The Inside Loop
Editor: Jay Smith — [email protected]
A childhood love of the game
When I was a kid, my friends and I would go back and forth over not only the best baseball team, but also the best player. For me it was the New York Yankees and Reggie Jackson. I always liked the power hitters, and the fact that he hit three home runs, on my birthday, in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series didn't hurt either.
Living in Florida in the 1970s and 1980s, we didn't have a team but enjoyed a lot of spring training. I realized when I got older that while it's great to have a favorite team and even a favorite player, it's really about the love of the game.
Aeromodeling: the same passion
I think the same goes for aeromodeling. It's about the love of aviation and the excitement of seeing your creation successfully take to the air.
It doesn't matter how your model is powered or if you are controlling it with a transmitter or a control-line handle, or if you trimmed it to fly on its own. Furthermore, we're all modelers, whether we built it from scratch, from a kit, or assembled an ARF.
Unity and government affairs
Today, more than ever, with concerns regarding upcoming recommendations from the FAA and how they might affect us going forward, we need to unite. It doesn't matter if you fly helicopters or jets, or any other type of model; we need the strength and support of all our members.
If you haven't already done so, I strongly urge you to visit the AMA's government affairs website (www.modelaircraft.org/gov) to keep up to date on the regulations being considered by the FAA and to contact your elected officials and let your voice be heard.
Electrification and personal stories
While on the topic of power systems, you may notice that both of this month's construction features — the Miss-E and the Mister-E — are electrics, as is the subject of Ron Heckler's article "An Electrified Stunter," regarding his change in propulsion.
I was moved when I read that Ron was ready to give up the hobby after 35 years and that one flight on an electric CL model was all that was required to get him hooked once again and as excited as ever to go fly.
Ron's story is similar to mine; electric park flyers brought me back into the hobby nine years ago. At the time they were exactly what I needed, and they allowed me to pick up where I left off and get excited again about flying model airplanes.
Don't get me wrong; I have both gas and glow models as well and can appreciate them just as much as the next person. Ultimately, I believe that any model, with any kind of power system, that gets us interested in flying in the first place and then succeeds in keeping us excited is fantastic!
Magazine coverage
I assure you that the coverage in MA will continue to cater to fans of all interests and skill levels. I have always felt that the broad coverage this magazine provides is its biggest asset and can also be the biggest challenge.
So please don't judge us on just one issue; give us three or four, because we have a lot of ground to cover.
Notable articles and acknowledgements
Before you put down the May issue, be sure to check out the excellent article about the 2010 F3J World Championship by team manager Mike Verzuh. This U.S. team was the most successful to date, capturing four out of five top honors.
I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to thank Michael Ramsey for his support of our organization and our magazine throughout the last five years. He has been a colleague, friend, and flying buddy to me during the past three years and will be missed.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
