Radio Control
Sport/Aerobatics
Ron Van Putte
THIS ALL BEGAN one evening when I was relaxing after arriving home from work. The phone rang; it was Carl Wheeley calling from AMA Headquarters. Carl told me about the demise of American Aircraft Modeler magazine and the AMA magazine which would be published in its place. Then he dropped the bomb by asking me to write this column! My response was what most of us would have made under similar circumstances. I said, "Me? You've got to be kidding!" However, Carl prevailed and here I am. Frankly, whether it was intended to be so or not, I consider this opportunity to be not only a challenge, but an honor.
Since the first deadline was so close there was too little time to prepare a conventional column, so I intend to tell you something about myself, solicit your aid and put in plugs for two of my favorite contests.
I am a major in the United States Air Force, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach, Fla. My job is as an aeronautical engineer in the Air Force Armament Laboratory specializing in weapon separation characteristics and aircraft/weapon performance, stability and control.
My RC flying began just outside Rochester, N.Y., in 1954 with an ECE receiver and a Bonner SN escapement in an Atwood .049‑powered deBolt Kitten with a ground‑based homemade CW transmitter. Currently my radio system is a Kraft KP‑7Z in a Phoenix 6 with a Super Tigre G60 Bluehead and Pro Line retracts. The span of time, radios, airplanes, engines and accessories is staggering to consider. My memories of those early years are mostly pleasant, although I hit so many trees that my wife often tried to make or buy tree decals for me to put on the sides of my airplanes!
My flying has improved since those early days and my enjoyment of the RC hobby has increased over the years. Some of my most enjoyable flying experiences happened at contests in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Alabama, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana and Florida.
All that contest flying might imply that I consider myself an expert flier—far from it. I still watch with awe the really outstanding fliers, like my good friend Don Lowe. Don has always flown with a characteristic smoothness of an expert and makes it all look easy. By the way, it was Don who put Carl Wheeley onto me as a prospective columnist because Don knew my background of writing and meeting deadlines as a newsletter editor.
During 1965 to 1969 I was editor of the Worksheet, the newsletter of the Western Ohio Radio Kontrol Society. My wife Faith and I learned all there is to know about putting out a club newsletter. We shared the writing, typing, printing, collating, stapling, addressing and mailing. We went into brief retirement during my three‑year assignment to Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
When I was reassigned to Eglin Air Force Base in 1972 the Eglin Aero Modellers were a small, informal group of RC modelers who were blessed with an outstanding flying site—an abandoned World War II training field. Approval to use the site had been obtained by Jim Kirkland more than ten years earlier. One of the things I regret was that I only met Jim Kirkland once and never saw him fly before he died in the fall of 1972.
I started the Beam Bulletin, Eglin Aero Modellers, in November 1972 shortly after being elected secretary. The club flourished under two‑year leadership. President Dave Fraser grew its present active membership to 67. Part of the credit for club growth I can proudly claim. I think the Beam ties together club members regardless of area or level of interest. Now the Beam is in good hands with my successor Ron Vick. The inventiveness and talent present in nearly every issue during the past two years made me certain this column would fit the broad outlines laid out by Carl Wheeley during that startling phone call. I intend to include items of general interest, technical discussions, comments about RC‑oriented products, contest announcements and contest reports. I earnestly solicit your support in making this column something we can all enjoy. Please send anything you think might be useful, including photographs. Also please be tolerant if a contest announcement doesn't make the column, because half a dozen months would make a lousy column despite the fact that competition has promoted the development of radios, engines, airplanes and accessories. The site of the 1975 Masters' Tournament proved to be Rough River, Ky., after careful evaluation of 14 sites which were proposed originally. We in the Eglin Aero Modellers were delighted to discover that Fort Walton Beach was one of the six finalists. Even if our site wasn't selected we are still pleased because the initial vote was solely the result of the 1st Annual Jim Kirkland Memorial RC Contest. The contest was the result of a desire to establish an RC contest worthy of Jim Kirkland's name. The responses from contestants indicated that all the detailed planning and hard work had succeeded. A lion's share of the credit belongs to contest director Dick "Little Furor" McGraw (if you know Dick, you'll understand that "Furor" wasn't misspelled). Dick spent many months honing the preparations, right down to the smallest details.
He's at it again right now because the 2nd Annual Jim Kirkland Memorial RC Contest will be held on 31 May–1 June at Eglin AFB, Fla. Events will include Classes A, B, D Novice, D Expert, and Sport Scale. Come on down to enjoy a well-run contest and the now famous free Saturday night boiled shrimp dinner! Contact CD Dick McGraw at 43 Waynel Circle, Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. 32548 for more information.
The other contest I want to plug is by now a classic. The Wright Brothers' Memorial RC Contest at Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, has always been a model for other clubs to copy. The WORKS members know how to do it right and they always draw top fliers from the "middle east." The 13th annual contest will be held on 14 and 15 June with classes A, B, D Novice, D Expert, Sport Scale, Helicopter and 1/4 Midget Pylon. Taking over as Contest Director from Don Lowe is Dale Whitford. Write to Dale at 642 Cushing Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45429 for more information.
Remember to write to me too — Major R. E. Van Putte, 12 Connie Drive, Shalimar, Fla. 32579.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
