AMA News Flying Site Assistance - 2009/06
Flying site opportunity in Kane County, Illinois
Joe Beshar | [email protected]
There is a recently closed landfill where the site owner is interested in designating an area for model flying. It is owned by Kane County, Illinois, and operated by Waste Management.
This could be a very nice venue for the AMA members in the west suburban-Chicago area. It is located in south Elgin near the intersection of Highways 25 and 31.
Contact Michael Peterson, Project Manager, at (262) 532-4024, or Tim Harbaugh at (630) 208-5173; [email protected].
Sharing Writings by Ed Rouisse, Volunteer Flying Site Assistant
Among all his other endeavors, Ed writes a monthly column for the Largo Flying Club of Largo, Florida. I have found his writing interesting and very amusing — the way he addresses a view and then portrays it with details that result in a vivid mental image.
April: "Big Smile"
Ed wrote that the subject for the month of April is the "Big Smile." The question is: when do people smile at the field?
"Well I can tell you that 99 times out of 100, when a person will smile. Think for a moment. When would the most likely moment be when a person would smile? Is it when he or she finally gets his or her work of art (airplane) out of the car and gets it ready to fly? That could be, but not always.
"Is it when others come over and admire this work of art? No, not always. Is it when he or she finally gets the green light to fly? No, not even then.
"When is it then? Is it when all is right with the world, all seems to be going his or her way? No.
"That time is when the wheels on his or her airplane finally touch down. The pilot could have done all types of maneuvers, all kinds of flips, turnovers, and whatnots, but when those wheels finally touch down on terra firma is the time when the flier produces a great big smile. Not just sometimes but always.
"His or her airplane is magic. It is the very best ever built—ever. No model has ever performed like this. No other has performed three-dimensional tricks and been brought back to Mother Earth so perfectly. What an airplane, what a masterpiece, what a work of art. Wow! Smile!"
May: "Oh, How Lucky We Are"
Ed's input for the month of May is "oh, how lucky we are."
"Have you ever stopped to realize just how lucky we all are? We could win $1,000, spend it all, and think that was lucky.
"We could buy a new car and think that was lucky, especially if it got 50 miles to a gallon of gas. I could name many more things that one could receive and say that they are lucky, but we all know that these things would only last a very short time.
"Having the knowledge and skill to know aviation is that kind of luck that will last forever.
- You are lucky to just love airplanes.
- You are lucky to be able to repair a broken airplane.
- You are lucky to be able to build one.
- You are lucky to be able to design and build your concept of an airplane.
- Or you could just get lucky!
"You would be lucky to be able to do any, or part or all of the preceding and that would be luck at its greatest. So hang in there. Never get discouraged or lose hope, for you not only picked an impossible task, but this chore is and will always be wide open to new ideas.
"It will bring you joy beyond your wildest dreams. Yes, you are the big hope for the next generation and/or the next great invention. Believe it and do it. You have been given this great gift."
June: "The Probability of Survival Is Equal to the Angle of Arrival" (anonymous)
Ed's contribution for the month of June is: the probability of survival is equal to the angle of arrival (anonymous).
"What do you see when you are at the field? Do you see some who come to the field with a new airplane every two or three weeks and some who still fly a particular aircraft for two, three or more years?
"You wish that they would get a new airplane every now and again. They look so old and rundown, but yet are quite capable of good flight. An aircraft will last as long as someone is willing to repair and maintain it.
"Let's look at the DC-3. This airplane (and some are still flying) has a life of about 70 years. Again, to stretch a point, I wrote 70 years. Why?
"They are maintained and brought up-to-date as much as they can be. Some people actually fall in love with their airplanes. They think of a good flying airplane as a special, unique masterpiece.
"In the painting world, some enjoy the painter Van Gogh's creations and pay unbelievable amounts of money to own them. Just to look at and own one, while those who can hardly afford next week's rent think that the flying creation that they own, or built, or maintain, that will defy gravity, is their masterpiece. It is their painting in the sky. Can you blame them?"
— Edmond Rouisse Largo Flying Club Largo, Florida
I trust you found Edmond's writings as amusing as I did.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
