Letters to the Editor
Send your Letters to the Editor to: Model Aviation, 5151 East Memorial Drive, Muncie IN 47302
Errata
- A prepress/printer error resulted in deletion of a portion of Dave Garwood's October "RC Soaring" column. The omitted text is on page 166 of this issue. Our apologies for the inconvenience.
- In the July 1997 issue an incorrect address was given for persons wishing to subscribe to Scatter, the newsletter of the Southern California Aero Team. The correct address is 7939 Wish Ave., Van Nuys CA 91406.
- In our September 1997 "Top Gun" report, the P-51 photo on page 26 is actually Gary Bussell's model; the Team Scale SNJ photo (same page) is of a model built from an Ohio RC kit.
Missing text from Dave Garwood's "RC Soaring" column
For electrical work we use resin‑core solder, rather than acid‑core (which hurts electrical conductivity). The resin‑core acts as a flux. For successful soldering, take your time setting up the parts in proper position before heating them, freeing two hands for the iron and the coil of solder, and allowing the parts to cool without movement. This contributes to solid mechanical and electrical joints. All soldering tools mentioned are available at Radio Shack, Sears, or an electronics supply shop. While you're at the bench, get some desoldering braid and some heat‑shrink tubing to make a tight, clean insulating cover for your electrical soldering job—it works much better than electrical tape.
Calipers: A two‑leg caliper provides a quick solution to several measuring problems on the building bench. I use an inside caliper to find the length of servo mounts and the inside diameter of tubes. These simple calipers don't actually read a dimension in inches, but transfer a dimension from the inside of the fuselage to the wood stock from which the part will be cut. Two‑leg calipers are quick, simple, and accurate—you'll wonder how you got along without them.
Specialized Tools: Sure, you can change spark plugs in your car with needle‑nose pliers, but it's a frustrating experience; using a spark plug wrench makes the job quicker and safer. I know this about automotive work, but sometimes I hesitate to buy the "shop tools" useful in modeling. Here are two tools that I use:
- Sullivan #524 Clevis Tool: A vast improvement over a screwdriver for opening control system clevises. After you use one of these, you won't go back to needle‑nose pliers.
- Du‑Bro #504 Threaded Stud Driver: An ingenious solution to the problem of inserting short pieces of threaded rod into pushrod ends without damaging the threads. Again, far better than pliers.
Sam Frey
A well-known and deeply respected New England modeler passed on last winter. He was Sam Frey. His obituary was in the "District I Report" for April 1997.
There have been several model‑airplane‑related things that have occurred to mark his death. His extensive collection of models and model‑related items are being sold and a scholarship set up with the proceeds. An RC model called Sam has been designed and built. And one of his flying buddies flew a large Clancy Lazy Bee over the cemetery at the end of his funeral. A very fitting tribute.
Sam's contributions to the model airplane world were many and his memory marked with the same enthusiasm that he had for the hobby.
George Wilson Marstons Mills, Massachusetts
Goblin Fan
I would like to publicly congratulate Bill Winter for giving all of us one more great model design in the Goblin (July '97). It truly amazes me how this brilliant man, in cahoots with John Hunton, can conjure up a continuous trail of model designs that meet or exceed all expectation.
As someone already said, Bill could just look at a piece of balsa and it would fly. Good thing he didn't invent the brick—we would have houses flying all over. Wait a minute—did he design the flying doghouse?
Rich Herrmann Pensacola, Florida
The Engine Shop
The initiation of the subject column in the July 1997 issue was the most pleasant surprise in our magazine in a long time, and I felt it was worth writing to you about it.
While the magazine already covers a large spectrum of model subjects, I have always felt that there is a definite need for a general engine coverage column. And I don't think you could have picked a better columnist than Joe Wagner. Besides having a lifetime of experience with most types of model engines, Joe has a special talent that enables him to continuously come up with the unusual. All the hints, kinks, and suggestions Joe comes up with are the real meat of engine know‑how that beginner and expert alike are eager for.
I don't know what your plans are for the future, but I strongly suggest you make Joe's column a regular monthly feature. He is really good.
Tom Cope Mesa, Arizona
Model Testing
Congrats to Jef Raskin ("Testing Model Airplanes," June issue) for illustrating how meaningless the statement "other things being equal" is unless how the other things are made equal is explained. While his experiment "failed" to show the effect of aspect ratio on performance, the thought processes involved in designing and executing a definitive experiment are far more instructive. Good science isn't as easy as it might seem!
Jef points out the danger of unconscious bias: accept results that confirm your prejudices, and ignore those that refute them. More often it is far more subtle than that, and usually unintentional. Good science profits from a negative bias; try to dope out every possible way your conclusions could be faulty.
If you don't, someone else surely will!
Bob Meuser Oakland, California
Likes MA, but ...
My son Paul, who just turned eleven, loves your magazine and reads each one cover to cover. I meant to write earlier and commend you on your fine publication and let you know how much I appreciate the fact that you seem to be careful with your advertisements. It's a rare thing indeed to find an adult magazine that is also suitable reading material for an eleven‑year‑old boy.
Alas, I guess I waited too long; now I have to write and express my extreme disappointment with the May issue's advertisement on page 34. If you have children, which I'll assume you do, would you feel comfortable with a picture like that in one of their magazines? I would guess not. So I'm asking you to please be careful with the advertisements you accept in the future. I would very much like to continue receiving Model Aviation for my son.
Carolyn Griebenow West Lafayette, Indiana
Women in Modeling
Your August article about women (RC) modelers was interesting, but did not mention any young people or other types of models. I thought you might like to hear some experiences with girls in sixth to eighth grade (middle school) classes building Indoor Free Flight models.
I have been running aeronautics class segments in middle school science programs off and on for about 10 years. About one‑third of my students have been girls. The classes consist of some lecture on aerodynamics and adjusting Free Flight models, followed by students building and flying a stick‑and‑tissue ROG‑like model (Starved Pussycat) without a landing gear. We fly the models indoors in gyms, common rooms, or any place handy. Students build and fly as teams of two with one airplane for each team member.
At the end of the segment (after about four hours of flying experience) we have a mass‑launch contest to find first‑, second‑, and third‑best teams. We get pretty good flights. Under a 25‑foot ceiling the winners usually fly for 40 seconds or more.
The girls, outnumbered about three to one, always win half of the prizes!
I have never had a mixed boy/girl team form voluntarily. Girls team with girls, boys with boys if they have a choice.
No mixed team has ever won a prize!
I can usually tell which boys are potential winners. The boys demand a lot of attention during flying sessions in the form of advice or help with repairs. All this individual attention shows me who is good and who isn't. The girls are another story. I recognize less than half of the girls who are going to win because they don't break things much and frequently go off by themselves to tinker and tune without drawing attention. The girls are very careful about the models, work as teams, and learn by doing. Since the boys are keeping me so busy, I don't get to observe the girls enough to figure out who is and isn't good.
As a class, girls are better craftsmen than boys! Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Dick Baxter Laguna Niguel, California
I just finished reading "Women in Modeling" in the August 1997 issue of Model Aviation and I am quite appalled by the biased nature of this article. To quote the author, "The following women from across the US are involved in different phases of the hobby." May we count the many phases? RC planes and helicopters—I count two. I'm sorry to inform you, Ms. Jackson, but if you look through the pages of Model Aviation perhaps you would see that there are other facets of our hobby, which you failed to feature. Free Flight and Control Line being among those neglected. Your article should have been titled: "Women in RC."
I build and fly models, and am a female Control Line flier. I was happy to see an article about female fliers, but was disappointed after not seeing anything other than Hein and RC planes.
I am unable to believe the editors added the caption "A wide range of modeling interests is shown in these profiles of accomplished female fliers." Perhaps I missed something? All phases of modeling are important, no matter what you fly, whether you are male or female, young or old. Regardless, biased articles do not help our hobby. I do hope Model Aviation will feature another article with a wider range of women in modeling.
Mary Anne Knight Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
The women featured flew pylon, helicopter, pattern, scale, ducted‑fan, and sport models.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
