In the Air
MA Staff Changes
Effective with the January 2008 issue, Michael Ramsey was promoted to MA editor and former aeromodeling editor Bob Hunt stepped into the position of editor emeritus.
Michael has a bachelor of fine arts degree in visual communications, with an emphasis on graphic design. He has extensive experience in commercial journalism, graphic design, and photography.
Michael joined the MA staff in June 2005, following a successful nine-year stint as the associate editor of Flying Models, the only other aeromodeling publication that covers all three facets of the sport.
An active modeler for 27 years, Michael has building and flying experience in many aspects of the sport. He is the middle member of three generations of aeromodelers, and building and flying are regular family activities he shares with his sons, William and Jacob. Michael’s wife of 15 years, Cindy, also visits the field frequently.
Michael is a familiar face at many trade shows and modeling events, including the AMA Nats, which he has covered for MA for the past three years. Although he has been an active participant at local aerobatics and helicopter competitions, this past summer was Michael’s first experience as a Nats contestant. He placed respectably in RC Scale, giving him a new appreciation for the world’s largest aeromodeling event.
Please join us in welcoming Michael to his new position!
In Bob Hunt’s new role with the magazine he will maintain a working relationship with the staff and with frequent MA writers. He will write occasional features for the magazine and act as a consultant on various magazine-related projects.
MA’s staff and the Academy express their gratitude to Bob for the seven years he served as aeromodeling editor. During that time the magazine went through significant changes that reflected the evolving sport and the informational needs of our readers. Product reviews became an editorial mainstay under Bob’s leadership, as did ongoing features such as “From the Ground Up,” and coverage of popular modeling events across the US.
Bob has an unwavering passion for the craftsmanship involved in building model airplanes and a commitment to embracing new technology. Most recently, his foray into electric-powered CL aircraft has received much attention from other modelers and the modeling press.
The magazine staff looks forward to working with Bob in his new capacity.
—MA staff
AMA Announces New Membership Category
The Academy has developed an exciting new membership category that is a great match for those who have joined the park-flyer segment of aeromodeling: the Park Pilot Program.
For annual dues of only $29.95, park-flying modelers get an appropriate level of liability coverage and a quarterly magazine. Go to www.parkflyer.org to get all the details!
—AMA Headquarters
2008 AMA General Membership Meeting
At the October 27, 2007, Executive Council meeting it was determined that the official 2008 AMA membership meeting will be held Thursday, May 15, 2008, at the Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In. This event will be held at the Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina, May 14–17.
—AMA Headquarters
Participate in AMA’s Club Recognition and Reward Program!
If you haven’t already heard about this exciting new program, you can download all the details and an application at www.modelaircraft.org/programs/clubrecog.aspx.
If your club is recognized publicly in a newspaper, on the radio, or on television for contributing or volunteering for a community event, it could receive a monetary prize for its efforts. Keep in mind that the club must follow the detailed rules and instructions on the application to be rewarded.
For more information, please download the application or contact Erin Dobbs at [email protected] or (765) 287-1256, ext. 272.
We look forward to hearing about your successful club endeavors!
—Programs Department
AMA Membership Directory Has Strong Start!
AMA has partnered with Harris Connect—one of the oldest and most respected directory publishers in the industry—to produce a register of Academy members. This can be a great way to catch up with longtime flying buddies, contact someone, or see who is “top dog” at flying events.
Thanks to our members, there have already been thousands of requests from those who want to be listed in the directory. Inclusion in the publication is free of charge, and members can even include as many as two photos.
We don’t want you to miss the opportunity to be listed in this registry! If you haven’t responded to the mailing or didn’t receive a letter, please watch for an upcoming postcard mailing that will give you another chance. E-mail [email protected], or call (800) 546-7524.
—AMA Headquarters
25 Years Ago in MA: January 1983
- On the cover Kelly Mathwick holds Bill Warner’s FF Scale, electric-powered Lee-Richards No. 3. This doughnut-shaped model—the subject of one of this month’s FF construction articles—may look weird but is surprisingly stable in the air. The other FF article is about the Rain Crow II, which is Reid A. Hull’s hand-launched glider design. It is easy to build, yet it displays a smooth transition to the glide when thrown to altitude.
- One of two RC construction articles this month is for Dee B. Mathews’ scaled-down version of the 1938 Kloud King. It can be built sturdily as a great RC aircraft for lighter classes. The other RC design is the Orange Box by Clive Smalley. It is a lightweight yet rugged slope soarer that may be just right for the beginner and even performs well as a thermal soarer.
- CL racing is fun, so get into 1/2A Scale or Mouse Racing with the Sky Baby by Frank H. Scott, which is a midwing 1/2A model with an unusual V-tail. This competitive design is reliable, tough, simple, and as fast as anything you are likely to compete against.
- Christopher—the RC parachutist—is another of Luther Hux’s unique innovations. This comprehensive article explains how to build a complete parachutist, sew his chute, and even construct the drop mechanism needed for RC aircraft.
- The League of Silent Flight (LSF) held its 1982 Tournament in Bakersfield, California. Dan Pruss reports on the event and the LSF’s history. Ray Harlan provides full-color coverage of the Indoor World Championship, which was held in a salt mine in Slanic, Romania.
- Frank Ehling, who served as AMA technical director for more than 22 years, retired October 13, 1982, so he could get back to designing and flying model aircraft. AMA staff members wish him the best as he enters another phase of a long and distinguished career.
- AMA’s Executive Director, John Worth, announces that the Federal Communications Commission has finally approved new RC frequencies.
- New products this month include kits for two large models: an 84-inch Big E from E&L Manufacturing for $199.95 and a 1/4-scale Cub from Royal Products for $179.95. Granite State RC Products announces a new iron-on gapless hinge, and Satellite City is now offering Hot Shot accelerator for use with any brand of instant glue.
—Rich LaGrange, AMA Librarian
Changes Are Made in the Museum Donation Process
The National Model Aviation Museum at AMA Headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, has updated its guidelines for submitting acquisitions. The new stipulations are similar to previous versions; however, slight changes were made to better address the wide variety of objects that can be donated. The new guidelines also answer common questions people have when they begin the donation process.
The biggest change in procedure is that you are required to contact the museum staff before sending any donation to the museum. Previous practices necessitated approval only before sending large groups of artifacts, prepared displays, or models. This change is important because it helps the staff control the collection and ensures that it accurately reflects all aeromodeling history.
If you are interested in reviewing the guidelines or obtaining an Artifact Submission Form, visit www.modelaircraft.org/museum/donations.aspx. If you have questions, contact the museum registrar at [email protected].
—Maria Van Vreede, Museum Registrar
Welcome, AMA Life Members!
The Academy recently welcomed new Life Members Randolph Lambe (Durham, NC), Lloyd Fisher (Littleton, CO), John Kurkjian (Austin, TX), George Banes (Frankfort, IN), and John Welsh (San Antonio, TX).
For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (800) 435-9262.
—AMA Membership Department
Plastic Surgeon Flies the Tiny Skies
The US Air Force's loss is plastic surgery's gain. Eyesight that didn't pass muster for fighter-pilot training was good enough (with corrective lenses) to allow James Tang, MD, of Houston, Texas, to excel in plastic surgery. As for jetting off into the wild blue yonder, he takes flights of fancy with RC airplanes and helicopters he builds and flies.
"...I'm quite nearsighted," he said. "I function quite well with my contact lenses, but the Air Force had other ideas. In another life, I would have loved to have been a fighter pilot, perhaps a 'Flying Tiger' of World War II."
James says his childhood dream was to emulate his heroes—the fighter pilots of World War I and II—and become one of the celebrated flying aces who patrolled the skies and kept the world safe from tyranny.
He spent a good part of his childhood building model airplanes and flying rubber-band-propelled airplanes. But, as often happens, James set aside the hobbies of his youth for more adult pursuits.
That is, until he discovered the fun of flying RC models and joined the NASA Radio Control Club in Houston—not far from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where he did his plastic-surgery residency. James is currently a member of the Northwest Radio Control Club.
He said: "I've built about 40 RC airplanes since I started my practice in Houston in 1983. Most were built from kits and some were ARF planes—almost ready to fly. They take relatively little work to complete. But today I have only three airplanes and three or four helicopters."
James says he would have more in his fleet, but that would mean time spent with his hobby and less with his wife, Elizabeth. "She'd like me to spend more time with her," he said.
He adds that plastic surgery and his hobby have several elements in common: "the precision and patience required for excellence and satisfaction gained in a job well done."
"The two fields have a strong correlation," he said. James has never lost a patient, but he can't say the same about his aircraft.
"I was flying a propelled glider, which uses power to climb and then glides back after the motor runs out. I sent one quite high, where it was just a speck in the sky. I gave it a downward command and expected to track it in, but I lost it early on and never saw it again. I drove around for quite a while but couldn't find it; it simply disappeared. That was a strange experience."
—Reprinted with permission from the August 2007 Plastic Surgery News
It's All About Second Chances
I have been asked roughly once a month for approximately 12 years why our shop is called "2nd Chance Hobbies." That's an odd question to me since most people associate "second chance" with used or secondhand, but they still ask. Actually there are three reasons why the store has its name.
I bought the shop from Mike Rampley in February 1996, and he had named it 2nd Chance RC because most of the stock was used. The store was one year old and had approximately $1,100 worth of new inventory plus the used stuff.
I left the name as it was until June 1996. During that time I received telephone calls for 2nd Chance Furniture, 2nd Chance Finance, 2nd Chance Clothing, and even 2nd Chance Counseling.
So when I moved the shop to its second residence I changed its name to "2nd Chance Hobbies," to try to get away from misrouted phone calls. I was sure that the average San Antonio, Texas, resident did not understand RC. Surely "Hobbies" would describe us better. It did, but only slightly. The first errant phone call was to ask whether or not I had butterfly nets. Closer, but not quite.
Since then I have had so many calls for 2nd Chance Golf that I have the number in my card file so I can pass it on to the callers. And I still get calls for 2nd Chance Financing. A person even called who had tried for several days to get a hold of me but was told by the operators that there was no such business name.
When I changed the name to 2nd Chance Hobbies, I did not abandon the second-chance idea. I liked it because it indicated that I had secondhand items, but, more than that, it described many of my customers and a situation in my life.
Many middle-aged customers tell me they flew models when they were children. They were involved in CL or FF or messed with RC with relatives and friends, and they never lost the interest or desire. They just lost the opportunity for a while when they started careers and/or families and struggled financially.
When those customers' children are old enough to have their own interests or leave home, the clients become financially stable enough to rekindle the interests of earlier years. They get a second chance at modeling!
Some of those middle-aged patrons have been sports enthusiasts their entire lives, and they reach an age or have a health condition that doesn't allow them to continue their sporting activities. They still want to stay active and do outdoor things, so they take up flying as a second-chance avocation.
In 1952 my dad, Jimmy Rice, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, which is cancer of the lymph glands. His doctor gave him six months to live but told him they wanted to try an experimental technology on him, to use him as sort of a human guinea pig. It was called "X-ray therapy." Today we know it as radiation therapy.
The idea was to open the skin every day, put the X-ray machine right on the affected areas, and burn away the cancer. Dad was not a heroic individual, but he was pragmatic.
"Are you telling me that if the therapy kills me, I only lose 6 months?" he asked.
The answer was yes, so he let them start. Six months later he left the hospital at 6-foot, 1-inch tall, weighing roughly 90 pounds. The treatment had left him wasted away and exhausted. He couldn't walk to the bathroom by himself, let alone do normal daily activities.
The first day home he asked my mom to take him to the back of the house to his workshop. He was building his second RC airplane, which was called Mac's Robot. It was nearing the covering stage when he entered the hospital.
By the time she got Dad to the workbench, he could barely breathe and was so tired he couldn't work. He sat and looked at the airplane for a few minutes, let his fingers run over the woodwork, and then had her take him back to bed.
The next day he took the same trip to the workshop, but he sanded for a few minutes before returning to bed. This continued day after day as his strength and stamina improved, and the airplane got closer to completion. Dad also made weekly trips to the doctor and was encouraged that he was likely to survive the cancer.
After six months he had the airplane ready to fly, and the doctor told him to come back in six months instead of the next week. Dad finally took the airplane to fly. Although it didn't perform as well as the first one, he was pleased that it flew and started on his third RC model.
A year later he weighed more than 150 pounds, and when the doctor saw him he said, "I don't ever want to see you again!" What a day for our family.
I believe that if my dad had lain in bed and felt sorry for himself and allowed the disease's history to take over, he would have died in 1953. Instead he was determined to see that airplane finished before he died, and it gave him incentive to get up and do something.
We were told that he was terminal twice after that: once in the early 1960s, with a heart attack, and in 1999, when he died. In the 1960s he was building another airplane, and it, too, got him off his deathbed to see it finished before he died.
In March 1999 Dad suffered a massive heart attack, and he was in poor condition when they sent him home from the hospital. I urged him almost daily to go to the workshop and finish the big Dream Machine he had started. It was a scaled-up version of the one he had published in R/C Modeler in 1983.
Dad was in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and I was in San Antonio, so all my urging was via telephone. He kept telling me he was too tired. One day he told me he had gone to the shop and worked approximately 15 minutes, but he couldn't concentrate and was too exhausted to do much.
I was trying to get him motivated the same as the other times, but this time it didn't work. We lost him in June 1999, but he lived 47 years longer than we initially expected.
Modeling gave Dad a second and even a third chance at living. He survived when professionals predicted he wouldn't. Airplanes weren't all that pulled him through, but they kept him exercising his brain and his muscles.
I still have the Mac's Robot from 1952–1953. It is in terrible condition because the silk and dope have deteriorated, leaving it looking ugly and forlorn, but I can't bring myself to toss it out.
The 1.20-size Dream Machine parts are still in my garage. One day I will finish that airplane and it, too, will have a second chance at being a part of the Rice family modeling.
—Jim Rice, District VIII vice president
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
