Born to Fly — 2011/09
Jerry Smith: a man with a lifetime of RC experience
By Jim T. Graham | [email protected]
I remember when I got my first job in the RC industry. The vice president of the company told me I would have to attend all of the major RC shows across the country. We were sitting in a restaurant, so I stopped myself from jumping up and letting go with a real Texas yahoo. That was 10 years ago, and I would love to know how many miles I have walked (or driven in my golf cart) in an attempt to fully cover every RC event I have been to.
Throughout the years there are a few constants:
- The grass on the main line at Joe Nall will take your breath away.
- SEFF feels like home as soon as you enter the gates.
- NashBro is always as much fun as you expect it to be.
- The XFC is always exciting.
- Jerry Smith will be on the flightline taking pictures.
I say all of that to bring us to Jerry Smith (not to be confused with Jerry L. Smith, good friend and nine-time Fun-Fly champion). I run into Jerry Smith and his camera at most of the shows I attend. Jerry has been covering RC events for more than 30 years. I know how hard it is to properly cover an event, and it is even harder to cover an outdoor event.
Jerry is 86 years young and an inspiration to me. I had a chance to ask him some questions and wanted to share with you the story of a man with a lifetime of RC experience.
Interview
JG: Where did you grow up, and when were you first exposed to RC flight? JS: I grew up in the little town of Niles, Michigan, very close to the Indiana state line. I graduated from school and enlisted in the Army Air Corps right after. I spent 3 1/2 years in that service.
During my early years as a child, I built solid and stick models and later became interested in free flight. I used to design my own models, and what a thrill to see something you designed and built fly. That was back in the ’30s and ’40s when a paper route wouldn’t support RC, which wasn’t too well developed at the time. I didn’t get into RC until 1956 when I saw some flying at a local field.
My first RC airplane was a Goldberg Falcon 56 powered with a Fox .19, which didn’t last the first flight because it encountered a tree. I had much better success after that first event.
JG: Who was the person who first helped you get into RC? JS: The first person to help me with RC was Ed Broshures, who was president of our newly formed club, Tri Valley RC, at the time. He helped me considerably and even let me fly some of his airplanes to help me learn. Yes, I did break one for him.
JG: What part of RC interested you the most and does it still interest you? JS: In the beginning of my RC years there wasn’t much more than .40–.60-size airplanes and you had to build them yourself. In those days, building your own radio was popular, hence Ace RC, Royal Electronics, and Heath flourished with their products. However, my interest soon turned to giant scale in the late ’70s. Now I find that I like them all — little and big fixed-wing — no helicopters.
JG: I understand you worked on some of the earliest UAVs in the 1950s. Can you tell me about that? JS: While at Bendix Aerospace I built an 8-foot Telemaster with a SuperTigre .71 to haul some instrumentation for them. They had a grant to develop some low-power radar and needed an air platform. I told them that being an RCer I could do that and was successful with the project. I flew the airplane for them for a couple of years, in all kinds of weather, and they gave it to me when the project was complete. I flew it for a while and gave it to a friend who used it for aerial photography.
JG: Did RC play a role in how you earned your living? JS: No, it is hard to make a living in RC unless you are in the business end of it, and even then it is tough. I used my income to support my hobby of RC and later photography.
Writing for magazines and covering events doesn’t pay that much. You do it because you like to do it and want to help others with the ideas and knowledge you have gained. The magazines become your sounding board, and you can do much to help others in the hobby with your knowledge.
JG: Did you have a mentor who helped you with your hobby? JS: In my early days I looked up to Carl Goldberg and still did when he was alive. I knew Carl well, and he and I had many conversations about airplane design. The rest of my RC knowledge came from being involved and being somewhat of a fanatic about the current trends.
JG: I also understand that you have designed RC airplanes. Can you tell us about that? JS: After I retired and moved to the Atlanta, Georgia, area, I met Bubba Spivey, the founder of Lanier RC, at a local swap shop. He asked me if I drew plans and was looking for a good sport airplane. I said yes and designed the Stinger, my first airplane, with him.
He liked it and soon I had another full-time job; it became more work — designing, drawing CAD plans, laser-cutting files, writing the instruction manuals, and producing the bill of materials. I spent 14 years with Lanier RC and designed over 20 airplanes for them. When the ARFs started to come in, the Chinese took over my job and that was the end of Lanier RC.
JG: How did you get involved in the publishing side of RC? JS: Back in the early ’70s I was newsletter editor for my RC club. I would send copies of the newsletter to various magazines, RCM being one of them. In the newsletter I would include an idea or hint, called "Here's How," to help the reader with an idea that might be useful.
Don Dewey, then publisher of RCM, took note and asked me if I would be interested in doing it for the magazine. I said yes and was on staff with RCM for 30 years doing the "For What It's Worth" column. It was something I thought I could do after I retired, but sadly RCM went under in 2003. It was fun.
When I first started writing for RCM I took up photography as a tool to help me with my column. Through the years it has played an important part in almost everything I do in RC, especially event coverage and kit reviews.
I have specialized in my photo work with air shots of model airplanes and worked hard to be skillful at it. Because of this I have had many magazine cover shots and have become known for this. In the last two years I became staff photographer for Extreme Flight RC and do all their flight shots on new airplanes, which they use on their website, kit boxes, and ads.
JG: How many RC events do you attend these days? JS: Back in the ’80s, when I worked for High Flight, I would take in an event almost every weekend during the summer to provide coverage for Les Hard, then editor. Now I freelance with the magazines and do kit reviews when asked. Covering events is a lot of work and I am getting up in age and slowing down, but I still love to do it when I can. Now it's two or three a year.
JG: What do you like best about covering events? JS: I like meeting the pilots, getting to know them and what they like best about RC flying, how they started out, and why they like it. Getting around like I do, I get to see their models and some of them are real craftsmen who go to great extents to add realism to their aircraft. I find this part of it interesting.
Covering events is not easy. After spending time doing the photography, interviewing, and getting to where it is all happening, you come home and your work is only half done. You have to write it up and make an interesting story for others to read. I find all of it very fascinating.
JG: If you have some wisdom or advice to pass along to a novice RC pilot, what would it be? JS: When you decide to take up the hobby/sport of RC you will find it very engaging. Not only the skills you will acquire, but the friendship of fellow modelers will play an important part of the hobby for you as well. You will learn from them as your skills increase and find many rewards you never knew existed. It will take you from your daily stresses and provide you with much pleasure. It has been a lifetime passion of mine.
Sources
- Extreme Flight RC
- (770) 887-1794
- www.extremeflightrc.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
