Letters to the Editor
Send your Letters to the Editor to: Model Aviation, 5151 East Memorial Drive, Muncie, IN 47302
Raptor
From a letter to John Hunton.
I was very saddened to learn of Bill Winter's passing. He has been one of my heroes for many years, and sadly, your partnership with him is over. I hope you continue in his creditable footsteps; this would probably be of help to you in these sad days, and we modelers need your very superior designs!
Perhaps you'll recall that I wrote you and sent a picture or two regarding my building of a Raptor. It is now finished after a long (one-year) build. The airplane has been equipped with a Saito .60 Twin four-stroke; the fuselage was widened, the firewall moved aft 1/2 inch, and the cowl, such as it is, was built up over a foam plug with glass and epoxy.
A McDaniel unit lights the glow plugs, and field charging (after two flights) is supposed to take 10 minutes or so.
The airplane is covered in 21st Century fabric, with MonoKote trim. The fin and rudder were built with a 1/4" balsa frame and a skin of 1/16" plywood glued to each side. The structure is very strong, albeit a little heavy. But it balances the heavy engine on the other end, and the airplane came out OK for balance fore and aft. It is heavier than the seven-pound design weight (eight pounds, four ounces). The wing loading is now 24.6 oz. per sq. ft.
We'll probably not be flying until March or April, so I'll just have to wait. Although I'm sure the stall speed will be higher, I'm hoping it will be fun. I've sent Duster plans. Congratulations on this new design.
Richard Goldbaum Atkinson, New Hampshire
Bill Winter
I just received my May issue of Model Aviation and I think the cover of that issue is really a tribute to Bill Winter. I am sure that many articles will be written about him, but I think your cover says it all. He was truly a great man as well as a great modeler. He will definitely be missed by all.
We have Bill and people like him to thank for the modeling we enjoy today.
Joseph Micalizzi Fajardo, Puerto Rico
I cannot thank you enough for the superb tribute that you did for Bill Winter in the May issue of Model Aviation. From the concept and composition of the cover to the layouts and content of the pages, there could be nothing more fitting. The theme of using tributes from many people and many perspectives gave a wonderful depth and richness to the eulogy.
Bill would have been very proud of the article, for he was truly a humble and modest man. As we all came to realize, however, he did touch so many people with his wisdom and his ability to know where the center of their interests lay.
Thanks again from my heart.
John Hunton Rixeyville, Virginia
Tom Ingram
On March 20, RC modeling lost a true friend in the passing of Mr. Thomas (Tom) Ingram of Mt. Vernon, Illinois.
Tom was 70 years old and had been modeling since he was big enough to glue three balsa sticks together and cover them with tissue.
After serving four years in the U.S. Navy, Tom spent most of his adult life in the Chicago area. He served in and retired from the Chicago Police Department after 23 years.
He was active in modeling in the Chicago area for several years and was well known by the big names in R/C. In 1985 he and his wife, Jo, returned to his hometown of Mt. Vernon, IL, where he had attended school and grown up.
Early on, he worked with Top-Flite in the design and building of several airplanes and in perfecting the popular MonoKote that is used today.
He won first place at Toledo two or three times and was an early member of AMA as well as other modeling organizations. He wrote the book on covering models called Tom's Techniques, published by Harry Higley.
Never too busy to drop what he was doing to help anyone who came by with a problem, he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Ed Stevens Ina, Illinois
Science Olympiad
Last November I decided to try to help a group of students from Chardon Middle School with a propeller propulsion competition, part of Science Olympiad. For this event the students had to build an airplane weighing no less than 10 grams, with a prop no longer than 17 cm, and a wingspan less than 24 inches. There was also a limit on the weight of the rubber.
I had never built a model airplane in my life. Oh, what to do?
Enter Vernon Hacker, pied piper of indoor aviation. This fellow and his friends have worked endless hours with our gang of ten sixth- and seventh-graders. The students have built Delta Darts, Shoe Boxes, Right Fliers, and designed and built some of their own. Now they are working on Pennyplanes to fly at Kent State.
One student won a gold medal for his flight at the Case Western Reserve University regional Science Olympiad. They went to State on April 17! They have had flights of up to two minutes with their Science Olympiad airplanes.
Anne Clouser Chardon, Ohio
About That Flag ...
In the "Letters to the Editor" section of the May 1999 issue, Pierre Dumenil writes of his outrage over the March 1999 cover. I must have received a different March issue of Model Aviation than Mr. Dumenil.
Jason Shulman's Giles 202 seems to have an excellent finish. It seems to me that the design depicts an outer metal shell peeling back to reveal that the "true" colors of the airplane are red, white, and blue.
I am a proud citizen of the United States and have been an avid modeler for several years. I would love to have the skills necessary to produce a model of the design-quality depicted, but not at the cost of offending my country. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Dumenil or his opinion; in fact I very much appreciate his service to the country and all the others that have served it and helped to make it a great place to live.
L. Ross Baker Jr. Alexandria, Virginia
I am an officer in the U.S. Army and have been a service member for more than 10 years. I went to Saudi Arabia/Kuwait/Iraq for Ops Desert Shield and Desert Storm. I cry when I hear the national anthem.
I feel there is no disrespect whatsoever to the American flag in Jason Shulman's color scheme for his G-202. It is simply beautiful! If Mr. Dumenil would look at the paint job more carefully, he would notice that the flags are not the top layer, but "underneath" the white/tan top layer.
The effect Mr. Shulman was going for was the top layer ripping off, therefore showing the "true colors" of a wonderfully designed, American-designed and built (full-scale) competition aerobatic airplane.
Jonathan Ott Louisville, Kentucky
The desecration of the flag is not the issue. The desecration of the ideas represented by the American flag is the issue. Those ideas are supposed to be freedom (freedom of thought and freedom of expression). Just as you have used your freedom to express your thoughts, shouldn't Jason Shulman, whose airplane is depicted on the cover, be allowed the same freedom?
I, for one, do not see a political statement in the paint scheme of that airplane. What I do see is a detailed paint job from a highly competent craftsman.
Eddie D. Mattingly Buffalo, Kentucky
The artistic rendition of the U.S. flag on Jason's aircraft certainly was not a desecration.
As a Korean War vet who took the same military oath as Mr. Dumenil, I see no disrespect to our flag on your March cover. We older modelers remember with admiration Grandfather Leon's WWII service. Certainly his smile (page 38) indicates only pride regarding Jason's win.
Wayne L. Mills Wilmington, Delaware
Likes MA
I got my start in model airplanes in the 1940s, the way most my age did. The local hardware store and bookstore had hobby shops back in the corner, and I was drawn to them. Also, a neighbor kid kept running his engines in the back yard which always drew a crowd. I was hooked, and one of my fondest memories was the model magazines.
My parents could see that this particular hobby would keep me "out of trouble" and so they bought an occasional kit and magazines. These magazines were a source of dreams and ideas for me, and I read each one cover to cover.
I don't think I ever threw away a single magazine. This will be a big problem for my heirs! There are cabinet after cabinet of Air Trails, Model Airplane News, Flying Models, American Modeler, American Aircraft Modeler, Model Builder, etc. I seldom refer to them any more, but they are there, just in case.
In the '70s and '80s, something seemed to happen to the style and character of model magazines. Those fascinating little ads hidden away in the corners and those huge ads, which contained a bewildering amount of material, were gone. Gone were the neat pictures and I lost interest in spending hours reading them cover to cover.
I kept my AMA membership because it was needed for competition, and so I received Model Aviation. That "new" magazine didn't impress me either!
But lately, things have changed. Perhaps it's my imagination, but the really good pictures are back. Back also are the little "cottage industry" ads hidden away all over the place.
I find myself again spending hours reading MA. The Columns and Departments sections are, as always, very good. It's the general character, cover to cover, that seems so much better.
Keep up the good work.
Bill Lovins Estes Park, Colorado
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
