In the AIr

September 2010 9
INtheAIR
AMA HEADQUARTERS AND MEMBER NEWS
Following is a letter from Michael P.
Nemzek (Dublin, Georgia) that describes
some of the things that happened when he,
his wife, and his poodle volunteered for a
monthlong stint as host, hostess, and hostdog
at the Academy’s International
Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana.
“June 6, 2010, 2:00 a.m. Sunday. The
air-raid siren, I mean the weather radio
siren goes off. OMG! Welcome to Indiana.
Tornado watch/warning, severe thunder
storm watch/warning, flash flood warning.
Take your pick, if not one, then the other.
“After awhile we; Mike, Mary Jo and
Andy the killer poodle, get the drill down.
Pull the RV’s slides in and make an
executive decision on whether to head for
the storm shelter or not (AKA shower
room). After awhile the routine is
automatic though we don’t get blasé about
it.
“One night it rained so hard, it rained
frogs. We know this because we found a
green one hiding in the awning support.
It’s bad when the frogs have to hide. Some
places the teens go out cow tipping. Here
the weather goes out and tips porta-potties.
Our stay’s personal best was five in one
night’s storm.
“I am mainly a glow, Sunday sportflyer
type of person. One of the great
things that I have learned is that our model
airplane sport or hobby is much more than
that. The precision or exactness of Free
Flight is almost mind boggling.
“Truly great to see pride and the ear-toear
smile of a teenager from around
Atlanta when he missed getting third place
by only a point, and the next day getting
first place in his category—and this against
some of the old pros.
“He and his family members will have
fond memories of his accomplishments, plus
memories of having to move their tent twice
to avoid the weather. As a fellow Georgian,
I’m proud of his accomplishments.
“XFC: Holy cow! The flying was
something out of this world. Looks to be a
young man’s sport. My muscle memory
doesn’t even have any memory of the
muscle memory necessary to do the stuff we
saw that weekend. Where else can you see
helicopters doing stuff that makes them look
like giant dragonflies on an overdose of
crack?
“Meeting two teams from Brazil and one
team from Taiwan was a unique experience
and a lot of fun. The fireworks on Saturday
night after nature’s display was wonderful,
the night flying that followed almost made
me wonder if the Martians had landed.
“NEFI: Was a lot of fun. Bought a
Radian sailplane and competed. Never flew
anything like that before. Way cool as the
younger ones say. Can I help it if my model
tried to attack the scorekeeper’s wife on the
second day? These things have a mind of
their own.
“Got to meet Robert “Hoot” Gibson too,
way-way super cool. In my personal opinion
the word “hero” is bandied about so much
so as to be just about meaningless. Heck, it
seems that if you even just show up for
work and don’t get the boss too mad at you,
you’re a hero nowadays. Even though he
gives the impression that his
accomplishments are just routine to me, he
just about meets anyone’s requirements
for being a true hero.
“I, for one, appreciate what he has
done in the service of and for our country
and for being an ambassador for the
AMA. I salute you sir!
“I cannot say how much we appreciate
all the kindnesses that the staff of AMA
HQ has shown us. Their patience with my
many questions and getting the answers to
them, to going out of their way when I
requested help on different things.
“Special mention goes to the chief of
maintenance and his crew. Don’t know
how they get done all that they do. John
[Hawley], you have great customer service
skills that I have observed more than once.
“Special mention also goes to Jim
Cherry. I don’t know how he does all that
he does. Part of it is in the professionalism
in the people that he oversees. Now can I
get the OT for the extra patrols I did
during NEFI? Seriously—you and your
staff have made our stay a great and
memorable one.
“Anyone that passes up the chance to
do hosting doesn’t know what they are
missing; missing the chance to interact
with the staff of AMA, meeting with our
fellow members with their wide diversity
of interests, and their passion for our
hobby/sport. We had a great time and
Andy said he did too, even if he did get
rejected by a female boxer.”
To learn more about the AMA Host/
Hostess program, go to www.modelair
craft.org/news/seekinghost.aspx. MA
—AMA HQ
AMA Host Experience
Paige McManus featured a cutaway
view of the Guillow’s Flyboy in her
science project. Phoenix Clark completed
a cutaway view of a Guillow’s Cessna
Paige McManus with her science fair
project featuring a Guillow’s Flyboy.
Solo flier Phoenix Clark’s project
showcases a Guillow’s Cessna 150 with a
.029-powered engine.
Students Incorporate Aeromodeling Into Projects
150, complete with a .029 glow engine for
her project. She has since advanced to RC
and flown solo.
Paige and Phoenix are members of the
Burnsville Public Library’s model aircraft
class in Burnsville, Mississippi. The class
enrolled 35 students this past school year,
encompassing library patrons, a local
branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of
America, and a troop of Girl Scouts.
The Burnsville library was awarded a
YES (Youth Education Stipend) Grant a
couple years ago in collaboration with the
Colbert RC Flyers. All of my students and
I are AMA members. MA
—Bob Forbes, Burnsville Librarian
([662] 279-2119)
District V
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10 MODEL AVIATION
INtheAIR
Following is a letter honoring
George Joy, who passed away on June
17.
“Hello, my name is Bryan H. Joy.
That’s right, Joy. I am the son of the
well-known and respected George J.
Joy who, all too soon, recently passed. I
am writing because I wanted to share
with you who George was to me.
“As a young kid of about 11, my
father and I started on a journey
together. A friend of my father’s was
into flying remote-controlled airplanes,
and knew that my father had at one
time actually flew real airplanes. He figured we would be
interested in trying to fly smaller versions of them.
“We went with him a few times to the Malibu Soaring
Society field near Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
It was a small bluff overlooking the sandy beaches and houses.
We learned together to control the aircraft and then we were
hooked.
“My grandfather, my dad’s dad, bought us our first
airplane, which was actually a birthday present for me. It was a
simple 2T. My father and I built it together. Our first radio was
the old colored flag type. I still remember the colors since they
were my favorite.
“We joined a local club near where we lived, the Harbor
Soaring Society. We had a field just behind the high school I
would later be attending, and an adjacent cliff in Costa Mesa,
California.
“We both got better at flying, but my father was very
prolific at it. I stayed in the sportsman class, but my father
quickly made his way up into the expert class. Along the way
we made a lot of good friends, many who will probably be
reading this.
“As time went on my father moved on to more advanced
airplanes while I couldn’t seem to get the hang of ailerons. My
all time favorite airplane was the two-meter Gnome. It was an
almost bullet proof model that I tested many times over and
over, but no matter how bad it was, my father knew it was my
favorite. So time and time again after my mishaps he always
fixed it. Good old Dad always knew how to make it right
again.
“I recall this one time while flying in Costa Mesa, I was
standing by my father and he was flying my two-meter Gnome.
We were not flying in a contest, just having a fun time
together.
“He was distracted by
someone that asked him a
question and took his eyes
off the model for just four
seconds. I kept watching
the airplane and when he
looked back he asked me,
‘Where is it?’ I pointed to
the airplane and he still
did not see it. So instead
of handing me the
controls he had me try to tell him which way to go. I did my
best, but at that time it never entered into our minds to just have
me take control of it.
“After several attempts to regain control of the model it was
simply too low and too far for him to see. It went down in the
apartments near the bluff we were flying at, and we ran to the
truck to go chase it down. We found it several minutes later, and
to our surprise it was in very good shape. The only damage was
the rudder was broke and the wing had several small broken
pieces. He never yelled at me for not being able to tell him how
to regain control, but I could see he was a bit upset.
“We took it home, and yet again dad worked his magic and
fixed what seemed like it should be a mangled Frankensteinlooking
mess by now, but it looked good as new again.
“My mother, Jo A. Joy, has been with him for 41 wonderful
years. She has seen him in good times and bad. The past 11
years she has stood by his side through all the medical issues.
Together they seemed to have overcome so many trials.
“My father was a very stubborn man, and this last time it
proved to be his downfall. A simple infection should not have
ended up in such a tragic loss.
“More than just my mother and our family have been touched
by this all too soon departure of such a giving man; as is evident
by the many touching and meaningful e-mails and gifts bestowed
upon us this past week. The RC community has been very
comforting and giving in a time of such great sorrow. I just
wanted to say thank you everyone for all you have done for us.
“Such a great man and friend will be sorely missed by all
those who knew him. I don’t think I ever truly expressed to him
how much I loved him, and to the last day I am so sorry that I
never did.
“As I stood by his
bedside I told him that I
loved him, and I would
truly miss having him
around. He and I were
just getting back to the
way we were when we
flew together. He is
flying high on the winds
that will never let him
down now.
“I love you Dad.” MA
—Bryan H. Joy
So Long, Dad!
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INtheAIR
This CL model usually confuses people.
Called a “Which-a-Way,” the name echoes
the puzzlement people commonly feel when
they ask which way it flies. It’s easy to see
why this question arises; the horizontal
surfaces at both the fore and aft make this
aircraft look simultaneously like a pusher
and a tractor.
For the record, the model flies as a
tractor—an old modeling term meaning
with the engine up front, being pulled
through the air.
The airplane’s Fox .35 is mounted
sideways, which, combined with its dual
stabilizers and opposing elevators, allows
the model to hover when flown vertically to
the ground. Walt Williamson, who designed
and built the Which-A-Way, used the
hovering trick to pop balloons.
It is unknown when Walt designed this
airplane, but according to a short paragraph
in the November 1959 American Modeler
magazine, Al Lewis remembered seeing
Walt fly it at the National Capitol Contest
in 1948.
Walt continued to build and fly the
aircraft until at least 1961, when
plans for it were published in
the June-July Flying Models.
The version in the museum,
with its clear MonoKote wing
covering and checked-balsa inlay, does not
match the photographs of the design featured
in either magazine and might have been built
later in Walt’s life.
He was a well-known member of the
Norfolk Aeromodelers and was well liked in
his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, where he
attended Norview High School in the late
1940s. Walt did not enjoy his high school
experience and apparently especially disliked
his English class. His mother described
situations in which “he’d have that English
book open and it’d have model airplanes
inside.”
He eventually quit high school and worked
in a factory for 20 years before getting laid off
in 1972. He then devoted his time to “his
mother, his garden, his model airplanes and
Norview High School,” according to a
newspaper article about him.
Walt was a great photographer, as several
images that accompanied
the Which-a-Way when it arrived at
the museum show. However, it was his
love of photography and his volunteer work
at the high school that led to his death in
1984.
While photographing a junior varsity
football game, Walt was accidently tackled
by players who strayed out of bounds
following the ball. The resulting collision
fractured his skull in several places and
caused brain failure.
Even after Walt’s death, his enjoyment
of model airplanes is evident; his family
listed his membership in the AMA in his
obituary. Two years later, Walt’s mother
donated the Which-A-Way to the museum
at the prompting of the Norfolk
Aeromodelers. 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
Carrington brothers Lowell, Russell, and Keith have been
flying RC models for a combined total of
111 years. They started flying together in
1972 and did so the hard way.
The siblings learned on their own, with
no real help from an experienced modeler. It
cost them a few airplanes, but they were
eventually able to get an aircraft up and
down in one piece; they did not give up.
The brothers estimate that they have built
and flown more than 300 models among
them, including trainers, sport, Scale,
warbirds, helicopters, and ducted-fanpowered
aircraft. Almost the only thing they
have not built and flown is turbine-powered
models.
They currently have more than a dozen models; most are 26-
100 cc and several are electrics. All are ready to go at a moment’s
notice. The brothers’ biggest problem is
deciding what to fly on any given day.
The Carringtons are fortunate to have a
private model runway on their family farm.
It is a grass strip measuring 50 x 450 feet,
with two pit areas and a nice, white
centerline to help with model placement for
takeoff and landing. The brothers love to
have visitors drop in and fly with them.
The Carringtons do most of their flying
together at the farm, but Lowell and Keith
belong to the Mid-Virginia Radio Control
Club (MVRCC), located in Central
Virginia, where they fly as often as
possible.
Last summer the Carringtons hosted
an MVRCC fly-in at their site and held a formal dedication to
name it “Red Tails Airfield,” in memory of
the Tuskegee Airmen.
Fellow club members presented a Red
Tails Airfield plaque to the Carringtons
during the dedication, in appreciation of
their long-term commitment to the hobby
and assistance to fellow modelers.
Along with building and flying,
aeromodelers share a great deal of
fellowship. Although the Carrington
brothers enjoy time spent with the many
friends that they have acquired through the
hobby, they still look forward to and value
those times when only the three of them get
together for a day at Red Tails Airfield. MA
—Lowell Carrington
District V
RC Flying: a Family Affair
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12 MODEL AVIATION
INtheAIR
Since receiving his first model airplane
at age 4, Mike Markowski has been using
his love of aviation to accomplish great
things. In addition to designing, building,
and flying models, he designed and built
wind/smoke tunnels and ran cutting-edge
experiments on model wings as science fair
projects. He received numerous awards and
recognition, including a four-year
scholarship.
Completing Penn State’s aerospace
engineering curriculum in three years, Mike
earned his degree in 1968. After four years
of designing wind tunnel models for
Douglas, Sikorsky, and NASA, and
studying for a masters in engineering
management, he pursued his flying dreams
by becoming an aviation entrepreneur,
innovator, and pioneer.
In 1971, Mike designed, built, and
taught himself to fly a hang glider, cofounding
the first two hang glider
companies on the East Coast. He also taught
hang gliding and aviation at the adulteducation
level and co-owned and ran a
hang gliding flight school.
In promoting the sport, Mike garnered
national coverage on TV and in newspapers
and magazines. He acquired his private
pilot’s license in 1972.
Through Mike’s company, Aeronautical
Publishers, he
distributes the only
comprehensive series
of books about
ultralights and books
about home-builts,
aviation history,
airplane mechanics,
and model airplanes.
The FAA used his
fourth book,
Ultralight Aircraft, to
help develop FAR
103—The Ultralight Rule. Mike’s Possibility
Press company publishes a line of books on
success.
The EAA inducted him into its Hall of
Fame in 2007. At its 29th Annual Aviation and
Aerospace Conference, the Aviation Council
of Pennsylvania presented him with the state’s
highest aviation honor: the 2009 Achievement
Award.
Mike has received many more awards and
honors throughout the years, including
induction into the US Ultralight Association
Hall of Celebrities in 1996 and receiving the
US Hang Gliding and Paragliding
Association’s 2007 Commendation Award.
Combining his love of aviation and
motivation, Mike is now expanding his efforts
in inspiring the world. Writing his memoir,
A Lifetime Spent Promoting Aviation
Left: Sara Walfoort, transportation planning manager for the
Southwestern Planning Commission and member of the
Aviation Council of Pennsylvania, presents the 2009
Achievement Award to Mike Markowski and his wife, Marjie.
Marjie is Mike’s partner in all of his endeavors, and the two work
together to spread the excitement and opportunities that
aviation imparts.
Wings of Dreams—One Small Gift Can
Inspire a Dream as BIG as the Sky, his
mission is to encourage youth and adults
alike. He wants the world to know how
important and exciting aviation is, as well as
to teach people to follow their dreams and do
whatever it takes to make them come true.
Mike’s newest passion is pursuing
having Wings of Dreams produced as an
inspiring feature-length movie,
documentary, theatrical play, and success
book. To learn more about his exciting
aviation career, his works, or his companies,
visit www.aeronauticalpublishers.com and
www.possibilitypress.com. MA
—Ashley Rauen
AMA Communications Specialist
Information provided by Mike Markowski
Mike stands with three Boy Scouts he’s mentoring for their
aviation merit badges. He uses this replica of his high school
wind/smoke tunnel to help teach.
The Academy recently welcomed Life Members Kris A. Todd (Madison WI), Jeffrey Daulton (Centerville OH), James Chun
(Santa Clara CA), Gary LeMaster (Woodland Hills CA), and Ryan Black (Yakima WA).
For information about becoming a Life Member, contact AMA Headquarters at (800) 435-9262. MA
—AMA Membership Department
AMA Thanks Its Lifetime Supporters!
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