History Preserved
The Pink Jacket
If only one thing could be said about the jacket, it is pink—very, very pink. The pink jacket was a hallmark of the Trans-America Relay Race held in 1979 and the Trans-America Rally in 1981.
Origins and Race Structure
Former AMA president Johnny Clemens dreamed of the possibility of a race across the U.S. while flying model airplanes. The dream became reality after Bob and Doris Rich completed their cross-country model airplane trip in 1975. The Trans-America Relay Race consisted of multiple short-distance flights between overnights and pit stops.
Teams were made up of smaller local teams that competed while in their part of the country. Each smaller team was responsible for its own airplane, equipment, and race vehicles.
Pilots flew the models with the help of a spotter while seated in a car that another team member was driving. Drivers were not allowed to exceed 55 mph, and CDs ensured that the rule was followed. A lead car radioed information to the car with the pilot. The 1979 race drew 427 official entrants, 46 CDs, and covered 3,300 miles.
Visibility and Sponsors
With the number of people involved, the color of the jackets was a necessity. A March 1982 article describing the 1981 rally noted, "Pink jackets everywhere. It made the rally members very identifiable, a very definite help to the officials."
The jackets allowed other motorists to see them when they had to make a pit stop along the highway. Printing, decals, and patches on the jackets helped advertise Circus Circus Casinos, which sponsored the event, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the beneficiary of the funds raised in 1979. The National Easter Seal Society benefited from the funds in 1981.
Donated Jackets
Bliss Teague, a CD for the 1979 race and a donor of one of the jackets in the collection, noted that the jacket was "not something I would wear anywhere else, but it was fine during the event." Judging by the condition of the other donated jackets, this was probably a common sentiment.
The museum is proud to have the jackets that represent the Trans-America races, but it still is a lot of pink.
—National Model Aviation Museum staff
Skymasters Spread Holiday Cheer
Trees for Troops and Operation Good Cheer
First on the list of spreading holiday cheer was the Skymasters RC Club of Michigan, which participated in Trees for Troops on December 2, 2011. This is a nationwide effort to make sure that every military family has a Christmas tree. A large contingent of Skymasters members loaded trees from fellow member Frank Genovese’s Candy Cane Christmas Tree Farm into a waiting FedEx semitrailer for further distribution around the country.
On December 3, Skymasters members again participated in Operation Good Cheer. This program, in place since 1971, distributes toys to abused and neglected children throughout Michigan.
This year the need was greater than ever; more than 4,500 Michigan children received Christmas gifts. Toys and bikes were flown by private aircraft to distribution airports across the state. Local organizations got the presents to the foster care, residential treatment facilities, and group homes where the children live.
Individual Contributions and Flights
Copilot Gary Weaks and his wife, Phyllis, both employees of DuPont Automotive Paint, made it a family affair. DuPont employees sponsored 50 children, obtaining and wrapping gifts from the children’s wish lists. At the Pontiac Airport, Phyllis worked at Pentastar Aviation, loading some of the larger aircraft to take gifts to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The backseat was removed from the Cessna 182 and Gary loaded bikes and presents for the flights he made. Gary and a fellow Skymasters pilot flew three flights, more than 4.5 flight hours—500 air miles—delivering "Good Cheer" to some Michigan children.
Indoor Flying Donations
Each Tuesday all winter, area modelers have the opportunity to fly in one of the best indoor facilities in the country—the Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Michigan.
During the holiday season, Ultimate Soccer sponsors a local community organization. This year it was Lighthouse Path, a facility that provides shelter and support for abused women and children.
On Tuesday, December 20, the modelers who flew during the indoor flying session provided 40 gifts and $1,000 in cash. One anonymous modeler contributed an additional $250 after the event was over.
Photos are by Greg and Alyssa Cardillo, Fred Engelman, and Joe Hass.
—Joe Hass Skymasters Radio Control Club of Michigan
Aviation Group Attracts 10,000 to Wright Soaring Centennial
Event Overview
During October 21–24, 2011, a grassroots partnership of the primary sporting soaring associations in the U.S., with the help of Kitty Hawk–based First Flight Foundation, celebrated the centennial of Orville Wright’s 9-minute, 45-second record soaring flight set on October 24, 1911. Soaring100 attracted more than 10,000 visitors to the Outer Banks, North Carolina, venues of Jockey’s Ridge State Park and Wright Brothers National Memorial.
“We were overwhelmed by the attendance,” remarked John Harris, president of the Rogallo Foundation. “People are still enthralled by the Wright brothers’ story and excited about sport soaring, whether with sailplanes, hang gliders, paragliders, or models.”
“The goal of Soaring100, to complete the story of the Wrights’ experiments on the Outer Banks and instill greater interest in the role of gliders over the last century, was well received,” added event chairman Jim Short. “This was a remarkable grass-roots effort that happened because of generosity, volunteerism, and enthusiasm of all involved.”
Symposia and Speakers
Kicking off the event was the dedication of a National Landmark of Soaring, coordinated by the National Soaring Museum at Jockey’s Ridge. The Landmark plaque honors those who have flown the Outer Banks dunes, including the Wrights, Francis Rogallo (father of the modern hang glider), and modern hang glider and paraglider pilots.
Dr. Tom D. Crouch of the National Air and Space Museum coordinated a historical symposium focusing on the role of gliders in the earliest development of the airplane, possibly the first such event. A Legends of Hang Gliding symposium, organized by John Harris, was another first at which hang-gliding pioneers gathered to discuss the development of their sport.
“We were indeed pleased that these unique events occurred at Soaring100,” said Lola Hilton, executive director of the First Flight Foundation, the lead partner for the event. “And there was more,” she added. “Individual speakers included the NASA Space Shuttle pilot Susan Kilrain, National Park Service interpreter Darrel Collin, who was the National Soaring Museum’s prestigious Barnaby lecturer, and Amanda Wright Lane, great-grandniece of the Wrights, and featured speaker at the October 24 formal recognition of the Wright record.”
Flying, Displays, and Media
The flying of sailplanes at Wright Brothers National Memorial and hang gliders at Jockey’s Ridge State Park dominated much of the program on Saturday and Sunday. At the Wright Memorial, a flying Showcase of Soaring History featured 15 historically significant sailplanes and motorgliders taking off from the First Flight Airstrip and landing on the nearby historic grounds of the national park. After landing, the pilots discussed soaring and showed their aircraft to visitors.
Static displays included a just-completed replica of the Wright 1911 glider built by Rick Young of Richmond, Virginia, and another, as-yet-uncovered version built by family and friends in honor of the late Jim Dayton of Mechanicsville, Maryland. Other displays included significant sailplanes and hang gliders and a World War II military gliding exhibit.
A video explaining the history and reasons for the Wright 1911 soaring experiments, commissioned by the First Flight Foundation and supported in part by a grant from the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, premiered at the Wright Brothers pavilion.
Conclusion
Formalities and speakers, including Mike Murray, superintendent of the Outer Banks Group of the National Park Service, concluded the ceremonies on October 24.
For more information, visit www.soaring100.com.
—Jim Short Event Chairperson
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
