In the Air - 2010/10

October 2010 9
INtheAIR
AMA HEADQUARTERS AND MEMBER NEWS
Each year, the National Miniature
Pylon Racing Association (NMPRA)
and Pylon Racing participants take up a
collection during the annual National
Aeromodeling Championships.
Proceeds are donated to the AMA
Scholarship Fund and directed to the
Telford Scholarship, which is awarded
for participation in AMA and FAI
competition.
The Telford Scholarship was
created when Cliff Telford passed away
a few years ago. In addition to serving
on the Scholarship Committee, he was
an excellent Pylon Racing pilot, had a
long history of serving the AMA in
numerous capacities, and was highly
respected in the Pylon community.
Nancy Telford, Cliff’s wife, helped
develop the criteria for the scholarship.
Cliff had been a member of the AMA
Scholarship Committee since its
inception and served until his passing.
The scholarship application, which is
available on the AMA Web site, www.mo
delaircraft.org/education/scholarships.as
px, explains the standards used to select
recipients.
The collection at this summer’s Nats
generated a whopping $1,013, according
to Nats Director Ron Morgan. These
funds are normally given to Nancy
during the Nats trophy presentation,
who then passes them to Ron for
delivery to AMA Headquarters. Nancy
did not attend the Nats this year, so the
money was handed directly to Ron.
“It is the only collection I know of
like this and they do it every year at the
Pylon Nationals,” wrote Ron.
The NMPRA, Pylon fliers, and
friends ask for nothing in return. A big
thank you goes to the Pylon contestants
and spectators at this year’s Nats! MA
—AMA HQ
Nats Pylon Enthusiasts Contribute Scholarship Money
In the 1930s it was common for
those skilled enough to participate in
international Wakefield competition to
send their models to be proxy-flown by
other fliers, rather than taking the time
or putting forth the expense to make the
journey to compete.
When Englishman Roger Booth
flew Walter E. Getsla’s model in 1934,
Walter lived in Chicago, Illinois, and
could not afford to travel to Warwick,
England, to participate in the event.
Although the airplane placed only 10th,
it made quite a showing with its
unusual features and had an impressive
first flight of 116 seconds, before a
winding accident destroyed the aircraft.
According to Denis Fairlie’s
recollections in 1982 through 1984,
when he was corresponding with
Walter Getsla, from examining the
fuselage remains it looked as though
the solder joint for the rubber hook
loop to the gearbox had given away.
That caused the motor to spin out and
shred the fuselage from the inside.
The model that the
museum has is a replica of
that 1934 Wakefield that Englishman
Mike Hetherington built in 1984 and
flew at various contents. Those included
the 50th reunion of the 1934 Wakefield
contest and the Concours D’Elegance,
which the design won.
Walter Getsla made the trip to
Warwick for the 50th reunion and
watched the model fly. In 1986 Mike
flew in the 1936 Wakefield 50th event,
and there he presented Walter Getsla
with the airplane. His wife, Blanka
Getsla, donated it to the museum after
her husband’s death.
Just before it was donated to the
museum, the model was damaged in the
1989 California earthquake and then
fixed. Although well done, the repair
work is evident because slightly
different tissue was used for the
covering.
Although the aircraft is a replica,
Mike Hetherington assures us that
Walter Getsla’s original design features
are completely accurate. Those include:
• A complicated octagonal fuselage that
was built using a method of interlocking
square longeron sections.
• Bracing with cotton thread throughout
the model, which helped prevent
compression and torque caused by the
rubber motor.
• Two rubber motors that were used to
drive a single propeller, with the aid of a
gear system.
• A wing consisting of two panels that fit
together—not one piece. When
assembled, the panels were braced with
thin wire.
• Tires made from wire that acted more
like skids than wheels.
• A tail assembly that was a single
cruciform unit held in place only by the
tension of the rubber motors. 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
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10 MODEL AVIATION
INtheAIR
Boone County,
which is roughly 15
minutes north of
Indianapolis, Indiana,
has some of the most
beautiful farmland in
the country. And a
major part of that
beauty is Jim and
Sharon Love’s farm.
Their two sons have
homes and growing
young families
approximately a halfmile
away on either
side of them, and a
path through the corn
connects them all!
For the last 14
years, Jim and Sharon
have provided a unique
opportunity for students in Boone County 4-H:
to learn how to fly a model aircraft!
The couple has devised a 14-week program
that encompasses learning the fundamentals of
flight, building an airplane (the GWS Slow
Stick), simulator time, flight instruction, and a
three-division contest.
Students pose for photos with their models
and are then awarded ribbons based on their
performance. The photos with ribbons attached
are then displayed at the annual Boone County
4-H fair. All of that alone would be impressive,
but when you visit the operation you quickly
realize how much time and personal funding
this entire family has invested!
While building, students are in stations
placed strategically in one of the barns. Each
station has a fixture to assure perfect alignment,
color 8 x 10 photos showing each
step, and how that assembly
should look upon completion.
Jim and Sharon have struck a
deal with an Indianapolis hobby
shop for the aircraft, transmitters,
and receivers. They place a mass
online order for the motors, ESCs,
batteries, and miscellaneous parts.
Then they put together a package
Love Two Fly!
Ken Harding’s Sig WACO, powered by an
O.S. 1.20 engine.
CD Bob Temple calls the pilots’ meeting.
He is the last of the founders of the then-
Gold Coast RC club. It started with seven
members in 1968 and now has more than
250.
Frank Lacava’s beautiful WACO YMF5,
powered by an O.S. 1.08 engine, is more
than 10 years old and looks identical to how
it did when it was new.
It was a privilege for me to attend the Rhinebeck (New York)
Jamboree in 1968. Several times thereafter, I thought that a similar
format would be appropriate for South Florida.
The idea remained stagnant until April 2009, when, after
consulting with the New York people, the Palm Beach Radio
Control Association’s first Rhinebeck South Jamboree came to
fruition. It was a success, leading to the second edition that was held
March 27-28, 2010.
For our event, as with its New York model, only aircraft
(military and civilian) built before the end of 1939 qualified. This is
a fun-fly, eliminating competition and jangling nerves, that is
especially appealing to those who are interested in early aviation.
Trophies are given for static display and flying prowess. Each
time a pilot flies, he or she earns a coupon for a specific prize that is
labeled with the name of an aviation pioneer or an early aircraft.
Trophies were awarded to 11 of the 17 entrants.
Mike Bacon, a club member, handcrafted each trophy, which
had a space for a photograph of the winner and his or her airplane.
Pictures that Artie Mundell took were inserted into the trophies
before they were given.
Participating pilots did all of the judging, except for the
Spectators’ Award. Walt Moucha, a veteran pilot, won the Best in
Show Art Johnson Trophy with a Bristol Scout. Walt designed and
built the model and truly deserved the prize.
We were fortunate to receive donations from RC distributors,
dealers, friends, and members. Notable are Steve Westervelt, who
donated logo shirts and the large logo in front of which photographs
were taken; Artie Mundell, photographer; Joe Mannino, graphics;
and Walt Dreyfus, club secretary.
Pedro Jordan of Publix Super Markets donated food for the
concession stand, which Dave and Jerry ably ran. RC Hobbies,
Horizon Hobby, Great Planes, Micro Fasteners, Balsa USA,
Aeroworks, R/C Report, Sig Manufacturing, Vintage R/C Plans,
Heliproz, RC Revolution, Outback Steakhouse, and Rich Gangi
Hobbies contributed prizes. Club members’ contributions funded
the trophies.
Next year’s Rhinebeck South Jamboree will revert to being held
for only one day. Because of the distances that pilots had to travel,
most chose to participate for only one day (understandable with the
economy as it is). MA
—Bob Temple, CD
Michael Knight, Assistant CD
Artie Mundell, Photographer
District V
Rhinebeck Jamboree: Southern Edition
for each student to use to get started and
stock extra propellers, batteries, and
subassemblies for those rare clashes with
gravity.
Jim and Sharon require that a parent be
with each student every minute of every
session, and strict attendance is taken. If a
student misses a session, he or she has to
make it up or cannot continue in the activity.
Amazingly, this year 34 kids completed the
program!
Two Loves giving kids the gift of flying
is a Love Two Fly! The AMA thanks the
entire Love family. MA
—Bill Pritchett
Education Director
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October 2010 11
INtheAIR
On Saturday March 20, 2010, I took my Civil Air Patrol (CAP)
Squadron (Cadets and Seniors) through Phase I, Module One,
building the AMA Cub Delta Dart with great success. The six Cadets
and four Seniors, with the exception of one Senior, had never built a
model aircraft.
The syllabus I have written
seemed to work well. The
quality was amazing, and the
level of interest was even more
amazing.
I used my Squadron to
accomplish a few tasks. First,
test the syllabus. Second,
establish times for breaks.
Third, have the group educated
and experienced so it could
help the next class with handson
techniques.
Phase I, Module One, is
designed to be a two-night,
two-day class, but I condensed
it into one full day. My
Squadron had already had buddy-box time at the Okeechobee Model
Airplane Club field, so the initial field trip to see RC models in flight
was not unnecessary.
The program, as designed, ends Saturday night with the Cubs in
the upside-down position and the wings drying. Sunday is reserved
for aerodynamics classes and flying the Cubs.
We stopped at the same drying point and pulled them off of the
boards at our regular meeting Tuesday night and test-flew them. All
performed exceptionally well, and every Cadet left with a flying
model for the first time in their lives!
When the building started, I had my deputy commanders (both
Seniors, and one had been building model aircraft for a few months
when I started this concept) in front of the class, facing the class, and
building along with them. I insisted on following the instructions step
by step and checking off each step as completed. The process started
with the head table reading the instructions and waiting until each
step was completed before proceeding.
I roamed around the room, helping where needed, and after
roughly six steps I had Cadets rotate to read each next step. This was
a last-minute thought, so I knew each student understood how to read
the instructions and understood what the directions were having the
students to do.
I have no idea why I did this, call it instinct, but in hindsight it was
a big part of the overall success of the program. I also think this met
one of my objectives with the program, which was to have each
student build models on his or her own.
It took only approximately two hours to get the Cubs framed and
pinned upside-down in the drying position. So after a post-action
discussion, we all decided to cut the program back to one day and one
night. To shorten the drying time when the models are pinned upsidedown,
I use a drop of CA to
glue the dihedral so we can get
to the flying the same day.
I had the opportunity the
same day to assemble an ARF
Hangar 9 Alpha I purchased for
my son and grandson. I needed
pictures of it for my Phase II
syllabus and thought this was
the perfect opportunity to get
them.
Cadet Miller was given one
last year for his birthday, which
he and I assembled, so I let him
handle the instructions and
technical advice while each
Cadet put parts on the aircraft.
This went exceptionally well
and it is fully documented for my syllabus.
After a conversation with Travis McGinnis, I thought of all the
Cub and Boy Scouts I helped with these simple aircraft throughout the
years and reflected on Travis’s concerns about their attention span and
skill level. The more I thought about it, the more concerns I had.
All of those vanished once I began the program. The concentration
and interest level was nothing I have ever experienced with kids as
young as 12. The entire time I was talking or they were building, you
could have heard a pin drop.
Even my Senior members, two of whom are Cadet parents, were
amazed at the attention level from all of the Cadets. I can only
attribute this to what I have always said about the CAP Cadet
program: the kids that come to us are not average; they have higher
intellects and a burning desire to learn and achieve, especially if
aircraft are involved.
I had thought from my initial conception of this program that it
was going to be special, but after this weekend there is no doubt
that we are on the cutting edge of something incredibly special.
I have included a few pictures from the weekend. Our first
actual weekend course with the other Squadrons in Group 4 was
on April 17. I hope I will have some more feedback on my
syllabus for AMA. MA
—Joe Papasso, Squadron Commander, Okeechobee Composite
Squadron
Okeechobee Model Airplane Club President
District V
CAP Squadron Builds to Promote Aeromodeling
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12 MODEL AVIATION
INtheAIR
women are great fliers and
they compete. Terri never
gives an inch in our .25-size
pylon races. Roxanne flies a
World War II Bell P-39 in
Scale and warbird events.
At the junction of
Meridian Drive and Levee
Road is a high metal post
with a laser-cut steel
airplane atop it, which
Roxanne made. And Terri
manages our annual club
banquet. Both contribute
much time and talent to the
smooth administration of our
club.
Please visit us in Arizona
or check us out at www.az
modelaviators.com. MA
—Stu Richmond
[email protected]
District X
Championships and many other events, including Plymouth Internats.
His display case has dozens of trophies. Don was elected to the
Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association Hall of Fame in
2000.
He has always focused on models and on what his customers
want. At first the aircraft were made from wood and tissue. CL
was king, but RC was taking hold.
For many years plastic models were popular and Don stocked
those too. He recently told me that he, as did many of us older
modelers, resisted electric power, but now his product line
includes all of the latest items.
If it is
related to model
airplanes, large
or small, there
is a good
chance that Don
has in stock
what you need.
If he does not,
he will get it for
you, probably
faster than any
other source.
That is the
way it has been
at Don Still’s
Hobby Haven
six days a week
for 59 years. But be sure to bring cash or a check; he does not
take plastic! MA
—John Embry
[email protected]
The Academy recently welcomed Life Members Loren Kimble (West Chester OH), Bob Jacobs (Fairfax VA), and Jax Pettey
(Sandy UT).
For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (800) 435-9262. MA
—AMA Membership Department
AMA Thanks Its Lifetime Supporters!
As with many boys who grew up in the 1930s and 1940s, Don
Still’s passion for model airplanes started early—at age 6, to be exact.
His older brother aided him in the beginning.
Even after Don’s brother was killed in France during World War II,
Don continued to build and fly. He had engine problems at first, but his
father bought him a new power plant that ran well.
In the early 1950s, Don was in college in Houston, Texas, studying
drama. After graduation, he decided that he really wanted to open a
hobby shop. Thus in September 1951, Hobby Haven came into being in
downtown Beaumont, Texas.
In that same period, Don mastered CL Precision Aerobatics. Flying
his now-famous Stuka (later available as a kit), he won the World
Hobby Haven
The Arizona Model
Aviators, which has a
flying field in Mesa, has
upward of 250 AMA
members, including four or
more women who fly RC.
The two in the photo are
extremely active pilots.
On the left is Terri
Mangino, holding her
Great Planes Easy Sport 60
that is powered with an
O.S. .90 two-stroke
engine. On the right is
Roxanne Cottrell, holding
her Kyosho Calmato 60
powered by an O.S. .60
two-stroke engine.
Terri has been flying
with the club for more than
15 years, and Roxanne has been doing
so for more than 10 years. This photo
was taken in April 2010 on a typical
busy Saturday morning, with warm
temperatures and blue skies.
What we are most proud of is that these
Meet Our Ladies
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