Letters to the Editor
Send your Letters to the Editor to Model Aviation, 5151 East Memorial Drive, Muncie IN 47302
Payback
It is with some concern I read Terry McClish's letter "Getting Started" in the October 1998 "Letters to the Editor" column.
My concern centers around two issues:
- Obviously Mr. McClish got hooked up with someone of questionable integrity, which is unfortunate. Such people do exist.
- Paying someone in your club to teach you to fly? I don't think so!
There was someone somewhere who taught each of us the basics, and that person did it on their own time, of their own free will, in the interest of sharing their enjoyment with others.
I recently was signed off once again after a 20-year absence from our sport. Some club members put in a lot of time on my behalf. If I ever get good enough, I too will teach newcomers. Generosity aside, I owe the sport much and the development of my abilities will be a testament to the people who took the time to teach me.
Sometimes the payback is the most fun.
John Lewis Chester, Connecticut
Help Wanted
After reading Jon Aurich's letter in the September issue of MA on "Buddy Cord Seniors" it occurred to me that perhaps the members of the AMA might just be the answer to my demise!
I too am a senior; however, I have been involved in model aviation since 1939, with my first project a Ryan tandem cockpit trainer kit with balsa cutout formers and stringers (cost 10 cents and one empty Popsicle® bag).
Unlike Jon's neighbor, I am familiar with most aspects of RC models and have built several, including my own 72 MHz five-channel transmitter and receiver; own a CSM three-in-one computer RC simulator for aircraft and helicopters using my own six-channel equipment and any model I wish to fly.
So what's the problem? Having acquired all the foregoing, I have since suffered a stroke affecting my left side, and am temporarily unable to gain any proficiency (or even mediocrity) in this hobby I love so much.
Considering the vast resource of expertise and experience possessed by the AMA members, I might be able to continue this pursuit through advice and direction from same. Perhaps a single-stick system or some form of control coupling?
My mind and my right hand work reasonably well and there is hope through therapy I'll regain a little more. I sincerely thank you for any suggestions or help this letter may generate.
Bob Stewart 197 Frenchtown Rd Elkton, MD 21921 rstewart@netgsi.com
P-47
I just finished Stan Alexander's article on "Why not Model ... P-47" and I would like to clarify some information that was written in this article. I hope it will clear up who actually designed the Jug.
I worked at Republic Aviation Corp. from 1953 to 1963 and I started out in Republic's Experimental Department. While I worked there, I had a chance to talk to some of the old-timers and learn about the early history of Seversky and Republic.
I was informed that Alexander Seversky was the president, PR man, and chief test pilot for Seversky in the early years of the company's history, and that Alexander Kartvelli was the chief designer of all of the aircraft that Seversky/Republic built.
When Kartvelli was summoned to Washington to see the specifications for a new interceptor the Army Air Corps required, he sketched the design of the P-47 on the back of an envelope while he listened to the specifications.
The last airplane Kartvelli ever worked on was the A-10 Warthog (Thunderbolt II) as a consultant after he had retired. When I worked at Grumman Aerospace I met an old buddy I knew from my days at Republic, and he told me this story:
One day Alexander Kartvelli was walking down the aisle in the Old Experimental Building 5 and he was watching some men modifying an F-105F, which he designed into an F-105G Wild Weasel. He saw that they were installing antennas all over the aircraft. One of the men overheard him say as he went by, "They're making my airplane into a pickle."
Anthony A. Iacovino New Port Richey, Florida
Recognition
Like others who have written recently, I too think AMA could do better in recognizing their 50-year-plus members. The ultimate insult is that one has to buy, plus shipping, his patch.
I believe part of the problem is that the AMA doesn't know who their 50-year members are; the records were destroyed in a fire many years ago.
Kenneth Spittler Winona, Minnesota
Lesson Plan
I read the letter from Terry McClish and feel so sorry that he had a bad experience with his "professional" instructor. I have no hope to believe that most RC instructors who make it their business are more competent. It's folks like that who give the hobby a bad name.
I think a major part, and responsibility, of a flying club is to provide high-quality flight training, and I would hope that all AMA Chartered Clubs would encourage new members to use the club's own instructors.
Terry has a good point about the instructors' limited time, but I think that most club instructors volunteer for the job because they like to do it. That's how it is in my club.
I created a "lesson plan" that our club instructors follow. It ends in a relatively simple flight test that demonstrates the student's ability to take off, fly, and land safely. We then present a certificate to the student that qualifies him/her as an RC pilot.
One of the benefits of using a lesson plan where each advancement is signed off is that the student could use a different instructor if his wasn't available, and the stand-in instructor would know exactly where the student's skill level was.
The plan is really a checklist for the new student. It covers engine starting and needle valve adjustment; pit and flying protocols and safety measures; flying simple maneuvers, simple aerobatics, etc. It doesn't say how to do all this, but it does provide a list that the instructor can use as a guide.
I'd be most pleased to share the checklist with other clubs if they e-mail me at crmtnac@ma.ultranet.com. Or mail me an SASE with a few bucks to cover copying costs and I'll send a hard copy.
Colin Towers 193 South St. Medfield, MA 02052
Tick Removal
My name is Wade Pinkston and I am a Graduate Extension Assistant at The Ohio State University.
I am writing this letter in a state of concern for the many readers that will read the article "Safety Comes First" on wood tick removal (October 1998, pp. 65-68). In this article it states that a "heavy oil (mineral or machine)" be applied to an attached tick prior to removal. This is exactly the wrong thing to do, as a tick that has been killed by asphyxiation may relax and release disease agents into the skin of the person that has been bitten, causing certain infection.
The only good way to remove an attached tick is to pull it out of the skin while still alive with as little physical contact as possible. This can be done with products such as The Pro Tick Remover, or Ticked Off tick remover.
While I cannot endorse either of these products, both (and others) are excellent at removing ticks with minimal damage to the tick or danger to the affected person.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, or of my credentials, please feel free to contact my office at (614) 292-5274.
I am greatly concerned about this article but I am also eager to give you the more accurate information on ticks and their removal.
Wade Pinkston Dept. of Entomology The Ohio State University pinkston.6@osu.edu
Positive Experience
I have been following the unpleasant experiences of people new to the hobby who are trying to learn to fly, and of "ARF discrimination."
Contrary to the emerging picture, my experience and that of my two sons (ages 11 and 14) has been extremely positive. We have affiliated with a local club (Sacramento Area Modelers) and have been welcomed, instructed, coached, and encouraged beyond all expectation.
All three of us are graduated from trainers to second-tier airplanes (ARFs among them).
We are enjoying our new hobby, watching our skills improve, and the many friends we have made at our new flying club.
Craig Green Newcastle, California
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
