Letters to the Editor - 2004/08

Forgotten Fliers?
I realize that the key term in the AMA title
is “Model,” but is this a good reason to nearly
completely ignore those who fly other things?
For example, Zagis or other flying wings, or
other exotic flying objects?
I noticed a photo of a flying lawn mower
(page 170, May 2004, Volume 30, number 5);
now just what airplane is this a model of? I
have noted only a photo or two of flying
wings in the AMA magazine. It seems that
many “modelers” look down their noses at
such models since they look nothing like any
“normal” airplane.
There are quite a number of “airplanes”
that really bear little if any resemblance to
“real” airplanes; look at some of the “Pattern”
airplanes or so-called “stick airplanes” for
example. What about those things that people
get into the air that are just plain strange?
Anyone out there trying to make Leonardo da
Vinci’s creations fly?
I guess I thought the AMA was to make
the most of what is common to all fliers—
getting anything in the air! For just plain fun
and a great learning airplane, try a Zagi. Who
cares if you crash? Just pick it up, put the
battery back in, and throw it back in the air!
I admit that there is something cool about
flying a miniature airplane, but there is
something really cool about just flying!
Ted Miedke
via E-mail
F-100 IFR
When I got my April issue of MA and saw
the picture of the F-100 and the bent In Flight
Refueling probe, I had a flashback to my
assignment in 1959 to RAF Station
Wethersfield in Essex, England, in the 20th
Tactical Fighter Wing. We had 75 F-100D
aircraft. Now to the bent IFR probe. While
flying a flight of F-100s over the Atlantic, the
need to refuel is necessary and the only way
to do it is in flight. In those days one of the
methods of in-flight refueling was the probe
and drouge.
The tanker would let out a long hose with
a funnel receptacle on the end (drouge), and
the aircraft has a long probe that would be
inserted into the funnel receptacle then
transfer JP-4 fuel into the F-100.
During one of these IFRs, the tanker hit an
air pocket, causing the fuel hose to whip and,
in turn, bent the long probe similar to the
shape in your front-page picture. And in the
process of disconnecting from the tanker, the
pilot in the F-100 had to have the fuel to
make the rest of the distance across the
Atlantic, so he requested one more shot at
hooking up to get that much needed fuel.
He found that with the probe bent in this
fashion, not only was it easier to see the probe
Model Aviation, 5161 E. Memorial Dr., Muncie IN 47302
Letters to the Editor
August 2004 9
now that it was almost at cockpit level, but it
was much easier to make the connection.
Luckily no damage was done, and the transfer
of fuel went okay and off he went to Europe.
I know all of this because it was my job to
schedule the replacement of the straight
probes with bent ones. The straight probes
were then sent to North American Aircraft
Co. to be bent and returned to the field for
installation on other aircraft. Check it out and
you’ll see that as strange as it may sound, this
is how it happened one day on the way to
Europe.
I have been in modeling since I was seven
or nine, and now at almost 70 I still build and
fly. Thanks for a great magazine and keep up
the good work. Keep them flying.
Bill Mackinzie
Taneytown, Maryland
Providing Clarity and Education
Upon reaching my one-year AMA
membership anniversary, I wanted to say
thanks to all the writers and editors of Model
Aviation. You have been an enormous help to
me in my development as a new RC pilot.
In particular I want to say thanks for
including the excellent work of Bob Aberle in
Model Aviation. His articles in the “From the
Ground Up” series helped this new flier
understand so much of the confusing world of
RC airplanes and particularly electric
airplanes.
His article in the June 2004 issue,
“Introduction to Parking Lot Flying,” is
another outstanding piece of work. It is clear
that Bob has a tremendous amount of
technical knowledge, yet he has an uncanny
ability to “net it out” for those who are not
quite as deeply into the details as we know he
can go. Yet he gives us exactly what we need
to prepare us for the next step. I hope he will
do more articles on this growing area of RC
flying.
One particularly valuable contribution
made in this article is to provide a workable
definition of his subject airplanes. So many of
the terms we use in RC flying are ill defined
and subject to wide interpretation. Bob does
an excellent job of defining the range of
airplanes he feels are appropriate to this flying
venue.
His parameters of less than 16 ounces,
with wing loadings of less than 8 ounces and
motors of less than or equal to a Speed 300
are very easy to understand and very
workable in practical application. I would
love to see the manufacturers pick up this
definition for the world of smaller outdoor
airplanes under a label like small lot flyers.
While some may find Bob’s parameters
restrictive, there is an enormous number of
wonderful airplanes that fit into this category.
However, by setting these parameters he
defines an ability to fly slowly, when
appropriate, which is very important in a
smaller flying area. Likewise, by limiting the
weight, he further suggests a safety margin
for a flying site that is not as shielded or
controllable as our club flying fields.
This is a definition that I would love to see
widely adopted so that manufacturers can
more accurately describe their airplanes. The
now ubiquitous “park flyer” term has been
seriously overused and is now appearing on
some pretty large and heavy airplanes that can
reach over 50 mph that really belong on club
fields.
An unsuspecting new flier could pick up
one of these “park flyers” and feel that the
local 300 x 300 parking lot is quite adequate
for a flying site. For those who understand
this hobby, it should be clear that a new flier
should not be flying such a model in such a
small space. And, from a safety point of view,
that type of airplane has no business being
flown in such an unprotected area.
However, Bob’s “parking lot flyers,”
“backyard flyers,” and “schoolyard flyers”
would fit this space very nicely and pose little
hazard to the public, even by a new flier
working with a coach.
So I repeat my thanks to MA for
publishing such fine and informative articles.
And thanks to Bob for helping to advance the
hobby through clarity and education.
Ed Anderson
Syosset, New York
Slighted in SW Regionals Coverage
I read with interest John Patton’s report on
the 2004 Southwest Regionals contest in the
most recent issue of Model Aviation (June
2004). It was well done both in terms of text
and photos with one glaring exception. Very
little was dedicated to the SAM RC Old-
Timers events. There were no photos
whatsoever and very little said in the text
reporting.
Many of us as old-timers were the very
lifeblood of AMA when it started and got
going back in the late ’30s. We now fly the
same models we flew back then when we
were kids, but our old bones cannot take the
chasing, etc. anymore that goes with Free
Flight. Hence our attraction to RC assist.
We have fun and the fellowship is great.
We would like to see more recognition given
to SAM RC assist generally and the people
who make its contests and events the fun
times and successes that they are.
On that point, and getting back to the
Southwest Regionals, the man who makes the
RC assist portion of this event go is Bob
Angus. Many in our hobby know Bob. But
what many don’t know is that he (with the
help of his son, Walter) has been the contest
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director for either 16 or 17 years.
He is also very active in other phases
of our hobby in and around Tucson,
judges at various area Pattern contests, is
a director and real mover in the
development and operation of TIMPA,
the big model park here, and the list goes
on. For those who don’t know, TIMPA
is the best model airport in the world,
both in terms of physical plant and
location.
So, my plea is that you give a little
more attention to this phase of the hobby
that we old ducks enjoy so much.
John Edris
Tucson, Arizona
The whole idea of the article was to
feature Free Flight. The editor and I
discussed this before the article was
written, actually before the Regionals.
There was no slight intended to the SAM
guys. I actually did fly in a SAM event at
the Regionals.
Next year hopefully we can make a
larger article and showcase the SAM
events. MA
John Patton
Phoenix, Arizona