2013 FAC Non-Nats and holiday cheer
by Dennis Norman [email protected]
Since Flying Aces Club (FAC) national contests began, I have missed only two of them. The first was because of the marriage of my second daughter, Michelle. She was born on July 16, 1970, and decided to get married on her birthday in 1994.
This, of course, was during the week of the 1994 FAC Nats. I did not go to the Nats, but I had the pleasant honors of walking Michelle down the aisle and of seeing the start of her happy marriage.
The second major FAC event I missed was this year's Non-Nats. My 86-year-old father-in-law became gravely ill in late spring and the family was told that he had only weeks to live. By early July he was still with us, but I felt that I could not leave Cleveland under the circumstances. Happily, he survived and is still with us as I write this column in mid-August.
Ben Dion's Joy!
Although I missed this year's Non-Nats, I have benefitted from the kindness of my buddies who participated in the event and shared several stories about it. The most delightful anecdote related to me concerned eight-year-old Benedict Dion, son of Canadian Bernard Dion.
Earlier this year, Ben told his father that he wanted to build a model for the Non-Nats in Geneseo, New York. To Bernard's delight, Ben drew plans for an original model that he dubbed the B-8. Bernard was impressed by Ben's plans and quickly provided him with material to make the B-8 a reality.
By the time the Dions reached Geneseo, the B-8 was built and covered, but untested. FAC experts saw Ben's creation and suggested that dihedral be added to the wing before flight-testing began. A photo of Ben winding the B-8 under the watchful gaze of three older Juniors accompanies this column.
To everyone's delight, the B-8 flew like an angel on its maiden flight. Ben was enthralled and joyfully danced under the B-8 as it soared high above him. FAC participants are famous for their generosity and they are particularly delighted that Juniors such as Ben still come out to enjoy our pastime and to ensure its future.
Under AMA's present word- and picture-count limitations, the most I can give you is six photos with the understanding that my text will be shorter. Because one picture is said to be worth a thousand words, I am giving you 6,000 "words" in pictures and less from my pen. It is only a glimpse, but I hope it helps you enjoy what I missed.
You can also visit YouTube and search for videos of the 2013 Non-Nats at Geneseo.
Glastonbury Meadowlark
In early June, Mike Nassise sent me a copy of the Tailspin newsletter. Thanks to Mike's outstanding efforts, Tailspin is always well written and filled with three-views, clear photos, and plans. The July/August 2013 issue featured plans of the Glastonbury Meadowlark Catapult or Hand-Launched Glider.
FF Scale
Dennis Norman
designed by FAC co-founder Dave Stott in April 1986.
The grace and simplicity of the design captivated me and, with slight modification, I built a couple of them as gifts for my grandsons, Joe, age 11, and Pete, age 9, who had planned to accompany their father (my son, Chris) and me to Geneseo. Everyone chose his own color scheme, but I put them all in English markings because the design seemed to call for it.
I have included a photo of these gliders. The slightly modified plans and construction notes are in the digital version of the magazine and on the Model Aviation website. It is a sweet little project for your holiday cheer.
God bless you and your loved ones in this joyous season!
SOURCES: National Free Flight Society www.freeflight.org
Tailspin Mike Nassise, editor 22 Greenfield St. South Easton MA 02375 (508) 238-3770
Model Aviation online www.ModelAviation.com
Model Aviation Digital 2.0 www.modelaviation.com/digital
YouTube www.youtube.com
DC Maxecuters www.dcmaxecuter.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
