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
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