Education Through Aviation
Bill Pritchett | [email protected]
"You can't believe everything on the Internet." —Abraham Lincoln
I write this while attending a pattern contest in Michigan—no, Ohio—oh well. It's the Weak Signals contest: the Expo is in Ohio, and the flying field is in Michigan. It has something to do with how the states drew their territorial lines back in the day. Ohio was a state before Michigan and insisted on having Toledo.
Anyway, I'm once again reminded of what tremendous individuals we have to share our recreational time with. Real people. Real in terms of their contributions to this great hobby and their willingness to step up.
Tim and Linda Jesky put on this event, with the skilled and charming assistance of Bob Kane. The Jesky family is well known in modeling circles. Their youngest son, Andrew, is one of the world's best aeromodeling pilots.
The Jeskys are also among the world's best hosts. Not only do they host the contest that this year attracted 46 participants, they have everyone over to their home for a cookout on Friday night, do all the line work and scoring, then go to dinner with everyone on Saturday night. They are simply over-the-top hospitable, kind, and fun to be with. Not to mention the countless trips, contests, and whatever it took to provide Andrew with what he needed for success. Real people. Real people who we find in model aviation.
This event is sort of a test for me. I used to be really into competitive flying and now find myself flying a lot—but not practicing much. I flew a round in front of Chip Hyde and the pucker factor is worth noting. Chip was totally a pro—complimentary, suggesting things to consider for improvement, and remarking about my flight in a way that made me think again about what great people we have in our hobby.
I met a man from New York who was flying an airplane loaned from Arch Stafford. Arch knew he had lost a model and simply met up with him and gave him an airplane to fly. Real people.
One of my most fervent competitors is Anthony Abdullah. Anthony is a study in being a nice guy who would do anything to beat you. While we compete fanatically against each other, he's by far my favorite caller. We have a friendship that really defines what this activity is about. I want to be better than you, you want to be better than I am, and we'll do anything we can to help each other out. Go figure. Real people.
So now you know my passion for precision aerobatics. Sometimes it hits me, and sometimes I hit it. That's why I love it so much—making a model airplane go exactly where it's supposed to go. When you have grown tired of simply boring holes in the sky, look to precision aerobatics. Some say it's like watching paint dry. If it looks that easy to you, give it a try. The National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA) is one of our SIGs and is always on the lookout for new talent. If you have any interest in learning about precision aerobatics, go to the NSRCA website. You'll be challenged, welcomed, and feel the gratification of precision flying.
Verne Koester, longtime Masters pilot and Andrew Jesky's caller, has a theory that I think might resonate with many of you: the people who last in this hobby are those who find a niche. It can be scale, jets, the International Miniature Aircraft Club, or control-line; they go past the "sport flyer" stage and get into some kind of specialty. I recently watched a bunch of guys having a total blast flying CL Navy Carrier. They found their niche.
If you haven't read the quote at the beginning of this column, please do so. We really spend a lot of time and value dealing with information that's available online. Don't forget the value of real people.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
