File: 12inthe.lt1.doc
AMA Thanks Its Lifetime Supporters
The Academy recently welcomed Life Members Charles M. Conlee, Fair Grove MO; Reese E. Otts, Charleston WV; Peter J. Forgacs, Britton MI; Brent E. Jones, Palm Desert CA; James C. McMahon, Valrico FL; David Rowland, Nokesville VA; Douglas J. Wilmes, St. Charles MO; Maui Chai, Orem UT; Ken Carpenter, Rio Rancho NM; Mark F. Pentony, Union WA; Robert Begun, Brooklyn NY; Lynn A. Springer, Missoula MT; Jack A. Upchurch, Jr., Wye Mills MD; Robert H. Lewe, Owensboro KY; Larry K. Laskowski, Newaygo MI; James E. Bruning, Fort Smith AR; and Thomas G. Bouwkamp, Lakeland FL.
For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (800) 435-9262.
[Photo: Rockyrun1]
[caption]
The 2014 Rocky Run Middle School Model Airplane Student Club (MASC).
A Journey in Mentoring
AMA member Don Szczur, an electrical engineer and accomplished competition pilot, was challenged by a friend to give back to the hobby. He chose to do so by educating youth.
Don’s son, Joseph, started middle school in 2013 and was looking for an activity that would help him make friends while sharing his passion for model aviation. This activity became the Rocky Run Middle School Aerospace Engineering Model Airplane Student Club (MASC). By the time the club celebrated its one-year anniversary, it had grown from six active members to 17.
The students recruited more members by adding Aerospace Engineering to the club’s name. This also captured the attention of parents hungry for their kids to participate in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-related after-school activities.
Club members were introduced to engineering concepts that were reinforced by simple hands-on projects. Each meeting began with a 10-minute lesson on aerodynamics. Club members learned about the Wright brothers, then had to solve three problems: lift, stability, and control. Everything the club did circled back to learning about those three foundational problems.
The first project was a walkalong glider. The aircraft is a great way to introduce aerodynamics, is simple to construct, and always flies well. These lightweight gliders sustain flight by being pushed along by a wave of air.
A variety of walkalong glider designs were tested and the club chose a variant of the Jawing walkalong glider design, cut from thin, hot-wire-sliced scrap foam block used for computer packaging. The second project was a basic rubber-powered stick model called the Z-15.
The third project was the team-design concept in which club members applied what they had learned. Three teams designed their own glider from inexpensive foam material.
The glider that flew best would be converted to RC for each student to fly. The teams had some innovative ideas and learned to budget their time for design, building, and test flying.
The winning design was a glider the students named Eclipse. It was rewarding to see the expressions on their faces as they watched it fly. The aircraft demonstrated how principles of stability and control were successfully applied.
Don challenges you to take the plunge and give back to the hobby by being involved in activities that get young people engaged in model aviation. It will be a lifelong memory for you and the kids.
For more information about forming a MASC, visit www.modelaircraft.org/education/masc.aspx on the AMA website.
—submitted by Don Szczur
History Preserved
[photos
2000.29.153 PhantomMotors_ATP-46pg25
2000.29.153 PhantomMotors_ATP-46pg25
P920193,4,5,6 (choose the best)
Phantom P-30
Phantom Motors Distributing Co. heavily marketed its P-30 Phantom spark engine during the 1946 Christmas season.
Full-page color ads appeared in Model Airplane News and Air Trails Pictorial in November and December, targeting different demographics. One was directed to the parents of youngsters who couldn’t afford to purchase a $14.95 engine on their own, and the second was aimed at older modelers who had the funds available to buy their own Christmas presents.
Although the Phantom P-30 in the museum’s collection is missing its spark plug and is rough and worn, it isn’t hard to imagine a young-at-heart someone seeing the ads and pining for this engine when it was new.
—National Model Aviation Museum staff
