The Inside Loop

WW I pilots have always
amazed me.
6 MODEL AVIATION
y the time you read this, I will
have worked as the assistant
editor of MA for two years! Time
flies when you’re having fun comes to
mind when looking back over that part of
my life spent here in Muncie, Indiana.
I arrived just in time to attend my first
Nats and eagerly accepted the offer to
write the feature article. Since then, I
have contributed several articles and
reviews, but, more importantly, my time
here has also allowed me to grow as a
modeler.
Attending events at the International
Aeromodeling Center has allowed me to
reacquaint myself with other aspects of
our hobby that I have not been involved
in for quite sometime. It has also allowed
me to immerse myself in those in which I
currently do participate.
Fortunately I must have done
something right, as I have eagerly taken
over as editor for the July issue. I was
told that the temporary assignment was
unprecedented, but hey, no pressure,
right?
I enjoy the occasional theme issue and
although the theme may not be to
everyone’s liking, we can all learn from
other model disciplines and subject
matter. World War I gets the spotlight
this month, since it has grown
exponentially in the last few years with
Dawn Patrol-type events across the
country.
On a personal level, WW I pilots have
always amazed me. Aviation was still in
its infancy and the aircraft were still
being improved, yet pilots volunteered to
fly mission after mission with little regard
for their own safety.
The early knights of the sky also held
a level of chivalry that was sadly lost later
in the war and not often seen in future
wars.
Two WW I events are covered in this
issue, and both have something exciting
in common: each venue had both fullscale
and RC airplanes in attendance. The
Dawn Patrol Rendezvous is held at the
Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton,
Ohio, biennially and continues to expand
its pilot count. It is run more like a
festival, with people dressed in period
attire and all manner of vendors selling
WW I-related items.
The second event is the Blue Max
scale competition that was held at the
amazing Fantasy of Flight in Polk City,
Florida. The museum houses the largest
private collection of full-scale aircraft in
the world.
Unfortunately the event was plagued
with bad weather and little to no flying
was possible. The Blue Max is planned
again for next year and should prove to be
bigger and better. Coverage of the contest
is located in the “In the Air” section.
Assistant Editor Jay Smith
[email protected]
The Inside Loop
Published by The Academy of Model Aeronautics
Rob Kurek
Director of Publications
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Administrative Assistant Yolanda Jones
Assistant Editor Jay Smith
Communications Specialist Ashley Rauen
Director of Design/Production Carla Kunz
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Managing Editor Shelia Ames Webb
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Senior Editor Elizabeth Helms
Stan Alexander
Bob Angel
Bill Boss
Paul Bradley
Sal Calvagna
Scott Causey
Lee Estingoy
Mark Fadely
Dave Garwood
Dave Gee
Greg Gimlick
A.C. Glenn
Albert Glenn
John Glezellis
Jim T. Graham
Donald Grissom
Jim Hiller
Louis Joyner
John Kagan
Rich Lopez
Joe Malinchak
Dennis Norman
Dean Pappas
Richard L. Perry
Red Scholefield
Gene Smith
Joe Wagner
Editor Emeritus Bob Hunt
Technical Editor Bob Aberle
CFO/Treasurer Doug Holland
B
Postmaster: Send address changes to Academy of Model
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Membership Department
Jim Beagle’s Zepplin-Staaken is one
of the most ambitious construction
features we have printed and was a
perfect fit for this special issue. The
project should fit the bill for anyone who
is looking for a WW I model that will
stand out at any event.
The Hangar 9 Fokker D.VII ARF is
our featured review, and it was
impressive. Any pilot who wants to fly a
semiscale fighter with the feel of a sport
model will find it to his or her liking. This
design is going to spend a lot of time at
the field.
Aaron Baldwick shares some tips with
us on how to use Rub ’n Buff to bring out
scale details. This simple-to-apply paste
makes a noticeable difference and will
find its way onto some of my future
projects.
“Tin Wings” is a great how-to from
Lawrence Klingberg that explains the
technique of using aluminum to form
leading edges of Giant Scale aircraft
wings. He walks us through the process
that helped him win at the AMA Expo in
2008.
Bob Aberle gives us a much-needed
update on flying electric models and
covers all the basics to make the
conversion to clean, quiet power an easy
one.
We also give readers the opportunity
to win a 78-inch-wingspan Extra. Nothing
puts a smile on a modeler’s face faster
than winning cool RC swag, so check out
the “About Us” section covering Extreme
Flight RC, on page 62. MA
Executive Director Jim Cherry
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