NewComers
By Bob Underwood
Bob Underwood P.O. Box 40, St. Peters, MO 63376 Tel.: (314) 447-4235 Fax: (314) 447-6008
Have you ever been a beginner at anything? Of course you have — walking and talking come to mind right away. How about reading, baseball, driving a car, or just about everything you are able to do, no matter what age you might be?
And now you would like to add aeromodeling to your list of new activities. That's what this column is going to talk about each month.
But there is one thing we are not going to do: we are not going to use the term "beginner." Look at the title of the column. Perhaps it's a play on words, but it seems more realistic to invite you into the aeromodeling hobby/sport as a NewComer rather than saddle you with the term beginner.
One reason for using NewComer is that regardless of your age, you come to aeromodeling with skills that will help you be successful. If you are 16, you probably have excellent reflexes and the fine touch of a computer-game player. If you are 60, while the reflexes may have slowed, you have years of experience and probably a much greater drive to succeed. Therefore, while you may have many skills to learn, you are not so much a beginner as a NewComer to a new activity.
What this column will cover
The column will take several directions.
First, we intend to cover the basics for the NewComer in each of the disciplines:
- Free flight
- Control line
- Radio control
These sections will not be written by a single person, but rather by several individuals with backgrounds in the disciplines who can communicate their knowledge to the NewComer.
As the column format is worked out, we will see what works best. Should there be a little of each discipline each month, or should we feature a single one? You can help us determine this.
How you can help
Please share any thoughts you might have about how we can make this column meaningful. Comments from a NewComer, an established club, or a long-timer are welcome. What should we talk about? And how should we say it?
- Please forward any ideas about programs that have worked for you or your club. These ideas might include informal programs held on an occasional basis or very formal ones for which detailed outlines have been developed. They may be funded or unfunded.
- Send your comments and ideas to:
Bob Underwood P.O. Box 40 St. Peters, MO 63376 Tel.: (314) 447-4235 Fax: (314) 447-6008
Glossary
Nothing is more frustrating to a NewComer than having an old-timer launch into the jargon that grows around an activity. Suddenly the NewComer is unable to communicate because the air is filled with "foreign" words. The glossary will be featured in a way that will allow the NewComer to keep it handy for future reference.
glossary (glos-uh-ree) n., a collection of specialized terms with their meanings.
We would like the column to speak to NewComers no matter what their age. That is a heavy task when you realize a NewComer may be a fifth-grader or a college professor. We will hope the fifth-grader can find adult help if the reading is a little difficult, and we hope the college professor will indulge our basic goals and vocabulary.
Educational activities and outreach
Finally, the column will serve as a clearinghouse for educational activities in modeling.
One of my responsibilities is to try to coordinate and publicize the various programs happening across the nation. Individuals and clubs have been providing outstanding educational modeling activities for young people. Some of these are through school systems, while others utilize service organizations such as Rotary, government agencies like NASA, or associations like the EAA. The Academy would like to identify these programs and share their opportunities with the modeling world.
We think this can be a meaningful column. Help us make it just that!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
