New Comers
Bob Underwood
Delta Dart building session at Top Gun
Did you ever sit around and have one of those brainstorms that sounded great, then acted on it before you considered it further?
My brainstorm was to call Frank Tiano, Scale Top Gun CEO, and convince him that we ought to do a Delta Dart building session for kids during the Top Gun event. Frank was gracious and agreed that it sounded like a neat thing to do — even when I suggested flyoffs during the noon air shows on Saturday and Sunday. His only admonition was that he wouldn't be able to handle the arrangements, so it was up to me!
I should have relied on Management 101 at that point, but I never had the course. So I called Jay Mealy at Headquarters (he is great with kids and a gem of a Dart instructor), and he thought the idea was great. Therefore, I passed "lesson one" of Management 101: get someone else to do the job. Jay's time is crunched, so he needed someone else to set up a group of local instructors. I sat back in my chair at "AMA West" (my home) and paraphrased Alexander Graham Bell's comment and thought, "What hath I wrought?"
It worked out great. I knew that there were many longtime modelers in the Top Gun region, and I called one — good friend Norm Rosenstock. He said, "Can do," and he did; he convinced a group of volunteers to help.
Volunteers included:
- Norm Rosenstock (overall coordinator)
- Aram Hazirigian
- Fred Morris
- About 13 other workers from the local Skyhawks club
I sold the idea, found an overall coordinator and instructor for the workers, and all I had to do was sit back and watch the fun. (Actually, I was competing at Top Gun and didn't have a prayer of coming up with the time to run the event.)
About 60 kids responded to Norm's advertising and built the Darts during the morning. With the help of Zap and accelerator, they were able to fly the models at the noon air show. Frank was a little worried and asked me, "This isn't going to take a half hour, is it?" I assured him that it would not.
Jay and Norm staged the kids near the flightline, and as the last model of the round taxied to the pit area, the fliers stormed the runway, lined up, launched, and cleared the field in six minutes. It was a mass (maybe mess?) launch, and the last ones down won. AMA gave each winner (four on Saturday, five on Sunday) a youth membership and a pilot patch. There were a bunch of happy kids, parents, and enthusiastic instructors. What a blast!
Unfortunately, the wind, which had been bouncing 30-pound models all morning, was also a blast for the small Darts. The flights were not record-setting. Next year I'll move on to Management 201 and see how the program can be improved.
Rubber-powered scale models at Top Gun
I'm not certain how this section fits into the New Comers column. The pictures show individuals who are beyond the level of newcomers, but in a sense something has been happening at Top Gun for years that turns many old-timers into newcomers.
Spurred by Dave Platt (Mr. Versatility), who flies anything (rubber, control line, radio control), a yearly event at Top Gun involves rubber-powered scale models. The rules are simple: the wingspan can be 36 inches maximum, and the model must be scale. There is no static judging, but the aircraft has to look similar to a Widgeon, Cub, or some other full-scale airplane.
On Friday and Saturday, the stalwart entries — most of whom had not built a rubber-powered model in 50 years — gathered on the polo ground site at "o dark 30" (Dave Brown's definition of "way too early for normal people"), which is generally around 7:30 a.m. The models are launched en masse, on command. Each flier has a spotter, and the spotter holds his or her hand in the air until the model lands. The last models up are the qualifiers for that day. On Sunday there is a flyoff, followed by the ceremony.
It's a neat event, and it is humbling to see accomplished RC scale modelers performing "figure nines" in 3.5 seconds. (For newcomers, a "figure nine" is essentially a loop followed by a straight tail that ends in a steep or vertical dive.)
Every prospective modeler would be well-served to construct a few of these rubber-powered models. The commitment is not extensive, and the learning curve in getting them to fly properly is very helpful. There are no trim levers on a transmitter; there is no handle to twist up and down. The effects of center of gravity, thrustlines, and torque are quickly learned.
A number of rubber kits are on the market. If you're looking for something scale, you might try Herr Engineering (1431 Chaffee Dr. #3, Titusville, FL 32780), the company that sponsored this year's Top Gun awards. It has a wide range of laser-cut kits that look nice when completed.
Club Communications
Westminster Aero Modelers (Youth Education Stipend recipient)
I'll close with club communications concerning activities in which they've participated. The first is from Raymond Miles of the Westminster Aero Modelers of Maryland, which was a Youth Education Stipend (YES) grant recipient:
There is really not that much to update on the Westminster Aero Modelers "School Flight Program." The original basics are still in use, sometimes refined, mostly in terminology.
It has, and continues to be, the "highlight" of the school year special activities programs. Every so often an obvious change that had not been thought of before does occur; one in particular started in September. This was instituted by a teacher, when he asked if he could reserve the same week next year.
We followed his lead and have asked each teacher in each school if they would like to do the same. They all have, and they think that is a good idea. Instead of letters in the fall for scheduling, it now will only take a reminder postcard with the date when schools open. This is the type of thing that happens once in a while.
The following displays have been during this past year. As I have indicated before, a display to illustrate what it is we are talking about greatly increases interest.
We located a figure of "Icarus" for the Greek mythology segment. It will be arm-feathered and cased. An Egyptian bird model was crafted by one of our group. We have put together printed 5 x 7 cards with a picture across the top and some brief data of each display. The cards are encased in plastic photograph holders found in the five-and-dime. There are many good comments on this as it lends to an overall neat appearance. This spring will complete our ninth year, with an audience total of around 20,000 boys and girls.
The most noticeable change is in our "Team." A woman saw our display at a mall demo, liked what she saw, joined our club (and also one in Florida when she goes south for the winter). She is highly motivated and very active and she asked if she could be involved with our program. She has been incorporated into our presentation, is doing well, and is excited. This has made a huge impression upon the women teachers and the girl students when they see her. The hobby is for everyone!
Thank you for your response. We're still moving along, and nary a discouraging word has been made.
Fox Valley Aero Club — Glenwood School for Boys
The second letter is from Mike Kostecki of the Fox Valley Aero Club in Illinois. The club visited a residential educational center for needy boys and presented a modeling program. The following are a few of the thank-you letters from the boys from Cottage #5:
- "Thank you for coming and showing us your planes. It was very cool. I really enjoyed the show. Sincerely yours, Luke. P.S. Sorry for talking through the show."
- "Thank you for flying for us. I really enjoyed it. I liked the small red, yellow, and blue plane. It was the best. I hope you come to this school again. I love flying. I've always dreamed of being a pilot when I was 5. Thank you one last time. I really enjoyed it. Thanks a lot. A loyal fan, George."
- "Thank you all for coming and showing us a wonderful show. I appreciate it very much! I hope you come back again. I am sorry for running around during your presentation. Sincerely yours, Aaron."
- "Thank you for coming to Glenwood and flying your model planes. I really enjoyed them. I like when they do all the stunts in the air like the spins and glides. Also thank you for the pizza. Pizza Hut is my favorite. Thank you. From Chase."
- "Thank you for the pizza and for the airplane show. I enjoyed all the planes and the pizza. I appreciate you guys for taking your time and coming. I really should thank you for everything. Sincerely, Julio."
And from the counselors in charge of Cottage #5:
- "I'm writing to tell you thank you so very much for coming and performing at Glenwood School for Boys. I believe I enjoyed it as much as the kids. It really does my heart good to meet people who are willing to take time out of their own lives to contribute to others. These boys really do enjoy things like your show and speaking to you afterwards. I enjoy it because it opens up whole new worlds to them by experiencing it first hand. Thank you all so very much for pushing those doors open to them. Sincerely, Marty and Bobbie Mingel."
It's worth it to go forth and do good things for others! Try it — and don't forget the pizza!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
