Balsa USA - 2011/01

66 MODEL AVIATION
Ron was one of the pioneers of giant-scale
RC. His first release was a 1/4-scale Piper
J-3 Cub, which he followed with a 1/3-
scale Sopwith Pup.
At the time, in the mid-1970s, giantscale
models were practically unheard of,
and engines and servos struggled to
handle the increased loads put on them.
The popularity of big reproductions grew,
prompting support equipment to evolve.
The Sopwith Pup proved to be a huge
success, and demand grew for additional
WW I models. As a result, the Taube and
the Bristol M-1 were put into production.
Ron saw a demand for kits and wood,
so he started a sister company—Balsa
USA—as a mail-order hobby shop. In the
late 1970s, the Joy Products name gave
way to “Balsa USA” for the entire
Balsa USA
by Jay Smith
Ron Busch founded Balsa USA.
ALMOST ANYONE who is interested in
RC kits of World War I aircraft is
probably familiar with Balsa USA.
The company has been producing
an expanded line of WW I models
since the 1990s, but its story starts
much longer ago.
Ron Busch founded Balsa USA.
He was a lifelong modeler with a
passion for CL. He also enjoyed
sailing and built and repaired
sailboats.
After leaving his job at
Marinette Marine, Ron purchased
Joy Products from Paul Schultz in
1968. At that time the company
was producing small CL models
and metal stamped parts.
Production of nonmodel-related
products was halted at the company in the
early 1970s. It began cutting sheet and
stick balsa for hobby shops and model
builders, and model production was
expanded to include RC.
Ron’s first scale kit was a highly
detailed Curtiss JN-4 Jenny, which was
debuted at the Weak Signals’ Toledo R/C
Expo in Toledo, Ohio. Soon following
were the Swizzle Stick, which was
designed to use scrap wood from other
sport production models, the Excalibur,
the Moonraker, and the Smoothie.
Setting his sights on bigger designs,
company. Production of giant-scale kits
continued with the Aeronca C-3, Piper L-
4, and Morane-Saulnier AI.
The 1980s saw a big increase in the
sale of kits, balsa, and other building
supplies. Balsa USA expanded to
approximately 15 employees; one of those
was Mark Enderby.
Mark was involved in aeromodeling on
and off throughout his childhood, thanks
to his father who was a modeler and
enjoyed FF. When Mark began building
and flying RC airplanes in roughly 1980,
he started with Balsa USA kits. The
company was local to him, so he would
stop by and talk modeling with Ron and
other employees.
Mark’s experience with the company’s
kits gave him the opportunity to assist
Ron in rewriting instruction manuals. That
relationship opened the door for Mark to
become the shop manager.
Ron was eager to pass on his
knowledge, and he set out to teach Mark
everything he knew about the business.
That included not only how to operate all
pieces of machinery, but also how to
maintain them.
Balsa USA’s momentum continued to
build in the 1990s. The PT-17 Stearman
and Eindecker 90 were released, and all
instruction manuals were updated with
photos to simplify construction.
Dave Lewis, who began modeling at
age 8, was hired as a designer in 2000.
When he is not designing, building, or
writing manuals, he is answering all
of the company’s technical-support
calls. He enjoys the opportunity to
interact with customers and assist
them in anyway possible, to ensure
that they enjoy and succeed with the
products.
I asked Dave about the delicate
balance of producing a WW I
reproduction that is scalelike and
flies well.
“Our design philosophy is we
would rather have a nice-flying
scale model in the air than a
precision scale wreck at the end of
the runway,” he said. “They need to
be able to be flown by the average pilot.”
Having flown some Balsa USA
airplanes, I agree with Dave. I appreciate
the models’ good manners on the ground
and in the air.
Approximately five years ago, Ron
transferred daily operations at Balsa USA
to his daughter Ronae Busch and Mark. It
was Ron’s way of looking to the future
and ensuring that the company he had
built and loved would continue.
Ronae was the logical choice to
become the company president—not
because Ron was her father, but because
of her knowledge and experience, having
“We so appreciate our
customers. Without
them we wouldn’t be
here and we can’t
thank them enough.”
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January 2011 67
Photos courtesy of Balsa USA
The driving forces behind Balsa USA are (L-R) Mark Enderby, Colleen Enderby, and
Ronae Busch.
Win a 1/4-Scale Kit From MA and Balsa USA!
been involved with the company since she
was 5 years old.
Wanting to spend more time with her
father, Ronae’s first job was picking up
rubber bands that were used to bundle
balsa off of the shop floor. By the time she
was 16, she had become a phone operator
who took company calls. Ronae
subsequently moved on to work in the
shipping department and later in
bookkeeping.
She shared with me that she always
wanted to work with her father and
enjoyed the business and the customers,
which she claims are the best customers in
the world. It was clear during our phone
conversation that she is passionate about
the company her father built and has found
it rewarding to see it continue to grow.
Ron passed away on Thursday January
22, 2009, and he had worked all the way up
to that day. Although his death left a void in
the company, its staff was prepared to carry
on his legacy; that is extremely important to
everyone involved.
I interviewed both Mark and Dave for
this article at one of several events that they
attend each year. After talking with them, it
became clear that they greatly enjoy what
they do. The most important message that
everyone at Balsa USA wanted to convey in
this article is summed up in the following
quote from Mark.
“We so appreciate our customers.
Without them we wouldn’t be here and we
can’t thank them enough.”
Balsa USA co ntinues t o look to the
future, with a goal o f producing 100 kits
and kee pin g the company goi ng for 150
y ears . With Ronae and Mar k at the helm, I
am confide nt tha t they can do i t. MA
Jay S mith
jays@ mode laircra ft.org
Sou rces:
Bal sa US A
Box 164
Marinette WI 54143
(906) 86 3-64 21
www .b alsausa .com
For an opportunity to win the 1/4-scale kit of
your choice from Balsa USA, submit your answer
to the following question.
How many kits does the company currently
have on its Web site? (You can find the answer
there.)
To submit your entry via e-mail, send your
answer, full name, postal-mail address, and
telephone number to MA Assistant Editor Jay
Smith. Please put “About Us” in the subject line.
To enter via postal mail, send the preceding
information to MA at AMA, to Jay Smith’s
attention.
Entries will be accepted through January 31,
2011. Winners will be selected on or before
February 4. One entry per person is allowed.
Those that are lost, late, misdirected, garbled, or
incomplete for any reason will be ineligible.
This contest is open to legal residents of the 50
states, District of Columbia, and US military
members with APO/FPO addresses. AMA
employees are not eligible to win.
Winners will be selected in random drawings,
from among all eligible entries with the correct
answer, by an Academy employee or employees.
Those whose names are drawn will be notified by
telephone or e-mail. Their names and states of
residence will be published in a future issue of MA
and on the AMA Web site. MA
Sources:
Jay Smith
[email protected]
AMA
5161 E. Memorial Dr.
Muncie IN 47302
(765) 287-1256
www.modelaircraft.org
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