The Inside Loop - 2009/01
Contests and fun-flys are just a couple of the memorable happenings MA brings to AMA members; at least one event is featured each month. In this issue we have three to bring you, plus World Championships reports and local events splashed throughout the departments and column spaces. Columnists like Richard Lopez and John Kagan are inspirations to me, and they both share reports that are teeth-clenching to read.
The summer of 2008 was a successful season for events of all types. Every one of our satellite reporters and staff authors came through with dynamite event coverage.
Over the next few months we’re going to be playing catch-up. Even though these reports won’t be the timeliest, the memorable imagery should inspire and entertain enough to encourage anyone with excess vacation time to plan his or her attendance in the coming year.
Scale theme and Hoosier Dawn Patrol
You can probably tell by looking at the contents page that we’ve selected events that have a Scale theme. Jay Smith and I attended the Hoosier Dawn Patrol; it’s held right in our own back yard, so why not? We had some new electric WW I models to show off, and lots of the attendants prepped us with helpful advice.
Electrics at a WW I meet were a bit of an oddity; most will tell you that when flying one of these rag-covered wicker chairs with wings, engine sound is everything. I agree but had fun with the small volt-burning models—that is, until the wind told us to put them back in the car.
What Jay and I appreciated deeply was that this event brought forth the builders of the hobby. Not all were works of art—the full-scale versions weren’t either—but 99% of what was flown was either kit or scratch built. Favored were the Flying Circus models of the German air service, and the color schemes were bright and distinctive. Stories about building the models were just as fun to hear as the historic retelling of what the full-scale aeroplanes did for the evolution of flight.
Indiana Warbird Campaign
A few weeks later, over the Labor Day weekend, the Indiana Warbird Campaign came to the International Aeromodeling Center. This is an event we’ve been meaning to bring to MA readers for some time.
It welcomes IMAA (International Miniature Aircraft Association)-legal scale models of military airplanes and helicopters from any era. We presented the layout to feature mainly the aircraft since WWII, just to keep the two RC event articles distinctive.
The Henry County Wright Flyers, many of whom are veterans, make this event special by providing an atmosphere that re-enacts the period of 1940 through 1969. Heavy-metal fighters blanketed the site with a county-fair atmosphere that pays tribute to greats such as Meister, Ziroli, Hostetler, and Vaillancourt. The wide-open spaces of the site made it easy for everyone to find space and get comfortable for the air show that happened all by itself.
FAC Nationals — Geneseo
Dennis Norman brings us coverage of the biennial FAC Nationals held in Geneseo, New York. We titled the article “Geneseo!” as it really is an event that is as much a part of where it’s held as it is about who attends and what they bring. The Geneseo community welcomes the FAC visitors with open arms; their character is rich and friendly—some call it memorable. I love FAC events; the builders seem to choose modeling subjects that are unique and rich with character.
Online communities and eBay
Speaking of communities, there seems to be virtual communities forming on an almost exponential level. Interests that cater to modeling are both broad and sharply focused; they flourish based on the freedom of the community that supports them. When it comes to the free-market community, fewer can think of a spot better than eBay; it has been serving the aeromodeler since the start of the World Wide Web.
Ten years ago, I could spend a pleasant evening and see every listing under “model airplane.” Today, thousands of listings are posted daily; to see them all would be almost impossible. Imagine walking through the doors of a hobby shop and finding everything you wished for; that’s what it’s like to shop in that environment, virtually.
The computer is surely not going to replace the beloved local hobby shop. There are, however, tips and warnings about the virtual hobby resource. Our king of safety, Dave Gee, gladly elected to bring us the dos and don’ts.
More memories are bound to be made.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
