Modeling Spoken Here
Bob Hunt — Aeromodeling Editor
I’ve just returned from the 2003 Weak Signals RC Exposition in Ohio, which is otherwise known to us all as the “Toledo Show.” In recent years I’d been less than impressed by this show; it just didn’t seem to have the impact that it had in the past. Toledo is where all of us in the hobby industry go to be re-energized and informed about the directions in which our hobby and sport are headed.
To be clear, my disappointment was not with the show’s management; they have always maintained a very high level of professionalism and service. My hat is off to the Weak Signals club for their monumental effort each year. I was just not happy with the apparent trends within the hobby and sport. All of that changed this year at Toledo — and it changed decidedly for the better.
I’ve been in a sort of funk lately. I’d been dreading that the hobby and sport had been steadily heading toward becoming just a casual sport. The development of quality, affordable, and great-flying Almost Ready-to-Fly models (ARFs) had convinced me that the rest of the pastime — designing, building, and personal innovation — was on a rapidly declining path, destined never to return.
What I saw at Toledo this year has certainly altered that line of thinking for me, and will hopefully also be recognized by others who have shared my dismal outlook. Yes, sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is not the headlight of the oncoming train!
There were lots and lots of beautiful models on display and for sale, including:
- ARF (Almost Ready-to-Fly), ARC (Almost Ready-to-Cover), and RTF (Ready-to-Fly) offerings.
- A significant number of impressive Giant Scale models.
- An abundance of electric and indoor/park-flyer electric-flight product.
- Many kit manufacturers with new product lines.
- Suppliers of building materials who seemed to be doing brisk business.
- Plans services that had lots of action at their booths.
- Numerous suppliers of ancillary modeling hardware items.
- A good number of Control Line (CL) and Free Flight (FF) products — including two new CL ARF offerings that garnered a great deal of attention.
In the past few years, each of these areas has seemed to take turns being the single biggest modeling trend. This year each area was still strong and well represented, but the overall mix made it clear: there appears to be a place for everyone and every interest. I didn’t think that would ever come to pass, and now I’m extremely pleased to know I was wrong.
My greatest hope is that we can have not only tolerance, but also enthusiasm and true respect for each other’s modeling interests. This year’s Toledo show went a long way toward convincing me that this is possible.
The Calvagna Boys
Here’s an amazing human-interest story I heard about at Toledo. Our RC Giant Scale columnist Sal Calvagna met up by chance with Pete Calvagna (who runs a Hitec R/C service center) at the show. Since they share an uncommon last name, they began comparing life stories and discovered that their grandfathers were brothers who came through Ellis Island together when they first immigrated to America. The brothers were separated then; one stayed in New York (Sal’s grandfather), and the other settled in the Midwest (Pete’s grandfather). What are the odds that the two grandsons of these men would find their way into model aviation as a hobby, find work in the hobby industry, and meet at a trade show for the first time? It truly is a small world.
Caprice Update
In last month’s editorial I waxed enthusiastic about my new stunt model — the Caprice — and promised a report after its competition debut. If you recall, I wrote a bit about how component alignment was achieved through the use of a foam building board.
I’m very pleased to report that the Caprice flew “right off the board,” with virtually no trim adjustments. It turns equally well upright and inverted, and it locks on a straight line after a turn better than almost any model I’ve ever built.
The real bonus for me was a second-place finish out of 79 contestants at the Vintage Stunt Championships with only 18 flights total on the model. Who beat me? Bill Wervage — again!
You can get in touch with me:
- Phone: (610) 614-1747
- E-mail: [email protected]
- Mail: Box 68, Stockertown, PA 18083
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
