In the Air
AMA Remembers Dr. Paul MacCready
Dr. Paul B. MacCready Jr., 84, passed away August 28, 2007. He had been an AMA member since his early teens. He was a husband, father, businessman, inventor, and aeromodeling pioneer who set records and made inventions that are still remembered and used today.
MacCready was born in 1925 in New Haven, Connecticut, to Dr. Paul Beattie and Edith Margaret MacCready. He was the youngest of three children and the only boy. His interest in flight began at age seven. His family spent summers during the 1930s at Johnson’s Point on Long Island Sound, where he spent nights catching moths and butterflies and was fascinated by their ability to maneuver through the air.
He built his first airplanes from kits purchased at a dime store and later moved on to designing his own models. In 1939, at age 14, he set a world record for model autogiros with a canard design that stayed aloft for 12.7 minutes. At 16, MacCready received his license for solo flight in powered aircraft. During World War II he flew in the US Navy flight‑training program.
By 1947 MacCready received his physics degree from Yale University and switched his focus from powered aircraft to gliders. At age 21 he placed second in the National Soaring Championships at Wichita Falls, Texas. He went on to win the National Soaring Championships in 1948, 1949, and 1953. From 1946 to 1956 MacCready worked on sailplane development, soaring techniques, and meteorology. He invented the MacCready Speed Ring airspeed selector, which is still used by glider pilots worldwide.
MacCready represented the United States at contests in Europe, and in 1956 he became the first American to achieve the title of International Champion. Around this time he earned his master’s degree in physics at the California Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in aeronautics from the same institution. He founded Meteorology Research, Inc., which became a leading firm in weather modification and atmospheric science research.
In 1971 he founded AeroVironment, Inc., a technology company primarily involved in energy systems, electric vehicle systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The company is best known for developing a series of lightweight human- and solar-powered vehicles.
Along with AeroVironment, MacCready developed and flew the first man-powered aircraft—the Gossamer Condor—and won the Henry Kremer Prize of $95,000 in 1977, earning him international recognition as the “father of human-powered flight.” He went on to win two more Kremer Prizes. The Gossamer Albatross flew across the English Channel in 1979, winning AeroVironment $213,000, the largest cash prize in aviation history. MacCready also won a $30,000 prize in 1983 for developing the Bionic Bat, which was required to exceed 20 mph around a 1-mile course.
He also developed the Gossamer Penguin—the world’s first successful solar-powered airplane—and the Solar Challenger. In 1985 the Smithsonian Institution commissioned MacCready to build a life-size, flying pterodactyl, which can be seen in the IMAX film On the Wing.
MacCready’s interest in environmentally sound technology extended beyond aircraft. He built the solar-powered Sunraycer to compete in a race across Australia in 1987, and in 1990 he collaborated with General Motors to develop the Impact, an electric car that could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in eight seconds.
He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991 for his contributions to flight technology. He was also affiliated with the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the American Meteorological Society.
In addition to serving as international president of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association, he received numerous awards and honors and authored many articles, papers, and reports on physics and aeronautics.
Dr. Paul B. MacCready Jr. was a legend in aeronautics. His research and inventions touched many areas of technology and are still embraced today. Each of his innovations began with a model, which helped him refine his designs—and, in turn, advanced the hobby we enjoy today.
— Ashley Rauen AMA Communications Specialist
Tuskegee Airman Strikes a Chord at AMA
Retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson visited AMA's International Aeromodeling Center Saturday, August 11, to speak about his military experiences, visit the National Model Aviation Museum, and see the IRCHA Jamboree.
The Tuskegee Airman served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II and risked his life to fight for a country that was prejudiced against him. His story is recounted in his autobiography Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free: The Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman and POW.
Lt. Col. Jefferson began his speech with the statement "I am a survivor." He described the mistreatment of blacks in the armed forces and how he overcame intolerance, graduating from an organization whose prejudice was strong enough to fail 67% of its first graduating class for minor infractions like having dust under their beds.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black pilots in military history and were entrusted to fly escort missions for B-17 and B-24 bombers. Lt. Col. Jefferson participated in 18 of those missions with the 332nd Fighter Group, known as the "Red Tailed Angels" for the red tails on their P-51 Mustangs.
On his 19th mission—the squadron's first combat assignment to destroy radar stations on the southern coast of France—Lt. Col. Jefferson was shot down and captured. He spent the following nine months as a prisoner of war before liberation on April 29, 1945.
His presentation included vivid stories from training and combat, including his reaction to seeing Dachau after liberation. Following the talk there was a question-and-answer session covering topics from the airplanes he flew to his training missions at Selfridge Army Air Base in Michigan.
Afterward, AMA's Executive Director Jim Cherry presented him with a framed enlargement of the April 2007 Model Aviation cover on which he was featured. Lt. Col. Jefferson donated a poster of the Tuskegee Airmen—complete with six pilots' signatures—to the National Model Aviation Museum.
"If you have no idea where you have been, you have no idea where you are today," said Lt. Col. Jefferson at the close of his presentation. "Therefore, you are not prepared for the future."
— Ashley Rauen AMA Communications Specialist
Information for Turbine Waiver Holders
Upon recommendation by the AMA Safety Committee, on August 12, 2007 the AMA Executive Council approved substantial changes to turbine-waiver regulations for pilots.
You can find the specific changes in Document 510-A at www.modelaircraft.org/documents.aspx or request a copy from Ilona Maine of the Programs Department at [email protected] or (765) 287-1256, extension 251.
The following is a summary of the changes:
- All references to a notarization process, either explicit or implied, have been removed.
- The renewal process has been eliminated. Once obtained, the waiver remains in effect unless revoked for cause.
- A process for temporary suspension has been added to the section providing for waiver removal or revocation. This provides a means to identify operational or safety issues on an individual waiver-holder basis that can be addressed without undergoing a complete reapplication process.
These changes reflect the effort within the turbine community to act responsibly and police its activity effectively. Additional administrative actions are being put into effect to help ease some of the current contest directors' (CDs) workloads in the field and at Headquarters.
Waiver holders and CDs are urged to study the approved changes. Although many CDs do not normally have turbines operating at their events, they may need to know the proper documents for situations such as demonstrations, air shows, and CL and RC Scale contests.
CDs currently receive documents with sanction materials that provide information about turbine procedures. If you are a CD and have not received these documents with your sanction materials, contact AMA Headquarters or locate them on the AMA website.
— AMA Headquarters
DSS Delivers Fun and Safe Flying at IRCHA Jamboree
The IRCHA (International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association) Jamboree, held August 9–12 at AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana, set a world record for pilot attendance at an RC event of its kind. Digital spread spectrum (DSS) 2.4 GHz technology was used extensively.
IRCHA Vice President Charles Anderson said, “It’s in the books; 712 registered pilots attended the event with only 150 72 MHz radios making it to the impound trailer. This, of course, made it much easier to monitor and manage the event. No problems were reported with DSS users and it was less hassle for staff and pilots, who reported they were able to get more flights in at this event because of DSS.”
Since the event committee elected not to impound 2.4 GHz radios, there were almost 600 of them in the pits or on the flightline during the event. Even with this large number of radios outside of impound control, there were no reported DSS issues.
Airframe manufacturers who wanted to showcase their helicopters found that team pilots could demonstrate the machines virtually on an as-needed basis, in contrast to previous years when flying might have required a wait of an hour or more.
Along the quarter-mile flightline, 17 pilot stations were occupied with fliers showing the latest in RC helicopter development, and DSS antennas could be seen all the way down the line. This is an important milestone for the RC community and suggests the 2.4 GHz revolution is here to stay.
“You would think that with 712 pilots and 17 flight stations that we would have had a lot of problems,” said Team JR/Spektrum member Scott Cathey. “This was not the case! I am convinced the US market has recognized the advantages of the 2.4 and has accepted it as the new standard.”
— Steven W. Goodreau District VI
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
