Letters to the Editor - 2003/03

Correction
An incorrect Web-site address was
printed in Mike Hurley’s January column.
The address for Aeroworks is www.aeroworks.
net.
We apologize for the error.
—MA staff
Airplanes and the Wind
I have just finished reading Ralph
Grose’s article on wind in the January MA.
This is easily the best explanation of this
subject that I have ever read. And, just as
important, the technical accuracy is dead on.
Richard Aley
Whitefish, Montana
This was an excellent article and
hopefully cleared some misconceptions. I
would like to point out that there are two
instances when an airplane traveling in an
airmass is affected by the wind.
All aircraft are affected by horizontal
wind shears, even the largest commercial
types. Also our models are affected
whenever the airspeed (IAS not read in
models) slows below the velocity of the
airmass in which we fly.
As this point is reached our model will
weather vane into the wind’s direction
relative to the ground. We take advantage of
this when we do stall turns into the wind
direction, as an example.
Ralph Grose wrote an excellent article
and many thanks to him.
Lou Matuska
South Barrington, Illinois
MA Content
I guess you know by now that [Bob
Hunt’s] January column was a profound
one. This is probably one of many letters
you’ll receive.
I always felt the spectrum of articles and
topics in MA did not reflect the interest of
the members, but I did not realize 96% are
involved in some aspect of RC. As a result it
seems like a great idea to tailor the content
of the magazine accordingly.
As a modeler, or sporter, or ARFer who
has been in the hobby since 1936 I like what
you’ve said, and trust the AMA staff is in
accord.
Good luck and thanks for your “telling it
like it is” article.
Dawson Gillaspy
Long Neck, Delaware
I joined AMA because the flying club
suggested that membership was required in
order to join the local organization and use
the local field. I’ve received a few of your
publications and looked through them all
hunting for something of interest to a guy
that hasn’t bought his first RTF sailplane
yet. So far, your piece about the content of
Model Aviation has been the only thing of
value to me.
Right on. I have no plans to build my
own airplanes. Buying them ready to go is
fine with me. Maybe I will, in time,
gravitate to a SIG as you suggest—but for
the present, simpler content is more
beneficial to this reader. What you called
how-tos and informational articles.
The magazine, as it exists, isn’t of any
value to me. My membership in AMA is of
doubtful value also—it turns out that the
local flying club is so informal that it can’t
keep track of who has paid dues and who
hasn’t—let alone who has a current
membership in AMA. Great group of
people. Membership is $10 per year. They
are super helpful with teaching poor folk
like me how to fly. Give lots of good and
conflicting advice on what airplane to start
out with. Big and enjoyable arguments on
what to tell the new guy.
What might be useful in your publication
to me, the really casual ARF or RTF
modeler? The subjects you mentioned are
just what I want. Start printing some articles
along those lines and I might even renew my
membership for 2003 at five times the cost
of my annual dues to the local organization.
I’m even going to get around to buying that
2 meter EP glider one of these days.
George Williams
via E-mail
I just finished reading the Jan. 2003 issue
(I can’t believe it’s nearly 2003, I’m still
trying to figure out where the 50s & 60s
went) and I think the concept for the
magazine’s new approach is good and long
over due. But please, please, don’t forget us
old timers (Nostalgia & Old Timers).
I have been purchasing many old time
magazines from the 1930s & 1940s, and I
think the editors of today’s magazines need
to go back to some of those old issues and
take notice in the types of articles which
appealed to modelers of all types. Ever since
the late 1950s, I have considered most
magazines to be rather mundane and flat out
boring. One need only look to all of the
changes made in the old Air Trails
magazines in an attempt to attract more
interest.
Whether one flies Free Flight Gas or
Rubber, Control Line, or RC, young
modelers need to learn how to do things,
whether it’s building or flying. One of the
big problems with today’s youth, and even
adults, is that they want instant gratification,
hence the proliferation of ARFs and RTFs.
Also, with computers, PDAs, MP3s, video
games, etc., the model industry has a lot
more competition for today’s dollars than
they did when I started building and flying
Free Flight in the late 1940s.
Modelers have long recognized that there
are serious problems in the industry, and I’m
pleased to see that Model Aviation is looking
for a new approach I just hope you don’t
miss your mark by over reacting and
forgetting about us Old Timers.
Gary Phillips
via E-mail
Our Greatest Pastime
I’ve read with interest the various
comments on how we should regard our
hobby as a sport. And I have gone to our
aging copy of Roget’s [thesaurus] to find a
new word that might encompass both terms;
however, I couldn’t find one. But while
talking to someone I realized a great
metaphor to describe our hobby to other
people; it is our “greatest pastime.” As the
boys of summer take to the field to play
baseball, we too take to the field to fly, show
off our latest purchases, or our latest
building projects.
There are those who argue that this is a
sport, and should be promoted as such. But
do we want the media to become our voice?
Take a careful and close look at what the
media is promoting in the arena of sports.
But also think about how you became
involved in this pastime, and compare the
two. I don’t think anyone ever becomes a
participant just because they are a spectator.
Sports by definition provide a spectator.
And while people spectating may be good
for a public image it does not necessarily
bring people into a pastime. Many people go
to car shows and appreciate looking at
restored or rodded automobiles. But these
spectators at shows do not become
enthusiasts who actually want to try having
an antique automobile or street rod.
What produces new members for this
hobby is the participation in the process of
restoring, or the enjoyment of using and
driving, the automobile. The thing that
provides the spark of interest is
participation. That is why clubs that produce
road rallies or promote family involvement
are more likely to produce an enthusiast.
A great Studebaker club that I am still a
part of does not go to car shows. The
philosophy is to provide a way for the owner
to drive the car to an event where the family
can also partake of something of interest. So
the car becomes a participant in the event
for the day and also a part of the memory of
the day.
And it is going to be hard for someone to
appreciate our pastime until they actually try
Model Aviation, 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Letters to the Editor
Continued on page 197
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it. Hands on participation whether it be at a
school, air show, county fair, or other venue
is what will bring people to appreciate the
time and effort needed to participate. The
ability to take a project from bench to sky,
and an airplane is a project whether it is an
ARF or a scratch built model, is another
positive. These are things to think about
when rushing to have the public view our
pastime. Please emphasize the positive, and
invite people you know to participate.
I don’t think asking the outside world to
come in and promote for us is necessarily a
good thing. We are the ones with knowledge.
We understand the limitations and
requirements. And by using the media to
promote this pastime, the limitations and
requirements are going to be edited from the
production. Why? Because people want action
when spectating; the boring stuff that will keep
you from hurting someone else or yourself is
going to be on the cutting room floor.
I think most of us do still view this as a
hobby. Something to provide relaxation and
enjoyment away from the craziness of the
world in which we live. For the competitors
it provides an outlet for their competitive
spirit. Too often today people are looking
for a quick fix to bring a great return. I’ve
learned many times the hard way; there are
no quick fixes.
What we need for this pastime is
involvement, and this is something that I do
see in the hobby. From the material I have
read and the people I have met there is a
great core of activists for model aviation
within AMA. This needs promotion and
expansion to others in the hobby through
invitation. That Studebaker club I mentioned
succeeds by asking its members to
participate; we don’t wait for volunteers.
Asking the media to do this for us will
only open us up to the reactionary nature of
the media. Remember the sixties when
modeling received a bad name because of
the products used in its process. Beware
what the media can do to you to take away
exactly what you’re trying to promote. The
media’s product is hype, and hype may sell,
but it doesn’t bring commitment.
One more thought on this subject. “If
you build it they will come.” That haunting
statement from Field of Dreams should be
our outlook to providing a safe and
enjoyable pastime. For it is up to us to do it
properly, for we are the only ones who can.
Understanding and appreciation of any
endeavor are what produce the commitment
to become an enthusiast and provide the
sense to do it properly.
Randy Mahl
via E-mail
Denny’s Models
Seeing the photo of the Dennyplane in
the December (2002) “Focal Point”
brought back old memories of my youth
when we lived in Hollywood (CA) during
the big war. Does anyone else remember
Reginald Denny’s Hobby Shop that was,
as I recall, on Sunset Blvd. near Western
(or was it Gower)? I do remember that all
of my paper-route money went there ($4
per week!). Of course, there wasn’t a large
variety of kits and supplies available
because of material diverted to the war
effort. Not much balsa, but I remember
cardboard kits that went together fairly
well.
Later, after we moved to Phoenix, my
uncle gave me my first airplane engine—a
Dennymite. I can’t recall the displacement,
but it was a standard-ignition engine which
barely powered my first Control Line
airplane. I wish I had kept it as a memento.
So, it looks as though old Reginald was
into the model aircraft scene in more ways
than the one Dennyplane photo suggests.
Perhaps other readers may remember some
of his other exploits into this area and could
share them. Better hurry; at our age,
memories tend to fade (or to be silenced by
the slamming of the lid). MA
Carl Gotch
Phoenix, Arizona
Continued from page 9
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