Smyrna Flying Aces
Jim Haught
The biggest news from the 1998 Indoor Nats (Johnson City, TN; coverage in October 1998 MA) was the return of the Smyrna (TN) Flying Aces, a group of Junior-age fliers. The Aces made their first trip to Johnson City in 1997 for the Indoor Scale events, and they returned in 1998 with a wider variety of models — and a broader story.
Background
The Aces are a youth group from the Smyrna Church of Christ (congregation 850). Tim Lavender is the church minister and an active modeler; Wayne Anderson is his right-hand man as they oversee a group that usually numbers about 15 kids.
Tim: "Some kids are too small for sports, and some get shoved aside. I want them to get some praise, and there's nothing better to do that than model airplanes."
Program and meetings
- The group meets each Thursday, fall through spring, from 5–8 p.m.
- The church has a gym with a 21-foot ceiling and a model-building area.
- Cost is $40 per student (roughly $5 a month). They take a summer break to recharge.
- The squadron follows FAC (Flying Aces Club) practices: attendance points and completed-model points.
- Tim: "I'm the know-how guy, and Wayne is my second man. I simply could not do this program without him... My main satisfaction is seeing the kids get excited about flying. That first airplane is always thrilling."
Lavender notes the work done outside class: planning, preparing supplies, and about 15 minutes of individual help per child each week aside from class time. "I'll help a kid as long as he or she works at it. We're not here to babysit. When it really becomes work, they lose interest."
Mentors, outreach and training
After watching the non-Scale portion of the 1997 Indoor Nats, several Open-class modelers pitched in. The group enlisted well-known St. Louis–area Thermaleers members to help:
- Larry Coslick
- Roy White
- Gene Joshu
A half-dozen Limited Pennyplane kits were prepared and sent to Tim. In March, Larry, Gene and Roy traveled from St. Louis to Smyrna for mentoring sessions in the church gym. They worked closely with the kids — often three at a time — and were impressed by their enthusiasm and skill.
Larry Coslick: "Tim asked us to help trim the models. We worked with the kids three times and couldn't keep them off the floor. Amazing how well they did — rewarding, satisfying to see. Tim and Wayne did a terrific job."
Gene Joshu: "We got a grand reception. We even got a catered lunch, and I'll tell you, the kids were very well-behaved. That's always the case at Junior events at the Nats and US Indoor Championships."
Former F1D team member Gary Underwood (and his wife Kit) and other East Coast Indoor Modelers (ECIM) members also supported the group. Gary supplied a how-to videotape on Pennyplane building, traveled to Johnson City to mentor, and gave seminars on various aspects of indoor flying. Each Junior was sponsored by a current ECIM member.
A seminar by ECIM emphasized the value of record-keeping to improve indoor performance. Advice to youngsters included: "Don't get serious about it; feel proud you can say you built it" and "Try everything once — it will help."
Competitions and support
The Junior events at the Nats/US Indoor Championships (Limited Pennyplane, Bostonian, No-Cal Scale, and Coconut Scale) were cosponsored by the Thermaleers and Indoor News & Views.
The group benefited from the change to $1 Junior AMA membership; Tim: "AMA has been very good to us; the kids are excited about carrying their AMA cards." Entry fees to the Nats were waived at Larry Coslick's suggestion, with the blessing of Steve Kaluf of the AMA Competitions Department.
Junior competitors
Michelle Boyd
- Michelle raised eyebrows at the 1997 Indoor Nats when she won Coconut Scale with her Aristocrat. She returned in 1998 and has been in the program for more than three years.
- "I like to be able to look at my model and say, 'Wow! I built that,'" she said. "But I do get nervous when it's in flight."
- When asked what other kids think: "I don't know if the other kids understand, but they know that I won, and they think that's pretty cool."
- Other activities: soccer and tennis.
Nikki Spradling
- Nikki got involved because her brother was in the group. "Sometimes we beat the boys, but they are good sports about it."
- "I like the flying part. I don't get all that serious about it, but I feel proud that I can say, 'I built that.'"
- Advice to other youngsters: "It's really fun; try everything once, and that will help you."
Robert Stevens
- Thirteen-year-old Robert is a third-year member. His red Lockheed Vega did well in Coconut Scale, and he recorded an 11:22 flight with his Limited Pennyplane, drawing hearty applause and congratulations.
- "I like planning and pacing myself," he said. "It helps my self-confidence to look back and be able to say, 'I know I can do it.'"
- Robert enjoys building as well as flying and plans a biplane for his next Scale project. "I like Scale models, where they look like the real thing."
Hunter Lee
- A first-year member, Hunter flew Scale, Bostonian, and Peanut.
- "I liked airplanes before I knew about the club. But I like this because you can have fun, meet new friends, and have a good time."
Gene Joshu observed that the mixture of boys and girls in the club "shows that there's a future in space and aviation for girls and women, and I think that's thrilling!"
Culture and results
The group is largely self-motivated and uses good-natured rivalry to push members to do their best. Despite its small size, plenty of adult volunteers are available and number-matching systems weren't needed. Record-keeping and trying different model types are emphasized as routes to improvement. The program has opened many kids' eyes to rubber-powered airplanes — and amazed their mentor.
Tim Lavender: "We came farther than I ever thought we would. Before they started in this class, none of them knew there was such a thing as a rubber-powered airplane. It has amazed me!"
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
