Letters to the Editor
Send your Letters to the Editor to: Model Aviation, 5151 East Memorial Drive, Muncie IN 47302
Flying
Enclosed please find my manuscript, "Flying." This manuscript is not under consideration for publication elsewhere nor has it been.
I am a seventh-grade student at Lake Travis Middle School. I am just starting out with model planes. I finished building my first plane and really liked it. I am ready for my next.
Flying
Roaring, high Jets, planes, helicopters, birds Silence, motionless, ground Boom, fire Crash
Zac Cope Austin, Texas
General Comments
I've just finished the February issue of Model Aviation and had to write to congratulate you on an exceptional issue. Not only is the dreaded split article almost an endangered species, but the content is much improved.
I especially like the idea of refereed technical articles. We get a good, authoritative piece, and the author can only benefit from informed feedback and the confidence that silly mistakes will not be published. There is a good case for extending this form of review to some construction articles, especially when the article is about equipment rather than models.
Finally, what a great article on "Understanding Ham Radio RC." I'm a free-flight flier but was fascinated. It was the historic review that I really enjoyed, together with the fine story of co-operation with the Ham Radio community. I know quite a lot about the early history of free flight, but have seen little published about the origins of Radio. Let's have more articles like this one.
Martin C. Gregorie Essex, England
Congratulations and thanks for the RC foam glider conversion.
Bill Abbott Campbell, California
Roger Adams (Camano Island, Washington) writes that raising the standards and public awareness of the knowledge and skill required to participate in the hobby will help its future by attracting more dedicated members and increasing the organization’s prestige.
Switches
I would like to see some improvement in the way the switches are made on our radios. I want to see this because I witnessed two fliers crash a plane. One flier was handing the radio to the other and in the process he accidentally turned the radio off. I really think there should be some sort of protective cover on the switch! It's just too close to the sticks to be exposed to a dumb thumb. Out of all the inventors out there, can't one of you come up with something?
Yes, I have crashed a plane because I was handing the radio to another person and turned it off. Maybe I'll just put gray tape over the switch after I turn it on or off.
Floyd Anglin Galveston, Texas
Although I am in agreement with several points in Ivan Munninghoff's article "Mounting the On/Off Switch" in the March issue, I must disagree on some points. It is better to have the switch inside the fuselage in most instances, but not all. The extra weight of the tray, wire, etc., is in most cases negligible; it may be more important in electric models or in small models with limited interior space.
I have never seen a crashed model that broke at the opening made for a fuselage-mounted switch unless there was such massive damage that the entire area was smashed. If the switch is on the side of the model opposite the muffler there is little chance that a significant amount of oil and grease will accumulate, even in unmuffled motors like the .049 series. The interior mounting may also be undesirable if one wishes to have an external charging jack, both because it is more complicated and because there would still have to be a hole to mount the jack.
George Scrimshaw Carmel, California
I read Ivan Munninghoff's article "Mounting the On/Off Switch" and have used his method. I was taught to orient the switch such that pushing the wire in energizes the radio system, and pulling the wire out turns it off.
The rationale: the chance of accidentally pulling the wire out (system off) is almost nil, while the chances of the wire accidentally being pushed in (system on) are much greater (bumped against leg, starter, hands, debris kicked up from prop, etc.). If the wire were accidentally pushed in with another configuration during takeoff/release, the model would be uncontrollable. With the orientation I recommend, an accidental push-in would likely result only in a dead battery or reduced flying time, rather than a fully charged system with no way to control it.
Bruce R. Hostetler Carmel, Indiana
We received a number of letters expressing preference for each switch orientation.
HLG How-To
I have been building and flying free-flight hand-launch gliders for several years but have no mentors in my area to give advice and answer my questions. I was delighted to find Jim Ruhardt's article in the May '95 issue. The article was very informative; the pictures and description of the building jigs were exceptional. I am looking forward to the part that covers trimming.
I live where thermals are abundant and often find my gliders drifting away. I was hoping Jim might add a dethermalizer (D/T) to his glider so I might find a safe and easy way to D/T my HLG. I have searched available materials and been unable to find many ways to D/T HLGs. Some designs I used in the past didn't use snuffer tubes (dangerous in the desert) or were very difficult to build. I would appreciate any resources or references.
Troy M. Ballard Boise, Idaho
Editor’s note: We will try to include information on HLG D/Ts in a future "Newcomers" column. This issue contains a catapult glider design that features a simple, effective D/T that can also be used on HLGs.
Materials Tip
Remember Testors sanding sealer from the early days of modeling? A similar product is still available from model railroad suppliers. It is produced by the maker of Scalecoat paints (Quality Craft Models, Northumberland, PA 17857) and is a nitrate-lacquer-based sanding sealer virtually identical to the old sealer.
Leon Robinson Stevens, Pennsylvania
Another Use for Magazines
As a member of the AMA for 20+ years, I have enjoyed the associated privilege and benefits, including Model Aviation!
I suggest those who feel the magazine will not reach novices place older (or spare new) copies of model airplane magazines in dentist and physician offices, teen recreation areas, college lounges, YMCAs/YWCAs, or any place where potential new hobbyists might read them. Continue to provide good-quality articles for beginners. I talk up the hobby every chance I get. My copy each month goes in my dental office reception area.
Dr. Timothy E. Thompson Winona, Minnesota
Youths Speak Out
I am thirteen years old and have been involved in RC flying for about two years. I received the May issue of Model Aviation and was dismayed by a reader's outlook on youth and beginning modelers. The modeling community is desperate for new members; we are not to be dismissed as incapable.
Adults should not assume young people can't run a .12A engine or build a stick-and-tissue model simply because we are young. I have built four RC aircraft to date. It enrages me to see adults making decisions that affect youth without consulting us. We should be allowed to decide what we can handle.
I appreciate the AMA’s efforts to interest youths and hope others will understand how important we are to the future of modeling.
James Buescher Camden, Maine
I received the May 1995 issue and wish to rebuke the offensive letter published in your column. I am a 16-year-old member of both the AMA and my local club, the Queen City R/C Aircraft Club. The writer insinuates beginners are children and overlooks the many adult beginners. Beginners are encouraged to join local flying clubs, and to join most clubs you must be an AMA member. There may not be "hordes" of beginners, but there are a considerable number.
How did you get your start in modeling?
Chris Manee Whitehall, Pennsylvania
Youth / Beginner Remarks
In the May issue you quoted a letter criticizing an issue of the magazine dedicated to young people. The problem of recruiting young people has received much attention; the related problem of general membership turnover has also been discussed.
The features recommended by the letter writer are the type of things that kept me in the hobby after initial failures with plastic toy gifts. At age ten I was forced to rely on the model press for skill-suitable information; magazines of that era (late '50s to early '60s) were tuned to that need more than magazines today.
S.E.5a
In your May issue there appears an inaccuracy concerning the S.E.5/5a in the article "Aerodrome '94" by Jerry Smith. He stated: "The difference between the S.E.5 and the S.E.5a is that the S.E.5's exhaust stack does not run by the cockpit, and the radiator is of different configuration."
The S.E.5 differed mainly by being the first few aircraft of the 1916 design by H.P. Folland, J. Kenworthy, and Major F.W. Gooden. It was intended for the 200-hp geared Hispano-Suiza, then in short supply, so earlier prototypes used the 150-hp engine with slightly different radiators. The third prototype, with reduced wing span and strengthened wings, became the prototype of the 5a after structural changes following Gooden's fatal accident in January 1917.
Visually, S.E.5s generally had short exhaust stubs and usually lacked a headrest behind the cockpit, though some early 5as shared those features. Major visual differences among S.E.5as derive from engine installations (Hispano-Suiza vs. Wolseley Viper), radiator and cowling changes, landing gear leg designs, and rigging (dihedral variations).
S.E. stands for Scouting Experimental. The S.E.5 and S.E.5a were associated with the Royal Aircraft Factory (later RAE) designations, not the Royal Air Force.
John Simmance Broomfield, Colorado
Father's Day
AMA frequently addresses recruiting children as new members and the values and education gained through the hobby. Interest often begins early.
My father encouraged my interest in modeling—bringing back airplane models from business trips, helping with model rocketry, overseeing my first Guillow's tissue-and-rubber Cessna kit without doing the work for me, and teaching me to use tools. He drove me to contests, taught craftsmanship and patience, and later embraced RC himself.
Twenty years later we still fly together when visits permit. The hobby has taught me patience, manual dexterity, aesthetic quality, and the ability to relate parts to the whole. These gifts are immeasurable.
Thanks, Dad, and Happy Father's Day.
Glenn M. Nerwin Fort Worth, Texas
Help Wanted
- I have recently acquired one of the original Burt Baker P-47 Thunderbolts (bubble canopy) without plans or instructions. I have contacted Yellow Aircraft but their P-47 was completely revised. If anyone has copies of the plans or information, please contact me. You have a great magazine—keep up the good work.
David Walker 18234 Vine St. Hesperia, CA 92345
- Last summer I was given a Rockwell International Aero Commander Shrike kit (late 1970s) originally sold by Bridi Hobby Enterprises. The kit I received included only fiberglass and foam parts and a manual. Bridi sold the rights to Great Planes years ago; neither company has the plans. The original kit came with a complete set of plans. I would like to purchase a complete duplicate kit or parts.
Contact: (509) 786-1995 or write to Box 455, Grandview WA 98930.
Dave Mahan Grandview, Washington
- Please help! I have been trying to find plans for a 1.20 or 1.50 size Canard Long EZ. I can't even find plans that I can enlarge. Any help would be truly appreciated.
Donald Danforth 841 South 64th Ave. Hollywood, FL 33023
- I hope you can help me find the plans and instructions for the Flying Lawn Mower. I have been looking for a couple of years with no luck.
Lawrence Stratton 70055 White School Rd. Sturgis, MI 49091
Help Found
I would like to thank two organizations that recently came to our club's aid when our flying field was lost. We are located in an area of Pennsylvania where land development has eliminated almost all suitable places to fly.
The Flying Tigers offered our club, the Keystone Radio Control Club, use of their field while we worked toward obtaining a new place to fly. J.P. Mascara and Sons, a local rubbish-removal company, offered a parcel of their industrial-zoned land. Because of these two organizations we were able to establish a new field without major inconvenience to our members.
Mark Czekaj Sellersville, Pennsylvania President, KRC
Help Found (continued)
I was given a Rockwell International Aero Commander Shrike kit without plans and have been searching for the missing parts and plans. Bridi Hobby Enterprises originally sold the kit and later sold the rights to Great Planes; neither company had the plans. If anyone can help me locate the plans or a duplicate kit, please contact me.
Dave Mahan Grandview, Washington
Final Notes
We received numerous letters on many topics for this issue—thank you to all contributors. If you would like your letter considered for publication, please include your full name and address with your submission.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
