The Inside Loop - 2009/05

was lucky last year at the CL Scale
Nats to be able to report on the event
for the NatsNews. Spending time
there was relaxing and, fortunately for us,
the winds and weather were perfect. This
would have been a great year for Charlie
Bauer and his turbine-powered U-2, if he
had had room in his van for it.
There were many vans at the event,
and they were packed—enough that as I
lay on the warm, smooth asphalt of the CL
circle, I could have spent hours admiring
the details among the raised panels,
cylinder heads, and wire rigging, thanks to
the Scale-modeling content packed
carefully inside those transportation
vehicles.
CL airplanes are organized in a line at
an event so that the leadouts can be
outstretched. It’s all orderly and, as a
reporter, I appreciate this system; I don’t
have to go hunting for the aircraft in
competition.
At the end of that long line were a
couple of models by one of my favorite
contributors: Frank Beatty. He allowed me
to pour my eyes and camera over his
creations and, while I was doing so, we
got to talking.
“You know, you’ve had one of my
construction articles for sometime,” Frank
declared.
I was surprised and embarrassed all at
once; his account deserved investigation.
Sure enough, among our files was a wellkept
treasure that Mr. Beatty submitted
awhile ago: the coolest little CL model I
had ever seen.
His Laird Super Solution is a 1/2Apowered
profile model of the famous
Doolittle-piloted aircraft from the racing
days of Thompson and Bendix. Now I
wish I hadn’t sold all of my Cox Black
Widow engines on eBay.
Participating in a race isn’t everyone’s
interest, but most of us will agree that
racing is about the best spectator’s sport
out there. I’ve been a spectator for years,
but last year I was offered the chance to
sample racing a model—and to do it with
the flavor of Madera and Reno, which is
all-out, heart-pounding, can’t-make-theair-
get-out-of-the-way-any-faster racing.
And to make it even more frightening, I’d
get to do it Halloween weekend in the
Wild West.
Check out my report on the Frightfully
Fast Bash. The experience was both an
adventure and a retreat. It assured me that
the spirit of competition is a practice in
brotherhood, family, and sportsmanship.
These racers know how to pack a van, too.
And if you find yourself at one of these
USRA celebrations, I highly recommend
the punch.
Every now and then, we get
submissions that include phenomenal
Editor Michael Ramsey
[email protected]
stories from members who tell about a
recent project. We’ve printed a few, and if
I had to categorize these pieces, I’d call
them our “Craftsmen Series.” Almost any
well-told and photo-documented
submission is eligible.
This month we bring you a story from
Gary Ritchie. He had such a successful
experience with a kit (yes, kits are still
available) that his momentum in the scale
pursuit went wild. His S.E.5a came out
beautiful and, as do so many detailoriented
people, he archived his project
with stunning imagery. (Please note our
cover this month.)
Did you hear that? Maybe there’s
something in your ears that’s impeding
your ability to appreciate the sounds we
enjoy as modelers; is it the sound of glue
drying? No, but our hearing is a sense that
many of us take for granted.
Ward Van Duzer noticed a loss of his
hearing and put research practices as a
modeler to work to find out what was up
with his audio abilities. What he learned
may surprise you, but also important is that
his message is a reminder that we should
protect our ears as best we can. You know
those tightly packed vans I was telling you
about? Our ears can get that way too.
If your club is looking for a shelter
that’s penny-wise, weather-resistant, and
portable, check out the project that the Rag
Tag RC Association devised and
constructed. William Locke shares the
story of how the club members met the
needs of their landlord and have a
structure they’re proud of that can weather
them through. MA
The Inside Loop
Published by The Academy of Model Aeronautics
Rob Kurek
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President
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official U.S. representative of the Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the world governing
body for sport aviation, and represents the U.S. at FAI
meetings. NAA delegated to the AMA supervision of FAIrelated
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Account Executive Angie Martin
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Director of Design/Production Carla Kunz
Editor Michael Ramsey
Executive Editor Elizabeth Helms
Graphic Designer Sarah Shaw
Managing Editor Shelia Ames Webb
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Stan Alexander
Bob Angel
Bill Boss
Paul Bradley
Sal Calvagna
Scott Causey
Lee Estingoy
Mark Fadely
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Editor Emeritus Bob Hunt
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… we get submissions that
include phenomenal stories …
6 MODEL AVIATION
CFO/Treasurer Doug Holland
Executive Director Jim Cherry
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