Your 2008 AMA
Product Guide
is Inside!
The latest edition of the AMA
Product Guide is glued into this
month’s MA for easy pullout. Many
new products have been added at great
prices, such as outside apparel with
UV protection, moisture wicking, and
soil release, and a new sunblock cap.
For assistance call (800) 435-9262,
extension 501, or E-mail sheilat@mo
delaircraft.org. MA
—Sheila Tweedy
Retail Operations Director
Time is rapidly approaching for the 2008 edition of the
AMA Convention. It will take place January 11-13 at the
Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California.
INtheAIR
AMA HEADQUARTERS AND MEMBER NEWS
October 2007 9
Gear Up for AMA Convention 2008!
The Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California: home
of AMA Convention 2008.
This Dalton Aviation 42% Extra 260, covered in MonoKote by
Kenny Lauter, was entered in the Convention 2007 staticjudging
competition.
25 Years Ago in MA: October 1982
• The cover features two versions of the
Callisto ’82 sailplane, which is the month’s
feature RC construction aircraft. The two
girls are designer Terry Edmonds’ daughters,
Alana Kaye, 6, and Laura Lynn, 10. The
conventionally constructed glider finished
first in Standard and fifth in Modified
Standard at the 1982 Nats.
• The other RC construction article this
month is for the Simitar P-61—another great
Bill Evans flying-wing design that features a
62-inch foam wing with retracts and is
powered by a .60 engine.
Sherman Gillespie’s cute, little 26-inchwingspan
Rubber model called the “Navy
Flier” is the subject of this month’s FF
construction article. It makes a great smallfield
flyer.
CL fliers will enjoy a change of pace with
Chuck Felton’s Fw 190. This World War II
warbird is a .60-size Stand-Off Scale design
constructed from corrugated cardboard. This
economical material makes a great-looking
and -flying model.
• Electronics buffs can build an electronic
sync system for twin engines. This project by
Joseph G. Utasi actually senses one engine’s
speed and adjusts the other engine’s throttle
servo to match. This unique article includes a
complete schematic and parts list.
• Jack Bolton covers the 16th SAM
Championships held at Westover AFB in
Massachusetts. According to him, electric
power for Old-
Timers is a
“comer.”
Electric RC
proved that
those machines
are to be taken
seriously. The
high-point
winners were
Bruce Norman
in RC and
Bruno
Markiewicz in
FF.
• Three contests came together to produce a
nearly weeklong FF Indoor model-flying
extravaganza. With pictures and event
descriptions Bob Clemens takes us to the US
Indoor Championships, the NIMAS Record
Trials, and the round-the-clock Peanut Grand
Prix.
• New products for this month include the
JANACO Jackscrew Linear Operating
Electric Servo, which provides scalelike
speed for things such as flaps, landing gear,
and doors. Sal Taibi’s 1/2A Spacer kit is now
available for $15.98 at your favorite hobby
shop, and the Ready-to-Fly Fiberglass Cessna
from Model Rectifier Corporation is
available for $390, also from your favorite
hobby shop. MA
—Rich LaGrange
AMA Librarian
Booth spaces are filling up, seminar and demonstration
schedules are being set, and advance ticket sales are beginning.
Make your plans now to join us on the West Coast for the
event that kicks off every flying season!
Please call (765) 287-1256, extensions 270 or 272, or Email
[email protected] or [email protected] for
more information. You can also visit the AMA Web site at
www.modelaircraft.org. MA
—Jay Mealy
Programs Director
10sig1.QXD 8/22/07 2:07 PM Page 9
In July (5-14) six pilots and a manager, along with their friends
and families, traveled to Enniskillen, North Ireland, to participate in
the 2007 Jet World Masters (JWM): an international competition
sponsored by the International Jet Model Committee (IJMC).
Jet modelers formed the IJMC for the express purpose of
promoting jet modeling by sponsoring this event every two years,
in various countries and under different organizers’ supervision.
Previous JWM events have been held in Thailand, Australia,
Hungary, South Africa, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Tryouts for the team were held in Illinois in September 2006,
under the supervision of IJMC representative Roger Shipley. The
pilots who were chosen to represent the US were:
• David Ribbe (Illinois): This Horizon Hobby employee
campaigned his own-design MiG-15, which is currently licensed
and sold by Bob Violett Models (BVM). Dave entered the
Individual Class.
• Rod Snyder (Tennessee): He campaigned his Airworld L-39,
which was decorated in a colorful US air-show-team motif. He
competed in the Individual Class.
• Scott Harris (Tennessee): He flew a magnificent BVM F-86 Sabre
in the Individual Class.
• Dustin Buescher (Florida): This design engineer for BVM flew a
beautiful BVM F-86 Sabre decorated in a 1950s flightdemonstration-
team scheme. He competed in the Individual class.
• David Shulman (Florida): Another BVM employee, he flew a
modified BVM F-86 Sabre, which was beautifully built and marked
by Graeme Mears of Toronto. David entered the Open Class.
• Dewey Davenport (Ohio): This commercial pilot flew a Yellow
Aircraft F/A-18 Hornet in the Open Class.
Open Class is for those who fly an aircraft they did not build or
one they received assistance with building. The Individual Class is
for those who fly aircraft they built and/or designed.
After the fall tryouts, preparation got underway for the
expensive ordeal of transporting six jets and equipment to Europe
and making lodging arrangements for the 10-day event. The team
elected me (Tommy Yates) to be its manager, and I began the
preparatory paperwork and made reservations late last year.
Sponsorship from John Ligons of AMT/USA and Eric Clapp of
JetCentral helped defray part of the enormous cost of this venture.
The team arrived
in North Ireland
July 4 to dreary
weather and lessthan-
ideal
conditions.
Following the
arrival of the
aircraft, some of
which were shipped
before our
departure, one of
the crates was
opened to find
Dewey Davenport’s
mangled F-18.
The aircraft’s
entire nose had been
crushed, with subsequent early ejection of the pilot and some of the
necessary electronics. Under David “Mr. Top Gun” Ribbe’s
guidance, the jet was repaired and reinstated to flying condition
before the end of static judging and the beginning of the flying
rounds.
Those repairs would have been impossible if not for the
generosity of several teams at the JWM. There is a sense of
brotherhood at this event, and it is typical to see people from nations
that don’t get along put their differences aside to enjoy a common
bond: flying model jets. Many thanks to the English, German, and
Swiss teams for all their assistance and supplies.
The static judging is performed by no less than six judges, who
can examine each model for as long as 20 minutes using supplied
documentation of the full-scale subject. This documentation must
include colors, textures, and multiple views including the side, top,
rear, and bottom. The judges are not limited to distance and may
even touch the aircraft.
After that stressful portion of the competition, the flying rounds
commence. A total of three rounds are flown, and the pilot’s lowest
score is discarded. Although future events may differ, the final
scoring is based on a 50% static plus 25%/25% flight score.
Randomly generated numbers dictate the flight order, with the
exception of positions one and two; those are reserved for the
previous JWM winners. The third round is based on the scores of
the previous two rounds; those with the lowest scores fly first.
After a week of flying, socializing, and partying, the scores were
tallied and the winners were announced. Stephan Volker of
Germany won the Individual Class; his flying was impeccable. John
Tappin and Ian Richardson of Great Britain won the Open Class
flying a BVM F-86 Sabre.
David Ribbe and Dustin Buescher finished in the Individual
Class top 10, and Dave Shulman placed fifth in the Open Class.
Their combined flying scores afforded the US team a trip to the
winners’ stand to claim the third-place Nation’s Trophy—
something that had not occurred since the 1995 and 1997 JWM.
Because of a mistake in the scoring calculations, the trophy was
initially given to the Italian team. The error was discovered after the
awards ceremony, and the correct scoring was announced.
Although the US team members missed their opportunity to
stand on the podium for the award, they were happy knowing that
they represented their country well in the competition. Lessons
learned from previous trips to the JWM and this one should help the
US team secure a higher spot in the rankings at the next meet,
scheduled for Cyprus in 2009. MA
—Tommy Yates
US Team Manager
INtheAIR
10 MODEL AVIATION
US Team Takes Third at Jet World Masters
David Shulman finished fifth in Open
Class with his BVM F-86 Sabre, which
Graeme Mears of Toronto constructed
and marked.
2007 Jet World Masters Team USA (kneeling L-R): Dustin Buescher,
Dave Ribbe, Scott Harris, David Shulman (standing L-R), Dewey
Davenport, Rod Snyder, Team Manager Tommy Yates.
10sig1.QXD 8/22/07 12:26 PM Page 10
INtheAIR
October 2007 11
Oshkosh 2007: AMAers, EAAers, and Others
AMA’s Northern Aces Air Show Team, with Horizon Hobby
support, provided static and flying demonstrations.
AMA 2007 scholarship winner Nathan Bush, along with his parents,
dropped by to thank President Dave Brown. Nathan worked at the
event’s maintenance facility doctoring sick aircraft.
“Hmm! My propeller needs a little more
work.” Many aviation crafts were
available at KidVenture.
Much of the year
it’s a huge, fairly
open area
punctuated with an
interesting
assortment of
scattered buildings.
But near the end of
July it becomes a
living, breathing
city of airplanes,
equipment of every
description, and a
continuous stream
of humanity
trudging the length
and breadth of the site. It’s AirVenture at the
Experimental Aircraft Association’s
(EAA’s) Wittman Field home in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin.
In the minds of hundreds of thousands of
individuals who make the trek to the event,
the paramount goal is to see the aircraft.
Those of us who man the booths and
coordinate activities often have a somewhat
different perspective; for us the greater
interest becomes the people and their
interaction with one another and the “things”
around them.
Parents with toddlers in strollers (often
asleep) and seniors in electric carts head past
the AMA booth in Hangar A. They pause,
look at the display, and amble over. Often
we greet them with the phrase, “Aha! A
modeler!”
Their responses generally follow one of
three themes: “I was,” “Yes, I am,” or “I’m
about to be.” On occasion the individual will
reply “No I’m not; I fly real ones.”
That statement and our friendly chiding,
“Yes, so do we,” as we point to the display,
usually leads to an interesting and productive
discussion about the similarities and
differences between being in the aircraft and
being a pilot with our feet on the ground.
In most instances it is virtually impossible
to distinguish between the AMAer, the
EAAer, and even a member of the general
public who is fascinated with aircraft.
Sometimes a badge, a uniform, or even the
assorted bags of “stuff” they carry will give
them away.
However, normally it’s only the
conversation recounting tales of their youth
or yesterday’s experiences that provide the
ultimate identification. And the answer is
typically that they are not singularly engaged,
but rather partakers of multiple aviation cups.
And where is the proof? Look at the
accompanying pictures. The handsome
gaggle of red-shirted KidVenture CL
volunteers is a blend of AMA and EAA
members, as well as others who enjoy
helping acquaint others with flying.
And don’t forget the Sig Manufacturing
crew who provided models! The same is true
in the building and tent areas, where rockets,
propellers, and artwork were created.
How about one of AMA’s 2007
scholarship winners, who took time off from
his volunteer job in the aircraft-repair
facility to visit the AMA booth with his
parents to say “Thank you”? And how about
full-scale aerobatic pilot Matt Chapman,
who stopped by a time or two to chat?
Is that an AMA Air Show Team we see
spending the week flying RC at the Pioneer
Airport? Yes it is!
One can’t discount the many members of
governmental aviation agencies, clubs, or
chapters, or the many guests to the US from
faraway lands who drop by to say hello. The
parade contains scratch builders and fliers,
models or full-scale warbird pilots, dreamers
or wanna-bes.
It seems to be about airplanes. But
keep it to yourself; it’s really about all the
people who use the same catalyst to come
together. MA
—Bob Underwood
District VI
KidVenture CL leader Jim Kreiger (third from right, kneeling)
and his happy bunch of workers.
10sig1.QXD 8/23/07 9:31 AM Page 11
The Rest of the “Tail”:
Ed Kazmirski’s Simla
12 MODEL AVIATION
INtheAIR
Chesaning Area Model Flying Club members at Sleeping Bear
MI (L-R): Tom Hanzek with Fling HLG, Dale Wenzlick with Tuff
Planes U2, Ronald Wenzlick with foam P-51, Doug Stearns with
Starling HLG.
The Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, Michigan’s National Park,
not only offers breathtaking views of Lake Michigan and the Manitou
Islands, but also provides a great Slope Soaring adventure.
The picture was taken Wednesday, July 11 at the Lake Michigan
Slope Soaring in Michigan Overlook in the park. The Overlook provides an observation platform
for the hundreds of tourists who visit each day during the summer. We
chose a flying site 200-300 yards north of the platform along the edge
of the bluff.
The wind was from the west, right into the face of the bluff, at 20-
25 mph. The bluff at that point is steep sand and gravel, with no
vegetation. From the edge of the bluff to the water is 470 feet.
The lift was incredible. I was flying my Tuff Planes U2, and at one
point I spun into the bluff perhaps 100 feet down. We couldn’t see the
model, but we could hear it clunking on the gravel as it continued
down.
The people on the platform way off in the distance began to cheer
and clap; they could see my model, and it had righted itself and was
back in the air. I flew it back up. I felt like a movie star or a pro golfer,
so I waved my hat.
We got approximately three hours of stick time before we had to
leave; it was a one-day trip, roughly three hours from Chesaning. My
brother Ronald and I have been flying the Michigan bluffs for more
than 20 years.
There are several sites, depending on wind direction. The best time
to fly is in the spring just before Memorial Day and in the fall after
Labor Day. The wind at that time is predictable and strong. The
tourists are gone for the most part, and the beautiful Platt River
Campground has plenty of vacancies.
If you go, be sure to stop at the Visitor Center in Empire and
register with a radio frequency and AMA number. It’s important that
the Park Service knows who is flying in the park.
Most especially, be careful of the tourists. Give them the right of
way and fly as far away from them as possible. If an accident occurs,
the flying site could be put in jeopardy. MA
—Dale Wenzlick
District VII
Sometimes
one event
leads to
another in
unexpected
ways. In my
July 2007
article “A
New Look at
Vintage
Aerobatics,”
a sidebar
describing the
story behind
the King
Altair read
“The Simla
and its plans have been lost to us ... ”
After the article was published, a series of
events led to two phone messages left on my
answering machine by Ed Kazmirski. The
following is, as Paul Harvey would tell it,
“The rest of the story.”
It was seen only once—in the August 1965
Radio Control Modeler magazine—then it
was gone. When RC Aerobatics (Pattern)
enthusiasts saw the back-cover ad for the latest
(American-made) Orbit proportional radio and
SuperTigre .60 engine, prominently featured
was the best-known Pattern pilot of the day—
Ed Kazmirski—and his new Simla.
The Simla was a one-of-a-kind model built
without plans. It looked like an updated, supersleek
version of the still-popular Taurus (the
most famous Pattern model of its time).
What made the Simla unique was its huge
size. At a whopping 102 inches, the wingspan
was a full 30 inches longer than any other
aerobatic airplane at the time.
Ed was an innovator; he recognized early
that the larger models were built, the better and
smoother they flew. Ed and his close friend,
Vic Husak, decided to design a large Pattern
airplane.
Ed’s version was basically a 50% scaled-up
Taurus with refinements and new building
techniques to keep it light. It had plug-in wings
at a time when models used rubber bands to
hold the wing in place.
So what happened to the Simla? The
weather wasn’t good on the day that was
designated for the maiden flight, so Ed took his
new creation to a photographer friend to get a
professional photo shoot (as many of us do
with a new kit or scratch-built model), to
ensure that he would at least have pictures.
The shoot resulted in the photos being seen
in the ad. However, within minutes of taking
the pictures the photographer tripped over his
large photoflood light’s cable, bringing it
crashing down on the model. The Simla was
extensively damaged before it even had the
chance to fly.
The eventual repairs were costly in terms of
added weight; the repaired airplane weighed 12
ounces more than the original. That was fatal
in terms of performance in an age of fixed
engine size.
Ed related that the Simla flew well,
smoothly and majestically, but was no longer
competitive. After 30 experimental flights
while taking notes on possible improvements
for a second model, Ed stored the Simla in his
home’s crawlspace.
At roughly that time he expanded his
business interests, and time for modeling went
from scarce to nonexistent. The second Simla
never came; business concerns made it
impossible.
Ed eventually sold his house and relocated.
Approximately six months after the sale, he
realized that the Simla was still in the
crawlspace under his former home and he
contacted the buyer. When they got together
and entered the crawlspace, all traces of the
Simla had vanished!
The new owner said he knew nothing of the
model’s existence, and Ed had no reason to
doubt him. Nobody knows what happened. It’s
an unsolved mystery to this day and a sad way
for Ed to lose his creation.
However, because of renewed interest in
the Simla, judging from responses I’ve
received, there may be a happy ending to this
story. The case of the lost Simla has generated
keen interest among vintage modelers/builders
with detective skills and a flare for the unusual.
It has become a “dream project” to re-create
the design from the little evidence that remains.
I believe that someday soon, after more
than 40 years, a reborn Simla will fly, and Ed’s
dream of many successful flights with the
model will come true. MA
—Duane Wilson
District IV
10sig1.QXD 8/22/07 12:29 PM Page 12