AMA News: District III-2007/04
Glenn Dunlap Flies RC Voyager Replica at Mojave 20th Anniversary
GREATER CINCINNATI Radio Control Club (GCRCC) member Glenn Dunlap was invited to fly his 22% RC scale replica of the Voyager — the aircraft flown around the world in 1986 by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. The October 2006 event was the 20th-anniversary celebration held at the Mojave, California, airfield.
The record-setting, non-stop flight without refueling occurred over a nine-day period in December 1986. Dick’s brother Burt and the volunteers who helped build the full-scale Voyager were also present for the celebration.
Glenn constructed the model from scratch in 2003 and has flown it at the GCRCC Flying Circus. The airplane is built of foam, carbon fiber, and fiberglass, and is electric powered. More information and photos are available at: http://www.geocities.com/gdunlap104/VoyagerRC.html
To Glenn’s surprise, the event organizers contacted him and invited him to fly his replica in front of those who were instrumental in the success of the full-scale version.
The biggest challenge was building a shipping container. The replica Voyager is delicate and had to survive a trip from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Mojave, California. Shipping and travel costs were several thousand dollars, covered by Glenn’s family finances with a donation from the GCRCC. As Glenn said, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance and well worth the expense!”
Glenn and his wife reached California on schedule. The aircraft was uncrated and assembled in a hangar, then flown from the same runway used by the full-scale Voyager. Dick Rutan told Glenn, “This was the first time I have seen a Voyager fly because I was always in the cockpit!”
As a reward for his efforts, Dick gave Glenn a 40-minute flight in a Rutan Long-EZ around the Mojave basin. It was a high-G ride that left him glad he hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning.
The only disappointment was that the replica airplane was damaged on the return trip to Cincinnati. Congratulations to Glenn for a very fine representation of model aviation!
VRCMC Nut Club Streaks Continue
In 1975, Sayre, Pennsylvania’s Valley RC Model Club (VRCMC) president Bob Dean challenged members to join the VRCMC Nut Club by flying their RC airplane at least once each month from January through December. Bob later relocated to North Carolina and served as president of the International Miniature Aircraft Association for many years.
More than 32 years after the challenge began, many VRCMC members continue to receive their Nut Trophy at the club banquet each February.
Three members have flown every month since 1975:
- Bill Cowles
- John Kunte
- Dan Luchaco
Bill and John had been flying monthly even before the club challenge began and now have more than 400 consecutive months of flying. On January 1, 2007, all three began another 12 months of flying and continued membership in the Nut Club.
Muncy Indoor Flyers Formed
Muncy Indoor Flyers is a new AMA club formed in the Williamsport, Pennsylvania area. Ron Angle, club president, provided the following report:
A small group of indoor-electric flying enthusiasts began using the STN Sports Dome in Muncy, Pennsylvania. The facility features a full-size soccer field under a 75-foot-high ceiling and a smaller field about half that size at one end. The group originally planned to use the smaller field, but on arrival they were given use of the entire facility.
Although most participants flew helicopters, there was plenty of room for small airplanes. With the larger space, each flyer was able to get multiple flights. The group enjoyed the evening and made plans for further events at the facility.
Contact Ron Angle at [email protected] for further details.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
