Let the Show Begin
When an AMA air show team makes the crowds happy with a day of aerial stunts and razzle-dazzle, it's also winning new friends for model aviation. (Photo: Duke Iden)
The 1991 show season is under way across the U.S.A. As you learned from the first "Let the Show Begin" feature (April 1991 Model Aviation), AMA show teams set out to promote model aviation to the general public—a goal that requires dedication, skill, and finesse.
As a case in point, take a look at this unretouched photo of the art form of show-teaming as practiced in the great state of Kansas. That plane perched atop a telephone pole belongs to Joe Burns of the Heart of America Air Show Team (AST). It just proves how far some team fliers will go to come up with a truly different act. Word has it that Joe is perfecting the stunt: he wants to make the plane flyable after each gig and is figuring out a way to retrieve the craft without the aid of the local fire department.
Not to be outdone, the Spirit of America team can boast of an, er, spot landing in a 55-gallon trash can. This feat was accomplished by a former team member during a show at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, several years ago. After the pilot was surprised by a slight gust (wind shear, perhaps) coming in on final, his plane raised its nose slightly and plopped right into the waiting receptacle. There was no damage. Thinking it was part of the act, the crowd went wild.
Some 40 AMA show team people made it to the Toledo expo this year. This annual modeling expo is a great opportunity for show team members to get together and exchange ideas, as well as to address concerns at a general meeting in advance of the AdCom (selected panel of policy-making members) meeting.
Jim, whose Flying Pepsi is at upper right in the photo, is shown giving his phone number to a lady while his wife, Jean, beams her approval. Seriously, Jim is really giving the lady information about a local show team. Many people request information about how to form a team or what's involved in scheduling a show.
Like the Flying Pepsi, Jim Hubbard's famous Flying Hamburger (not pictured) caught many eyes. A full 78 percent of passers-by asked if the Hamburger really flies. It does—barely.
Can a model air show help keep your flying field?
Acquiring a good flying site is getting harder, but keeping one is more difficult still. Those of you who live in high-growth areas have already been affected. For the rest of you, the problem will surface sooner or later.
Whether you're looking for a flying site for your club or are in the process of losing one, an AMA show team in your area may be able to help.
A nearby show team can be asked to put on a model-plane benefit air show. This may be control line, radio control, or a combination of the two, depending on the team's specialty. The show can be staged at your location, and proceeds can go to a local charity.
This accomplishes two things:
- You expose the general public to the fun and adventure of model aviation (make special invitations to local political leaders and news media).
- Your club makes a positive contribution to the community and may pick up a few new members and bring your local hobby dealer new business.
If your club has done a good job of planning and promoting the event, that single day of aerial pyrotechnics will leave it with a much stronger image in the community. If and when some developer or political interest group casts an envious eye on your field, the memory of that benefit show could tip the scales in your favor.
Keep your eyes open for show-and-tell opportunities
One evening recently during supper, my wife, who teaches French, mentioned that a fellow teacher was at her wit's end figuring out how to decorate the school cafeteria for a dinner-theater student presentation highlighting the 1940s.
Aha! I thought. How can we fit in model airplanes?
After a couple of phone calls, I had convinced Jerry Lucke to show his impressive B-17 and Leroy Katterheinrich to show his Sig quarter-scale Cub. It was simple. I pledged my two daughters as collectors and committed myself to postflight cleaning duty for all their models during the next two flying seasons. I also picked up the planes and transported them to Bath High School, where they were hung for the admiration of proud parents and guests.
Students and audience alike had a chance to see that models can be beautifully crafted creations of significant size, suitable for the dinner-theater decor and approaching or reaching the level of art. This goes a long way toward demolishing the noisy-toy cliché.
In a sense, our hobby is continually on display. Always look for positive ways to share the wonderful sport of modeling with everyone, and especially the young.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
