promise between friends is a trust
exercise. When followed through
on, it builds a bond of mind, body,
and soul that is stronger than steel.
As children, the ritual is symbolized by
interlocking pinkies. As we grow older, and
the promises grow more significant, eye
contact and then even a micro transfusion of
liquid resounds the weight of the agreement
and the stronger bond that has potential to
turn friends into brothers—or the horrific
opposite.
As grown people, the promise ritual is
often simplified, but the meaning is all the
more important. So when a friend comes to
you for help, know that in your garden of life
is growing a true relationship and an example
of camaraderie that all who admire will
regard as more valuable than gold.
Where the pinky swear is equal to sharing
a chocolate bar, the blood-brother handshake
is equal to borrowing someone’s car (and
bringing it back with the tank full). Each is a
short-term challenge of sorts with a lasting
reward. The reward in mind, these friends
might pose to one another, is ideas, the
probable, or the improbable. For the latter,
the phrase rarely summoned is the ominous
“double-dog dare.”
Not just a single-animal promise, the
double-dog dare is the most ghoulish of ideas.
A twin-puppy dare acceptance signifies that
two people are willing to trust one another
with a significant something. It would be
something held dear or precious, such as a
member of the family—in our case, a model
airplane.
Fred Randall is an inspiration to me. Not
only can we tease each other without having
to co-read 50 chapters from a sensitivity
training manual, but also the fun we have had
throughout our thousands of conversations
usually produces a new skill set or foreheadslapping
epiphany. In short, his friendship is
rewarding.
When we bantered about how his new
Golden Era Bipe was going to get flown
during a fickle New England winter, what I
really wanted to do was drive out to my East
Coast compadre and snap the flight shots.
Fred one-upped me and ended up
shipping the model out for me to test-fly. I
was moved, I was excited; I didn’t believe
he’d actually do it. When you read his story
about how you can successfully ship a model
airplane, maybe you’ll learn that mailing your
pride, and trusting a friend, can be a
rewarding experience also. I pinky swear that
it’s a great-flying model.
Besides flying for sport, we’re all abuzz
here about the upcoming Nats competition
season. As we did last year by printing the
1/2A Marval by Dan Berry in time for the
NFFS events, we bring you another Nats
honoree: the Super Marval 560, by Marvin
Mace.
This is a flagship model in the automatedflight
competition event called “bunting.”
Editor Michael Ramsey
[email protected]
Don DeLoach and Larry Kruse have been
good enough to help fine-tune my education
on this free flight method that includes
language I consider to be pure Model
Airplane.
Even if you’re not an FF modeler, when
you witness a perfectly executed launch of a
bunting aircraft, you’d swear that a friend
were hiding behind the hill with a transmitter
commanding the model. In reality, mechanics
and painstaking trim testing come together in
a man vs. machine brotherhood, producing
poetry in flight.
In FF, modelers don’t judge the aircraft;
the stopwatch does. In addition to Marvin’s
detailed words about building the hybrid
Power model, he also tells us how to trim a
bunting model. I think that is good
information whether you build the Super
Marval or a like aircraft.
Similar to the Marval, yet totally removed,
is our second construction project. That’s
right; we have two plans for you this month.
Leon Shulman brings us a fun model that, in
many ways, complements the top-class model
our Marval and the original Super Zomby
emulate.
I was thinking that someone who would
build any model for frontline competition at
the Nats might also like to bring one that’s
purely for the fun of it that also has an historic
story.
When Joe Beshar told me about his new
Elexaco competition, I mentioned that Leon’s
Blue Foam Super Zomby might be a good
contender. All a builder has to do is cut an
inch from each wing panel and set up the
power system to run on 3.7 volts. Contact Joe
for more information.
No matter what the contest, it’s all for the
fun of it—with friends. MA
The Inside Loop
Published by The Academy of Model Aeronautics
Rob Kurek
Director of Publications
Editorial offices: (765) 287-1256, extension
224 (8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays); Fax: (765)
281-7907
Contributing Editors
Dave Mathewson
President
Mark Smith
Executive Vice President
Staff
(765) 287-1256 | www.modelaircraft.org
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National Aeronautic Association (NAA). NAA is the
official U.S. representative of the Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the world governing
body for sport aviation, and represents the U.S. at FAI
meetings. NAA delegated to the AMA supervision of FAIrelated
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competition sanctions, and selection of U.S. teams for
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Publications Agreement No. 40688541) is owned
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Account Executive Angie Martin
Administrative Assistant Yolanda Jones
Assistant Editor Jay Smith
Communications Specialist Ashley Rauen
Director of Design/Production Carla Kunz
Editor Michael Ramsey
Executive Editor Elizabeth Helms
Graphic Designer Sarah Shaw
Managing Editor Shelia Ames Webb
Production Associate Jennifer Orebaugh
Stan Alexander
Bob Angel
Bill Boss
Paul Bradley
Sal Calvagna
Scott Causey
Lee Estingoy
Mark Fadely
Dave Garwood
Dave Gee
Greg Gimlick
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Jim T. Graham
Donald Grissom
Jim Hiller
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Gene Smith
Joe Wagner
Editor Emeritus Bob Hunt
Technical Editor Bob Aberle
… an inspiration to me.
6 MODEL AVIATION
CFO/Treasurer Doug Holland
Executive Director Jim Cherry
A
06sig1.QXD 4/22/09 1:27 PM Page 6
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/06
Page Numbers: 6