Letters to the Editor
All letters will be carefully considered; those of general interest will be used. Send to Model Aviation, 815 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005.
Robert V. Jaros
The winner of the Mulvihill Trophy in 1924, Robert V. Jaros, died in Chicago on December 31, 1981, at the age of 76.
Mr. Jaros began building model aircraft in grammar school and became one of the early members of the Illinois Model Aero Club. He was a consistent winner in every type of model airplane event, earning the Laird Weaver Trophy. He led the Illinois Model Aero Club when it captured the prestigious Villard Trophy in an elaborate national competition long before the National Aeronautic Association and AMA were formed.
Jaros was instrumental in establishing model airplane events at early National Air Races. He finished second in the Mulvihill event of the 1923 Nats—the first Nats—and then easily captured the Mulvihill in 1924. His superb modeling abilities in the days before ready-made kits and plans advanced the state of the art for many of us. Three of his beautiful scale models were exhibited at the Glenview Nats in 1972. Plans of two of his early planes appear in the AMA 1976 50th Nationals Year Book.
Jaros became vice-president and treasurer of Abbott Laboratories before his retirement. He followed model aviation closely all of his life.
Bert Pond Longmeadow, MA
Scale Modeler's Delight
Guided tours, demonstrations, workshops, photo opportunities, and more will be part of the fifth-anniversary celebration scheduled for April 14–18 at the Smithsonian Institution's Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility, located in Suitland, MD.
The Garber Facility, which houses the National Air and Space Museum's reserve collection of aircraft and spacecraft, opened two buildings to the public as a "no-frills" museum on January 11, 1976. Since that date, two more buildings have opened, and thousands have taken advantage of the free daily tours.
Visitors not only see many historic air and spacecraft on display but also get a behind-the-scenes look at the restoration workshop, where skilled craftsmen preserve and restore aircraft, engines, propellers, landing gear, and other items for future display.
There are more than 90 aircraft on display at the Garber Facility—more planes are on view there than at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. On exhibit are:
- Spad XIII, flown by World War I flying aces
- Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny," made famous by barnstormers during the 1920s
- Hawker Hurricane IIC, a World War II British fighter representative of the type used in the Battle of Britain
Presently, free two-hour guided tours of the Garber Facility are available Monday through Friday at 10 a.m., and on Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance.
For reservations or further information, call (202) 357-1400 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday; or write: Tour Scheduler, Education Services Division, National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC 20560.
Office of Public Affairs Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC
Follow-up on 150 mph CL
I just read the January 1982 issue of Model Aviation and would like to advise you that, approximately a month earlier than indicated in Ron Britzke's letter, Wayne Matthews had turned in a speed of 154 mph at a contest held in Modesto, CA. That was my first contest, and also my first trophy in Stunt (or in anything else). I was in the same club with Wayne Matthews and also lived in Alameda at that time.
At the Dust Bowl (Western and Rosecrans) another club member set a record of 137 mph with a McCoy .49. This was E. W. Huth (Jonnie to his friends).
Later that same year (Editor: we're not sure whether that means 1947 or 1948), Malcolm Anderson set both Class A and Class B records. As far as I know, the Aero Modelers of Alameda was the first club whose members held all the CL Speed records at the same time.
These are the guys that I learned much from in those early days.
Vic Garner Livermore, CA
Dusty
Enclosed is a photo of one of my recent projects, a .40-sized crop duster.
I had fully intended to build a Piper Pawnee, but at the time I didn't have (and couldn't find) any specifications. Therefore, I drew my own plans and scratch-built an imaginary duster, which I nicknamed "Dusty."
I was also tired of just building kits that didn't do anything but fly. With this project I built an operational duster, and it works great.
Specifications:
- Weight: 5 lb. 3 oz.
- Span: 52 in.
- Area: 546 sq. in.
- Wing loading: almost 22 oz/sq. ft.
- Wing: flat-bottom (handles like a trainer)
- Engine: OS .40 FSR
- Radio: Hobby Lobby 6-channel (I use five channels)
Dusty was test-flown on October 10, and I'm happy to say it's still in one piece.
Love your magazine. Keep up the good work.
A. R. Krawczynski Duncan, OK
In another letter, Mr. Krawczynski enclosed a photo (also reproduced here) of his XP-40Q. It was the last of the P-40 line—streamlined with a bubble canopy and a smaller chin scoop. The XP-40Q could fly at 422 mph, but that was when newer fighters were nearing 500. The XP-40Q ended its days during the 1947 Thompson Trophy Races—the engine quit on the 13th lap and the pilot bailed out.
The XP-40Q model has a span of 55 in. and is powered nicely by a K&B .49. It leaves the runway at half-throttle, has no snap-roll tendencies, and landings are "a piece of cake," he says. Krawczynski isn't in the model business, but interested readers can obtain plans from him for both ships: $11.75 for Dusty and $10.75 for the XP-40Q.
Address: A. R. Krawczynski, 910 N B Street, Duncan, OK 73533.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
