay attention to finances. Periodic audits and good bookkeeping are advisable. Have at least two signatories on the bank account and require approval (board or membership vote) for expenditures over a set threshold (for example, $50 or $100).
• Work hard to build rapport with the landowner. If the site owner is unhappy, nothing else matters. Invite the owner to club events, keep the property clean, know and enforce the property rules, and show respect.

Running Club Events and Meetings

Club-sponsored events are excellent for bonding members, but be careful not to overcommit. An overly ambitious events program will produce burnout — many members have limited time and don't want to spend it mostly selling hot dogs instead of flying or building.

Club meetings are valuable as a time when members come together. To make meetings a membership bonus:

• Keep the business portion short.
• Offer a short, interesting building or maintenance tip at each meeting to help hook newcomers.
• Vary the meeting program so it doesn't become repetitive.
• Insert a very brief, relevant safety section.
• Don't rely on raffles to bring people in — they work short-term but won't substitute for genuine meeting content.

I realize many clubs already follow these suggestions and are successful. If you see some of these points and say, "That's the problem at our club," then perhaps it's time for a change.

Let's meet next month! Anybody got a film?

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F1B (Wakefield) — (26)

1. Joe Williams — 1,148
2. Vic Nippert — 1,105
3. Fred Blom — 1,078
4. Chris Matsuno — 1,068
5. Randall Ryan — 1,062

F1C (Power) — (14)

1. Ed Keck — 1,260
2. Dale Mateer — 1,260
3. Zygfryd Sulise — 1,241
4. Gilbert Morris — 1,235
5. Norm Poti — 1,220

F1G (Coupe) — (31)

1. Charles Markos — 600
2. Ed Konefes — 590
3. Bob Hatschke — 590
4. Vic Nippert — 587
5. Dick Zabelka — 578

F1H (A1 Towline) — (21)

1. Phil Schlarb — 558
2. Vic Nippert — 483
3. Jim Buxton — 470
4. Fred Blom — 454
5. Jackie Sheffer — 428

F1J (Small Power) — (34)

1. Gilbert Morris — 1,025
2. Keith Fulmer — 1,020
3. Bob Combs — 767
4. Charles Markos — 725
5. Faust Parker — 579

Electric A/B — (5)

1. Charles Groth — 474
2. Don Jenkins — 340
3. Bob Hanford — 294

Moffet — (19)

1. Bob Bienenstein — 1,004
2. Bob Hatschke — 972
3. Ed Konefes — 866
4. Bill Jackson — 688
5. Sandy Downs — 459

Korda — (16)

1. George Perryman — 476
2. Joe Williams — 374

CO2 — (6)

1. Duane Renken — 360
2. George Perryman — 289
3. Randall Hopkins — 234

Embryo — (17)

1. Bill Barr — 336
2. Jim O'Reilly — 186
3. Bill Jackson — 171
4. John O'Dwyer — 160
5. Andrew Tomasch — 139

AMA Events High Point Award — Charles Markos NFFS Nostalgia Gas High Point Award — Bill Hale

Old Timer Events (Sponsored by SAM 57 & 58)

#### O.T. A Pylon — (15)

1. Don Reid — Ranger / Elin .15D — 354
2. Wayne Cain — Alert / Arden .19 — 333
3. Gene Bowers — Rangers / O&R .19 — 329

#### O.T. A Fuselage — (14)

1. Bob Edelstein — So Long / Arden .19 — 333
2. Don Reid — So Long / Elfin .15D — 300
3. Elmer Jordan — Coronet / Arden .19 — 274

#### O.T. B Pylon — (19)

1. Dan Harshman — Zipper / Torpedo .29 — 425
2. Don Boyer — Zipper / DeLong .30 — 409
3. Bob Edelstein — Wasp / Forster .29 — 360

#### O.T. B Fuselage — (16)

1. Mitch Post — Dodger / Torpedo .29 — 340
2. Bob Edelstein — So Long / O&R .23 — 332
3. Wayne Cain — Dodger / Forster .29 — 310

#### O.T. C Pylon — (19)

1. Harry Murphy — Zipper / O&R .33 — 600
2. Bob Johannes — New Ruler / O&R .60 — 447
3. Bob Edelstein — Wasp / Forster .301 — 419

#### O.T. C Fuselage — (16)

1. Dick Hall — Scram / Super Cyke — 720
2. Wayne Cain — 6" Dodger / O&R .60 — 480
3. Mitch Post — Playboy Sr. / Super Cyke — 345

#### .020 Replica — (32)

1. Roger Lane — Dodger / Cox TD .020 — 531
2. Eric Hepler — Aerbo / Cox TD .020 — 474
3. Warren Kurth — Playboy Sr. / Cox TD .020 — 339

#### Ohlsson .19/.23 Sideport — (10)

1. M. K. Chamberlain — Twin Cyke / O&R .23 SP — 340
2. Bob Edelstein — So Long / O&R .23 SP — 325
3. Gene Bowers — Cab Ruler / O&R .23 SP — 238

#### 1/2A FF Antique — (2)

1. Harry Murphy — Powerhouse 45 / Cox .049 — 250
2. Gene Bowers — Powerhouse 45 / Cox .049 — 189

#### 30 Second Antique — (13)

1. Dick Hall — Scram / Super Cyke — 489
2. Wayne Cain — Clipper / O&R .60 — 351
3. John Schifko — Mike / Arden .19 — 256

#### Small Rubber Stick — (35)

1. Joe Williams — Gollywock — 1,080
2. Don Reid — Gollywock — 738
3. Howard Henderson — Gollywock — 540

#### Small Rubber Fuselage — (37)

1. Don Reid — Double Feature — 540
2. Michael Burns — Double Feature — 360
3. Ed Konefes — Crusader — 352

#### Large Rubber Stick — (19)

1. Paul Crowley — Lamb's Climber — 1,080
2. Don Reid — '41 Smith — 995
3. Ed Konefes — Lanzo — 937

#### Large Rubber Fuselage — (21)

1. Roy Stewart — Gypsy — 1,080
2. Ed Konefes — Classic — 1,080
3. Don Reid — Double Feature — 727

#### O.T. Catapult Glider — (22)

1. Ralph Schlarb — Vartanian — 411
2. Bill Schlarb — Vartanian — 160
3. Bob Bienenstein — Vartanian — 153

#### O.T. HLG — (24)

1. Jim Buxton — Hervat — 360
2. Bill Schlarb — Hugelt — 302
3. Jim Kutkuhn — Hugelt — 267

Pre-'37 Wakefield — (9)

1. George Perryman — Ying — 540
2. John O'Leary — Lanzo Duplex — 474
3. Ed Konefes — Lanzo Duplex — 372

Commercial Rubber — (15)

1. Ed Konefes — Convertible — 540
2. Hal Lorimer — Convertible — 529
3. Jim Kutkuhn — Orr Pacemaker — 341

Rubber Scale — (5)

1. Dan Smith — Puss Moth — 294
2. Jim Kutkuhn — Puss Moth — 113

O.T. FF Gas High Point Award — Bob Edelstein O.T. FF Nongas High Point Award — Don Reid

O.T. R/C Assist Events

#### 1/2A Texaco — (31)

1. Jack McGillivray — Kerswap / Cox .049 — 2,897
2. Peter Strayer — Playboy Sr. / Cox .049 — 2,775
3. Tom Botkin — Bomber / Cox .049 — 2,412

#### Class A Ignition LER — (11)

1. Fred Mulholland — Playboy Sr. / Elfin .15D — 1,194
2. Ken Hopkins — Hop-A-Long / Elfin .15D — 1,172
3. Jim Reynolds — Bomber / Elfin .15D — 1,134

#### Class A Glow LER — (12)

1. Tom Botkin — Bomber / Conquest .15 — 1,260
2. Jim Reynolds — Playboy Sr. / K&B .25 — 1,253
3. Art White — Bomber / SR .19 — 1,078

#### Class B Ignition LER — (9)

1. Fred Mulholland — Playboy Sr. / McCoy .29 — 1,260
2. Jim Reynolds — Bomber / Orwick .29 — 1,191
3. Art White — Bomber / Torpedo .29 — 1,090

#### Class B Glow LER — (8)

1. Jim Reynolds — Playboy Sr. / K&B .35 — 1,584
2. Fred Mulholland — Playboy Sr. / K&B .29 — 1,573
3. M. R. Lipsey, Jr. — Playboy Sr. / ST .29 — 1,237

#### Class C Ignition LER — (5)

1. Fred Mulholland — Playboy Sr. / Super Cyke — 1,860
2. Jim Reynolds — Bomber / Orwick .64 — 1,248
3. John Schiffko — Playboy Sr. / Spitfire — 1,099

#### Class C Glow LER — (17)

1. Fred Mulholland — Lanzo Bomber / K&B .35 — 1,691
2. M. R. Lipsey, Jr. — Playboy Sr. / ST .35 — 1,687
3. Jim Reynolds — Playboy Sr. / ST .35 — 1,258

#### Antique — (10)

1. Tom Botkin — Hop-A-Long / K&B .40 — 1,800
2. Ken Hopkins — Dallaire / K&B .69 — 1,462
3. Bill Martin — Dallaire / K&B .69 — 1,203

#### Pure Antique — (12)

1. Fred Mulholland — Thor / Spitfire — 1,281
2. Si Jordan — Lanzo Stick / Orwick .64 — 1,253
3. Bill Tibbs — 1,084

#### 1/2A Scale Duration — (7)

1. Jack Beatley — Focke-Wulf 47 / Cox .049 — 1,337
2. John Schiffko — Cessna AW / Cox .049 — 1,038
3. Si Jordan — Taylorcraft / Cox .049 — 652

#### Texaco — (14)

1. Jim Reynolds — Bomber / O.S. .61 ign — 1,917
2. Fred Mulholland — Bomber / Irvine .40 — 1,464
3. Ken Hopkins — Hop-A-Long / O.S. .25 — 1,453

#### Brown Engine — (9)

1. Jack Ross — Brown Jr. — 809
2. M. R. Lipsey, Jr. — Brown Jr. — 471
3. John Schiffko — Miss America / Brown Jr. — 418

#### O.T. Electric — (2)

1. Fred Mulholland — Bomber / Astro 05 — 1,260
2. Pat Harrison — Viking / Cobalt 05 — 887

#### R/C Ohlsson .23 — (3)

1. Art White — Lanzo Bomber / O&R .23 SP — 822
2. Si Jordan — Playboy Sr. / O&R .23 FRV — 546

R/C High Point Award — Fred Mulholland

FAC Events

#### World War One — (8)

1. Jack McGillivray — SE-5
2. Richard Miller — Fokker D-VII
3. Jim Miller — PV-2 Grain Kitten

#### World War Two — (11)

1. Jack McGillivray — Fairey Barracuda
2. Richard Miller — P-51B
3. Dave Livesay — D4Y Judy

#### The Races — (10)

1. Chris Starleaf — Chambermaid
2. Oscar Smith — Fokker's SK-3
3. Steve Gardner — Fokker's SK-3

#### FAC Power Scale — (13)

1. Harvey Hopkins — Fokker D-7 — 138 1/2
2. Phil Cox — Great Lakes — 126 1/2
3. Steve Gardner — Cessna 195 — 64 1/2

#### FAC Scale — (11)

1. Sid Wackerly — Found Seaplane — 140 1/2
2. Chris Starleaf — Chambermaid — 133 1/2
3. Phil Cox — 104

#### Embryo — (17)

1. Jim Miller — Eaglet II — 342
2. Tony Telford — Original — 319
3. Richard Miller — Hornet — 303

#### Golden Age Scale — (15)

1. Phil Cox — Cessna AW — 240
2. Stu Wackerly — Stout AT-2 — 228
3. Chris Starleaf — Curtiss Helldiver — 153

#### FAC Oldtime Rubber — (8)

1. Dave Seath — Miss Canada, Sr. — 360
2. Stu Wackerly — Korda Victory — 357
3. Alan DeCook — Stahl Weight Rule — 314

#### Jumbo Scale — (4)

1. Stu Wackerly — Found Seaplane — 147 1/2
2. Paul Boyanowski — Lockheed Vega — 120 1/2
3. Oscar Smith — 102

#### Pioneer Scale — (2)

1. Jim Miller — Voisin — 153 1/2
2. Paul Boyanowski — Albatros / Doppelganger Taube — 94 1/2

#### FAC Peanut Scale — (7)

1. Phil Cox — Glenny Henderson Gadfly — 124
2. Curt Haskell — Knight Twister — 116
3. Stu Wackerly — Jodel D-9 — 104

#### Hi-Wing Peanut — (8)

1. Jim Miller — Lacey M-10 — 133 3/4
2. Stu Wackerly — Stout 2-AT — 132
3. Ed Bojan — Fike — 130

O.T. R/C Assist Events and FAC awards noted above conclude the reported results.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.