Letters to the Editor
All letters will be carefully considered; those of general interest will be used. Send to Model Aviation, 1810 Samuel Morse Dr., Reston, VA 22090.
Guest Editorial
Just read Frank Macy's editorial in the November issue of Model Aviation. I couldn't agree more with it.
Proof! Last February I met a young 12-year-old by the name of Stephen Crow. He showed interest in building a model. So I bought him a Gentle Lady sailplane. It was to be his no matter what. I furnished the radio. He was to build it. He had never built a model before.
With very little help (about 3%), he did it. He loved to fly—so I found a flying buddy and friend.
To top it off, he entered his first contest on September 29 and 30. He placed first on both days in Junior Two-Meter. His Saturday score would have been good enough for third place in the Open class, which had 12 entries.
Sure makes for a warm feeling.
John Erlacher Cedar Rapids, IA
And another letter on the same subject.
After reading the Guest Editorial by Mr. Frank D. Macy, I would like to make a couple of observations.
First of all, Mr. Macy is absolutely correct. We are not attracting young people into the sport/hobby of model aviation. When I was in my pre-teens and teens, we used to run over each other trying to get to the field when we heard someone start a model engine. I'm now 38, and the young people "run over us" for making too much noise—and I always use a muffler or muffled tuned pipe. Four-stroke engines will probably help in this matter, as they are much quieter.
The next observation I would like to make is about the cost of our hobby. Mr. Macy alluded to the fact that the young people were essentially "priced out" of our hobby/sport because of the expense (specifically RC and probably CL to a lesser degree). I'm not sure this is exactly true.
While our equipment is expensive, when was the last time you priced a computer, video game(s), fishing equipment, hunting equipment, musical instruments, and on and on? Fact: Parents will and do spend this kind of money on their youngsters. The parent may even be involved because of the expense, which is even better. Why don't we (fliers and the modeling industry) go after young people on this premise?
One of the most-asked questions at our flying field is "How much does it cost?" When we tell them, they say, "Boy, that's expensive!" Then I ask them if they hunt and fish. "Yeah, I hunt and fish," they often reply. This gives me a chance to ask them what it costs to do it. Following that, the usual response is, "Well, maybe your hobby isn't so bad after all!"
I once worked in the sporting goods department of a large discount house, and it was nothing for a father to come in and drop $300 to $1,000 outfitting himself and his son(s) and/or daughter(s) with hunting equipment!
Observation Number Three: If we want to compete (that's the name of the game) with these other hobbies/sports, we must have exposure somewhere. In addition to Model Aviation, Model Airplane News, RC Modeler, and other hobby publications, the hobby industry and the AMA need to get us broad exposure—spelled television! Expensive, sure, but so is losing the industry!
Needless to say, there is a lot between the lines in this letter, but I think the gist is here: We need more exposure both locally and nationally. The money is out there; we just need to get it turned to our direction so others can share our fascinating and educational hobby/sport.
Dan Austin Redfield, AR
Something for Everyone
Just a small letter to let you know how impressed I am with MA.
As a new member of AMA, I am amazed at the size and scope of the organization. I am very pleased with it, for it provides something for everyone.
I've been associated with RC (but not as an RC flier) for many years, but it was just recently that my first love, to fly RC, became a reality.
The reason I changed interests is three-fold:
- It was just getting too expensive, and the prices seem to be going even higher.
- As hard as I've tried, the group I was associated with "didn't want to hear" about getting Juniors into the hobby. AMA, on the other hand, sees the future.
- You have to put back what you've gotten out of it, which leads to my third reason. If there is no growth, then there is stagnation, loss of interest, and the only participants you have are those with an ego so big they can't see past their own nose!
Looking forward to the next issue of MA.
G.W. Trahan Central Falls, RI
What a Coincidence
I am an aerial photographer for the Consolidation Coal Co. Engineering Department. We do most of our mapping by photogrammetry. We fly into Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to photograph our coal fields.
Recently, the company from which we lease the planes and pilot purchased a single-engine Cessna U-206 for local low-level work (we use a twin‑engine Cessna Skymaster 337 for out-of-state and high-altitude—12,000 ft.—photography).
As you can see in the photo, the registration number for the U-206 is 72048. I've been an AMA member for many years and have been building and flying model airplanes over 40 years. As you can see in the other photo, my AMA number is (and always has been) 72048. How's that for an unusual coincidence relating to my work and pleasure?
P.S. All of my flying friends tell me that I should be playing that number in the Ohio lottery. What do you think? The third photo shows some of my other RC models.
Leonard A. Corona Smithfield, OH
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
