The Inside Loop - 2010/11
Perspective on Perfection
Most people flip out over the smallest things. Take cooking, for example. Chef Ramsay (of "Hell's Kitchen" fame) screams and yells all over the place, and for what? Who cares if the parsley is on the wrong side of the plate?
As for those really fancy dishes, I say, "Chill out!" Personally, I like my soufflé unleavened. Try a hunk of it on a lightly toasted bagel and you'll taste what I mean — it's still good.
Weddings and Events
Take something more serious, like a wedding. Now there's a loving event that can spin off into something ghastly — like a reality show. Oh wait; it has.
With all good intentions, we plan for every aspect, prepare for all contingencies (fewer no-shows), and hope for the best. Lest we forget, the point of the whole event is to celebrate and have a good time.
A memorable time is up to each and every person involved, including that guy who plates the entrées with the parsley and compressed quiche.
Aeromodelling and the Nats
You're probably asking, "What does this fluff mean about modeling?" Well, I like food, but I'm not fond of planning weddings. For the past five years I've seen a wedding's worth of effort go into a national event on an annual basis. I think the party hosts deserve a thank you.
I also think that the brides — you and I know them as competitors — deserve a handshake. As it turns out, like their hosts, they are our aeromodeling heroes.
On page 18 is MA's tribute article to the AMA Nats. We did it a little differently this year because comments received over the last four years indicated we weren't doing enough. So this year there is more in these pages, not to mention that the NatsNews daily publication is the best it has ever been.
If the photos and stories this month strike you, jump online and have a look at the daily newsletters. If you approve, please send a note to the team that built it during the summer:
- Liz Helms
- Ashley Rauen
- Jennifer Orebaugh
They will thank your favorite authors too.
Having a well-run event is what attracts competitors, and the AMA, along with its Special Interest Groups, is what makes the Nats happen. When you're reading the event feature, notice the list of Nats management (the sponsors are special too).
That is a group of volunteers that frets over the little things so the big event happens! They're people like you and me, who are able, amazingly, and willing to devote an entire summer (and a good portion of the year) to smoothly running a contest with more than 1,200 participants.
If you don't see national competition as important, think about how crucial it is that the servos work in your airplane or that the covering on the wings does its job. Maybe control lines staying attached is a bad thing?
Innovations and improvements always take place at the AMA Nats. You don't have to participate to appreciate the people and fun that good sportsmanship breeds.
Innovations: ESC and EF1
Lee Estingoy helps us out again this month with the explanation of an innovation. The Electronic Speed Control (ESC) is a seemingly magical device that is mostly responsible for making electric power as popular as it is today.
Its evolution was somewhat different from the norm, or perhaps I missed the time when ESCs were available in kit form. Brushless speed controls work harder than you might think.
Another innovation that sprang up at the AMA Nats is a new event that is looking to catch on very quickly. Scott McAfee conceived Electric Formula One, or EF1, two years ago as a method of making RC pylon racing more popular. There is nothing radically new in that thought, but the approach taken to develop the class is what helped make the idea a reality.
Recognizing the popularity of ARFs, prototypes were commissioned to Jerry Small and others and immediately presented to manufacturers. Those with insight jumped on the project and made it tantalizing to the average modeler, with an average budget, so that anyone can be cutting-edge competitive. It will surely be a national event in 2011.
See you there.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
