ow many of us “old-timers”
remember the days when RC
clubs were principally the
stomping grounds of electronic geniuses
who spent more time talking about and
working on the radio-control system than
on the model airplane?
RK61, 6AK4, superregenerative, and
clock parts made into escapements were
all part of the common language. If that
weren’t enough, they all seemed to know
each of the resistor color codes by heart
and “micro-microfarad” was clearly
understood. Plate voltage, A and B
batteries, and Morse code were known by
all.
I remember those days, and I
remember the days immediately following
that era when RC equipment became
commercially available. Suddenly you
didn’t need to be an electronics guru to
take part in this new aspect of
aeromodeling.
Yes, I remember that time well. I
remember feeling as if I didn’t belong in
the same club or on the same flying field
with these old-timers. Many of them were
not happy with this new type of RC
aeromodeler—those of us who couldn’t
have cared less about the bits and pieces
which made up the RC system beyond the
necessities which were needed to make it
and a hot rod. They are not “modelers” to
the old-timers, and unfortunately this
feeling becomes obvious on their first visit
to the flying field.
Most of us who have “lived” this
hobby most of our lives will admit that the
vast majority of our friends are others who
are infected with this “disease” we call
aeromodeling. I still remember my little
buddy Johnnie Clements, AMA president
a long time ago, referred to it as having
“hobby pox.”
How many of us old-timers will go to
the field and occasionally spend most of a
day without even flying our models? We
love to spend time with “the guys.” The
social time is as important as the flying
time.
Look around and see all of the gray
hair. Our average age is increasing. Soon
we will run out of friends if we do not get
some new blood into the sport. That new
blood is banging at the door; all we need
to do is to welcome it.
Til next month. MA
President’s Perspective
AMA President Dave Brown
H
work (plug this plug into that socket!).
Most of us were interested in model
airplanes which could now be “radio
controlled” rather than radio control for
model airplanes! Most of us had a
background in CL or FF aeromodeling and
were interested in building and flying
models that were free to fly without
strings but were controlled so that we
didn’t need to chase them—at least in
theory!
How many of you remember that first
trip to the RC club field during that era?
I’ll bet that many of us don’t have fond
memories of those first encounters with
the “RC guys.” I didn’t know anything
about electronics when I started flying RC,
and I can remember getting the feeling that
some of the old-timers in the club would
rather I go away because we had little in
common to talk about. How times have
changed—or have they?
Today’s old-timers grew up building
model airplanes. They are having the same
culture shock to “their” hobby when
someone shows up with an RTF as the
early RC club members had with those of
us showing up with radios which we didn’t
build or know much about technically.
Today’s old-timer has had to get used
to those ARFs, but at least those required
that the modeler installed the equipment,
engine, tank, etc. Those guys weren’t
“building” their models, but I guess we
can call them modelers.
This new breed shows up without
knowing the difference between a pushrod
Dave Brown
AMA president
[email protected]
How times have changed—or have they?
July 2006 5
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Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/07
Page Numbers: 5