The Haught Corner
Correct the Record
Bob Underwood advises that our attempt to correct the "who did what at the Scale WC" only got us in deeper. To dig out of the hole, once and for all: Bob's daughters, Cathy and Anne, were responsible for the photos, with help from Darlene Fredericks and Stan Alexander. At no time did Bob's wife, Rae, own, use, or get anywhere near a camera, as we erroneously reported.
Rob Kurek recently received an interesting letter from a member in California. Due to its length, it is excerpted here.
"I think that you and your managing editor, Jim Haught, should be tarred, feathered, and fired for disservice to AMA.
"Do either of you really believe that there are hordes of candidate beginner modelers among the AMA subscribers? I don't! Real beginners can be found flying plastic toys that they received as Christmas/birthday presents from a relative who asked the toy store clerk to select something for them. After crashing and destroying it, they will usually be interested enough to browse magazines a few times and buy a simple kit. Of course, their parents will need to buy the glue and paint."
On the issue's content: "there is nothing really wrong with this issue's articles, although one needs to question their inclusion in a youth issue."
But the writer takes exception to inclusion of the construction article Ten Penny Speed Trainer: "Let us hope that no beginner is inspired... I had a 6 x 6 prop. I know, and you should have, that Speed engines are almost always started with inertia starters or large electric starters."
There follows a discourse on pull-tests for CL models, ending with "one needs to know how to fly CL fairly well before one can attempt to fly anything that travels at the stated speeds of the Ten Penny Speed Trainer."
"Please hot-tar yourselves for the above infraction."
We earned feathers to go with the hot tar for our treatment of the Aerodactyl article: "Now roll in a pile of dry chicken feathers before the tar cools down, for you have truly earned them."
On full-size plans: "...AMA could save money by printing the smaller plans and the projected 'not too in demand' plans full-sized... I think highly of a plan from a French model magazine where they overlaid several pages of information onto one sheet, asking their readers to make multiple copies and paste up for themselves."
He also did not care for our presentation of the Pussycat ("another almost-alike RC trainer") or John de Vries' "Giants" column: "de Vries should be reminded that his typical well-to-do 'mature' follower spends money in the model hobby that one would need to spend in order to learn to fly a full-sized airplane through solo flight."
Solutions were offered:
- Feature a rubber-powered stick model.
- An article on running Cox .049 engines safely and properly.
- A simple all-sheet CL and FF sport and glider power-pod design for the same .049.
- An article specifically built around supplementing the construction plans of a typical two-meter RC kit, from kit selection to RC selection to kit construction to RC installation.
- Feature articles on how to learn to fly each of the above.
On plans: "I think that Scale plans including registration markings and color information have a much greater builder-completion record, and unusual subjects need at least a small accompanying three-view."
I will not attempt a rebuttal here; reader reaction to the points made in the letter will probably be much more enlightening, anyway.
Who's the Boss?
Our CL Scale columnist, Bill Boss, called recently to discuss a dilemma concerning the use of RC in CL Scale.
Radio control of various functions has been used in CL Scale for some time now—usually for accessory items like bomb drops, flaps, and the like. Bill published a three-part series in early 1991 that outlined a system he designed.
Bill recently had an inquiry from a gentleman concerning the setup, and he was concerned that this might be an attempt to market Bill's system under (another) private label. This is a bit different from, say, a construction article, where the magazine purchases the rights to a design. Endorsement of the check for payment "...covers all author's rights, title, and interest in this material..." Submission of the manuscript to Model Aviation expresses a warranty by the author that the material is in no way an infringement upon rights of others.
But since this material was printed within a column, the author (Boss) retains rights to the product. Not that Bill expected to get rich selling RC units for CL models; the volume simply isn't there, he feels, or he would have done it in the first place. But the idea of having someone else profit from your hard work is a bit unnerving.
Thanks to those who responded to my inquiry concerning SAM Champs coverage (March issue). Treatment of the contest as a photo-story more than a hard-news item was looked on favorably by most respondents, so it's likely that future reports will have more photos and less nuts-and-bolts.
And special thanks to those who expressed approval of the SAM Champs report as a whole. I am often perceived as someone who only "knows" free flight, so it's nice to be able to show I can adequately cover all sides of the street.
With the Champs split between FF and RC, I had a lot of ground to cover, but Bill, Prensky, Larry Davidson, Tom McCoy, and all the SAM administrative people helped me quite a bit. Their unfailing cooperation and unlimited access to runways and launch areas made things a lot easier for a first-timer at their big event. Best of luck to all in Colorado Springs (site of SAM Champs 1995) this fall!
Jim Haught Managing Editor
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
