In the Air

INtheAIR
AMA HEADQUARTERS AND MEMBER NEWS
July 2010 9
person when it comes to the hobby
and the AMA, and he is a huge
asset.
After the test flights, I was
extremely happy. It was easy to do
things right and follow the AMA
rules. I feel great now knowing that I
have a legal aircraft—and it’s safe.
I am going to post this
information on the AMA thread on
RCGroups. Doing things right is not
difficult and is for our safety.
You can watch the video of my
model’s test flights at www.you
tube.com/watch?v=kx811o3FiYA. Fly RC magazine has contacted
me and wants to hear the story about my vintage project; I am going
to tell my AMA story too.
To learn about the AMA Experimental Radio Control Aircraft
Program Requirements and Inspector Information, go towww.model
aircraft.org/files/520-a.pdf. MA
—Damon Atwood ([email protected])
District VI
I started my giant project in
2005. It was going to be a big, gasbanging
vintage airplane. However,
the power plant was too much for
the airframe, so it went into my attic
for two or three years. Now the
electric components are big enough,
so I have converted the model.
At 69.5 pounds, it exceeded the
AMA’s 55-pound rule. Many people
told me to report that it weighed
54.9 pounds, but that is not the way
it works for me. I decided to do it
right.
I contacted my inspector/District VI associate vice president,
Ron Ballard, and we examined my project. Never having gotten a
waiver, I was very nervous.
On Thursday I met with Ron, and he took me through all that
paperwork and inspected my airplane (and found two loose bolts).
After one or two hours, we were ready for my model’s test
flights.
All went wonderful, and Ron was a huge help. He is a serious
I t’s Ea s y to Be “L ega l”
Douglas Carder Spreng passed
away April 19, 2010, in Lake Havasu
City, Arizona—his home of 38 years.
He was born on February 7, 1932, in
Chicago, Illinois.
He started flying RC in 1955, using
a gas-tube super-regenerative receiver
and escapement. Doug worked for
Babcock Engineering for a while and
helped develop a “hard tube” (1AG4),
super-regenerative single-channel
receiver.
He met Don Mathes, who designed
a superhetrodyne receiver, and the pair
made a few sets for sale using Bill
Deans’ five- and eight-channel reed
banks. Doug won his first contest
flying with this equipment in 1957.
In 1960, when Doug was 28, he
designed his famous Stormer RC
Aerobatics (Pattern) model powered by
a Lee .45 and controlled by a Mathesdesigned,
10-channel reed system. He
and the Stormer won Pattern at the
1960 AMA Nats. Plans for this model,
with Doug’s descriptive comments on
its design, were published in the April
1961 American Modeler.
Two years later, Doug developed
the concept of a digital proportional
Doug Spreng: 1932–2010
radio system, called the “Digicon”
proportional system. The idea was
identical to that used in current servos.
Because applying for a patent was
expensive, Doug essentially gave away
this concept for the digital servo.
Doug and Don were contracted to
develop a weather drone for the US
Weather Service. They built and
equipped a large model that had an RC
system and a homing device. The
aircraft was to take off under control
and then be switched to automatic
control.
If the drone got lost, it was designed
to return to the transmitter area, circle,
and then be captured by the RC
transmitter for landing.
The first time Doug and Don tested
the model, there were numerous small,
puffy cumulous clouds above. Once
launched, the aircraft flew lazy figure
eights above the transmitter, rising into
the clouds and out of sight. Soon it was
out of audio range as well.
Hours later, Doug and Don were
about to give it up for lost when the
model reappeared. They landed it and
removed the metrological recorder.
The recorder indicated when it had
flown through clouds and the change in
temperature as it climbed out. The
altitude was documented by the
barometric pressure trace, and the
model had flown higher than 5,000 feet.
In 1966 Doug won a place on the
AMA international team using his
Thunderstormer, a low-wing variation
of the Stormer, controlled by a Micro-
Avionics system. He placed third in
Corsica, where the Internats was held.
Doug served as Chief Executive
Officer of Ubicom Inc. He had more
than 39 years of experience in the hightech
industry and held leadership
positions with numerous high-profile
semiconductor companies in the
communications market.
Doug held a bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and a master’s of business
administration degree from Harvard
Business School. He was inducted into
the Vintage Radio Control Society Hall
of Fame in 1976 and received the
Howard McEntee Award the same year.
Doug was inducted into the Model
Aviation Hall of Fame in 2003. MA
—AMA Headquarters
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10 MODEL AVIATION
INtheAIR
The Permanent Collection contains
Scale subjects from every aeromodeling
discipline. With roughly 125 total, the
assortment is well rounded in the type
and scope of full-scale aircraft
represented.
Because only a small percentage of
the Scale collection is on display, visitors
are often surprised to learn that we have
a great deal more models in the storage
area. We try to rotate them on a regular
basis, so that the ones in storage are seen
and for the preservation of them all.
In 2008, during a reorganization of
the Scale Exhibit, Adolph D. Hanke’s
“The right side is covered with strips of
1/16” tapered plywood and are glued and
nailed to the bulkheads. This is the same
system used on a clinker boat. The nails are
doll house nails and had to be pre-drilled.
The wings use a torq-rod system for the
ailerons.
“Right wing, rudder, and elevator are
covered with German WWI elongated
hexagon coverite. The lower wing is
attached to the fuselage by means of a keel
to give adequate height.
“If this plane is worthy, I would like to
give it to the AMA museum. Am sending
along pictures.”
Adolph omitted a few important details
in his letter. Further correspondence with
the curator revealed that the D.VIa had a
wingspan of 74 inches, a fuselage length of
51 inches, and a height of 23 inches.
The model is excellent in detail and
construction, and we are thankful to Adolph
Hanke for donating it to the museum. MA
—Maria VanVreede
Museum Registrar
History Preserved:
T h e C o l l e c t i o n o f t h e
National Model Aviation Museum
Blue Max WW I-Era Scale Competition
The Blue Max staff had many great raffle
prizes to give away throughout the weekend. I
even won a Balsa USA Bristol M-1 kit! All
raffle proceeds went to Reaching Potentials: a
non-profit organization that provides therapy
and other services for autistic children.
Since pilots were unable to fly on Friday, all
competition flights were planned for Saturday.
The rain had stopped by then, but the wet
conditions prompted a change in the flying
venue. It was moved to the other side of the
property.
Wind was also a big concern at the 8:30
a.m. pilots’ meeting; it was blowing at a stout
20 mph. Few pilots were comfortable flying
their Scale masterpieces in such conditions, and
a couple of practice attempts convinced event
organizers to postpone flying until after the
noon pilots’ meeting.
But the wind picked up, and the decision
was made not to fly the models or the full-scale
aircraft. Kermit Weeks worked with the Blue
Max staff to provide a private tour of the
museum and for his Fokker D.VIII to be run on
the ground, to entertain the attendees until the
5:30 awards banquet.
The dinner proved to be enjoyable, because
most pilots stayed for the barbecue meal and
the awards. Since no official flying was done,
only static winners were recognized. They are
as follows.
ARF Class
1. Mark Hilliard: Nieuport 28
2. Mike Wartman: Fokker D.VII
3. Ted Wise: Sopwith Camel
Balsa USA Class
1. Scott Lee: Sopwith Pup
2. Chip Koenig: S.E.5a
3. George Manuel: Nieuport 17 1/3
Kit Class
1. Todd Bixby: Sopwith Camel (Reeves)
2. Ransom Fairchild: Sopwith Camel (Reeves)
3. Doug Pierce: Fokker D.VI (Glenn Torrance)
4. Richard Scott: Curtiss JN-4D “Jenny”
(Proctor)
Pilots’ Choice
Scott Lee: Sopwith Pup “Happy”
Plans are underway for the 2011 Blue Max
competition. MA
—Jay Smith
MA Assistant Editor
Roland D.VIa, which had been on exhibit for
many years, was placed in storage for a
period of rest. Adolph’s October 30, 1990,
letter to Museum Curator Hurst Bowers that
offered the model for donation provided an
excellent description.
It read:
“I have a scale model of a German WW I
Roland D-6a that took almost 5 years to
build. It is scratch built 1/15
th scale from
Replicraft plans. The right side is covered
and completely finished, while the left side is
uncovered to show how the model was built.
“All control surfaces use home-made
hinges with tubing for trailing
edges and push-pull cable
system. The fuselage is semi
monocoque with ply bulkheads
and stringers.
“In the cockpit there are the
necessary instruments in the
panel plus a marine compass on
the floor. The seat has a slotted
notch adjustment height
mechanism. The stick and
pedals are R/C servo operated
and are used as bellcranks
through cables to the rudder
and elevator.
This event was held March 12-13 at Fantasy
of Flight in Polk City, Florida. It was the
brainchild of Mike Celeskey, whose goal was to
have a competitive Scale event featuring aircraft
of the Great War. The idea picked up
momentum on the RC Scale Builder forum, and
Ron Prestin and John Olson were soon on board
to make it a reality. Fantasy of Flight has hosted
several RC events in recent years and offers an
ideal setting, with its amazing collection of fullscale
aircraft that Kermit Weeks owns.
Blue Max is open to models of aircraft built
between 1903 and 1919. They can be entered in
one of several categories including scratch-built,
kit, Balsa USA, and ARF. Pilots entered all
classes, but Balsa USA easily had the largest
number of participants.
Friday was the first day of the event, and
contestants assembled their models inside one
of the main hangars, for static judging. The
judges comprised two teams of three.
Rainy weather prohibited any flying once
static judging concluded that afternoon.
However, the change in schedule allowed
everyone to enjoy the museum collection and
the facility’s fine restaurant and store.
Also in attendance, Glenn Torrance Models
and Balsa USA provided support for the event.
07sig1x_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/25/10 1:30 PM Page 10
formation flying, offered rides, and gave the
public a chance to view the aircraft up close.
Two static B-25s—one in the Champaign
Aviation Museum and one in the National
Museum—boosted the total count to 19
airplanes, making this the
largest gathering of this
North American aircraft
since World War II. The
sight and sound of these
restored beauties awed an
estimated
8,000-10,000
people
throughout the
weekend in
Urbana.
Early Saturday
morning, the B-25s
lined the runway,
taking to the sky
every two minutes and
heading south toward
Dayton and the
National Museum,
where they landed and provided a
hero’s welcome to the four
attending Raiders. Sunday
afternoon, 12 of the B-25s flew in
formation back to Grimes Field to
fuel and prepare for their flight
home.
The AMA was honored to take part in the
Gathering, with an informational stand in the
Champaign Aviation Museum. President
Dave Mathewson; his wife, Ginger; and
Executive Director Jim Cherry
volunteered their time to
staff the booth, which was
made complete with a B-
25 model on loan from
Mike Barbee of
Delaware, Ohio.
AMA staff members
Ilona Maine and I,
International Radio
Controlled Helicopter
Association (IRCHA)
board members
Charles Anderson and
Craig Bradley, and
AMA members/
IRCHA volunteers
Chris Zeman and
Monte Brock
volunteered to
help with this
historic event. We
teamed up with Dave Millner,
IRCHA president and B-25
Gathering committee member, and
Chris Patton, Champaign Aviation
museum director and AMA
member.
This may have been the last
public reunion of the Doolittle Tokyo
Raiders, which makes it even more special.
Although there was an appreciation within the
aviation community of the beautiful bombers,
appreciation for what these men sacrificed
with their courageous actions took precedence
throughout the weekend.
For more information about the Doolittle
Tokyo Raiders, the B-25 Gathering
at Grimes Field, or the 68th Reunion of the
Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, go to www.doo
littletokyoraiders.com, www.champaign
aviationmuseum.org, or www.national
museum.af.mil/doolittle.asp. MA
—Jenni Orebaugh
MA Staff
INtheAIR
July 2010 11
On April 18, 1942, Lt. Col. James
“Jimmy” Doolittle led 80 men in a secret
mission to bomb Japan. Sixteen North
American B-25 Mitchells launched from the
deck of the USS Hornet, causing little damage
in their raid but stunning the Japanese
population and boosting American morale.
In honor of these courageous heroes, on
April 15-18, 2010, the Champaign Aviation
Museum at Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio,
joined the National Museum of the United
States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, to
commemorate the 68th reunion of the Doolittle
Tokyo Raiders.
Eight Raiders are still living, but only four
were able to attend the ceremonies at the
National Museum. The event
included their signing autographs for the
public and conducting the “Goblet
Ceremony”: a solemn toast to the Raiders who
had passed since their last reunion.
Grimes Field served as the “B-25
Gathering” staging area Thursday and Friday.
Seventeen airworthy bombers practiced
AMA Staff Members Help Honor Doolittle Raiders
AM A ’ s b oo th in th e Ch am pa i g n A via ti on Museu m ,
complete with Mike Barbee’s B-25 model.
A B-2 5 take s of f, hea d ed to ward the Na tiona l
Museum of the USAF.
B-25s li ne u p o n the runwa y at Gr imes Field , in
anticipation of takeoff to the National Museum of the
USAF, where the 68th Doolittle Tokyo Raider Reunion
was taking place. Monte Brock photo.
AMA Executive Director Jim Cherry shows a
visitor at the Champaign Aviation Museum how
to fly a Vapor park flyer.
07sig1x_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/25/10 1:31 PM Page 11
Web site: www.airventuremuseum.org.
Go see this display if you get the
opportunity; it’s sure to be worth the trip! MA
—Ashley Rauen
Communications Specialist
their histories. They wanted to discuss
aeromodeling’s history and diversification.
As a result of the visit, the National Model
Aviation Museum agreed to loan AirVenture
three radio transmitters from the permanent
collection. Loans between museums are
common. They allow more patrons to see and
appreciate materials than if they were
displayed at only one institution.
As a bonus to this partnership, AMA
members will be allowed free entrance to the
EAA’s museum for the remainder of 2010. In
turn, our museum will waive entry fees for
EAA members for the rest of the year.
“Little Wings, Big Dreams … ” opened
March 20 and will remain on display
through January 2011. For more
information about the AirVenture Museum,
located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, visit its
12 MODEL AVIATION
INtheAIR
The Eglin Aero Modellers (EAM) RC
club of Florida raised $5,020 for the Wounded
Warrior Project (WWP) on Saturday July 18,
2009, during a model air show at the
Niceville, Florida, soccer complex. The nonprofit
WWP provides support for severely
injured servicemen and servicewomen.
This inaugural event for the EAM was the
culmination of six months of planning and
close cooperation with the City of Niceville.
Many of the local businesses and civic
organizations supported the club’s endeavor.
The EAM put on a continuous flying
demonstration of all types of RC aircraft,
including gliders, electrics (propeller and
ducted fan), large 3-D acrobats, scale
warbirds, turbine jets, and general sport
airplanes. There was also a large static display
area for all types of models.
In addition, club members organized a
build-and-fly glider contest for children. The
kids took their models home with them.
The event opened with the flag
presentation by the Eglin Air Force Base
Honor Guard. Following the national anthem,
Retired US Air Force Col. Bud Day, a Medal
of Honor recipient, energized the crowd with
an impassioned talk about the needs of those
who have been injured while serving our
country.
Following Col. Day’s presentation, four
servicemen who were wounded in Iraq and
Afghanistan related their experiences to the
crowd. EAM members felt
honored to support these
people who have sacrificed so
much for their country.
Then the flying began. It
was tightly scheduled and
controlled, with models started
and poised for takeoff as the
preceding aircraft landed. This
kept a constant flow of
airplanes flying, for the
crowd’s amusement.
There was a noon break for
a low-level formation flyover
of five full-scale AT-6s, complete with smoke.
The deep-throated throb of the five large radial
engines as the airplanes maneuvered overhead
thrilled the spectators.
The 6th Army Ranger Training Battalion
had representatives present with their
collection of snakes and alligators. Members
of the crowd were able to get up close to some
of the larger poisonous snakes from the
region.
The EAM spent six months of detailed
planning for the event. The city of Niceville
was contacted and asked to make the soccer
complex available; it is normally closed to
model flying.
The event date was carefully selected to
fall between the end of baseball season and the
start of soccer season. Niceville provided
bleachers for attendees and a large pavilion
tent for the static display models.
There was advertising on the radio and
television, and event flyers were placed in
local stores. Flyers were also sent out via email,
and recipients were asked to forward
them to local friends.
Eglin Air Force Base air traffic control was
contacted, because the site was immediately
adjacent to the approach path to runway 19.
Eglin issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) and
kept air traffic above 1,000 feet while EAM
agreed to fly its models no higher than 400 feet.
The Florida panhandle is known to be hot
and humid in July. The local chapter of the
Blue Star Mothers agreed to sell cold bottles of
water, which the EAM obtained.
Club members solicited local businesses to
donate services and items for raffles that were
held throughout the event. The members
circulated through the crowd the day of the
event to sell raffle tickets, and donation
buckets were stationed at entrances.
Many businesses donated to the cause.
Food vendors agreed to pay a flat rate for
setting up booths and selling to attendees. A
flightline was set up with an orange, plastic,
see-through construction fence to separate the
audience from the pit area.
A club committee selected the pilots for the
event based on model type and flying prowess.
All aircraft went through safety inspections
before flight.
A two-hour flying schedule was set up and
repeated twice during the day, for a full day of
entertainment. Each pilot had a spotter while
flying, and the air boss on the flightline kept
things running on schedule. Backup models
were ready in case the primaries had issues and
couldn’t get airborne or had to land early.
There was an estimated 2,000 attendees,
and they arrived and departed throughout the
day. This was the first time that the EAM
attempted to host an event this size. The
parking lot was constantly full.
The biggest hit of the day, second only to
the AT-6 flyby, was the flying lawn mower.
Given the success of the event, and the desire to
support our troops who have been wounded in
combat, we will make this an annual
happening.
The EAM team got together a week after
the air show to review and capture lessons
learned to make the 2010 edition even better.
The club’s second event to raise money for the
WWP will be held July 17.
If you are interested in learning more, visit
the EAM Web site at www.eglinaeromodel
lers.org or contact Pam Cortner at fostersfox
@cox.net. MA
—Tim Nolan
District V
Florida Club Raises Funds for
Injured Military Personnel
In November 2009, three Experimental
Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture
Museum staff members met with National
Model Aviation Museum staff members to
discuss a new exhibit: “Little Wings, Big
Dreams: Sport Aviation in Miniature.”
The AirVenture Museum’s model
collection features primarily scale flying
aircraft, plastic airplanes, and a few windtunnel
models. The staff’s goal in visiting the
Academy’s museum in Muncie, Indiana, was
to get a feel for other modeling disciplines and
AMA and EAA
Museums Team
up for Exhibit
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