Modeling Spoken Here
Bob Hunt — Aeromodeling Editor
It matters not what the mode or discipline is; we are joined by a single bond: flight!
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, emails, 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 my father had collected 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 an area other than that for which it was originally conceived. I have come to think of this ability 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 part, straightforward.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
