In the Air-2012/11

Neil Armstrong
There is little proof of his last
confi rmed visit to AMA Headquarters
in Muncie, Indiana. He didn’t sign the
banner for the event, he dodged cameras
trying to snap photos of him, and he
wore sunglasses and a white hat to hide
his face.
To those who couldn’t make the
connection, he looked like an average
modeler—taking
photos of the event
and enjoying a
casual day of fl ying.
That’s how he
wanted it. That’s
how the fi rst man
who walked on the
moon lived most of
his life.
Retired astronaut
and aeromodeler,
Neil Armstrong,
passed away on
August 25, 2012, at
the age of 82, from
complications from
heart surgery. His
last confi rmed visit
to the International
Aeromodeling
Center was for the
AMA’s Celebration
of Eagles, held July 6 and 7, 1996.
“I went over to him and introduced
myself. We shook hands; we spoke,”
Norm Rosenstock, AMA Historian,
said of meeting Neil at the 1996 event.
Norm said Neil came to the event with
members of a CL group to which he
belonged. Neil lived near Cincinnati,
Ohio.
“A guy was taking photos of the event,
and whenever he took photos, [Neil]
hid,” Norm added.
In a photo taken at the event (shown
below) and published in the November
1996 issue of MA, Neil was identifi ed
as “former Purdue aeromodeler Neil
Armstrong.” There was no mention of his
historic 1969 walk on the moon.
Dave Thornburg, who wrote that
article, said he remembers seeing the
retired astronaut at the event, but never
approached him. “He was just mobbed
every time I
saw him.
“He was
a very quiet,
typical pilot …
withdrawn.”
Dave added.
“He did
kind of hide
from the
limelight
a bit,” said
retired
astronaut
and AMA
Ambassador
Robert “Hoot”
Gibson, who
knew Neil for
more than 30
years.
Neil was
nominated for
and inducted into the Model Aviation
Hall of Fame after he attended the 1996
event. Cliff Weirick, who nominated him,
had this to say about Neil’s presence:
“The Academy enjoyed an unexpected
visit during the Celebration of Eagles by
Neil, a longtime modeler and friend of
aviation. Throughout the day, he chatted
with the pioneers of modeling, helped
a youngster trim a FF model, and in
general, recalled the days that planted
the seed in his life for a career that
helped shape a new frontier in aviation.”
This wasn’t the fi rst time Neil had
been to an AMA event. Through his
research, Dave learned that Neil was
part of the U.S. Navy team at the 1949
CL Speed Nats and attended the 1962
Nats. He also attended several Nats held
at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, said
Bob Underwood, former AMA technical
director and executive director.
“He wouldn’t necessarily announce
himself at events,” Bob said. “He was a
very, very private person. He would show
up and help people with their Free Flight
models during the Free Flight Nats. He
was frequently at the Nats but people
didn’t recognize him.” Bob, who worked
for AMA from 1985 until approximately
2001, said he would sometimes hear of
Neil’s visits after the fact.
Ron Morgan, who retired this
year after more than 50 years as a
Nats volunteer, confi rmed that Neil
occasionally attended the Nats in the
1970s. He said the retired astronaut was
known to watch more than just the FF
Nats.
It is believed that Neil was once
an AMA member, but there are no
membership records prior to 1974.
Neil is not in the current membership
database.
However, according to the June 1984
issue of MA, Neil was a member of the
Purdue Aeromodelers club and fl ew in
model aircraft competitions between
1946 through 1950. Neil’s model
aviation experience is believed to have
shaped his future as a naval aviator and
astronaut.
Hoot knew Neil more as an astronaut
than an aeromodeler. Neil began
training Hoot to become a National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) astronaut in 1978. They
T he Academy recently
welcomed Life Member
Joshua A. Johnston, Manhattan
KS. For information about
becoming a Life Member,
contact AMA Headquarters at
(800) 435-9262.
—AMA Membership Department
Col. Johnson responded to questions from the crowd.
remained friends throughout the years.
“He wasn’t just the fi rst man to set
foot on the moon. He was a gifted test
pilot, an accomplished pilot. He had
a personality that I couldn’t picture
anyone not liking him. You had to love
the guy,” Hoot said of his friend.
To read more of Hoot Gibson’s
recollections of this shy man and the
astronaut who made a “giant leap for
mankind,” visit www.ModelAircraft.org/
neilarmstrong.
—Rachelle Haughn
[email protected]
Michigan Aviation Enthusiasts Host
Endeavour Astronaut
A unique collaboration of fullscale
aircraft pilots, a model club
specializing in indoor fl ying, and one
of the largest RC clubs in the country
are responsible for hosting “Inspiration
and Exploration—The Final Flight of
STS-134—The Shuttle Endeavor” on
February 2, 2012. Shuttle pilot Col.
Greg Johnson was the featured speaker
in Troy, Michigan.
The Troy Oakland Pilots Flying Club
(TOPS), the Michigan Indoor Aircraft
Association (MIAA), and the Skymasters
Radio Control Club of Michigan
facilitated the visit. The idea began when
TOPS member Dr. Clark Johnson, of
Michigan State University, wondered
if there would be interest in a visit by
an astronaut. After a resounding “yes”
by those present
at a Michigan
Department of
Transportation
training session
in September of
2011, the challenge of developing a
program was on.
Dave Starnes, TOPS president, made
the initial contact with Col. Johnson—
yes, Col. Johnson and Dr. Johnson are
related. Dave handed the project off to
me.
There were two
major issues: fi nding
a date and a venue.
After numerous calls,
Dick Streetman,
a retired assistant
principal with the Troy
School District, made
contact with assistant
superintendent,
Richard Machesky,
who was able to make
the beautiful facilities
at Athens High School
available for the
evening of February 2.
A call to Col. Johnson
confi rmed that the day
would work for his
busy schedule.
Trying to maximize Col. Johnson’s
time in Troy, a plan was developed to
have Johnson come from the NASA
facility in Cleveland, Ohio, on the
evening of February 1. That allowed
him to address three middle schools in
the Troy School District the morning of
February 2.
Starting early,
Col. Johnson
enthusiastically
spoke to more
than 800
youngsters,
intermixing a
slide show and
a multimedia
presentation
before
answering
the student’s
questions.
The day was
busy; Col.
Johnson had
a number of conference calls to handle
in conjunction with the celebration of
the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s
historic fl ight.
More than 400 people attended the
program at Athens High School. Electric
Tournament of Champions and Extreme
Flight Championships pilot Chris Hass
of the Pontiac Miniature Aircraft Club
performed the “opening act” by fl ying
his aerobatic electric foamie from the
Athens stage. He performed torque rolls
between the aisles to the amazement of
the crowd.
Col. Johnson took the stage to
roaring applause from the audience. He
discussed the shuttle program and his
specifi c fl ights with slides to accompany
his presentation. He also presented a
video taken in the International Space
Station (ISS).
The magnifi cent views, eating M&M
candies fl oating in the air, and racing
through the ISS while weightless had
the crowd mesmerized. Col. Johnson
responded to questions from the crowd
before spending nearly an hour posing
got and autographing pictures.
Well past 9 p.m., Col. Johnson was
joined by relatives for the rest of the
evening before returning to Cleveland
early Friday morning. Before his
departure, Col. Johnson was presented
a wallet created by Mark Freeland of
Retro R/C that included a beautiful
depiction of a 1930s model magazine
cover printed on the outside and
commemorative photos and
Endeavour symbols on the
inside.
The day was made
possible by the support
of TOPS, MIAA, the
Skymasters, the Troy School
District, and NASA. Thanks
to all for providing such
an exciting day for the
community.
—Joe Hass
[email protected]
Valkyrie on Display
“It’s authentic as I can make it” is
what A. Colin McKinley told former
museum curator Mike Fulmer in a letter
dated November 6, 1992. The “it” he is
referencing is his reproduction of Carl
Goldberg’s Valkyrie. McKinley donated
the finished model to the National
Model Aviation Museum in 1993.
Making the Valkyrie reproduction
authentic was a big task. Goldberg’s
design calls for multispar construction
for both the wing and tail surfaces. A
similar built-up construction method
was employed for the fuselage. The
model has a 10-foot wingspan and
an 8-foot fuselage. Carl noted in an
Air Trails October 1938 article that,
“while this construction is not difficult,
it is tedious—there being over 1,100
individual pieces in the wing alone.”
In his letter to Mike Fulmer, McKinley
details the construction process: “The
under cambered wing and stabilizer
were constructed using the sliced rib
technique building the upper surface
first and putting the spars in. The
surfaces were turned upside down and
the bottoms of the ribs were put in, the
spars installed and finally, the diagonals
were put in between the spars.” The
round fuselage consists of “a simple
1/8 square box with circular formers
finished 1/8 square strips and 1/16 sheet
planking.”
McKinley’s differs from Goldberg’s
original in a few aspects. Most notably,
he:
• Added
plywood
reinforcements
to the spars in
the wings and
carbon-fiber
tubes for wing
joiners.
• Added
a thin glass
cloth to the
unpainted
wood on the
fuselage before
doping.
• Replicated
the original white bamboo paper wing
covering with white micafilm.
• Made the stabilizer removable as
well as the wing.
• Built the model as RC rather
than FF. Before donating the model
to the museum, he removed the radio
components and returned it to its FF
appearance.
Carl Goldberg’s original Valkyrie dates
to 1936-1937. This first gas model, built
and designed by Goldberg, featured a
wing placed high on a pylon above the
fuselage. This was a dramatic departure
from FF models of the time, and is
something that Goldberg made famous
with his Zipper design.
The Valkyrie won second place
in the 1937 Nats after a 53-minute
flight before disappearing somewhere
over the Detroit River near Canada.
Although it had only one official Nats
flight, Goldberg displayed the model
frequently during the build and it was
considered an “impending trophy threat,”
according to Bob Larsh in his history
of the Comet Zipper in Model Airplane
News, February 1981.
The Valkyrie reproduction is on
display in the museum’s FF exhibit,
along with Goldberg’s prototype Zipper
and his Sailplane.
—National Model Aviation Museum Staff
These photographs of the Valkyrie reproduction’s maiden flight were provided by A. Colin McKinley.
The Valkyrie reproduction on exhibit in the National Model Aviation Museum.