IntheAir - 2008/09

INtheAIR
September 2008 9
AMA HEADQUARTERS AND MEMBER NEWS
The Fourth of July weekend brings thoughts of celebrating our
independence, fireworks, cookouts, and spending time with family.
The AMA had its own kind of family event—an Appreciation
Weekend—Friday through Sunday at the International Aeromodeling
Center (IAC) in Muncie, Indiana.
Members took advantage of all-day open flying and free camping.
This was a great time to catch up with old friends and make new ones,
while taking in many different aspects of our hobby. Attendees were
entertained by members flying CL, RC, FF, jets, autogyros,
helicopters, and everything in between. There was even some floatflying
and Combat with streamers.
Several AMA Executive Council members were in attendance,
including vice presidents from Districts III and VI and President Dave
Mathewson. He said:
“For several years in the early 2000s, AMA hosted Homecoming
each June at the IAC. For various reasons, the event was discontinued
in 2005.
“After hearing from some of our members who enjoyed not only
coming to Muncie to fly, but coming once a year to renew old
acquaintances, we thought that it might be time to try again.
“This year’s membership appreciation week was structured as a
weekend of casual open flying, with no formal planned events or
agenda. Our plan is to build on this year’s events and hopefully turn the
weekend back into an annual tradition.”
Members also took advantage of getting to see some of the RC
Scale Aerobatics competitors and their aircraft in action as they
practiced for the Nats, which was scheduled to start Monday July 7.
Thanks to those who made it out to spend the July Fourth weekend
with their extended AMA family! MA
—Jay Smith
MA Assistant Editor
Below: A beautiful
Skyraider and its pilot
prepare to fly another
mission.
AppreciationWeekend Recap
Above: Members
took advantage of
standing water near
Site 4 to get in
some float-flying.
On May 31, 2008, the Tri-City Flyers of
Seguin, Kingsbury, and Universal City,
Texas, held a Build & Fly day for one of the
Cub Scout packs in Kingsbury.
The day began with a briefing on RCairplane
operation and safety. The Scouts
were shown the operation of the controls and
participated in a discussion of how the
airplane responded.
After the preflight briefing, all the Scouts
were assigned a building station where each
child-and-parent team was given an AMA
Cub kit to build while they waited their turn
to fly with a club pilot and airplane.
Additional club members worked as
instructors, to help the kids during the
building process and answer the usual
questions such as, “How fast does it go?” or,
“How high will it fly?”
All the kids were able to get their models
built and ready to fly before day’s end. Flight
instructors were generous with their time and
airplanes; each student’s flight lasted for an
entire tank of fuel.
As the Scouts came off of the flightline,
they grinned from ear to ear and had stories
Right: Scouts
work on
assembling
AMA Cub kits
with instruction
from Tri-City
Flyers club
members.
Tri-City Flyers’ Build & Fly
to trade, such as who did the biggest loop,
who got closest to the ground, and who
single-handedly saved his airplane the best.
For lunch, the Cub Scout pack grilled hot
dogs and provided chips, cookies, and, most
important, ice-cold drinks.
To cap off the day, all the kids and parents
visited one of the hangars on-site at the Old
Kingsbury Aerodrome. It housed vintage
military vehicles and World War I-era
restored aircraft.
By the day’s end, there were as many
favorable comments from the club members
as from the Scouts about the enjoyment they
had. We expect to repeat this activity many
times in the next several years. Thank you
very much, Tri-City Flyers! MA
—Brett Walker, Tri-City Flyers Vice President
District VIII
Left: A
Scout gets
some stick
time on the
buddy box
with a Tri-
City Flyers
instructor.
The Academy recently welcomed
new Life Member Saleem Ghani
(Maple Grove MN).
For information about becoming a
Life Member, contact AMA
Headquarters at (800) 435-9262. MA
—AMA Membership Department
Welcome, AMA
Life Members!
Lin Reichel, Commander-in-
Chief of the Flying Aces Club
(FAC), passed away the evening of
Monday June 16, 2008. He had been
the driving force behind the FAC
since 1980, when he took over
leadership of the club from cofounders
Dave Stott and Bob
Thompson.
To read more about Lin and the
impact he had on aeromodeling, see
Bob Brown’s District III column on
page 159. MA
—AMA staff
Lin Reichel:
1927-2008
What begins blue, turns white, and ends
up orange? Or what do a big blue whale, a
great white shark, and a huge, orange
pumpkin have in common? For the Valley
R/C Flyers of Fargo, North Dakota, it was a
club project.
The Fargo School Board named its most
recent school “Carl Ben Eielson Middle
School.” A native North Dakotan, Eielson
was an Arctic explorer and aviator who
traversed the North Pole in 1928—a feat that
was said could not be done, earning him
worldwide fame. He used a Lockheed Vega
for that flight and to explore Antarctica.
The Fargo Air Museum approached the
Valley R/C Flyers and suggested that the club
build a scale model of the Vega, to be given
to the middle school in commemoration of
the famous flight. The club approved the
project and began the task of building a 1/4-
scale, nonflying Vega. The date was February
2006.
Dan Loegering, the initial project leader,
started the model in his garage. The original
plans were a small three-view on an 8.5 x 11-
inch sheet of paper, so large-scale drawings
were made.
The airplane began with a large block of
blue foam, 4-inch foam sheets, 1 x 4 pine
boards, and 1/2 plywood. The fuselage was
sawed, filed, and sanded to a rough outline of
the model, thus becoming the Big Blue
Whale.
After work was done on the wings and
horizontal and vertical stabilizers, Dan had to
bow out of the project because of other
commitments. It sat idle for a while, waiting
for a new building site. Dick Vos stepped up,
and the project continued.
With all the other parts at the Vos shop,
the wings were covered with Japanese tissue
using thinned white glue. The wings were
coated with epoxy resin, and several primer
coats were applied.
The fuselage was filled and sanded, and a
coat of epoxy resin was applied. The
stabilizers were positioned and epoxied in
place. “Hard points” of 1/4 plywood were
epoxied in place where the landing gear and
wing-attachment sites were.
The cockpit area and wing-saddle areas
were fashioned, and the entire fuselage
received four coats of white primer. Voilà—
the Great White Shark!
Lee Garner fabricated the nose area and
engine cylinders from pink foam. The nine
cylinders were attached, and the whole
assembly was filled, primed, and epoxied.
Work continued on the propeller, landing
gear and skis, and the process of mounting
the wing to the fuselage. Eyebolts were
placed on the middle outer wing spar, the
center wing section, and the top of the fin for
cable attachment for display purposes.
The original aircraft was painted
“International Orange,” so we bought
“Crayola Orange,” which produced a Huge
Orange Pumpkin on the workbench. The
North Dakota Air National Guard was kind
enough to supply us with decals and emblems
to add the final finishing touches.
The finished Vega spans 10 feet, has a 7-
foot fuselage, and weighs more than 43
pounds. It was completed in December 2007
and presented to the Fargo School District in
a dedication ceremony on January 22, 2008.
Then the airplane was put in flight over an
Arctic map in the school atrium.
A special thank you to Dan Loegering and
Dick Vos, who put so much time and effort
into this project and provided workspace to
complete the model. Other Valley R/C Flyers
members who participated did a great job and
stuck with this project. A plaque with the
club logo was presented to the school, with
the members’ names on it to identify all those
involved.
This project will help publicize our hobby
and promote model aviation. We hope it will
be a source of pride for the school and the
student body, as a representation of the
school’s namesake. MA
—Don Carlsen
District IX
INtheAIR
10 MODEL AVIATION
Over the North Pole Again: A Club Project
Left: Dan Loegering (L) and John Altendorf shape
the Vega’s fuselage. Photos by Tom Murphy, Don
Carlsen, and Dick Vos.
Dick Vos
checks
the fit.
The finished Lockheed
Vega hangs in Carl Ben
Eielson Middle School in
Fargo, North Dakota.
The National Model Aviation Museum
at the International Aeromodeling Center in
Muncie, Indiana, is now the proud home to
the model flown in the Tiger Moth World
Tour. The Academy received the donation
on June 24, 2008.
In 2003 and 2004, a group of pilots on
the RCGroups Internet forum conceived the
idea to fly a GWS Pico Tiger Moth in all 50
states, Canada, and countries around the
world. Jerry Felts and Gene Carr acted on
the idea in January 2004 by purchasing a
GWS Pico Tiger Moth and sending it on a
journey across the country and Canada that
lasted four years.
A host of people, including Keith
Wilson and J.R. “Buzz” McMillian, became
active in the planning along the way. The
Tiger Moth’s adventures and flights were
planned and actively followed by a group of
dedicated individuals on the RCGroups and
WattFlyer forums.
A total of 86 pilots successfully flew the
Tiger Moth and documented the journey by
signing the model. However, it never made
it overseas. MA
—AMA staff
Museum Registrar Maria
VanVreede accepts the Tiger Moth
donation from Doug Sipprell.
All pilots who participated in the
Tiger Moth World Tour signed the
model with their RCGroups name
and date of flight.
AMA Museum Acquisition
INtheAIR
September 2008 11
Q: Who do I call if I have questions about
the AMA’s Archives?
A: AMA’s Archivist/Assistant Historian
Jackie Shalberg, who can be reached at (765)
287-1256, extension 511, or historyprogram
@modelaircraft.org.
Q: What types of items will I find in the AMA
Archives?
A: Photographs, VHS videotapes, film, CDs,
CD-ROMs, DVDs, personal papers, and
records of the AMA. We have collections
from Walt Good, Hal deBolt, Bill Winter,
and other well-known modelers.
Q: Can I check out items from the Archives?
A: No. You cannot take these items out of
the designated research area.
Q: Why are items placed in the Archives?
A: Because of their rarity, age, or physical
condition. These items are to be viewed
under supervision. Some are subject to
restricted access because of federal and state
laws associated with personal privacy;
however, approximately 95% of the
materials are unrestricted.
Q: How do I handle these items?
A: Archived items must be handled
delicately because of their condition and
circumstances. You must wear gloves while
handling photographs. With permission, you
can view videos and CDs with approved
equipment/hardware. Most papers can be
touched without gloves.
Q: I am planning to visit the Archives for a
research project. Where should I begin?
A: A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is
required for each visit. Plan for your visit
by contacting the archivist/assistant
historian. You can confirm the date you
will be arriving and discuss your topic of
research. The archivist/assistant historian
may be able to seek out materials ahead of
time that pertain to your area of study.
Q: What are other requirements for a
visit?
A: When you arrive, you will be given
paper and pencils. Pens are not allowed in
areas where collection materials are in use.
You will be instructed to fill out
registration forms and read a rules sheet.
You may be able to do this before a
scheduled visit.
Q: How do I donate my collection to the
AMA Archives?
A: Create a list of items you want to
donate, and then contact the
archivist/assistant historian.
Q: Do I receive a tax deduction if I donate
material?
A: Since AMA is a non-profit organization,
you may receive a tax deduction for your
donation. Please contact your tax adjuster
for more information. For legal reasons,
the AMA staff cannot give appraisals. MA
—AMA Headquarters
Girl Scout Aviation Day FAQs About the AMA Archives
Above: Joel
instructs a
few Scouts
on the
simulator.
The Girl Scouts who attended the Pontiac
Model Aircraft Club’s Aviation Day.
Sunday May 18, 2008, the members of
the Pontiac Model Aircraft Club (PMAC) in
Clarkston, Michigan, hosted a Girl Scout
Aviation Day for Junior, Cadet, and Senior
troop members. Dale Matteson and Steve
Demster were the event directors.
Twelve troops signed up to attend, but
with some fair-weather fliers, only 57 girls
attended. The flight instructors did a great job
of getting flight time for all the girls, even
with the high winds and rain showers.
As in the past, instructors started each
Scout on the simulator and then went to the
flightline for some real flying with an RC
airplane. Then John Glenn and Mike Foucart
served a great lunch for everyone.
The girls learned how an airplane
functions and flies, and how to identify what
instruments are on a flight panel. They flew
models with a PMAC instructor, and each
girl built and flew an FPG-9 airplane.
Joel Kinkad (airline captain), Steve
Demster (flight instructor), Tom Pierce
(AMA associate District VII vice president),
and Christina Hulsmeyer (Oakland Airport
air traffic controller) talked to the Scouts
about aviation career opportunities. The day
came to an end with an air show that several
PMAC members put on.
Thanks to all the PMAC members who
came out in the cold to make this a great day
of fun for the girls and took the opportunity
to share our sport with them. MA
—Pontiac Model Aircraft Club
District VII
Left: A Girl
Scout
watches as
another gets
some time
on the buddy
box with
instructors.
The Cobb County Radio Control
Modeler’s Club (CCRC) of Georgia held its
8th Annual Walker School Aviation Activity
Day in May 2008.
Students spent four weeks in classroom
study covering the science of flight, the
Wright brothers, and aviation history. After
that, Mike Mullaney and I went to the school
on May 7 to talk to the students about RC
flying, field safety, and constructing balsa
airplanes.
Then on May 9, 65 students visited the
CCRC field for demonstrations of RC
airplanes and helicopters. The students
participated in contests with their balsa
A few students with products donated to
help with Aviation Activity Day.
Walker School Aviation Activity Day
models, won prizes, and watched a full-scale
helicopter land. Each child took a turn on the
buddy box with an RC airplane.
Hobby Lobby and JR have sponsored this
education program for the last seven years,
giving the school approximately $3,000
worth of prizes and RC trainers each year.
Roughly 25 club members volunteer their
Friday each year to make this project a
success.
As of 2008, more than 560 students have
been exposed to the sport of model aviation
through this joint project with the Walker
School and the CCRC. MA
—Bob Beard
District V
Students and parents gather to watch
the CCRC’s flight demonstrations.
fun and enjoy flying while promoting the
indoor electric hobby.
Anyone who is interested in indoor
electric flying will find the SPEF members
friendly and willing to help. Contact the club
at [email protected] for further information.
You can read more about the SPEF’s funfly
in Jim Rice’s July 2008 District VIII
column. MA
—Marilyn May
District VIII
The South Plains Electric Flyers (SPEF)
of Plainview, Texas, has come a long way in
its two years as an AMA chartered club.
SPEF was created to fulfill a need for indoor
flying in windy West Texas. Royce and
Reegan May began calling fellow indoor
electric modelers in 2006 to see if anyone was
interested in flying together.
The group had its first fun-fly in April
2006 and saw the need for a chartered group.
Letters were sent out to potential members in
early 2007. The club soon had 35 members,
and interest was growing.
The SPEF had its second fun-fly just four
months after becoming an AMA club.
However, locating a CD for the event was
challenging.
Jim Belyeu of Plainview had never flown
indoors but was eager to help the club get
established. He, and Bob Talkington as
backup, agreed to help the SPEF in the
second and third years, in spite of his poor
health. Jim passed away shortly before the
April 2008 event, but not before doing his
part to ensure that Reegan May became a CD
for the club at the young age of 19.
The SPEF flies in the Ollie Liner Center at
the edge of Plainview. The building is a B-29
hangar from the end of World War II. It was
originally shipped to Okinawa, Japan, but was
never erected. It was shipped back
to the US, and the City of
Plainview purchased it as an
activity center.
The site hosts car shows, arts
and crafts shows, 4-H shows, and
various other activities. The flying
area is only approximately half of
the building, which is 302 feet long, 136 feet
wide, 15 feet at the roof base, and 25 feet at
the peak.
SPEF sponsors an annual AMA
sanctioned, two-day fun-fly event the last
weekend in April. Pilots from New Mexico,
Texas, and Oklahoma attend. For the 2007
event, Royce and Reegan built a mobile
aircraft carrier for the pilots’ entertainment.
Balloon popping, combat flying, and open
flying are the hallmarks of this event.
The 2008 fun-fly featured SPEF’s first
F3P (Indoor RC Aerobatics) contest, thanks
to the hard work of Dennis Robbins and Mike
Robbins. Joe Gross, an experienced F3P pilot,
gathered capable SPEF members to judge the
event.
The club meets to fly roughly eight times
per year. Its creed seems to be “More
Members = More Flying,” since club funds
are needed only for AMA expenses and
building rental. The sole mission is to have
INtheAIR
12 MODEL AVIATION
25 Years Ago in MA:
September 1983
• The cover
features D.B.
Mathews’
daughter,
Shell, with his
Luton Minor
Prototype
(plans set
418), which
is this
month’s RC
construction project. The semiscale model
spans 56 inches and is made to be powered
by .19-.30 engines.
• The FF construction project for this month
is the Buck 600 (plans set 420) by Joe
Foster. It was the 1981 National Free Flight
Society Model of the Year for the Large
Power Model category. The 65-inchwingspan
Class AB design is for hot .19s
and .21s with variable-incidence tail and
auto rudder.
• This month’s CL construction project is
Stan Powell’s Dove 650 (plans set 419).
This 59-inch-span model won the Precision
Aerobatics Concours d’Elegance award at
the 1982 Nats. But it’s not just pretty; it
finished a respectable eighth place in the
flying portion of the contest.
• In other features, Larry Jolly reports on the
Two-Meter World Cup held near Modesto,
California. Mike Regan won the event. Dave
Ritchie gives us Part 1 of the historical story
of Bill Brown and Maxwell Bassett’s teaming
up to fly the first gas-powered model airplane.
Bob Meuser gives his account of the 1983
U.S. FF Championships in Taft, California.
Bob Kopski’s “All About Electrics,” part 1, is
an overview of electric-power modeling,
explaining what it is and what it isn’t. And
Don Berliner writes about the AJ-2, which is
a full-scale aircraft built especially for
Oshkosh 500: a test of speed and fuel
efficiency.
• New products this month include the
Skybrite Paint System in cans and spray from
Sig Manufacturing; Ultra Super Solvent,
which debonds cyanoacrylate, from Golden
West Fuels for $3.95 per 2-ounce bottle; and
Tower Hobbies announces the HP .21 for
$79.98. This is the smallest four-stroke
engine on the market. MA
—Rich LaGrange
AMA Librarian
Thank You
From Northshore!
The Northshore R/C Club of Slidell,
Louisiana, thanks the AMA for the
generous Disaster Relief Grant for the
damages our club sustained from
Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Many of our
members lost their homes or had severely
damaged homes, and we are getting back
to RC flying again.
Our club membership is down from
more than 100 members to approximately
50, and the grant will help us become a
fully functional club again. We lost all our
support equipment used for fun-flys, such
as the portable public-address system,
barbecue, pin board, engine test stands,
chairs, and many other items. The $500
will be used to replace some of these
items. MA
—Jim Corkern
District VIII
L-R: Wayne
LeBlanc,
treasurer; Will
Argeanton,
president; Jim
Corkern, club
instructor.
South Plains Electric Flyers Fun Fly
L-R: Gary Jones’ Cessna 402, Ernest
Butler’s Spacewalker, Mike Connally’s
Tri-Pacer, and Reegan May’s A-10
Warthog, each spanning 6 feet, fly
together at the indoor field.
Left: Jim Rice presents CD
Reegan May with a Dirty
Dozen Award. AMA District
VIII established the honor
for those tireless and
selfless people who
consistently make
themselves available to do
the often thankless but vital
tasks that keep any club or
group running smoothly.