Nash-Bro 2012: 10 years of RC fun
Jim T. Graham
I have been hosting my Profile airplane-based RC event for 10 years. We found our home in Leipers Fork, Tennessee, a historic little town founded in the 1790s.
I have written about this event throughout the years and, although I don't want to say this was my favorite one, I will say that this was one of the best. The weather forecast was for rain the entire week, but as a modeler who attends RC events for a living, I have learned to not look at the weather. You never know what it will do.
One storm cell slid down to the left of us and then another slid down to the right. The result was that we had amazing weather from Wednesday, September 26, until Sunday, September 30. In fact, we had one pilot left on the field Sunday afternoon, and the minute he packed up his gear to leave, it began to sprinkle! The wind was never an issue, and on Saturday it was about as good as it gets in Tennessee in the fall. The temperature was perfect, and the sun was shining.
When RC was just a thought in my mind, I met Bryce Custer. Bryce grew up around full-scale airports and has flown RC since he was a kid. In Nashville, he was the go-to guy if you really wanted to learn. He is fond of saying that when I approached him at the field, he thought he was about to get mugged by a hippie! He spent many hours teaching me the basics and letting me learn by my mistakes.
The most valuable thing he ever taught me was "to never give up and to fly it all the way to the ground." That advice has saved many an airplane and has also been a valuable life lesson. Little did either of us know we would be hosting an event together for 10 years.
I take care of running the show and Bryce does the field-prep work. He mows and rolls that lumpy hay field each year. He also cuts the strip slightly longer each year, and each year, we seem to need it. That's always a good sign! Bryce and his lovely wife, Liz, are a big part of making Nash-Bro happen and they also help make the event fun. They are good people.
On Thursday, the majority of the pilots begin showing up. Although the field is ready for flying, there are still things to do to get ready.
SloanFS and I were up at Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant getting things together. This store, founded in the 1950s and still full of that old-time country feeling, is within walking distance of the field. It has everything from homemade barbecue and cornbread at the lunch counter to field supplies. (I like to say, "They have the best grease in the South!")
I recently found out that Puckett's made Rand McNally's "10 Road Stops You've Never Heard Of, Favorite Hidden Gems, and Unsuspecting Roadside Stops Worth a Stop" lists.
While I was getting gas for the generator, a man on a motorcycle drove up. It was Mike Wolfe from the television show American Pickers!
Before the TV show took off, Mike would drop by Leipers Fork to find antiques. He spent an afternoon hanging out with Bryce and me many years ago. He even told us about his idea to get a TV show going about what he does. We drank some beer and had a great afternoon, and he left wearing a Billy Hell T-shirt. Who knew he would create one of my favorite TV shows?
Mike made a point to go to the field and say hello to the pilots and watch the flying. We talked for a while, and then he was off on his 1967 BMW motorcycle. Only in Leipers Fork!
The Profile Brotherhood was created out of a need for like-minded Profile airplane pilots who fly 3-D to share ideas. Ten years ago, there was negativity from the RC community regarding 3-D flight. This left the pilots feeling as though they were alone in their love for this form of flight. There was also disdain for "ugly" Profile airplanes because they weren't Scale.
I created a forum for 3-D Profile pilots to talk, and it was instantly a hit. They discuss builds, tips and tricks, maneuvers, covering techniques, which servos to use, propellers, and all the other things that go along with focusing only on 3-D Profile airplanes.
There is one more ingredient that might be the most important of all: camaraderie. Through their love for RC and all things Profile, these pilots create friendships. That is evident when you arrive at Nash-Bro. Those friendships extend beyond the hobby. We have people who attend Nash-Bro each year but haven't recently flown an airplane. Although the event is based on airplanes, the friendships are what keep the modelers coming back.
I have a theory about RC burnout. When I first started in the hobby, I worked on Profile airplanes nearly every night. After my kids went to bed, I turned on the TV and worked on projects. I had an old, wooden school desk that I kept in the living room. I stick-built Profile models—creating hand-cut trim schemes, as well as the standard things you need to do to get an aircraft in the air.
For the hardcore builders and fliers, I have noticed there is approximately a five-year burnout rate. Some pilots move on to different aspects of the hobby.
For me, it has been Discus Launch Gliders. I still have some killer .60-size electric Profile airplanes that I will never let go of, but after a while you need a change. It’s always sad when Pro Bros drop out.
I was excited to see so many OGs (Original Gangsters) at this year’s Nash-Bro. These are members who have been around since the beginning. What amazes me is how new Pro Bros show up to the site and seem to fill any gaps left by departed brothers with their own excitement for this aspect of the hobby.
This year’s event showed both sides on the field. We had members who have never missed Nash-Bro, we had first-timers, and we also had members who we had not seen in years make it out. The best part was seeing all of them share the flightline and have a great time doing it.
When we began flying Profiles, there was only a handful from which to choose. Morris Hobbies was king back in the day. Then Pro Bros such as Paul Swany began tweaking the designs.
Ohio Model Products (OMP) began selling models, but Pro Bros enlarged the rudders or lengthened the fuselages. The evolution went forward, and now we have hybrids of airplanes such as the Lamyak, Spazcap, Mocap, Proyak, and many more. These are designed by the Pro Bros for the Pro Bros.
While the mainstream RC world does its thing, the Pro Bros group has quietly continued to grow throughout the years. It’s amazing.
Before 3-D's current incarnation, hovering was a spectacular stunt in RC aviation. My former boss, Jim Martin, called it an abomination and that sentiment was shared by many. The other side of that coin is that you could blow someone’s mind with that act.
One day at my local field, I had my Irvine .56-powered, five-pound Morris the Knife Profile hovering over the edge of the runway when I heard a strange sound. It was a two-stroke motor rapidly winding up and down. I knew something was going on and immediately landed.
After landing, I saw something I had never before seen. A pilot had what looked like a Profile airplane with no profile, just a carbon-fiber tube for a fuselage. He would take off, do a loop, and land in quick succession. Then he would take off, roll, loop, and land over and over again. I had never seen anything like it. I couldn't wrap my head around it! When he landed I yelled, "Who are you?!"
It was nine-time fun-fly champion, Jerry L. Smith, from Paducah, Kentucky. Jerry and I ran into each other at events across the country after that, and I'm proud to say we are good friends today. I get to spot for him during demos at shows throughout the year.
Saturday is the big day at Nash-Bro. That morning, out of the corner of my eye, I could see someone walking toward me. Then the person poked me in the ribs. I looked up, and it was Jerry L. with a big grin on his face. I had no idea he was coming!
He brought a couple of airplanes and showed the pilots how it used to be done back in the day. He moved around the show talking to the pilots and looking at the new designs. He even got on the sticks of Ian Bange's Profile to see how it flew. It was a treat for all of us to have him drop by.
Before Jerry L. left, he quietly pulled me aside and said, "Jim, you know what I see out here? I see a bunch of guys flying planes, helping each other out, and just plain having fun. And you know, that's what RC is all about."
I think Jerry L. hit the nail on the head. The Pro Bros are so far out of the mainstream that they are in their own RC world. If you think about it, we are only a bunch of pilots standing in a hay field.
Every year, Bryce and I get out there before anyone or anything else. It's the two of us and a big, old, 100-acre field.
This year, as I looked around, I thought about how amazing it is that in only a day the place would change into the Profile airplane mecca of the universe. There would be pilots, friends, tents, and onlookers everywhere. There would be music and airplanes in the air. Pilots from across the country would be taking their yearly vacations in this hayfield. It blows me away.
When Sunday arrives, last flights are taken and everyone starts to roll out. By approximately 2 p.m., only Bryce and I will be on the field cleaning up.
An unofficial tradition has spontaneously occurred each year. I leave two chairs out, and when we are all done Bryce and I sit in those chairs and talk. We discuss the RC industry, we get updated on our families' trials and tribulations, and we always talk about how this year's event went. Eventually, we fold up our chairs and leave the field to the hay for another 12 months, until it's time to again reunite with all of our RC friends for another Nash-Bro.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
