Modeling Spoken Here - 2004/12

THIS ISSUE MARKS the conclusion of
my fourth year in the position of
aeromodeling editor at MA. My boss,
AMA Director of Publications Rob Kurek,
reminded me of this a few days back.
Since then I’ve been thinking about that
milestone and the things that I have tried
to accomplish, the things that have
worked, the things that have failed, and
the things yet to try.
I’m sure that not many of you will
remember my first editorial (yes, I know,
most of my stuff is forgettable in far less
than four years), but in that piece I
mentioned that I had just built a small
hand-launched glider and named it the
“MDR.” That stood for “Minimum Daily
Requirement.”
I mentioned that I was going to fly it
across the office each morning before I
began to work so that no matter what else
happened or what the prospect was of
getting out to fly my normal-interest-area
model, I could say that I flew a model
airplane that day.
The idea, of course, was to emphasize
the thought that we are all brothers and
sisters in model-airplane flight. It matters
not what the mode or discipline is; we are
joined by a single bond: flight! I was
hoping that this example would be
symbolic enough that we would all begin
to have renewed respect for each other’s
particular interest area in the hobby/sport
and, further than that, have actual
enthusiasm for each other’s type of
modeling. I’m not too sure that I’ve
succeeded completely in this respect.
Each month I receive many notes,
letters, E-mails, and phone calls from
modelers from across the country. Many
express their desire for more coverage of
their particular interest area in modeling.
Perfectly understandable—we all want
more of what we like and what interests
us. I usually work the conversation around
to asking if they read the articles and
columns that don’t cover their particular
interest area. Almost without exception,
the answer is “No.”
When I was young I read all of the
modeling magazines cover to cover. I
didn’t care what type of model was being
explained in a given construction article,
what skill was being imparted by a
particular how-to, or even what type of
modeling was being highlighted by an
event report. I was interested in model
airplanes—all model airplanes.
In fact, I read the older modeling
magazines that my father had collected
and kept with as much enthusiasm as the
current issues. The fact that the
information was old or dated didn’t seem
to dampen my interest.
I learned a lot from other types of
modeling that I eventually incorporated
into my own modeling in either a virtual
manner or through abstraction. Sometimes
a good idea can be changed or adapted to
solve a problem in another area than that
for which it was originally conceived. I
have come to think of this ability to be
able to abstract as a gift.
Another gift, I believe, is the ability
and willingness to appreciate what others
have accomplished, even if I don’t have
any desire to accomplish those same
things myself. I get a huge kick out of
watching anyone do anything extremely
well. I guess this is what I meant when I
mentioned having enthusiasm for each
other’s type of modeling. We don’t have
to be totally involved in it to appreciate it
and support it.
I’ll have some more thoughts on this
subject in upcoming columns and some
suggestions for how we can all get to
know each other a bit better and interact in
some fun ways.
A few of the things I wanted to do in
this post have been relatively easy. I had a
desire to start a program that would impart
basic knowledge to new modelers in a
manner that would allow them to learn at
an accelerated rate. With a few notable
exceptions, the “From the Ground Up”
series is doing that. The subjects to be
covered are almost endless, so that series
will continue on a semiregular basis.
Implementing this series was for the most
Bob Hunt Aeromodeling Editor
It matters not what the
mode or discipline is;
we are joined by a
single bond: flight!
Modeling Spoken Here
Continued on page xxx
December 2004 7
1815 South Research Loop
12sig1.QXD 10/25/04 8:32 AM Page 7
part a painless process.
Finding and presenting unique and
interesting original designs as
construction features is getting to be a
more difficult task than it used to be; there
just aren’t as many modelers designing
and building their own airplanes these
days. Still, I think we have managed to
get a pretty good mix of types into print.
Our reader survey showed us that
many still prefer to build their own
models from plans and/or kits. Perhaps we
can nudge some of them to the next step
of designing their own models and then
sharing them with us in the form of
construction features.
Deciding what modeling events to
cover has been a challenge. We have only
a certain number of pages each year to
devote to event coverage, and we cannot
possibly even begin to provide space for
them all.
We have initiated a program that
allows the SIGs to suggest events for
which they would like to see coverage.
With there being more than 25 SIGs, the
simple math reveals the problem. We
cannot present coverage for each in any
given year. We’ll continue to try to make
this aspect of the magazine better and
more equitable.
When I came onboard, ARF and RTF
models were becoming ever more
popular. This trend has continued, and
now approximately half of our members
fly these types of aircraft exclusively or
intermixed with their kit-built or plansbuilt
models. This is an area that took me
a bit by surprise. I’m an old-time modelbuilder
type of guy, and it has taken me
awhile to appreciate this area of the sport.
I guess I’ll have to take some of my own
medicine here ...
I’m trying to find more material that
will be of interest to the ARF and RTF
fliers. Typically, all that is presented for
them are product reviews of the latest and
greatest new models. I believe that
articles devoted to how to get more from
these aircraft in terms of flight
performance and durability are needed,
and that’s what I’m researching now.
It’s difficult to evaluate my own
performance; I’ll let you do that instead. I
can tell you this much: it’s been
interesting and, for the most part, fun. I
joke with my friends that my job is not to
make 170,000 members happy, but rather
to make them equally unhappy! I’ll keep
trying!
Tribute to Gene: If you had ever met the
late Gene Hempel, you would certainly
not forget him. This man could light up
any room with his smile alone. But
Gene also had the gift of making people
around him feel good with his words. I
never met with him when he didn’t
have a kind, uplifting, or encouraging
thing to say. That’s how I will
remember him.
There was an official obituary piece
about Gene and his myriad
accomplishments and contributions to
our hobby/sport in last month’s issue.
Included there was a heartfelt and
touching tribute to Gene by Don Lowe.
If you missed it, please take a moment
to grab that issue and give it a read.
Just before I wrote this piece,
George Hamby contacted me with a
request concerning Gene. I normally
don’t present this sort of thing in this
column, but this is a special case and I
think it’s a good cause. I’ll let George
tell you about his request in his own
words.
“My name is George Hamby. I am a
member of the Dallas Model Aircraft
Association. I knew Gene Hempel for
about 35 years and considered him a
good friend.
“I am building two scorecard easels
in his memory and would like as many
people as possible who knew Gene to
sign one of the easels. Obviously not
everyone can or will come to Dallas to
sign it. Is there some way you could
mention in your column that if I receive
a copy of a signature, either by USPS or
E-mail, I can decal it and put it on the
board? Or if they have the means, they
can decal it and send it to me.
“Any observations and information
you might be able to assist me with will
be greatly appreciated.”
If you can help George out, please
contact him at (972) 247-6230, or you
can reach him via mail at 13605
Heartside Pl., Dallas TX 75234.
Season’s Greetings: With our deadline
shift complete, the magazine’s cover
date is closer to the calendar date. So
let me take this opportunity to wish you
all a very happy, healthy, peaceful, and
secure holiday season. May the end of
this year be as bright for you as is your
hope for the new year.
As always, you can reach me via
telephone at (610) 614-1747 or via Email
at [email protected]. My
address is Box 68, Stockertown PA
18083. I appreciate your attention. MA