An Intrepid Event

SOMETHING UNUSUAL happened in
New York, New York, on September 21,
2002—something that has not occurred in
approximately 30 years. A carrier aircraft was
started and launched from the flight deck of
the USS Intrepid.
Okay, the aircraft was not exactly what
you may be thinking. It was a Control Line
(CL) model of a full-scale airplane. Roy
Ward—Garden State Circle Burners (GSCB)
member, introductory pilot extraordinaire,
and the club’s main “Carrier Guy”—made
that flight, of which there were many more to
come during a two-day weekend
demonstration and Learn-to-Fly aboard the
Intrepid. Roy was beaming; this was the
weekend he had been waiting for.
Was it an unusual idea to fly CL on the
Intrepid’s deck? Not according to a picture
we found hanging near the mess hall which
depicts three sailors getting ready to start an
OK Cub on the carrier’s then-wooden deck.
You can clearly see the line clips in the
picture. Another photo shows several sailors
hard at work on their model boats and
airplanes. There is proof of model aviation
onboard Intrepid.
The Intrepid has a rich history and was
almost destroyed three times during its
service. It was sometimes referred to as the
“Ghost Ship.” Now it is permanently docked
at Pier 86 in New York City and is called the
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
It is a terrific day trip. There is so much to
see and do onboard, including new flight
simulators of which the staff is quite proud.
The gift shop is reasonable, with good-quality
merchandise. To learn more about upcoming
events at the Intrepid museum, visit the Web
site at www.intrepidmuseum.org.
A couple of years ago Carl Holzwarth,
another GSCB member, began an effort to
establish a model-airplane club through the
local 4-H program. Carl and the kids created
GSCB members and friends in front of the Intrepid’s island superstructure (L-R): Carl
Holzwarth, Ken Dawson, Dan Banjock (kneeling), Neal Beekman, Mike Ostella, Roy
Ward, Bob Zambelli (kneeling), Steve White, Tom Hampshire (kneeling), Al Knight, Mary
Knight. They put on a great show!
Roy Ward teaches
a student pilot
using the Bratco
S k y B a b y 1⁄2A
model. Notice the
NYC skyscrapers
in the background!
■ Mary Knight
20 MODEL AVIATION
This happy young man receives his official “Flight Certificate” from Al Knight. AMA
District II Vice President Dave Mathewson supplied the certificates.
These are a couple of the models that were entered in the static-display event at the
Garden State Circle Burners booth.
Al Knight (in foreground) launches for retired NYC fireman Neal Beekman on his maiden
flight on the Intrepid. Neal is flying his profile Mustang.
Roy Ward teaches one of more than 150
kids who got to try CL flying on the
Intrepid during the two-day event.
Mary Knight helps another youngster get
his wings. This is a worthwhile program
in which your club can participate.
Photos by Dean Leuzader Graphic Design by Carla Kunz
22 MODEL AVIATION
Eric Lancaster makes a solo flight. He and his dad joined the
GSCB and he has received the club’s Rookie of the Year award.
Al Knight heads over to the registration table to fill out more
certificates. The Hudson River is in the background.
Ken Dawson congratulates this young lady after her first flight.
“Was that fun?” he asked. Her smile answers the question!
After a short preflight talk, Roy Ward and a student prepare for
takeoff as Dan Banjock launches the SkyBaby one more time.
July 2003 23
A highlight was
Dan Banjock’s
flight with his Bi-
Slob built from
Flying Models
plans. It’s a great
d e m o n s t r a t i o n
model; it can hover
and perform many
other exciting
maneuvers. Dan is
one of the best at
using this design
to good effect.
The volunteers get together on the deck. Everyone involved in this event will probably remember it for a long time.
work preparing a GSCB display board.
Donations began arriving. Steve Dalke
made a handle, a set of lines, and a homemade
reel. Several GSCB members made monetary
donations toward our mailing that was done to
promote the event. Other contributors were
Brodak Manfacturing, The Model Shop,
Bratco, and Sig Manufacturing. Our
photojournalists—Kevin Lancaster and Dean
Leuzader—worked nonstop both days,
capturing the “true essence” of the event. We
“salute” all of you and cannot thank you
enough!
We divided the static model display into five
categories, with separate awards for each day:
Best in Show, Best Military Aircraft, Best
Navy Carrier Aircraft, Best Civilian Aircraft,
and Best Aerobatic Model Aircraft.
PowerMaster fuels, Linda’s Hobby Hut, M.
Ostella & Associates Inc., United
Environmental Systems, and the Morris
County 4-H Association generously
sponsored the static awards. Thank you,
sponsors!
There were so many other individuals
from the local modeling community, the
GSCB membership, and the Flying Wildcats
who helped us make this an enjoyable event
for everyone involved. It took many
volunteers for this outing to run smoothly.
From NYC, Neal Beekman donated his
time and his Bratco SkyBaby. Neal pitted and
flew demo flights on Saturday and had so
much fun he came back Sunday. He loaned us
his SkyBaby for the Learn-to-Fly program on
both days, and we used it for nearly all of the
pilot training flights! What a guy!
Ken “Sleepy” Dawson volunteered both
days and helped with “crowd control.” I
couldn’t think of a better guy for that difficult
task!
Roy Ward single-handedly made nearly all
of the 150 or so flights. Mike Cooper helped
as pit person and smiled all day. Kevin and
Eric Lancaster (one of the Flying Wildcat
families) did intro-pilot sign-up, took photos,
and did some demos. Al “Mary’s Husband”
(as his name tag read) Knight filled out the
AMA flight certificates for our new pilots and
emceed the Learn-to-Fly, adding his unique
comedic charm to the event.
Topside on Sunday, Dan Banjock and Bob
Zambelli (Philly Flyers members) were
“Aces” in the pits, performing flying demos
and adding one more notch of enthusiasm.
Dan tried flying a Bi-Slob on 40-foot lines
and was heard to say that “It was a little
‘tricky.’” The Wlodkowski family—Ted,
Elaine, Teddy, and Eric (an active part of the
4-H Flying Wildcats)—also helped with the
demos and the Learn-to-Fly pilot registration.
Below, in the Hangar Deck, there were
still more volunteers. The Kastners—Bob,
Linda, Rob, and Brian, a great family we met
through the Morris County 4-H program—
were always ready and willing to help with
whatever task needed to be done.
Some people just came and offered
support, and some entered aircraft in the static
display. Those were Bob “The Champ”
Lampione, Mike Ostella, Tom Hampshire,
Rich Peabody, Rich Giacobone, Steve White,
Frank Iacobellis, and Jochen Aufhammer.
Flying Wildcat families who supported the
event were the Scimecas, the Abrams, the
Nevils, and the Alexanders.
Carl stayed at our booth all weekend,
overseeing the safety of the models on display
and answering countless questions such as
“Do they really fly?” Carl would point the
interested children and their parents to the
door which led topside to our “flight zone” so
they could try to fly a CL model.
24 MODEL AVIATION
26 MODEL AVIATION
The children could feel the vibration of
the engine down the lines. Some of them
naturally understood how moving the handle
made the airplane wiggle. A few of them
said they felt a little dizzy, but none wanted
the flight to end. Several student pilots had
such relaxed yet steady hands, I was able to
let up slightly on the controls.
I’ve always noticed that when we have
student pilots, they all smile. Regardless of
how tough a kid tries to be, no matter how
serious the look before takeoff, by the time
he or she has come around on that first lap, a
smile is breaking.
Among our guests of honor was Dave
Mathewson, who is the AMA District II vice
president and a terrific guy. He made sure
that we had use of the AMA tabletop booth
and plenty of printed material about AMA
to hand out. Dave brought his wife Ginger
along to enjoy our “Intrepid Experience.”
Dave pointed out to me that aboard the ship
our program was one of the only hands-on
demos for kids. It must get a bit boring to
just walk around looking at the big airplanes
if you’re a kid.
Guests of honor on Sunday included
representatives from the New Jersey 4-H:
Ginny Powell, New Jersey-state interim
chair, Department of 4-H Youth
Development; and Donna Woody, New
Jersey-state 4-H program coordinator. They
brought their husbands to assist with the
static-display judging and to hand out the
awards.
Bill Harvey from Bratco—manufacturer
of the SkyBaby and the HexDrone—made it
to the Intrepid and generously helped
sponsor the event with a donation of several
Ready-to-Fly HexDrones. Bill was
absolutely thrilled to see our show; he was in
heaven, seeing his “Baby” in the “Sky” with
youngsters at the controls.
The SkyBaby is one of the best airplanes
we have used as a trainer, although some of
you more advanced pilots may look at it as a
toy. This is a gentle and easy-flying model,
and it worked well under some windy
conditions over the Hudson River. The
Norvel .061 started easily numerous times. I
will use the SkyBaby as a trainer as often as I
can. Little effort is needed as far as building
time, and the rewards of many children (and
adults) learning so quickly make it a great
investment. That weekend I had two new
fliers solo on it!
As the sun began to set on the Hudson, we
knew it was time to roll up the lines and
reflect on what we had accomplished. Those
two days came and went right before our
eyes. It was sad to leave, but we did have a
great feeling. To quote Roy Ward, “We done
good.” Who could have imagined that one
day we would be flying on the USS Intrepid?
Hopefully the spirit will live on, and we will
be asked to come back to its deck to fly
again.
Thanks to everyone who helped or
participated—especially to the Intrepid Sea-
Air-Space-Museum for having us. It was
such a pleasure meeting and working with
everyone. If I’ve neglected to mention you,
please forgive me. This was one event in
which everyone had a job to do, and he or
she did it well. We could not have done this
without each other.
Volunteering your time for what you love
to do is not hard, but getting started is. If any
one of you is the least bit inspired by our
accomplishments, think about starting a
program through a local group such as 4-H.
Contact AMA or call Carl Holzwarth; he is
always happy to talk about this project. Try
something that will not only involve the
children, but will also involve the parents.
Sometimes by hooking the parent you hook
the child, and vice versa.
A program such as ours is going to cost
you some of your free time and maybe some
money. You cannot do it alone, so be
prepared to enlist a few dedicated volunteers.
However, no matter how much you shell
out or how much television you miss, you
will be rewarded with a gift that doesn’t have
a price tag. When your first trainee finishes
his/her first airplane and makes that maiden
flight, words cannot describe how warm and
fuzzy you will feel.
Success? Yes. Fun? Yes. Hard work?
Yes. Would we do it again? Yes! MA
Mary Knight
51 Ringwood Ave.
Pompton Lakes NJ 07442

SOMETHING UNUSUAL happened in
New York, New York, on September 21,
2002—something that has not occurred in
approximately 30 years. A carrier aircraft was
started and launched from the flight deck of
the USS Intrepid.
Okay, the aircraft was not exactly what
you may be thinking. It was a Control Line
(CL) model of a full-scale airplane. Roy
Ward—Garden State Circle Burners (GSCB)
member, introductory pilot extraordinaire,
and the club’s main “Carrier Guy”—made
that flight, of which there were many more to
come during a two-day weekend
demonstration and Learn-to-Fly aboard the
Intrepid. Roy was beaming; this was the
weekend he had been waiting for.
Was it an unusual idea to fly CL on the
Intrepid’s deck? Not according to a picture
we found hanging near the mess hall which
depicts three sailors getting ready to start an
OK Cub on the carrier’s then-wooden deck.
You can clearly see the line clips in the
picture. Another photo shows several sailors
hard at work on their model boats and
airplanes. There is proof of model aviation
onboard Intrepid.
The Intrepid has a rich history and was
almost destroyed three times during its
service. It was sometimes referred to as the
“Ghost Ship.” Now it is permanently docked
at Pier 86 in New York City and is called the
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
It is a terrific day trip. There is so much to
see and do onboard, including new flight
simulators of which the staff is quite proud.
The gift shop is reasonable, with good-quality
merchandise. To learn more about upcoming
events at the Intrepid museum, visit the Web
site at www.intrepidmuseum.org.
A couple of years ago Carl Holzwarth,
another GSCB member, began an effort to
establish a model-airplane club through the
local 4-H program. Carl and the kids created
GSCB members and friends in front of the Intrepid’s island superstructure (L-R): Carl
Holzwarth, Ken Dawson, Dan Banjock (kneeling), Neal Beekman, Mike Ostella, Roy
Ward, Bob Zambelli (kneeling), Steve White, Tom Hampshire (kneeling), Al Knight, Mary
Knight. They put on a great show!
Roy Ward teaches
a student pilot
using the Bratco
S k y B a b y 1⁄2A
model. Notice the
NYC skyscrapers
in the background!
■ Mary Knight
20 MODEL AVIATION
This happy young man receives his official “Flight Certificate” from Al Knight. AMA
District II Vice President Dave Mathewson supplied the certificates.
These are a couple of the models that were entered in the static-display event at the
Garden State Circle Burners booth.
Al Knight (in foreground) launches for retired NYC fireman Neal Beekman on his maiden
flight on the Intrepid. Neal is flying his profile Mustang.
Roy Ward teaches one of more than 150
kids who got to try CL flying on the
Intrepid during the two-day event.
Mary Knight helps another youngster get
his wings. This is a worthwhile program
in which your club can participate.
Photos by Dean Leuzader Graphic Design by Carla Kunz
22 MODEL AVIATION
Eric Lancaster makes a solo flight. He and his dad joined the
GSCB and he has received the club’s Rookie of the Year award.
Al Knight heads over to the registration table to fill out more
certificates. The Hudson River is in the background.
Ken Dawson congratulates this young lady after her first flight.
“Was that fun?” he asked. Her smile answers the question!
After a short preflight talk, Roy Ward and a student prepare for
takeoff as Dan Banjock launches the SkyBaby one more time.
July 2003 23
A highlight was
Dan Banjock’s
flight with his Bi-
Slob built from
Flying Models
plans. It’s a great
d e m o n s t r a t i o n
model; it can hover
and perform many
other exciting
maneuvers. Dan is
one of the best at
using this design
to good effect.
The volunteers get together on the deck. Everyone involved in this event will probably remember it for a long time.
work preparing a GSCB display board.
Donations began arriving. Steve Dalke
made a handle, a set of lines, and a homemade
reel. Several GSCB members made monetary
donations toward our mailing that was done to
promote the event. Other contributors were
Brodak Manfacturing, The Model Shop,
Bratco, and Sig Manufacturing. Our
photojournalists—Kevin Lancaster and Dean
Leuzader—worked nonstop both days,
capturing the “true essence” of the event. We
“salute” all of you and cannot thank you
enough!
We divided the static model display into five
categories, with separate awards for each day:
Best in Show, Best Military Aircraft, Best
Navy Carrier Aircraft, Best Civilian Aircraft,
and Best Aerobatic Model Aircraft.
PowerMaster fuels, Linda’s Hobby Hut, M.
Ostella & Associates Inc., United
Environmental Systems, and the Morris
County 4-H Association generously
sponsored the static awards. Thank you,
sponsors!
There were so many other individuals
from the local modeling community, the
GSCB membership, and the Flying Wildcats
who helped us make this an enjoyable event
for everyone involved. It took many
volunteers for this outing to run smoothly.
From NYC, Neal Beekman donated his
time and his Bratco SkyBaby. Neal pitted and
flew demo flights on Saturday and had so
much fun he came back Sunday. He loaned us
his SkyBaby for the Learn-to-Fly program on
both days, and we used it for nearly all of the
pilot training flights! What a guy!
Ken “Sleepy” Dawson volunteered both
days and helped with “crowd control.” I
couldn’t think of a better guy for that difficult
task!
Roy Ward single-handedly made nearly all
of the 150 or so flights. Mike Cooper helped
as pit person and smiled all day. Kevin and
Eric Lancaster (one of the Flying Wildcat
families) did intro-pilot sign-up, took photos,
and did some demos. Al “Mary’s Husband”
(as his name tag read) Knight filled out the
AMA flight certificates for our new pilots and
emceed the Learn-to-Fly, adding his unique
comedic charm to the event.
Topside on Sunday, Dan Banjock and Bob
Zambelli (Philly Flyers members) were
“Aces” in the pits, performing flying demos
and adding one more notch of enthusiasm.
Dan tried flying a Bi-Slob on 40-foot lines
and was heard to say that “It was a little
‘tricky.’” The Wlodkowski family—Ted,
Elaine, Teddy, and Eric (an active part of the
4-H Flying Wildcats)—also helped with the
demos and the Learn-to-Fly pilot registration.
Below, in the Hangar Deck, there were
still more volunteers. The Kastners—Bob,
Linda, Rob, and Brian, a great family we met
through the Morris County 4-H program—
were always ready and willing to help with
whatever task needed to be done.
Some people just came and offered
support, and some entered aircraft in the static
display. Those were Bob “The Champ”
Lampione, Mike Ostella, Tom Hampshire,
Rich Peabody, Rich Giacobone, Steve White,
Frank Iacobellis, and Jochen Aufhammer.
Flying Wildcat families who supported the
event were the Scimecas, the Abrams, the
Nevils, and the Alexanders.
Carl stayed at our booth all weekend,
overseeing the safety of the models on display
and answering countless questions such as
“Do they really fly?” Carl would point the
interested children and their parents to the
door which led topside to our “flight zone” so
they could try to fly a CL model.
24 MODEL AVIATION
26 MODEL AVIATION
The children could feel the vibration of
the engine down the lines. Some of them
naturally understood how moving the handle
made the airplane wiggle. A few of them
said they felt a little dizzy, but none wanted
the flight to end. Several student pilots had
such relaxed yet steady hands, I was able to
let up slightly on the controls.
I’ve always noticed that when we have
student pilots, they all smile. Regardless of
how tough a kid tries to be, no matter how
serious the look before takeoff, by the time
he or she has come around on that first lap, a
smile is breaking.
Among our guests of honor was Dave
Mathewson, who is the AMA District II vice
president and a terrific guy. He made sure
that we had use of the AMA tabletop booth
and plenty of printed material about AMA
to hand out. Dave brought his wife Ginger
along to enjoy our “Intrepid Experience.”
Dave pointed out to me that aboard the ship
our program was one of the only hands-on
demos for kids. It must get a bit boring to
just walk around looking at the big airplanes
if you’re a kid.
Guests of honor on Sunday included
representatives from the New Jersey 4-H:
Ginny Powell, New Jersey-state interim
chair, Department of 4-H Youth
Development; and Donna Woody, New
Jersey-state 4-H program coordinator. They
brought their husbands to assist with the
static-display judging and to hand out the
awards.
Bill Harvey from Bratco—manufacturer
of the SkyBaby and the HexDrone—made it
to the Intrepid and generously helped
sponsor the event with a donation of several
Ready-to-Fly HexDrones. Bill was
absolutely thrilled to see our show; he was in
heaven, seeing his “Baby” in the “Sky” with
youngsters at the controls.
The SkyBaby is one of the best airplanes
we have used as a trainer, although some of
you more advanced pilots may look at it as a
toy. This is a gentle and easy-flying model,
and it worked well under some windy
conditions over the Hudson River. The
Norvel .061 started easily numerous times. I
will use the SkyBaby as a trainer as often as I
can. Little effort is needed as far as building
time, and the rewards of many children (and
adults) learning so quickly make it a great
investment. That weekend I had two new
fliers solo on it!
As the sun began to set on the Hudson, we
knew it was time to roll up the lines and
reflect on what we had accomplished. Those
two days came and went right before our
eyes. It was sad to leave, but we did have a
great feeling. To quote Roy Ward, “We done
good.” Who could have imagined that one
day we would be flying on the USS Intrepid?
Hopefully the spirit will live on, and we will
be asked to come back to its deck to fly
again.
Thanks to everyone who helped or
participated—especially to the Intrepid Sea-
Air-Space-Museum for having us. It was
such a pleasure meeting and working with
everyone. If I’ve neglected to mention you,
please forgive me. This was one event in
which everyone had a job to do, and he or
she did it well. We could not have done this
without each other.
Volunteering your time for what you love
to do is not hard, but getting started is. If any
one of you is the least bit inspired by our
accomplishments, think about starting a
program through a local group such as 4-H.
Contact AMA or call Carl Holzwarth; he is
always happy to talk about this project. Try
something that will not only involve the
children, but will also involve the parents.
Sometimes by hooking the parent you hook
the child, and vice versa.
A program such as ours is going to cost
you some of your free time and maybe some
money. You cannot do it alone, so be
prepared to enlist a few dedicated volunteers.
However, no matter how much you shell
out or how much television you miss, you
will be rewarded with a gift that doesn’t have
a price tag. When your first trainee finishes
his/her first airplane and makes that maiden
flight, words cannot describe how warm and
fuzzy you will feel.
Success? Yes. Fun? Yes. Hard work?
Yes. Would we do it again? Yes! MA
Mary Knight
51 Ringwood Ave.
Pompton Lakes NJ 07442